Scan barcode
amylureads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
maxieb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
literally i had to remind myself it was non fiction
a2lulu's review against another edition
4.0
This is a favorite genre of mine lately - memoirs with unbalanced, exasperating mothers and tangled untidy lives. Although this is certainly one-of-a-kind. I loved the candid writing and the structure of jumping between the past and present. As an added bonus the author read the audiobook - there’s no way anybody else could’ve captured her mother’s voice.
meeshreads's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
A complicated mother-daughter relationship and the author's off-kilter childhood are the heart of this memoir. I liked it, it's a quick read, and the audiobook is very well read, really brought Viva's unique character to life.
readingissosexy's review against another edition
3.0
I love reading about the 60s & 70s... until my trust in men is completely destroyed & I have to take a break. ❤️
I swear every memoir from this time involves grown men preying on teenage girls. The universality of this baffles me. Have guys miraculously evolved over the last 50 years?? Orrrrr are they just forced to behave under the threat of #MeToo?? These are the questions that haunt me...
Anyways !
Warhol superstars are a major point of fascination for me, as is the Chelsea Hotel... pair those with a messy Ladybird-esque dynamic & I'm listening! Audiobook in, world out!
In most ways, Alex was right about her mom. Viva was irresponsible & hysterical. She lacked boundaries & often acted more like an older teenage sister.
But also.... Viva wasn't always wrong, she often just went about things wrong. She was real for worrying about Alex's heroin addict father! She was real for punishing Alex for skipping school! She was real for threatening 15-year-old Alex's 30-year-old suitor! (See first paragraph again!!!!!!!!)
It bugged me how adult Alex wouldn't quite admit that. If she did, I missed it.
Overall this childhood was so far removed from my own suburban one, which was sponsored by a bread-winning father & homemaking mother. It was another world!! And that's why we read!!
I swear every memoir from this time involves grown men preying on teenage girls. The universality of this baffles me. Have guys miraculously evolved over the last 50 years?? Orrrrr are they just forced to behave under the threat of #MeToo?? These are the questions that haunt me...
Anyways !
Warhol superstars are a major point of fascination for me, as is the Chelsea Hotel... pair those with a messy Ladybird-esque dynamic & I'm listening! Audiobook in, world out!
In most ways, Alex was right about her mom. Viva was irresponsible & hysterical. She lacked boundaries & often acted more like an older teenage sister.
But also.... Viva wasn't always wrong, she often just went about things wrong. She was real for worrying about Alex's heroin addict father! She was real for punishing Alex for skipping school! She was real for threatening 15-year-old Alex's 30-year-old suitor! (See first paragraph again!!!!!!!!)
It bugged me how adult Alex wouldn't quite admit that. If she did, I missed it.
Overall this childhood was so far removed from my own suburban one, which was sponsored by a bread-winning father & homemaking mother. It was another world!! And that's why we read!!