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dawn_winters's review against another edition
5.0
Unlike any other addiction memoir I've read. Jamison pairs memoir with literary and narrative analysis, exploring her path and the demons of artists before her. Rich description, raw emotion, and a chance to look at oneself differently.
alice27's review against another edition
3.0
The writing in this is beautiful. My issue is that it felt more like a dissertation than a memoir.
flufficorn's review against another edition
I have consumed a lot of books about addiction and addiction recovery. As a recovering addict, I find the subject fascinating. I approach the subject from a sense of curiosity, looking for solidarity and common ground, with a hope of maybe also learning something about myself.
This book was that, but hyper specific to the author. It felt like a self aggrandizement of their alcoholism, and alcoholism as a theme among the literati that, to me, felt like was being treated as something to live up to. I usually give books 3 chapters to get me hooked and through chapter 5, it was still just "I drink because I like it and I won't apologize." This is a long book. 38% through it and I felt like the author still had not gotten to the point. How disappointing.
This book was that, but hyper specific to the author. It felt like a self aggrandizement of their alcoholism, and alcoholism as a theme among the literati that, to me, felt like was being treated as something to live up to. I usually give books 3 chapters to get me hooked and through chapter 5, it was still just "I drink because I like it and I won't apologize." This is a long book. 38% through it and I felt like the author still had not gotten to the point. How disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Abortion, and Rape
dcmr's review against another edition
3.0
I have such mixed feelings on this book. Leslie Jamison writes with depth, breadth and beauty. She shares her own story of alcohol addiction with painful brilliance, while weaving in the history of U.S. narcotic policies and treatments, along with the stories of accomplished artists/addicts. It's an overwhelming amount of information, and it's no wonder it often reads like the dissertation from which it began.
But the most difficult part of this book is her gilded life, as she travels the world from one funded writer's workshop, residency, and appointment to the next — all while drinking, drunk and hungover. That she has this portal to privilege is astounding. And that she has this access while bottomed out is confounding.
She's not looking for sympathy and this well-researched exploration is not at all sentimental. But something about her ability to so easily have and hold what so many writers struggle to attain creates a distance between writer and reader.
But the most difficult part of this book is her gilded life, as she travels the world from one funded writer's workshop, residency, and appointment to the next — all while drinking, drunk and hungover. That she has this portal to privilege is astounding. And that she has this access while bottomed out is confounding.
She's not looking for sympathy and this well-researched exploration is not at all sentimental. But something about her ability to so easily have and hold what so many writers struggle to attain creates a distance between writer and reader.
steve_sanders's review against another edition
4.0
When Jamison’s gaze is turned outward to the cultural history of addiction, Recovering is a stellar, engrossing read, less so when she shifts the focus to her own experience. She hits the frequent pitfall of addiction memoirs by attempting to convey the horrors of alcoholism by recounting all the times she got drunk with a hot guy in an exotic, international locale. The portrait of her relationship with Dave works better as a depiction of the havoc that addiction wreaks on all forms of intimacy, but even then Dave feels less like character and more like a projection of her own evolving insecurities.
I also wish Jamison hadn’t waited until the afterward to address the existence of addiction treatments outside the 12 Step model (Maia Szalavitz’s Unbroken Brain is a wonderful exploration of this).
Still, what works here works very well. Jamison prose and eye for detail are never less than first rate.
I also wish Jamison hadn’t waited until the afterward to address the existence of addiction treatments outside the 12 Step model (Maia Szalavitz’s Unbroken Brain is a wonderful exploration of this).
Still, what works here works very well. Jamison prose and eye for detail are never less than first rate.
jaw417's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully honest and reflective memoir, woven together with a critical analysis of the ways in with our society, our literary canon, and our academics romanticize addiction and paint sobriety as something plain and unremarkable. I loved this as a reader, an aspiring writer, and as a mental health professional working with many people struggling with substance use, relapse, and recovery.
jcschildbach's review against another edition
4.0
Jamison admits that she is seeking out authors who managed to do good work in recovery, but doesn't find a whole lot. Stephen King is the main example she is able to find, and he's a great example if you're looking for a 'prolific writer' who has found great success. But a lot of the other writers she focuses on...Jean Rhys, for instance, were notorious for diving deeper and deeper into their addiction until their productivity fell completely off and they died. King is a big champion of Jamison, but he was an established, best-selling author by the time he backed off of the drugs and alcohol. I don' t mean to dump on Jamison's efforts to seek out a path to recovery that includes writing success. But while she tells a solid personal story of seeking sobriety while trying to continue a successful path as a writer, I don't feel like she ever gathered much evidence (and don't feel like she would argue much of anything to the contrary). Even her main works prior to recovery (like 'The Gin Closet') revolved around addiction. This is a well-written, intriguing book, but I'm not sure where it was ever going.
lesserkatie's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5