Official Review: Loveyoubye: Holding Fast, Letting Go, an...

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 26 Jan 2015, 14:25

Yeah, my mom follows the New York Times book reviews, and she's always mailing the YA/children's reviews to me. You're right, though. And I had not thought of it, but doesn't every book deserved to get reviewed at least once, by someone? My memories of that time pre-Internet are of just going to the bookstore and buying books from the Independent reader section, and then the YA section that just looked good, or were by an author I'd already read and liked. Geez, things have changed! (If this means anything to anyone out there, I'd like to give a shout-out to Hawley-Cooke Booksellers.)

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 26 Jan 2015, 15:07

Thanks for the well-written review. Like many others, I find myself drawn to the title. It may be long, but it is catchy and sticks in your mind!

I liked how you referenced the disorganization of this book to a elderly relative that just keeps going on and on about his/her life. I take this to mean that the author has good intentions, and that what she has to say is meaningful, but it just isn't being presented in an effective manner. Again, great post!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 26 Jan 2015, 15:27

Yeah, you know, the problem with a memoir is that it's real life and so you can't manipulate it as well as fiction...? I've never written a memoir, but I wonder if there's a tendency to think that my life would entertain/enlighten people, when in reality, it wouldn't. I know I'm guilty of that kind of thinking, and who isn't? "My life has been so more difficult/ more fascinating/ more enlightening than anyone else's. So naturally, my memoir would be amazing." It's a tricky issue. I mean, compare The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls to What This Girl Has "Learned" by Lena Dunham. Good memoir, bad memoir. Definitely worth reading, vs. definitely not worth reading... unless you're studying narcissism for psychology class.

I'm absolutely NOT trying to sound judgmental, since, like I said, I could easily fall sway to that kind of thinking too. I do fall sway to it, I just try to reign it in. Everyone things that their life has been unique, and maybe everyone's has been. Maybe a good memoir should show what your unique experiences/perception have taught you, and could therefore teach others? My apologies to anyone offended, but this all applies to me, too.

Post by **bookowlie** » 26 Jan 2015, 15:50

LivreAmour217 wrote:Thanks for the well-written review. Like many others, I find myself drawn to the title. It may be long, but it is catchy and sticks in your mind!

I liked how you referenced the disorganization of this book to a elderly relative that just keeps going on and on about his/her life. I take this to mean that the author has good intentions, and that what she has to say is meaningful, but it just isn't being presented in an effective manner. Again, great post!

Thanks. You hit the nail on the head. I wish I could have given it a higher rating because these were true events that happened in the author's life. However, the story became so disjointed that I had to push myself to continue reading.

-- 26 Jan 2015, 17:01 --

zeldas_lullaby wrote:Yeah, you know, the problem with a memoir is that it's real life and so you can't manipulate it as well as fiction...? I've never written a memoir, but I wonder if there's a tendency to think that my life would entertain/enlighten people, when in reality, it wouldn't. I know I'm guilty of that kind of thinking, and who isn't? "My life has been so more difficult/ more fascinating/ more enlightening than anyone else's. So naturally, my memoir would be amazing." It's a tricky issue. I mean, compare The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls to What This Girl Has "Learned" by Lena Dunham. Good memoir, bad memoir. Definitely worth reading, vs. definitely not worth reading... unless you're studying narcissism for psychology class.

I'm absolutely NOT trying to sound judgmental, since, like I said, I could easily fall sway to that kind of thinking too. I do fall sway to it, I just try to reign it in. Everyone things that their life has been unique, and maybe everyone's has been. Maybe a good memoir should show what your unique experiences/perception have taught you, and could therefore teach others? My apologies to anyone offended, but this all applies to me, too.

Interesting post! In this case, I don't think the author was a narcissist. I think she wrote the book for cathartic reasons. As I mentioned, it was difficult for me to give a relatively low rating for this book, due to it being a memoir. However, I found it so hard to push through to continue reading after the beginning chapters. I put the book down several times and had to push myself to pick it up again. Not a good sign. Some of the problem was the disjointed presentation. Also, many parts were just too rambling and became boring to read. Anyway, the book still had some good parts that were heartfelt. I wish there was a 5-point rating system, so that I could have rated the book a 3. Then the rating wouldn't have seemed so negative; instead, it would have appeared "average".

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 26 Jan 2015, 16:25

Yeah, I hear ya. Woops--I didn't mean to imply that the author was a narcissist. (Although we should all get in touch with our inner narcissist from time to time.) I read a book like that once that I could not get through--and it was for a class, so I had little choice in the manner. It was awful. None of my classmates had the problem plowing through, just me. And it was thin book! I feel your pain.

-- 26 Jan 2015, 17:28 --

I meant Lena Dunham's memoir is rather narcissistic, but I didn't mean any generalization from that. (Whoops! My apologies to the author of Loveyoubye if you're reading this!)

Post by **bookowlie** » 26 Jan 2015, 16:39

zeldas_lullaby wrote:Yeah, I hear ya. Woops--I didn't mean to imply that the author was a narcissist. (Although we should all get in touch with our inner narcissist from time to time.) I read a book like that once that I could not get through--and it was for a class, so I had little choice in the manner. It was awful. None of my classmates had the problem plowing through, just me. And it was thin book! I feel your pain.

-- 26 Jan 2015, 17:28 --

I meant Lena Dunham's memoir is rather narcissistic, but I didn't mean any generalization from that. (Whoops! My apologies to the author of Loveyoubye if you're reading this!)

I haven't read Lena Dunham's memoir, but have heard it's very controversial. Maybe she wanted it to be that way, in order to attract attention. Instead, it seems to have damaged her credibility.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 26 Jan 2015, 17:54

HA HA HA HA. Yep. I was scandalized by it, and not in a good way.

Post by **bookowlie** » 26 Jan 2015, 20:22

zeldas_lullaby wrote:HA HA HA HA. Yep. I was scandalized by it, and not in a good way.

The organizer of my in-person book club is a big Lena Dunham fan. When the book was first released, she had told me she wanted to select it for one of the upcoming meetings. Then a few different scandals broke in the media, regarding incidents she wrote about in the book. Well, the organizer never mentioned selecting the book after that.