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… |
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: can i take berberine and semaglutide together – AsthmaFree Pharmacy
ventolin hfa 90 mcg can i buy ventolin online ventolin 2.5
ventolin 2: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – ventolin without a prescription
furosemida 40 mg lasix tablet furosemide
https://fluidcarepharmacy.com/# FluidCare Pharmacy
RelaxMedsUSA: affordable Zanaflex online pharmacy – prescription-free muscle relaxants
can you take rybelsus with other medications: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – AsthmaFree Pharmacy
Этот текст сочетает в себе элементы познавательного рассказа и аналитической подачи информации. Читатель получает доступ к уникальным данным, которые соединяют прошлое с настоящим и открывают двери в будущее.
Открыть полностью – https://inaina.dk/2018/01/haeklede-chip-og-chap
Really interesting read! The focus on a curated, VIP experience like me777 vip makes a lot of sense – players want to feel valued. Secure verification is key for trust, too. Definitely a step up from the usual online casinos!
IverCare Pharmacy topical ivermectin cost IverCare Pharmacy
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: can i buy ventolin over the counter uk – ventolin uk pharmacy
muscle relaxants online no Rx: Tizanidine tablets shipped to USA – prescription-free muscle relaxants
cheap muscle relaxer online USA prescription-free muscle relaxants safe online source for Tizanidine
FluidCare Pharmacy: FluidCare Pharmacy – FluidCare Pharmacy
http://glucosmartrx.com/# AsthmaFree Pharmacy
semaglutide compound side effects: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – AsthmaFree Pharmacy
ivermectin for goats lice: IverCare Pharmacy – ivermectin brand names
cheap muscle relaxer online USA safe online source for Tizanidine buy Zanaflex online USA
RelaxMedsUSA: buy Zanaflex online USA – Zanaflex medication fast delivery
lasix generic name: FluidCare Pharmacy – furosemide 100 mg
Эта информационная статья содержит полезные факты, советы и рекомендации, которые помогут вам быть в курсе последних тенденций и изменений в выбранной области. Материал составлен так, чтобы быть полезным и понятным каждому.
Это стоит прочитать полностью – https://sindhuuday.com/1125
ivermectin dosage for dogs for heartworm prevention: IverCare Pharmacy – ivermectin covid dosage
Этот увлекательный информационный материал подарит вам массу новых знаний и ярких эмоций. Мы собрали для вас интересные факты и сведения, которые обогатят ваш опыт. Откройте для себя увлекательный мир информации и насладитесь процессом изучения!
Смотрите также – https://golfgearguy.com/designer-womens-golf-bags
IverCare Pharmacy: pour on ivermectin for cats – does ivermectin kill fleas
IverCare Pharmacy: buy ivermectin stromectol – IverCare Pharmacy
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!
Что ещё? Расскажи всё! – http://www.enirys.fr/galerie/img_0719
Этот текст призван помочь читателю расширить кругозор и получить практические знания. Мы используем простой язык, наглядные примеры и структурированное изложение, чтобы сделать обучение максимально эффективным и увлекательным.
Изучить вопрос глубже – https://arabagunlukleri.com/yeni-nesil-giyilebilir-teknolojiler-saglikta-devrim-yaratiyor
Этот интересный отчет представляет собой сборник полезных фактов, касающихся актуальных тем. Мы проанализируем данные, чтобы вы могли сделать обоснованные выводы. Читайте, чтобы узнать больше о последних трендах и значимых событиях!
Погрузиться в детали – https://zoesameth.com/confidence
lasix 100mg lasix 40 mg lasix furosemide 40 mg
stromectol scabies: IverCare Pharmacy – ivermectin human dose
Этот текст сочетает в себе элементы познавательного рассказа и аналитической подачи информации. Читатель получает доступ к уникальным данным, которые соединяют прошлое с настоящим и открывают двери в будущее.
Смотри, что ещё есть – https://www.vire.usi.ch/booktimeline_book_3
robert malone ivermectin: ivermectin paste for scabies – IverCare Pharmacy
https://www.zivox.ru/cardirin-v-naturalyne-kapli-dlya-stabilynogo-snizheniya-davleniya-i-ukrepleniya-serdtsa/
RelaxMeds USA cheap muscle relaxer online USA trusted pharmacy Zanaflex USA
rybelsus vs ozempic dosage: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – AsthmaFree Pharmacy
IverCare Pharmacy: IverCare Pharmacy – how much is ivermectin for humans
Zanaflex medication fast delivery RelaxMedsUSA muscle relaxants online no Rx
stromectol 3 mg price: ivermectin price uk – IverCare Pharmacy
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: ventolin hfa inhaler – rx coupon ventolin
AsthmaFree Pharmacy AsthmaFree Pharmacy AsthmaFree Pharmacy
buy stromectol canada: stromectol 0.1 – IverCare Pharmacy
В статье представлены ключевые моменты по актуальной теме, дополненные советами экспертов и ссылками на дополнительные ресурсы. Цель материала — дать читателю инструменты для самостоятельного развития и принятия осознанных решений.
Как достичь результата? – https://kaz-tomo.art/cropped-%E3%82%A2%E3%82%BB%E3%83%83%E3%83%88-23x-4-png
Предлагаем вашему вниманию интересную справочную статью, в которой собраны ключевые моменты и нюансы по актуальным вопросам. Эта информация будет полезна как для профессионалов, так и для тех, кто только начинает изучать тему. Узнайте ответы на важные вопросы и расширьте свои знания!
Только для своих – http://ega-sky.ru
В этой информационной статье вы найдете интересное содержание, которое поможет вам расширить свои знания. Мы предлагаем увлекательный подход и уникальные взгляды на обсуждаемые темы, побуждая пользователей к активному мышлению и критическому анализу.
Нажми и узнай всё – https://f5fashion.vn/us-citizens-will-have-to-pay-for-a-visa-to-travel-to-europe-from-2024
Pinco casino mobil t?tbiq: Canli krupyerl? oyunlar – Uduslari tez çixar Pinco il?
Dang ky GK88: GK88 – Link vao GK88 m?i nh?t
Khuy?n mai GK88 Ca cu?c tr?c tuy?n GK88 Rut ti?n nhanh GK88
Jollibet online sabong: jollibet casino – jollibet
Abutogel login: Bandar togel resmi Indonesia – Situs togel online terpercaya
jollibet app: jollibet login – Online casino Jollibet Philippines