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… |
This site definitely has all of the information and facts I needed about this subject and
didn’t know who to ask.
Unquestionably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the internet the simplest
factor to be mindful of. I say to you, I definitely
get annoyed while people think about issues that they just don’t
understand about. You managed to hit the nail upon the
highest as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect
, people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more.
Thanks
I don’t know if it’s just me or if everyone else experiencing issues with your site.
It seems like some of the written text in your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them as
well? This may be a issue with my browser because I’ve had this happen before.
Thank you
Как поясняет медицинский психолог Елена Мусатова, «пациенту важно доверять специалисту, понимать его подход и чувствовать профессиональную уверенность ещё на этапе первичного осмотра».
Подробнее – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-pervouralsk11.ru/narkologicheskaya-klinika-klinika-pomoshh-v-pervouralske/
Hello there! I know this is kind of off topic but I
was wondering which blog platform are you using for this
website? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with
hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform.
I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
canada drugstore pharmacy rx: Certified Canada Rx – maple leaf pharmacy in canada
https://vodka277.bet/
pet drugs online: Vet Rx Index – dog prescriptions online
Prosta aborcja to platforma wsparcia, ktora umozliwia dostep do praktycznej wiedzy na temat przerywania ciazy. Serwis skupia sie na bezpieczenstwie. Prosta aborcja tlumaczy, jakie rozwiazania sa dostepne w trudnych momentach. Na stronie mozna znalezc jasne instrukcje dotyczace metod farmakologicznych. Duzy nacisk polozono na bezpieczenstwo zdrowotne. Informacje sa zrozumiale i neutralne swiatopogladowo. Prosta aborcja zaznacza, ze decyzja nalezy do kobiety. Strona porzadkuje wiedze w temacie procedur. Opisane sa zarowno etapy, jak i sposoby reagowania. Uzytkownik dowiaduje sie, jak zadbac o siebie. Serwis nie ocenia, lecz wspiera. Platforma pokazuje, ze aborcja jest kwestia zdrowotna. W tresciach zaznaczane jest znaczenie dostepu do wiedzy. Strona odpowiada na pytania. Inicjatywa porzadkuje skomplikowane informacje. Dzieki temu latwiej podjac decyzje. Tresci sa zgodne z wiedza medyczna. Osoby w ciazy moga poczuc sie pewniej. Strona nie wywiera presji. Prosta aborcja stawia na autonomie. Kazda sytuacja jest traktowana indywidualnie. Serwis prostuje nieprawdziwe informacje. Przejrzystosc to wazne cechy projektu. Strona zapewnia wsparcie informacyjne. Ta platforma pokazuje, ze dostep do informacji jest kluczowy. Calosc zostala zaprojektowana z mysla o prostocie. Dzieki temu korzystanie z serwisu jest intuicyjne. Prosta aborcja dazy do wspieraniu zdrowia reprodukcyjnego.
К основным направлениям помощи, как правило, относятся:
Изучить вопрос глубже – narkologicheskaya-klinika
https://certifiedcanadarx.com/# Certified Canada Rx
https://vodka276.bet/
https://vodka275.casino/
Melhor horário pra jogar Jogo do Tigrinho: madrugada ou pico de noite? Conta sua experiência
That is a really good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Short but very accurate info… Many thanks for sharing
this one. A must read article!
Fortune Rabbit vs Fortune Tiger: qual paga mais consistentemente esse mês?
Jogo do Tigrinho no Pix R$1: teste grátis com chance de bônus real
It’s awesome in favor of me to have a website, which is beneficial for my
experience. thanks admin
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to far added agreeable from you!
By the way, how can we communicate?
Thanks for a marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.I will make sure
to bookmark your blog and will come back someday.
I want to encourage continue your great posts, have a nice holiday weekend!
https://petmedsmonitor.shop/# discount pet meds
Your style is so unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from.
I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this page.
опубликовано здесь blacksprut
PG Soft 2026: Mahjong Ways 2 tá pagando mais que Fortune Tiger em cascades?
discount pet meds: dog prescriptions online – online pet pharmacy
https://mensrxindex.com/# Mens RX Index
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who was
conducting a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner
due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
But yeah, thanks for spending some time to
talk about this issue here on your website.
Кодирование от алкоголизма в Королёве часто становится тем самым рубежом, за которым заканчиваются бесконечные попытки «ограничить дозу» и «держать ситуацию под контролем» и начинается системная работа с зависимостью. Многие годами откладывают этот шаг: стыдно признать проблему, страшно довериться врачу, есть надежда, что «само пройдёт» или удастся остановиться силой воли. На практике всё происходит иначе: запои становятся длиннее, похмелье тяжелее, трезвые промежутки короче, а конфликты в семье и на работе — острее. В какой-то момент близкие понимают, что без серьёзной внешней опоры человек просто не справляется.
Детальнее – kodirovanie-ot-alkogolizma-s-vyezdom-na-dom
На начальных этапах проблема редко проявляется в открытом виде, но уже есть характерные сигналы, на которые стоит обратить внимание. Человек начинает оправдывать употребление постоянной усталостью, проблемами на работе, напряжённой жизненной ситуацией. Появляется раздражение, если нет возможности выпить или принять привычную дозу, меняется круг общения, усиливается скрытность. Это время, когда помощь ещё может быть максимально щадящей по методам и по длительности, а вернуться к стабильной жизни намного проще, чем после многолетнего стажа употребления.
Узнать больше – http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-moskva11.ru
Hey there would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re utilizing?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different internet browsers and I must say
this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you recommend
a good web hosting provider at a honest price? Cheers, I appreciate
it!
melbet metode plata Moldova melbet metode plata Moldova
Certified Canada Rx: Certified Canada Rx – Certified Canada Rx
melbet регистрация с телефона melbet регистрация с телефона
Mens RX Index ed medicines online ed prescription
https://certifiedcanadarx.com/# Certified Canada Rx
La pharmacie qui vous comprend et vous respecte. Prix bloques sur vos traitements chroniques. Service client humain et reactif. PharmaHumaine – parce que vous comptez.Acheter fosamax
It’s actually very complex in this active life to listen news on Television, so I just use internet for that purpose, and get the most up-to-date information.
canada online pharmacy: Certified Canada Rx – Certified Canada Rx
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was once totally right.
This submit truly made my day. You cann’t believe
simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
L’hiver approche, armez-vous contre les virus ! Retrouvez tous les remedes contre le rhume, la grippe et les maux de gorge. Faites le plein de vitamine C et de produits naturels pour renforcer votre immunite. Protegez votre famille sans sortir de la maison.careconnectclinic
What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web site regularly, this
website is genuinely nice and the viewers are actually sharing nice thoughts.
В этой статье представлен занимательный и актуальный контент, который заставит вас задуматься. Мы обсуждаем насущные вопросы и проблемы, а также освещаем истории, которые вдохновляют на действия и изменения. Узнайте, что стоит за событиями нашего времени!
Лучшее решение — прямо здесь – https://www.gartenfiguren-abc.de/top-7-gartenfackel-bluetooth-lautsprecher-ideen
https://vodka279.bet/
http://petmedsmonitor.com/# discount pet meds
https://vodka278.bet/
https://vodka277.casino/
Bônus sem depósito Fortune Tiger: qual cassino ainda dá 50 giros só no cadastro em 2026?
Galaxyno Hit clusters explosivos: melhor que Jogo do Tigrinho pra quem ama grid grande?
Jogo do Tigrinho 2026: aposta R$1 e ganha 100x – já aconteceu com você?
http://certifiedcanadarx.com/# Certified Canada Rx