steve_sanders's review
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
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.
agmaynard's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Audio, related largely matter-of-factly by the author. For some this could be a story that might help someone else live, as bottoming out and recovery tale. It's a couple of different narratives woven together, including examination of famous authors' arcs and Jamison's own road. Interested now to read The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson and George Cain's Blueschild Baby. Often lyrical prose and precise writing.
Felt that a review I read in Los Angeles Review of Books by Ellen Wayland-Smith captured well what I found listening to it.
Felt that a review I read in Los Angeles Review of Books by Ellen Wayland-Smith captured well what I found listening to it.
kitkat2500's review
5.0
I’ve read many addiction/recovery books, but this one stands in the top three. It’s not just a memoir of the author’s journey with alcoholism, but a very well-researched account of addictions of writers, artists and ordinary AA members. The writing is excellent (which is not the case for most recovery memoirs). It’s a long book, but it kept me engaged. Highly recommended for those interested in this subject.
shellbell102186's review
3.0
I loved the parts about Leslie's own addiction and recovery, but be warned there is A LOT of content around other authors and their addictions. It often felt like talking just for the sake of talking...a little all over the place.