A Stroll Down Memoir Lane

Hey, friends! I've had my nose in two great books this week and I'm thrilled to share my thoughts with you. A little background about each book:



Don't Tell The Girls

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff

Published: 2005

Publisher: Holiday House

Target Age: Grade 4 and up

Six Word Summary: Nana's love and tales of Ireland.

The Glass Castle

Author: Jeannette Walls

Published: 2005

Publisher: Scribner

Target Age: Grade 9 and up

Six Word Summary: On the run from life itself.

Just as there is an art to writing books, there is an art to reviewing and critiquing books. Here on READ EAT then REPEAT my goal will always be to give you as readers an accurate view of the books I read, but to do so tastefully. One great way to critique politely and the method I'll use in this post is a Critique Sandwich. Say what? You heard me. Critique sandwiches look something like this:

I'll start with Jeannette Walls's memoir, The Glass Castle. The first bit of positive feedback is a compliment of the extraordinary writing style Jeannette uses. Important pieces of her story are told in a matter-of-fact, no-bones-about-it manner. Jeannette had a hard childhood and discusses plenty of difficult situations, but is never verbose. Perhaps it is because a large part of the story is told through the eyes of Jeannette as a child. Perhaps it is because Jeannette was exposed to so much in her childhood that circumstances which might concern an average reader didn't seem to affect her. In any case, Jeannette's style is lovely. Here are a few strikingly beautiful lines:

"But Dad drank hard liquor only when we had money, which wasn't often, so life was mostly good in those days."

"But even if I'd woken up one morning with a raging fever, I never would have admitted it to Mom. Being sick might have meant staying home in our freezing house instead of spending the day in a toasty classroom."

If I have any complaints or critiques to offer about The Glass Castle, it would be that the going was sometimes slow. The first 100 or so pages of the novel were important stories that laid a foundation for the plot points and conflict that would follow, but I found myself getting a little bored. However, when a growing Jeanette starts to question the way her family lives, the way her father behaves and the truths she has held tight to, things quickly pick up and I found myself unable to put it down.

My final positive feedback is more for Jeanette Walls than for the novel. I love that Jeanette found the strength to tell this story because it speaks to readers not only as a fantastic literary work, but more importantly as an outpouring of real stories, real emotions, and real reactions. Jeanette tells readers it's okay to have a messed up family, and it's okay to love messed up people. Jeanette's willingness to share her story says as much as the story itself.

Now for Don't Tell the Girls. I can't help but compliment how candid and real this family memoir feels to the reader. I felt as though I was sitting on Nana's lap hear the stories exactly as they were told to the author. I've always known Patricia Reilly Giff as a beautiful story teller and if you've never read her work, march to the library and dive into Pictures of Hollis Woods, Lily's Crossing, or Nory Ryan's Song. But in memoir form, Giff is equally talented at crafting a work that intrigues and draws in readers.

Here the bottom half of my Critique Sandwich gets a little foggy. My final comment its both constructive and positive feedback. Giff's family memoir, Don't Tell the Girls is largely a tale of discovery, fact finding, and genealogy, which, unfortunately, makes it read a bit like a journal or collection of notes. There were times I was enthralled with the adventure the author was on to untangle her family history. Giff even travels to Ireland to unlock some final clues about her ancestors. But, more often I felt like I was reading a kind of personal account of Giff's mission to understand her family, and for me, this book just wasn't a page turner.

To wrap it up: Memoirs can be fun to try out if you've spent your whole life with your nose stuck in fiction books. I've got to give The Glass Castle an overall 4/5 rating for impeccable storytelling even in the form of a memoir. I give Don't Tell the Girls an overall 2/5 rating for delightful tales that made me grin. But don't take my word for it. Read the books yourself and let me know what you think. I'm not always right, you know.

Thanks for hanging out with me here on memoir lane. That's all for now trusty reader friends. But don't worry, I'll be back with more.

Mags

Coming soon to REtR: An adventure in grilled cheese making. :)