teapler's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a random library find and the premise intrigued me. I figured it could either be great or go terribly but I really enjoyed this book. I think it helped that I knew or liked the majority of celebrities featured and I thought the author really captured how I imagine they would act in all their strangness.
agkrob's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just kind of ..dumb. The writing was fine and some of the stories were interesting, but I always thought that I would have enjoyed them more if they didn’t have a random celebrity. I guess I just missed the point.
pixe1's review
3.0
This is either a collection of short stories or a novel where instalments are told from different perspectives. The stories focus primarily on encounters with celebrities, and fame is a key theme. I admit that every time I recognized someone new and famous and I felt a bit of a thrill, and there are some creative moments in the stories. I just felt that there was an atmosphere of CanCon (modesty, if you will) that held the whole thing back from being great.
powder_and_page's review
4.0
Very rarely I come across a book that inspires such wanderlust in me that I can barely keep from throwing necessities in a bag and rushing out the door, never to be seen again. Inexplicably, Don’t I Know You? was one of those books. It’s not even a book that’s specifically about travelling, though there a few chapters that the character, Rose McEwan, spends abroad. Don’t I Know You? is strange- Rose McEwan is a writer with a number of relationship faux pas under her belt, but the curious thing is how celebrities just seem to show up throughout her life.
The celebrities aren’t specially designed fictional characters; they’re actual celebrities like Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Keith Richards, and Meryl Streep. Of course, they’ve been fictionalized for this story and the encounters certainly aren’t real, or based of anything real. The funny thing is that, for the most part these people just pop into Rose’s life in one interesting way or another, but they’re just so normal. They aren’t being red carpet superstars- Bob Dylan decides to take Rose’s air mattress for a paddle around the lake and becomes a house guest for an unacceptable length of time. Meryl Streep is her spa buddy. You can get the picture.
I liked the format of the book because each chapter was kind of a short story unto itself. The chapters follow the courses of Rose’s life, but we never get bogged down in one period for too long, and her boyfriends, husband, and children remain somewhat distant, like extras in a movie. I’ll be honest, Rose’s life made me really sad because it seemed like love was a failed endeavour for her. She had a moderately successful life, children that seemed distant, and a heck of a lot of stories to tell her friends but the overall tone was melancholy. The setting frequently changed- Canada, to France, to Greece, to perhaps somewhere in the US. The constant change kept me on my toes and never once did I get bored.
Don’t I Know You? was a great change in pace for me and a good little break from tons of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult books. If anyone has recommendations for some good contemporary fiction, I would appreciate your suggestions! I look forward to adding some more things like this to my reading list, just for some novelty (pun not intended). This is definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read before and enjoyed it immensely. Huge thanks to Flatiron Books for sending this to me- it was a great surprise!
The celebrities aren’t specially designed fictional characters; they’re actual celebrities like Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Keith Richards, and Meryl Streep. Of course, they’ve been fictionalized for this story and the encounters certainly aren’t real, or based of anything real. The funny thing is that, for the most part these people just pop into Rose’s life in one interesting way or another, but they’re just so normal. They aren’t being red carpet superstars- Bob Dylan decides to take Rose’s air mattress for a paddle around the lake and becomes a house guest for an unacceptable length of time. Meryl Streep is her spa buddy. You can get the picture.
I liked the format of the book because each chapter was kind of a short story unto itself. The chapters follow the courses of Rose’s life, but we never get bogged down in one period for too long, and her boyfriends, husband, and children remain somewhat distant, like extras in a movie. I’ll be honest, Rose’s life made me really sad because it seemed like love was a failed endeavour for her. She had a moderately successful life, children that seemed distant, and a heck of a lot of stories to tell her friends but the overall tone was melancholy. The setting frequently changed- Canada, to France, to Greece, to perhaps somewhere in the US. The constant change kept me on my toes and never once did I get bored.
Don’t I Know You? was a great change in pace for me and a good little break from tons of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult books. If anyone has recommendations for some good contemporary fiction, I would appreciate your suggestions! I look forward to adding some more things like this to my reading list, just for some novelty (pun not intended). This is definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read before and enjoyed it immensely. Huge thanks to Flatiron Books for sending this to me- it was a great surprise!
siritheowlcat's review
DNF @ 16%
I don’t enjoy the author’s writing style and I’m finding it very difficult to give any fucks about the main character. YMMV
I don’t enjoy the author’s writing style and I’m finding it very difficult to give any fucks about the main character. YMMV
grandcapitalr's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
awellreadwoman's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this read. It is one of those books that is purely FUN. It takes you into different realities in which our most beloved celebrities are just normal people doing normal things. It's a lot like the "they are just like us" columns in magazine but even better.
kaleys23's review against another edition
4.0
Originally reviewed for Niagara Life magazine, Fall 2016 edition.
