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… |
https://santehommefrance.shop/# pharmacie en ligne fiable France
Sildenafil 50mg: trusted British pharmacy – Brit Meds Uk
sportwetten selbst anbieten
Look at my web-site: biathlon wettquoten; demo.consortia.no,
https://santehommefrance.shop/# prix du Viagra generique en France
Viagra générique pas cher: Viagra vente libre allemagne – Viagra sans ordonnance avis
sildenafil 50 mg ou 100 mg posologie Meilleur Viagra sans ordonnance 24h Viagra sans ordonnance avis
Medi Vertraut Sildenafil 100 mg bestellen Viagra wie lange steht er
Viagra générique pas cher: prix du Viagra générique en France – SanteHommeFrance
Guzellik s?rlar?n? ve trendlerin ard?ndaki detaylar? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
“Eviniz Icin Zarif Mobilya ve Dekorasyon Onerileri” konusuyla ilgili olarak cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://evimsicak.com
Guzellik yolculugunuzda ilham alman?z dilegiyle!
Acheter Sildenafil 100mg sans ordonnance: Viagra générique pas cher – Viagra sans ordonnance avis
http://medivertraut.com/# MediVertraut
BritMedsUk: licensed online pharmacy UK – Sildenafil 50mg
online wetten ohne ausweis
Feel free to surf to my web site; top play Sportwetten
Medi Vertraut: Sildenafil ohne Rezept – Sildenafil 100 mg bestellen
https://medivertraut.shop/# Sildenafil Wirkung und Dosierung
Guzellik s?rlar?n? ve trendlerin ard?ndaki detaylar? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
“Fonksiyonel ve Estetik Mobilya Cozumleri” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin oras? tam bir bilgi hazinesi.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://icmekanturk.com
Trendlere ayak uydurun ve cevrenizde fark yarat?n.
wettbüro kaiserslautern
Here is my page; sportwetten online legal
how generic Viagra works in the body discreet shipping for ED medication Sildenafil online reviews
MediVertraut Potenzmittel günstig online Sildenafil 100 mg bestellen
Sildenafil side effects and safe dosage: how generic Viagra works in the body – discreet shipping for ED medication
https://britmedsuk.shop/# order Viagra discreetly
http://britmedsuk.com/# trusted British pharmacy
sportwetten mit bonus
Also visit my webpage :: Wetten Gratiswette
Gelecegin cilt bak?m? ve makyaj trendlerinin izinde olal?m!
“Modern Modada Stil Ipuclar? ve Trendler” konusuyla ilgili olarak cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://modakasifi.com
Guzellik yolculugunuzda ilham alman?z dilegiyle!
affordable potency tablets: order Viagra discreetly – NHS Viagra cost alternatives
rodarodaku.xyz – Found some interesting articles already, looks like a thoughtful blog.
kkgg1.xyz – Mobile responsiveness is solid, adapts nicely across different screen sizes.
mm9b.xyz – Typography is balanced, makes reading longer posts comfortable.
xxau.xyz – On mobile it works perfectly, nothing breaks or feels misaligned.
easyprt.xyz – Visuals and structure complement each other, looks very professional.
http://bluepeakmeds.com/# Sildenafil Citrate Tablets 100mg
Brit Meds Uk: BritMedsUk – ED medication online UK
Этот информационный материал привлекает внимание множеством интересных деталей и необычных ракурсов. Мы предлагаем уникальные взгляды на привычные вещи и рассматриваем вопросы, которые волнуют общество. Будьте в курсе актуальных тем и расширяйте свои знания!
Узнай первым! – https://www.rajpathmathura.com/raj-116
pharmacie en ligne fiable France: pharmacie en ligne fiable France – pharmacie en ligne fiable France
QQ88 cập nhật sảnh casino MT độc quyền, nạp tiền khuyến mãi vào thứ 4 hàng tuần với 8%. Đăng ký nhanh tai qfby.cn.com nhận ngay 58K
Pin Up Casino is the official website of a well-known online casino for players https://detsad47kamyshin.ru
https://bluepeakmeds.shop/# Blue Peak Meds
Viagra pas cher paris pharmacie française agréée en ligne Viagra générique pas cher
prix du Viagra générique en France sildenafil 50 mg ou 100 mg posologie п»їViagra sans ordonnance 24h
order Viagra discreetly: trusted British pharmacy – ED medication online UK
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
Yeri gelmisken, eger Is?lt?l? Guzellik: Sac ve Cilt Bak?m Onerileri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://tenvezarafet.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
BluePeakMeds: Sildenafil side effects and safe dosage – difference between Viagra and generic Sildenafil
sportwetten in österreich
Here is my blog :: wettbüro dresden neustadt
Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkate degerdi.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://sofrakeyfi.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
Viagra kaufen gГјnstig Deutschland: Billig Viagra bestellen ohne Rezept – Sildenafil Wirkung und Dosierung
wettbüro konstanz
Also visit my web-site … sportwetten seite erstellen
licensed online pharmacy UK: NHS Viagra cost alternatives – order Viagra discreetly
https://bluepeakmeds.shop/# BluePeakMeds
sport live wetten
Also visit my web blog ausländische wettanbieter Mit paypal
sportwetten lizenz
my web site; österreich wettanbieter – Dieter –