Rating: 
Summary: This kind of honesty isn't easy!
Review: I am amazed by the scathing feedback Joyce Maynard has received for penning and publishing her memoirs. The bottom line is this: it is HER story. I, for one, have been made a better person for having the opportunity to get to know her better. While my family of origin is vastly different than Joyce's, I also made some questionable choices in my late teens and early 20's. And yes, I spent several years trying to recoup from the devastating consequences, just like Joyce has. I would venture to say that nearly every person who has lived or breathed outside of the confines of four walls has made mistakes as well. Let me(gasp!)even go so far as to assume that we all learn from our mistakes as well. It's called wisdom, folks, and Joyce has plenty of it.The beauty of this book is that it has reminded me that my mistakes and their consequences have brought me to the place I am now. And now isn't such a bad place to be. Joyce reminded me that it's okay to still dream about achieving the good life, and that I'm worthy of having it, in spite of my mistakes. Thanks for showing me that despite the rocky journey, life is lived best with a mix of adventure, forgiveness and self-respect. If you need to be reminded of your blessings, Joyce will show you the way.
Rating: 
Summary: she shoulders no blame
Review: another reviewer on this site wrote "she criticizes nobody as strongly as herself" - i disagree. she does say negative things about some of the things she's done, but never takes any responsibility for it so i wouldn't consider it criticism. she portrays her depressing affair and later obsession with salinger as his fault because he was so much older than her. and yet, she was old enough to vote and smart enough to get into yale. her eating disorders she blames on her mother. her decision to marry someone she'd known so briefly was the fault, i suppose, of her ex-husband and her desperate loneliness after salinger. in reality, she made some horrible, impulsive decisions and has had a rather depressing existence. i'm sure some of that was shaped by her experiences growing up, but nobody is as pure a victim as she depicts herself to be. the theme that comes through the strongest, in fact, is her strong need for money, popularity, and fame. she pushes and pushes for it. so jd salinger likes younger women - he likely would have remained enchanted of her for longer if she'd had more of a backbone. still, if you're interested in salinger, there are some interesting glimpses here, though they are written with an undeniable bias; and the writing style is very readable - i liked the early parts better when she described her parents. after that it got a bit repetitive.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful.
Review: Perhaps the best compliment I can pay is that, upon reading the last line, I very nearly flipped back to page one and started over again.
Rating: 
Summary: My Life as a Victim.......
Review: That should have been the title of this bogus tome. From birth to middle age, this poor woman - the hapless author -- has been victimized by anyone and everyone she has ever come in contact with. If you are into soap operas, think Oprah is the best thing since sliced bread, and don't have any whining children to listen to, this one's for you. There's all the whining you'll ever want to hear right in this vapid book.
Rating:
Summary: Keep moving--away from this book!
Review: Oh my--obsession with oneself is an ugly thing indeed
Rating:
Summary: You're in for a treat
Review: My first introduction to the work of Joyce Maynard, was one weekend when my wife mentioned reading a review of "At Home in the World". Prior to this time, I had never heard of her, and had events turned out differently, and I had not read the book, I would have ended up a poorer man for it. The review, being a typical razzle-dazzle-bring-in-the-advertizing-revenue sort, was quite off the mark. I found this out by reading the book. Something it seems that many of the reviewers have not done. As a matter of fact, most reviews that I've read, regarding this book, deal less with the literary merits, than with the perceived injustice that the reviewer sees in the fact that part of the book outlines her relationship with Jerry Salinger, a well-known writer and figure in American pop culture. Upon reading the book I was struck by how compelling her story was. The book walks us through the life of a young woman who is dealt a somewhat quirky hand in life, and through integrity and an amazing process of self-awakening, triumphs to become one of the most intellectually-honest and well-spoken authors on contemporary issues today. Some of the issues that are woven into her story are children's roles in dysfunctional families, a parents role in protecting their children from exploitive relationships, alcoholism's effects on children, marital discord, divorce, destructive relationships, and making choices rather than letting choices happen to you. As well as being a powerful testament to many of the forces prevalent today's society, I also found it to be a strangely haunting and disquieting tale, that still tugs on the back of my mind to this day. When my wife first read me the review of "At Home In The World" many months ago, my reaction was typical - "How dare she write a sleazy tell-all book about a person who avoids the publicity machine". Of course that comment was shaped by the review, and upon reading the book, I must admit that I've never made a more erroneous or factless statement in my life. So, there you have it. An opportunity is staring you in the face. Go out and buy the book. And if you discover, as I have, that the book contains a powerful message, please spread the word, as it's always nice to have a deserving author rewarded for the outstanding contribution they make to our lives.
Rating:
Summary: waa waa waa! cry baby cry.
Review: i thought there was some kind of system set up against filth such as this, but i was wrong. This story belongs in a tabloid or, better, MUCH better yet, the recycling bin. nothing more than a self indulged one sided story about a messy break up. Compairable to reading a note intercepted from a high school girl in math class. A low blow indeed. The only way she could get back at her X -boyfriend i suppose. ZZZZzzzzz.... Go watch your soap operas instead.
Rating:
Summary: Does she deserve all the negative comments ?
Review: Joyce Maynard is unsparingly honest with her life as well as with her own soul. She criticizes no one as stongly as herself. For years we've been intrigued by the persona of JD Salinger. Now we have one person's view of him as a man. What is so terrible? That he is portrayed as quirky and cold? Does that change the genius of his work? Great artists are not always great people. Maynard is as honest about her own life as she is about her time with Salinger. She cronicles the world. Her fiction is not very good. Her non-fiction is always excellant.
Rating:
Summary: Unflinching honesty
Review: This book is at times gut-wrenching at other times glorious. You will not come away from this book unmoved!
Rating:
Summary: TREAT YOURSELF -- BUY THIS BOOK!
Review: If you're a Joyce Maynard fan, no doubt you already have. For the rest: If need a good cry, buy this book. If you simply enjoy exquisitely rendered well-crafted prose, then buy this book. And if you must consume all things Salinger, then by all means... But GET IT. Here's why: Ms. Maynard has courageously written a memoir of unflinching honesty, at times hilariously funny, and always always observed with a deeply human and compassionate eye. Like the Sunday buffet on a trans-Atlantic cruise, there is so much here, so chock full and groaning with delicious morsals, you're going to want to savor every lovingly rendered passage. Despite the Salinger hoopla, her life is your life, extraordinary and ordinary. It all adds up to a fantastically compelling and indeed cathartic read. I salute Joyce Maynard. And can now be unabashedly counted as one her fans. P.S. This is no "chick book". I am a heterosexual male who plays sports and I read it twice.
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