t_d_brooking's review against another edition
4.0
Memoirists these days are blowing me away! Claire Vaye Watkins' is so brave, exposing her imperfections, her "not acceptable behavior" as a mother, and the family history that made her the woman she is. Poetically dark & visually creative, every word makes this prose is absolutely stunning.
hbflynn's review against another edition
4.0
If I had to describe my favorite kind of novel it would be “unhinged narrator written at such a fast pace you feel like you’re living in the chaos of their brain.” And baby baby baby Claire Vaye Watkins got the memo.
Loved this book so much. It’s always brave to write an “unlikable” woman but to write an “unlikable” MOM is heroic and so refreshing.
The narrator is so wrapped up in her own head the plot oftentimes feels moot, my favorite. The writing is unreal and the blurred line between memoir, autofiction, and pure make believe is right up my alley.
Would have been a 5/5 if it weren’t for the letter portions. Read this book and skip the letters if you’re not feeling them — you don’t miss much.
Loved this book so much. It’s always brave to write an “unlikable” woman but to write an “unlikable” MOM is heroic and so refreshing.
The narrator is so wrapped up in her own head the plot oftentimes feels moot, my favorite. The writing is unreal and the blurred line between memoir, autofiction, and pure make believe is right up my alley.
Would have been a 5/5 if it weren’t for the letter portions. Read this book and skip the letters if you’re not feeling them — you don’t miss much.
mariagarnett's review against another edition
4.0
https://bombmagazine.org/articles/claire-vaye-watkins-interviewed/
katv's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
So I was intrigued by the description of this book and was curious why the rating was a bit low. I’m super happy I decided to read this anyways because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I began, I read through the reviews and they were actually pretty divisive — either people LOVING it or LOATHING it.
This is a story about a mother who leaves her family in an effort to distance herself from that specific “identity” (as well as her role as a female and what is expected of her from her family, friends, society) in exploration of what those identities have meant to her and how they have impacted her throughout her life.
My only reason for -.5 stars is it wasn’t entirely clear to me how the letters throughout fit into the narrative. (It also took me far too long to realize they were presented in reverse order, I.e. 1971, 1970, 1969, etc.
So I was intrigued by the description of this book and was curious why the rating was a bit low. I’m super happy I decided to read this anyways because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I began, I read through the reviews and they were actually pretty divisive — either people LOVING it or LOATHING it.
This is a story about a mother who leaves her family in an effort to distance herself from that specific “identity” (as well as her role as a female and what is expected of her from her family, friends, society) in exploration of what those identities have meant to her and how they have impacted her throughout her life.
My only reason for -.5 stars is it wasn’t entirely clear to me how the letters throughout fit into the narrative. (It also took me far too long to realize they were presented in reverse order, I.e. 1971, 1970, 1969, etc.
brandy777's review against another edition
2.0
I understand it’s was about an irresponsible mother and her inner struggles of being unable to care for her daughter. She might’ve loved her, but her character showed signs of immaturity, a high sex drive, narcissism ,unrest-fullness( probably caused by her regrets and anxiety) and such dissatisfaction with her life that she left her daughter all alone, (thank god to who seemed like a good dad) , to go seek out a world that could give her and make her understand why she left her daughter in the first place. A good book but it dragged on the overused “I’m an immature person still young and finding myself through running in a out of drug splurges and one nighters”
Also was this a book based on herself? A memoir or something
Also was this a book based on herself? A memoir or something
tatyahna's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
dtrain411's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75