karibaumann's review against another edition
I started but didn't finish it. The reviews made it sound like it was going to be a slog and normally I like to decide for myself but it didn't grab me enough to finish.
bellatora's review against another edition
1.0
I have never read any of Dubus' books, because back when he was popular I Didn't Do Tragic. His memoir got good buzz, though, so I decided to give it a try. Let's just say that I don't plan to read any of his fictional books, ever.
I feel bad for Dubus. He got a raw deal, with a father who couldn’t be bothered to spend time with his children and a mom who was too busy and exhausted to pay adequate attention to them. With the exception of his younger sister, Dubus' siblings were adrift and had problems with drugs. His naturally small size made him a bully-magnet in the rough neighborhoods he grew up in after his parents' divorce. And despite all that he was able to make something of himself and not die young and violently like so many he knew.
That doesn't mean I like his memoir, though. It commits the cardinal sin of books: it was boring. Horribly, horribly boring. Not that his life wasn't compelling. Growing up in the bad part of town led to some craziness and horror and childhood (especially one with so many siblings) is natural fodder. But Dubus' writing style made everything that should have been interesting incredibly ponderous, dull and choppy. It's even more surprising given the fact that there were so many fights that took place (Dubus bulked himself up as a teen and had a short-fuse and a childhood surrounded by violence...there were a lot of bar/street fights).But the fights were semi-random and I could never understand nor bring myself to care how they started or who they were with. Truthfully, it mostly seemed that Dubus just attacked people whenever they stepped out of line or he was feeling upset, so there wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to begin with and his writing style just muddled things.
The book was mostly chronological but sometimes wasn’t, which was confusing. There were so many people drifting in and out with no real sense of who they were that I stopped bothering to keep track. Even his own siblings never come into focus. There’s a vague sense of them: Jeb is the artsy, suicidal one; Suzanne is the classic Little Girl Lost, using drugs and sex to fill the void created by daddy issues; Nicole is the studious one, hiding in her room from the broken world and dysfunctional family she’s trapped in. But that’s just the surface and I can tell you nothing more about any of them, especially Nicole who I was most interested in (she seemed the most together of them all and I’m curious how she did it). There are giant holes in the timeline. Dubus is interested in a Persian girl and then suddenly he’s moved to Texas and no mention is made of how their relationship ended. The middle school art teacher who is sleeping with Dubus' brother Jeb (while Jeb was her student!) randomly appears and just as suddenly she’s gone from the narrative. Dubus is suddenly a parole officer (or something…)! Dubus is suddenly married! Dubus decided to go to college despite being a punk who according to the narrative had little interest in school! WHAT WAS GOING ON?!?
Also, I hated Andre Dubus senior more than I hated any other villain I've read about this year (and I've read some dark stuff). Maybe he wasn't supposed to be a villain, but I feel like he was one and I found him incredibly despicable. I probably hate him more knowing that he was real, while the other villains I've read about recently were fictional. Dubus senior was a horrible, horrible man with few redeeming qualities. He was the worst father someone could be short of being actually abusive. He was a chronic philanderer who couldn’t stop himself—and truthfully, likely never tried—from screwing his students even when he was married. He was a drunk, a man-child, a cheater. He was neglectful of those he should have loved and cared for and almost pathologically selfish. And this is even through Andre Junior’s vaguely sympathetic (though hurt) lense! Some people like senior’s writing (I will bet you I would find it boring and pretentious) and he was apparently charming and willing to help strangers, so I’ll give him that. So I guess he had some redeeming qualities, but I still find him one of the most miserable people I’ve read about this year. I wish he was fictional.
In the end, Dubus managed to reveal everything without revealing anything. He writes about painful parts of his youth that I think are brave to reveal but never gets close enough to give the reader a sense of anything. I hate to say it about a professional author, but I wish someone else had written his life story.
I feel bad for Dubus. He got a raw deal, with a father who couldn’t be bothered to spend time with his children and a mom who was too busy and exhausted to pay adequate attention to them. With the exception of his younger sister, Dubus' siblings were adrift and had problems with drugs. His naturally small size made him a bully-magnet in the rough neighborhoods he grew up in after his parents' divorce. And despite all that he was able to make something of himself and not die young and violently like so many he knew.
That doesn't mean I like his memoir, though. It commits the cardinal sin of books: it was boring. Horribly, horribly boring. Not that his life wasn't compelling. Growing up in the bad part of town led to some craziness and horror and childhood (especially one with so many siblings) is natural fodder. But Dubus' writing style made everything that should have been interesting incredibly ponderous, dull and choppy. It's even more surprising given the fact that there were so many fights that took place (Dubus bulked himself up as a teen and had a short-fuse and a childhood surrounded by violence...there were a lot of bar/street fights).But the fights were semi-random and I could never understand nor bring myself to care how they started or who they were with. Truthfully, it mostly seemed that Dubus just attacked people whenever they stepped out of line or he was feeling upset, so there wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to begin with and his writing style just muddled things.
