Rating: 
Summary: A powerful memoir of a difficult life
Review: Mary Karr's autobiography overpowered me at times. Peppered with unforgettable people, it is neither sentimental nor vindictive. The situations described are almost beyond belief -- her grandmother refusing to evacuate during a hurricane, her mother dragging all of the children's possessions out on the lawn and burning them, her father abandoning the family time and again. Mary rarely mentions how these experiences shaped her and her sister, but through her strong, direct style, we see how her life has shaped her
Rating:
Summary: It starts out slow, but stick with it.
Review: For the first 100 pages or so, I was wondering if Mary Karr had a
story to tell and I also had serious doubts about the reliability of her memory. Her writing style, sense of humor, and all the praise this
book has received kept me from giving up on the book. Once the family
leaves Litchfield, the book became interesting to me. Mary Karr does
have a good story to tell in this book, but it's the colorful way she tells
it that is most memorable. To me, it seemed like she took liberties with
the truth which lessened the impact of the book, but I still recommend
it because I like the way she looks back on the unhappy events of her past
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful
Review: This tragic story is written with incrediable wit, warmth and style. Mary Karr is a beautiful writer and she drew me right into Leechfield and the abuse yet also the love from the tortured people that were her parents
Rating:
Summary: This book is for survivors who love their roots.
Review: This memoir reads like a novel. Very funny and very real.
Mary Karr's family is "Dysfunctional", but this book distinguishes itself,and her
family because it is clear that she loves her family, is not necessarily exorcising old ghosts, rather, she is telling it like it is. Her mother was mentally ill, her
father an alcoholic. Her mother was also a beautiful, intelligent
role model for her daughters, and her father, a hero, in the voice of a young Mary Karr. This was one of my favorite books this year. If you like books about sisters, a little texas flavor
and survivors, you'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: "Exposing the lies"
Review: "The Liars Club" is one of the most touching and simultaneously disturbing books I've read in quite awhile. In an unforgettable series of memoirs, Mary Karr has succeeded in retelling the astonishing events of her past in an earnest, heartfelt manner. Through her thorough recount, she is able to deliver a compassionate, and at times alarming, description of what it's like to love and be loved, to lie and be lied to. Mary Karr's voice shines as she describes her childhood from the witty, honest view of a young girl. Virtually all of her enthralling recollections are immersed in a unique humor that makes this book hilarious in a backwards way: "Your mother's threat of homicide--however unlikely she tries to make it sound--will flat dampen down your spirits." By using the fiery, blunt style Mary Karr has chosen as her own, she is able to throw the reader into her memories with great intensity: "Mother is reaching over for the steering wheel, locking onto it with her knuckles tight. The car jumps to the side and skips up onto the sidewalk. She's trying to take us over the edge." It's these two driving forces, humor and sharp honesty, that keep the reader from putting this book down. "The Liars' Club" is a poignant story of an ordinary child living in an extraordinary world. Mary Karr's witty commentary and intimate analysis of such a remarkable life make this book a very worthwhile read. Her compelling story should be considered as reading material for anyone striving to understand the value of his or her childhood.
Rating:
Summary: A diamond in the rough.
Review: It took me a couple of months to wade through this book, when I normally like to read a book through in one sitting.
Mary was very brave to have written with such unabashed honestly, and I commend her for doing so. It is a difficult, heartbreaking read. I was touched by the small intimate details she shared, which most people would see as only an afterthought and never put into print.
All in all, I liked this book. It's hard to give a rough synopsis of this book, which has so many layers that can not be so easily surmised.
Rating:
Summary: Liar's Club
Review: I'm only half way finished with the book, and am thoroughly enjoying it. Karr's use of words is refreshing and lyrical. She writes about the ordinary in an extraordinary way, making even the most horrible scenes seem beautiful. But what has struck me the most is the unbelievability of it all (for example, there is no Leechfield, TX). Like her father, is she just telling us a big lie? Have we the readers joined the Liar's Club? True or not, there is no doubt that Karr is a captivating story-teller.
Rating: 
Summary: Southern re-fried chicken
Review: *The Liar's Club* is the first of two autobiographies by poet and professor, Mary Karr, covering the period between her earliest childhood memories to early adolescence. It's a beautifully written book, though Karr's youth is not necessarily idyllic. Mary is a feisty little scrapper of a girl. She's got a sassy mouth and a huge store of love for her daddy. Karr's writing is both poetic and vivid. The often unpleasant events of her childhood are full of imagery and feeling-the people and places of her youth become real to the reader, and young Mary's resilience is admirable. I'm looking forward to reading her next book, *Cherry* to see how Karr's teenage years unfold.
|
