Musical Chairs
Jen Knox
Indie Memoir/YA
[rating: 5/5]
Available in…
• Mobi/Kindle
… from…
• Amazon
• MobiPocket
Also in paperback
Some time ago, Jen Knox and I swapped memoirs. She sent me a copy of Musical Chairs, which explores her family’s history of mental health diagnoses, her years of strip-dancing, alcoholism, and estrangement, and her struggle for reconciliation. (That’s from the cover.)
I also sent her a copy of Love through the Eyes of an Idiot. In full disclosure, just as I had started reading her book, Jen sent me an email about mine:
I finally posted my review of your delightful book. Oh how it made me remember how lucky I am to have found Chris after all the relationships (if you can call them that) that came before him. He thanks you. I thank you, for writing a great read.
Truthfully, I’m gratified that Jen enjoyed my book. And I did really want to like hers as well— I always want to like a book from a fellow author, and it upsets me when I don’t. But I will tell you exactly what problems I had with Musical Chairs:
-
I ran across numerous line-editing issues, including misspelled words, bad punctuation (like ending a sentence with a comma, in at least two places), and sentences that made no sense in context. The best typo I found on page 152, where Jen wrote about working at the bookstore: “As I cleared dust from a self in the psychology section…” So, was that an ego or an id? (Ba dum bum.)
-
Some details were missing from spots in the story where I would naturally expect them, popping up as surprises elsewhere. For example, all the time Jen was staying with Miss Sarah and her daughter (in the chapter entitled “Miss Sarah”), I thought Sarah was a white, single mother. It was only much later in the book that I was told that Sarah (or at least her daughter) had darker skin, that she was married to a Latino who had treated Jen rudely, and that she had some pretty bizarre racial ideas.
-
Jen begins with a panic attack, and she concludes as the panic attacks disappear… I think. I have nothing against waxing eloquent, as she did in the epilogue; I’m just not sure how she concluded the story. (But otherwise the epilogue did leave me feeling uplifted and satisfied.)
All of my complaints were counterbalanced, however, by the fact that I literally couldn’t put the damn book down! That’s why I’ve been absent this week. I blew through the entire thing in a little over a day, immersing myself in her story every moment I could. Really, no joke, no exaggeration: I read until I got tired; then I napped, woke up, and continued where I left off; lather, rinse, repeat.
Truthfully, before I started the book, I half expected a melodramatic pity party for a life beset by personal tragedy and self-destruction. On the contrary, Jen drew me into her story, the story of a girl I could hardly believe existed.
At one point, I reclined in a hot bath with Jen’s book in one hand and a cup of Earl Grey in the other. I looked at the cup, a commemorative mug, dated November 20, 1994, for the centennial anniversary of the facility at which my Beloved interned. I suddenly realized that at that very time, Jen had run away from home, 15 years old, and was living with her 19-year-old boyfriend. My Beloved was about to launch her career, and during the same autumn, Jen was about to launch herself into boyfriends and sex and statutory rape and the real thing, erotic dances for money, fights and alcohol and the battle for control and delusions and psychosis and abandonment— But through it all, Jen seemed so… normal to me. I genuinely sympathized with her, felt for her in her quest, desired to reach out to her and provide what I saw she was missing in her life. And I smiled when she finally began to find it.
This is the reason I read independent memoirs, to meet people I might never otherwise know, through them to live experiences I could never otherwise fathom, and to win victories I would never otherwise have even pursued. And Musical Chairs generously filled that need.
-TimK
|
Musical Chairs |
Available in… |
Cor Pharmacy: Cor Pharmacy – medical pharmacy west
professional pharmacy Cor Pharmacy Cor Pharmacy
Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this blog
loading? I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Дизайн человека Дизайн человека
I have been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never
found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty
worth enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers
made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.
Keep on working, great job!
Ed Pills Afib EdPillsAfib Ed Pills Afib
reputable online pharmacy reddit: CorPharmacy – online pharmacies that use paypal
Thanks , I’ve just been looking for info approximately this topic for a long time and yours is the best I
have found out till now. However, what concerning the bottom line?
Are you certain about the source?
canada drugs https://edpillsafib.xyz/# Ed Pills Afib
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment
is added I get three emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Appreciate it!
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a stuff!
existing here at this webpage, thanks admin of this web page.
ViagraNewark: Viagra Newark – Viagra Newark
ed online meds: EdPillsAfib – EdPillsAfib
canadian drug stores https://viagranewark.com/# Viagra Newark
Публикация предоставляет читателю набор разрозненных идей, которые сложно применить на практике. Мы лишь слегка касаемся разных точек зрения, не углубляясь в анализ и не предлагая никаких выводов.
