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bhnmt61's review
5.0
Although this isn't a very long book, it isn't the kind of book you can sit and read through in a day. At least, I can't. It took me a couple of weeks to finish it, because there is so much to think about and absorb. Some of the chapters are a bit dry, and if you're not actually writing a memoir, some of it is a bit too technical. But I do write about my life in my blog, and Karr has great advice and insights about how to talk about yourself-- how to be honest without being mean, how to search for the true way to tell a story, how to find the nuggets of stories worth telling. I think it would be worth reading for anyone who is interested in puzzling out the truth of their experience, regardless of whether or not you plan to write a memoir about it. Also, there are lots of great recommendations of good memoirs to read.
claireescott's review
5.0
This is my new favorite book about writing; I found myself paying attention to the world differently by the end of it. Will be thinking of this whenever I revise: "The point is to have more curiosity about possible forms the work can take than sense of self-protection for your ego."
katlizlove's review against another edition
5.0
While I do not typically like instructions books, Mary Karr does a wonderful job of interspersing this book with excerpts, recommendations, and quirky personality.
agavemonster's review
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
5.0
This is the first full book I've read by Mary Karr, and her voice enchanted me—The Liars' Club and Lit just went to the top of my list. The chapter on Nabokov is some of the best literary criticism of his work I've ever read.
mcwat's review
I've only read one of Karr's memoirs, but her prose here is as alive and fluid as I know it to be from Cherry. I think this book cured me of the belief that it's possible to "bang out" quality memoir writing. Only time will tell.