Scan barcode
rmarcin's review against another edition
2.0
This book was billed as The Glass Castle meets The Nest. It was not even close! Yes, it is about a wealthy family (The Nest), but it doesn't come close to the dysfunctional family and the ability to rise above one's upbringing so beautifully depicted in The Glass Castle. The only comparison is that both of the authors were magazine editors.
This story is about a very wealthy family with a summer home in the Hamptons. It begins with preparations for a wedding. A tragedy occurs, but the wedding goes on. The book details the relationships in the bride's and groom's families. But, I didn't care for any of them. I really had no interest in their superficial lives. Glad it was short!
#AllHappyFamilies #JeanneMcCullogh
This story is about a very wealthy family with a summer home in the Hamptons. It begins with preparations for a wedding. A tragedy occurs, but the wedding goes on. The book details the relationships in the bride's and groom's families. But, I didn't care for any of them. I really had no interest in their superficial lives. Glad it was short!
#AllHappyFamilies #JeanneMcCullogh
yeller's review against another edition
5.0
"Even as an adult, the child of an alcoholic forgets how to speak; or, more accurately, loses the belief that their words have any power to make a difference or to matter."
"What in the protocol of love takes romance to this prcipice, where decisions about death are made with an eye toward eternal union."
"That's what every marriage out to be, at any rate, the perfect marriage everyone aspires to. A long and intricate dance between present and past, moving always together in step toward the future."
It's a bit hard to describe this book. I adored it, and although Jeanne Mccolloch's life was in no way similar to mine, a lot of her experiences shined through and hit me close to home. I grew up with an alcoholic father, and the way she describes what they are like to live with was so poignant that I had to set the book down. The way she describes marriage, both happy marriages and the marriages that completely fell apart surrounding the occasion of her wedding was also incredible.
The general mood of the book is melancholic. Towards the end there is the general air of true sadness and mourning, but all in all it's a memoir about slow loss. Of something you've build for ages slowly falling apart. It was truly an incredible book, one that I recommend to anyone. The fact that it doesn't go in narrative order or follow one distinct line makes perfect sense for the story she is trying to tell. By the time I finished, I ached for her.
Definitely a book that's worth a read!
"What in the protocol of love takes romance to this prcipice, where decisions about death are made with an eye toward eternal union."
"That's what every marriage out to be, at any rate, the perfect marriage everyone aspires to. A long and intricate dance between present and past, moving always together in step toward the future."
It's a bit hard to describe this book. I adored it, and although Jeanne Mccolloch's life was in no way similar to mine, a lot of her experiences shined through and hit me close to home. I grew up with an alcoholic father, and the way she describes what they are like to live with was so poignant that I had to set the book down. The way she describes marriage, both happy marriages and the marriages that completely fell apart surrounding the occasion of her wedding was also incredible.
The general mood of the book is melancholic. Towards the end there is the general air of true sadness and mourning, but all in all it's a memoir about slow loss. Of something you've build for ages slowly falling apart. It was truly an incredible book, one that I recommend to anyone. The fact that it doesn't go in narrative order or follow one distinct line makes perfect sense for the story she is trying to tell. By the time I finished, I ached for her.
Definitely a book that's worth a read!
emilycc's review against another edition
3.0
Mcculloch uses her wedding and her father's catastrophic stroke, which occurred in the same week, as a framing device to look at both her parents' marriage and her in-laws'. Her mother and mother-in-law, two very different women, are the most memorable characters, and there are scenes that paint a wonderfully vivid picture of upper-class East Coast life in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. She relies too heavily on repeated quotes to hammer (like hammer) her points home, though, and sometimes there's a weird defensive tone in the way she writes about her family's wealth.
Mixed audio performance; male voices, especially, were not natural sounding.
Mixed audio performance; male voices, especially, were not natural sounding.
gabriellaschmidt's review against another edition
2.0
I was searching for a new book to read when the lines "The Glass Castle meets The Nest in this stunning debut, an intimate family memoir that gracefully brings us behind the dappled beachfront vista of privilege, to reveal the inner lives of two wonderfully colorful, unforgettable families" caught my eye. I absolutely loved the "The Glass Castle" but wasn't a big fan of "The Nest" but "All Happy Families: A Memoir" by Jeanne Mcculloch sounded good. I didn't read any more of the description as I like to read with an open mind. The story of Jeanne's unique family unfolds as she prepares to marry into a "normal" family, the Jacksons. Her mother is a strong opinionated woman who runs the family while her alcoholic father causes chaos. As events unfold, I thought this was a strange book as nothing seemed to really happen. Then it dawned on me that it was a biography. No wonder. It was about real life. Jeanne did a pretty good job of writing about her life, however. if you are going to entertain me with a biography, you better have a really interesting life. This one sadly was just ho-hum.
joannawnyc's review
3.0
With material like this, you have to go juicy or go exquisite. Jeanne McCulloch aims for exquisite but lands, alas, on flat. The author interviews are much more interesting and insightful than the book, honestly, so it's not like she doesn't have it in her.
More...