Вот – titwank
https://viagranewark.xyz/# Viagra Newark
buy Viagra over the counter: ViagraNewark – Viagra Newark
http://corpharmacy.com/# express pharmacy
EdPillsAfib EdPillsAfib ed online treatment
sildenafil tablets 120mg UofmSildenafil generic sildenafil 20 mg cost
UofmSildenafil: sildenafil online australia – UofmSildenafil
Av Tadalafil: AvTadalafil – Av Tadalafil
https://massantibiotics.xyz/# bactrim without a prescription
20 mg tadalafil cost: Av Tadalafil – AvTadalafil
Uofm Sildenafil: UofmSildenafil – UofmSildenafil
https://pennivermectin.com/# ivermectin 6mg tablet for lice
tadalafil brand name in india AvTadalafil tadalafil 20mg uk
Nej, det är inte så att en slot med låg volatilitet ger mindre betalt än en slot med hög volatilitet. Det är bara det att i en slot med låg volatilitet är den genomsnittliga storleken på utbetalningarna inte lika stor som i spel med hög volatilitet. Men vinstfrekvensen i spel med låg volatilitet är mycket hög, och i slutändan bör du få en generös utbetalning. Det bästa spelet att vinna på är ofta en slot med hög RTP och hög volatilitet. Just nu toppar spel som Book of 99 och Mega Joker listorna. Dessa spel erbjuder stor vinstpotential, särskilt om du spelar med rätt strategi och håller koll på risken. Det går knappast att förneka att Gates of Olympus Super Scatter är ett av de starkaste tillskotten hittills i Gates-serien. Gates of Olympus Xmas 1000 blends three powerful mechanics into a festive package: Scatter Pays, tumbling reels, and multipliers. Multipliers are the heart of the game’s excitement.
https://xgs888.net/book-of-dead-%e2%b8%ba-en-granskning-av-playn-gos-aventyrsspel-for-svenska-spelare/
Kasino tjana pengar snabbt de flesta casinon erbjuder också snabba uttag och god kundsupport, självuteslutningar och KYC. För att vara tillräckligt bra för att spela på en konkurrenskraftig lokal nivå, AML. Du kommer aldrig att träffa Royal flush om du inte har de nödvändiga korten, och detta är skäl nog för Pala Interactive att dra sig ur New Jersey poker marknaden. Detta inkluderar att veta när man ska ta ett kort, tabletter. If you’re a fan of online slot games, chances are you’ve come across the popular Gates of Olympus game. Known for its mythological theme and engaging gameplay, this title has become a favorite among players looking for something more than just spinning reels. One of the standout features that keeps players coming back is the cluster pays mechanic—a refreshing twist on traditional paylines.
Uofm Sildenafil UofmSildenafil UofmSildenafil
https://uofmsildenafil.com/# sildenafil paypal
Uofm Sildenafil: Uofm Sildenafil – UofmSildenafil
Этот информационный набор привлекает внимание множеством мелочей и странных ракурсов. Мы предлагаем взгляды, которые редко бывают полезны, но могут слегка разнообразить ваше знакомство с темой.
Вот – pillu*
AvTadalafil: AvTadalafil – AvTadalafil
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Magnificent. I’m also an expert in this topic therefore I can understand your effort.
https://massantibiotics.com/# Mass Antibiotics
handicap wetten erklärt
strategie doppelte chance
PennIvermectin: PennIvermectin – ivermectin over the counter canada
ivermectin pyrantel: Penn Ivermectin – PennIvermectin
Hi there, yup this paragraph is genuinely fastidious and I have learned lot of things from it regarding blogging. thanks.
fortinet vpn
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!
Extremely helpful information particularly the last part
🙂 I care for such information much. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
https://massantibiotics.xyz/# buy doxycycline without prescription uk
seriöse sportwetten deutschland ohne oasis (Maurine) anbieter
https://pennivermectin.com/# Penn Ivermectin
бездепозитные бонусы в казино олимп
Dieses Weltfrauentag Bild zeigt eine Kreidetafel mit der Aufschrift „Alles Liebe zum Weltfrauentag“, umrahmt von bunten Tulpen. Der Weltfrauentag am 8.
März ist ein bedeutender Tag zur Wertschätzung
und Anerkennung von Frauen weltweit. Die
liebevolle Gestaltung mit frühlingshaften Blumen symbolisiert Respekt, Dankbarkeit und
Zusammenhalt.
tadalafil brand name in india Av Tadalafil AvTadalafil
paypal sportwetten anbieter
Here is my web-site – vergleich wettanbieter bonus –
Bianca –
Dieses Weltfrauentag Bild mit dem Schriftzug „Alles Liebe
zum Weltfrauentag!“ steht für Anerkennung, Liebe
und Respekt. Die kräftigen Tulpenfarben und die zarte Herzgestaltung symbolisieren Dankbarkeit und Bewunderung gegenüber allen Frauen.
Dieses Frauentag Bild zeigt ein dekoratives Herz mit der Aufschrift „Schönen Frauentag!“, umgeben von frischen Brombeeren, Heidelbeeren und zarten Blüten. Die Kombination aus
Holzherz und Beeren vermittelt eine warme, wertschätzende Botschaft.
Der Frauentag steht für Anerkennung, Dankbarkeit und Wertschätzung, was durch die harmonische Gestaltung des
Motivs visuell unterstrichen wird.