Imagine getting a cone from an ice cream truck only to realize Leonard Cohen is serving you. Or coming to after surgery to find the surgeon had been Keith Richards. Or becoming friends with Meryl Streep after spending time at a spa in Mexico. All of these celebrity encounters – and many , many more – happen to Rose McEwan over the course of her life. Don’t I Know You? follows Rose from seventeen to sixty-seven and it is the most delightful journey.
The premise of Marni Jackson’s first work of fiction – celebrities popping up in Rose’s life in the oddest of manners – sounds far-fetched and slightly ridiculous, but Jackson handles it well. It completely made sense that John Updike was Rose’s writing instructor at a summer program and Taylor Swift working for Apple on the side was perfectly acceptable. It was so much fun trying to figure out who the celebrity was. The references were not always obvious. Sometimes the full name wasn’t used and other times the name wasn’t even explicitly mentioned (see if you can find Margaret Atwood).
The book is written in short stories all interconnected to form a novel of sorts. Some stories were from Rose’s perspective, first person, but others were third person. The changing perspective helped set the tone of the story. Each piece has its own feeling but when they’re all put together, they tell the story of a woman who has had an incredibly interesting life. Jackson tells this story so well that you will not want to stop reading about Rose and her celebrity encounters.
Imagine getting a cone from an ice cream truck only to realize Leonard Cohen is serving you. Or coming to after surgery to find the surgeon had been Keith Richards. Or becoming friends with Meryl Streep after spending time at a spa in Mexico. All of these celebrity encounters – and many , many more – happen to Rose McEwan over the course of her life. Don’t I Know You? follows Rose from seventeen to sixty-seven and it is the most delightful journey.
The premise of Marni Jackson’s first work of fiction – celebrities popping up in Rose’s life in the oddest of manners – sounds far-fetched and slightly ridiculous, but Jackson handles it well. It completely made sense that John Updike was Rose’s writing instructor at a summer program and Taylor Swift working for Apple on the side was perfectly acceptable. It was so much fun trying to figure out who the celebrity was. The references were not always obvious. Sometimes the full name wasn’t used and other times the name wasn’t even explicitly mentioned (see if you can find Margaret Atwood).
The book is written in short stories all interconnected to form a novel of sorts. Some stories were from Rose’s perspective, first person, but others were third person. The changing perspective helped set the tone of the story. Each piece has its own feeling but when they’re all put together, they tell the story of a woman who has had an incredibly interesting life. Jackson tells this story so well that you will not want to stop reading about Rose and her celebrity encounters.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
Presented as a series of vignettes over the course of the life of Rose McEwan, this book starts off extremely believable. Rose has random encounters with a couple celebrities. After all, doesn't everyone at some point? But as the stories progress, the interactions become more and more fanatical with the last one obviously a weird food/alcohol induced dream or something. While I wish the book had stayed more towards the realistic end of the spectrum, it was very enjoyable and probably as close as I will come to reading a collection of short stories.
bent's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't like this book. I went in with a bad attitude - I didn't find the premise interesting but it was the book that my book club picked to read. It wasn't what I expected, but I still didn't like it.
I found the celebrity angle didn't really add anything to the book. In some cases, it detracted. I didn't see the need for John Updike to be the visiting author in the first story, or Joni Mitchell in the second. The beginning of the Leonard Cohen chapter I found sort of interesting, except the fact that the ice cream seller was Cohen kind of distracted from the parts of the story I enjoyed - the bizarre ice cream flavours and strange choice of music. I think that story had a kernel of something interesting, that was dispelled with the presence of Shell and the whole funeral sequence.
I didn't like the main character. I found her unsympathetic. Also a bit pretentious, but that might have just been the writing. I found that several stories/chapters reminded me of other things I'd read that had been better done.
I liked two things in the book: The beginning of the Mr. Softee chapter, and the sudden twist in the Meryl Streep chapter when we find out why Streep has been cultivating Rose's friendship. I thought that was brilliant and the only real emotional spark the book provided. Otherwise, it was a bit of a chore to read.
I found the celebrity angle didn't really add anything to the book. In some cases, it detracted. I didn't see the need for John Updike to be the visiting author in the first story, or Joni Mitchell in the second. The beginning of the Leonard Cohen chapter I found sort of interesting, except the fact that the ice cream seller was Cohen kind of distracted from the parts of the story I enjoyed - the bizarre ice cream flavours and strange choice of music. I think that story had a kernel of something interesting, that was dispelled with the presence of Shell and the whole funeral sequence.
I didn't like the main character. I found her unsympathetic. Also a bit pretentious, but that might have just been the writing. I found that several stories/chapters reminded me of other things I'd read that had been better done.
I liked two things in the book: The beginning of the Mr. Softee chapter, and the sudden twist in the Meryl Streep chapter when we find out why Streep has been cultivating Rose's friendship. I thought that was brilliant and the only real emotional spark the book provided. Otherwise, it was a bit of a chore to read.