Its interesting to read a book you've heard a lot about before you even crack the cover. You go into the whole experience with loads of expectations--be they good or bad--and those expectations are always hovering around as you read. Its unfortunate, but true. And my expectations had a major impact, I'm sure, in how I interpreted this much-talked-about memoir.
Jeannette Walls starts her story in the present-day--noting her embarrassment at looking out her car window and seeing her own homeless mother picking through the trash cans in New York. From there she jumps back in time and begins to take the reader through the chaotic and unbelievable world of her childhood. She grows up with two parents who live by the seat of their pants and seem to have no interest in being truly responsible. Whether its petting a cheetah, dashing out of town to avoid the law, or living in a ramshackle hut in West Virginia without any heating...the stories seem to grow more unbelievable chapter by chapter. But she survives--and obviously loves her parents--and you just keep reading desperately wanting to know how she escapes such a life to make herself a success.
Here's the truth: I wasn't as impressed as I'd expected I would be. However, it was still an interesting read. No matter how unbelievable the stories become, you do believe them because...well, because the author's voice is so incredibly straightforward you immediately trust her. There's no exaggeration or commenting on the seriousness of a situation. She simply tells it like it was--as crazy as the events often seem. Overall, an interesting read. I just wish I hadn't gone into it with such high expectations.
B-
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment