Reviews

I was a little disappointed with this book. I had hoped that this would be a pretty straight forward autobiography, but it had lots of poetry and lyrical narrative, that I thought was a bit much. I have known for years that Art is an avid reader, and I have followed his reading closely. He mentions authors and books throughout, which I enjoyed.

I did like this book, but if you are looking for a detailed autobiography of Art Garfunkel, this isn't it.

bpatterson's review against another edition

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4.0

This book single handedly made me want to live at the same time as Art. Whether it be the tales of hanging out with the Beatles or Jack Nicholson, his trips abroad, the vast number of books he read, or the epic walking adventures in Europe. He portrays his life as having the ups and downs of any, while still having a celebrity background, proving how down to earth he can be. It really colors all the music I listen to differently when I’ve read about the person’s life who sang it. He goes into some of the details regarding his and Simon’s music, but just knowing the life story is enough. While I still struggle with enjoying poetry, the breaks in prose to include his own poems adds a nice touch to the pace of the book and a little bit more of a look into his stream of consciousness. His chapters on the love he feels for his wife and children are especially exceptional and make me even more jealous of those that have found this connection in their life. And it even reminds me of Coates’ writing about how the son or daughter will never truly know how unconditionally a parent loves their child. Another thing to note is the typeface of the novel, its whimsical yet still represents Art’s purpose in writing this book, telling his story, in his own handwriting as the typeface is based off it. I think this adds an incredible touch of character. People say that the medium is the message, well in this case Art adds to that medium in a way few authors ever do, by making the typeface tell their story as well. I understand, as someone with incredibly poor handwriting, why not every author utilizes this method, but I would love to see it adapted to more stories, especially autobiographical ones. The way that Art Garfunkel sees the world is an incredible lens, that helps understand the origin of the incredible music that he sang. And it makes the deterioration of his friendship with Paul Simon more heartbreaking. I think this book has inspired me to read more biographical works of musicians that I enjoy, listening to their music without knowing the full story seems disingenuous now.

debi_g's review against another edition

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2.0

This book, for all its effort, is a trifle.

I enjoyed the lists of books that he read.

I was intrigued by his walking across continents, but there was little culled from those years.

On the bright side, I got to listen to Art Garfunkle pontificate in person on the night I picked up my autographed copy of this book. That was cool.

dkpalmer13's review against another edition

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2.0

I really like Art Garfunkel. I enjoy innovative forms. I love journal and free-flow as a form for memoir. I’m an easy mark as a reader—my default approach is open minded and nonjudgmental. But..this is just too self-indulgent to continue. I listened to a quarter of it, and may try again sometime, but I’m moving on.

storiesandshoes_nic's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

2.0

grundyunderhill's review against another edition

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3.0

I read a handful of reviews from people who hate this book. I can understand their point of view. But I pushed through, and by the end found it quite enjoyable. Why? To paraphrase Roger Ebert, I had not read this book before.

oliwhitt's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

2.75

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