The book was mostly chronological but sometimes wasn’t, which was confusing. There were so many people drifting in and out with no real sense of who they were that I stopped bothering to keep track. Even his own siblings never come into focus. There’s a vague sense of them: Jeb is the artsy, suicidal one; Suzanne is the classic Little Girl Lost, using drugs and sex to fill the void created by daddy issues; Nicole is the studious one, hiding in her room from the broken world and dysfunctional family she’s trapped in. But that’s just the surface and I can tell you nothing more about any of them, especially Nicole who I was most interested in (she seemed the most together of them all and I’m curious how she did it). There are giant holes in the timeline. Dubus is interested in a Persian girl and then suddenly he’s moved to Texas and no mention is made of how their relationship ended. The middle school art teacher who is sleeping with Dubus' brother Jeb (while Jeb was her student!) randomly appears and just as suddenly she’s gone from the narrative. Dubus is suddenly a parole officer (or something…)! Dubus is suddenly married! Dubus decided to go to college despite being a punk who according to the narrative had little interest in school! WHAT WAS GOING ON?!?
Also, I hated Andre Dubus senior more than I hated any other villain I've read about this year (and I've read some dark stuff). Maybe he wasn't supposed to be a villain, but I feel like he was one and I found him incredibly despicable. I probably hate him more knowing that he was real, while the other villains I've read about recently were fictional. Dubus senior was a horrible, horrible man with few redeeming qualities. He was the worst father someone could be short of being actually abusive. He was a chronic philanderer who couldn’t stop himself—and truthfully, likely never tried—from screwing his students even when he was married. He was a drunk, a man-child, a cheater. He was neglectful of those he should have loved and cared for and almost pathologically selfish. And this is even through Andre Junior’s vaguely sympathetic (though hurt) lense! Some people like senior’s writing (I will bet you I would find it boring and pretentious) and he was apparently charming and willing to help strangers, so I’ll give him that. So I guess he had some redeeming qualities, but I still find him one of the most miserable people I’ve read about this year. I wish he was fictional.
In the end, Dubus managed to reveal everything without revealing anything. He writes about painful parts of his youth that I think are brave to reveal but never gets close enough to give the reader a sense of anything. I hate to say it about a professional author, but I wish someone else had written his life story.
stitchandwitch's review against another edition
4.0
Dubus spoke directly to the writer in me. He understands the reason I write, the drive and necessity. I feel like portions of this were a little drawn out, but it was good. It made me want to read his books and his father's. So out of one book I found two new authors to read...
kikidebris's review against another edition
3.0
The author writes a compelling memoir about his father abandoning the family. What annoyed me was his pattern of blatant foreshadowing and then backtracking to explain events. As a reader, it ruins the surprise to know something bad is about to happen.
jodyjsperling's review against another edition
5.0
10 stars, please. This book sets the bar for memoir. I've rarely read something so engaging and at the same time wise. Why do these two facets seem so often opposed, and how did Dubus arrive at the perfect marriage of them? This book both humbled and inspired me.
bobbo49's review against another edition
4.0
This is a raw-edged memoir about growing up as a wimpy kid in hard-scrabble South Boston with an absentee writer father, and the serious anger and violence management issues that Dubus had to overcome as an adult. Although there were a few too many descriptions of violent encounters for my tastes, the book is very well written, and Dubus' reflections on his relationship with his father and on his own personal growth into fatherhood are both touching and profound.
cquinnahearn's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most affecting books I've read all year (and I read a lot!).
mariannika's review against another edition
5.0
What a moving book, the end had me in tears. Although the author and I have had completely different lives and experiences, I have to say that I recognized parts of myself and my family in his story. If the mark of great art is how it illuminates the common experience of being human, Dubus III has succeeded.
starsbooksandtea's review against another edition
4.0
Townie is a memoir about a young man growing up and the relationship he has with his father. It delves into the struggles and challenges he and his family faced growing up. It was about how they overcame it as well.
As this is a memoir and based on real events, I don't feel it's fully fair to give my opinion on the story itself. I can give my opinion on the writing. What I will say about the story is that it's very emotionally wrenching and I felt for the people in the story. Dubus has a very amazing talent for highlighting what everybody in the story is feeling. It's like he as the main character felt what they felt. I would even go as far as to state that he might be an Empath.
There were a lot of ways that the writing style didn't really sit well with me. I loved the story. I can't say I loved the violence of the story, but when telling the story, you should leave nothing out. No matter how uncomfortable the story makes you feel. The biggest issue I had was the constant brand name drops. Was it really important that we know exactly what beer somebody was drinking or the cigarette they were smoking?
Either way, I do recommend this story. It was very well written. Other than a few flaws, it was great. The story has a way of sinking you in. There are some jumps that will waylay every now and then. I feel like things could have been mapped out a little clearer, but it's not a major deal. I fully recommend.
As this is a memoir and based on real events, I don't feel it's fully fair to give my opinion on the story itself. I can give my opinion on the writing. What I will say about the story is that it's very emotionally wrenching and I felt for the people in the story. Dubus has a very amazing talent for highlighting what everybody in the story is feeling. It's like he as the main character felt what they felt. I would even go as far as to state that he might be an Empath.
There were a lot of ways that the writing style didn't really sit well with me. I loved the story. I can't say I loved the violence of the story, but when telling the story, you should leave nothing out. No matter how uncomfortable the story makes you feel. The biggest issue I had was the constant brand name drops. Was it really important that we know exactly what beer somebody was drinking or the cigarette they were smoking?
Either way, I do recommend this story. It was very well written. Other than a few flaws, it was great. The story has a way of sinking you in. There are some jumps that will waylay every now and then. I feel like things could have been mapped out a little clearer, but it's not a major deal. I fully recommend.
gstone899's review against another edition
4.0
pretty decent audiobook with a guy who has a strange life story full of fighting and writing. definitely not your typical growing up story.