Official Review: Ain’t Easy by Barbara Carter

ntoch · Post by **ntoch** » 17 Jul 2020, 16:22

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ain’t Easy" by Barbara Carter.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Ain’t Easy by Barbara Carter told a captivating story of a woman experiencing various adolescent struggles while working towards finding her own identity in a small town in the Maritimes. She wrote a memoir that was hard to put down, telling how her younger self battled with addiction, abuse, and a struggle to find healthy, lasting relationships.

The memoir opened by emerging the reader in an 18-year-old Barbara’s problematic relationship with the emotionally distant, much older, Adam. She seeks someone who makes her feel wanted, but Adam’s emotional distance and obsession with his single focus of building his boat leaves her spiralling deeper into a world of alcoholism and short-lived sexual encounters. Through emotional and physical abuse, this early relationship, along with a fragmented self-image created by a turbulent early life at home puts Barbara in a very unstable state. For the rest of the memoir, Barbara chronicles her life, leaving out no details of sexual encounters with many men in her social circle while she struggles to find stability and genuine love. Her heartbreaking stories and ability to profoundly write about them show her strength as a woman, and it was very powerful to read her poetry and prose in this book.

My favorite aspect of the book was definitely the author’s inclusion of her poetry, all of which was written chronologically during the events that she describes in her book. Her poems offered a raw, emotional perspective of her state during her tribulations. They offered a deeper look at how she processed the darker events of her life, allowing a depth of expression that can be hard to parallel with prose. Additionally, I liked how she included poems throughout the whole book; you could see how she matured, both as a young woman, and a young artist. I’m very glad that these poems were included in the book.

My least favorite aspect of the book was the repeated list of song lyrics from popular songs at the time. While it makes a great deal of sense that popular songs of the seventies would be significant to an 18-22 year old, their repeated inclusion created a shallower feeling in the midst of otherwise deep reflection and introspection.

Overall, I am giving this book three out of four stars. It told a riveting story, and I was unable to put it down whenever I was reading it. However, there were typos and some minor grammatical errors throughout, which is the major factor preventing a perfect score. I think that the author used a perfect level of detail when telling her life’s story. There were enough details to make you feel like you intimately knew the reader at that point in her life, but the book was not drowned with minor details that made reading it a chore.

I would highly recommend this book to any readers interested in hearing a young woman’s story of living with alcoholism, abuse, and arguably, sex addiction. Given the nature of Carter’s story, I would not recommend this book to any readers who are not comfortable with explicit language or sexual content. Even if there are readers intimidated by poetry, I still think that this book is worth the read for the stories Barbara tells.

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Ain’t Easy
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Post by **Christabel Uzoamaka** » 19 Jul 2020, 07:44

Barbara’s life really ain’t easy. I hope that publishing this book gives her some peace. And as for her search for love... isn’t that what we all are after in this journey called life?

Great review!

ntoch · Post by **ntoch** » 19 Jul 2020, 13:10

Christieee wrote: ↑19 Jul 2020, 07:44 Barbara’s life really ain’t easy. I hope that publishing this book gives her some peace. And as for her search for love... isn’t that what we all are after in this journey called life?

Great review!

Thank you! I hope so too - she has a remarkable resilience that was clear throughout the memoir. Based on her ability to powerfully reflect on everything she has been through, I'm optimistic that she is getting closure through the writing process. It makes me really want to read the other parts of her life's story!

Dominik_G · Post by **Dominik_G** » 19 Jul 2020, 15:07

I'm always up for memoirs, especially ones dealing with the topic of addiction so it looks like Ain't Easy might be a book I'd like. Thank you for your review!

ntoch · Post by **ntoch** » 19 Jul 2020, 16:14

Dominik_G wrote: ↑19 Jul 2020, 15:07 I'm always up for memoirs, especially ones dealing with the topic of addiction so it looks like Ain't Easy might be a book I'd like. Thank you for your review!

Yeah, I would absolutely reccomend it! I hope you enjoy it!

Elvis Best · Post by **Elvis Best** » 19 Jul 2020, 16:53

Barbara's story sounds so touching. Thanks for the honest review. Good job!

Priyanka2304 · Post by **Priyanka2304** » 19 Jul 2020, 23:20

Barbara seems to have gone through a lot. Thanks for the review.

Unique Ego · Post by **Unique Ego** » 20 Jul 2020, 03:43

Writing life experiences for others to read truly ain't easy but Barbara did this and even included her poems. Thanks for the beautiful review.

Alexandros92 · Post by **Alexandros92** » 20 Jul 2020, 08:04

I love strong female characters. So inspiring and strong. I will definitely check it out.

Rodel Barnachea · Post by **Rodel Barnachea** » 21 Jul 2020, 01:24

I find most of the book's themes and topics depressing, but I am also interested in reading Barbara Carter's poems.

ntoch · Post by **ntoch** » 21 Jul 2020, 15:16

Elvis Best wrote: ↑19 Jul 2020, 16:53 Barbara's story sounds so touching. Thanks for the honest review. Good job!

Thank you! It was very touching! I hope you get the chance to read it.

ntoch · Post by **ntoch** » 21 Jul 2020, 15:18

Unique Ego wrote: ↑20 Jul 2020, 03:43 Writing life experiences for others to read truly ain't easy but Barbara did this and even included her poems. Thanks for the beautiful review.

I totally agree! I think that she did a great job of doing her tough experiences justice. Your welcome! Thank you for your feedback

ntoch · Post by **ntoch** » 21 Jul 2020, 15:19

aaurba wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 01:24 I find most of the book's themes and topics depressing, but I am also interested in reading Barbara Carter's poems.

I agree, it definitely wasn't a light read, but I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you've got a lighter book on the go to compliment the heavier content!

Rodel Barnachea · Post by **Rodel Barnachea** » 24 Jul 2020, 23:43

ntoch wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 15:19
aaurba wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 01:24 I find most of the book's themes and topics depressing, but I am also interested in reading Barbara Carter's poems.
I agree, it definitely wasn't a light read, but I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you've got a lighter book on the go to compliment the heavier content!

Sometimes, it is nice to read books with a heavy atmosphere. It would also be nice to read it with something light.