There's still not a lot going on around here, so to spare you another recitation of my previous night's sleep, I'll use today to review that other book I've been meaning to review.
This book is It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks by Catherine Lloyd Burns. Burns is an actress who has a few lesser-known movies to her name and a few recurring roles on popular TV shows, the only ones of which I've watched being Law and Order and Malcolm in the Middle (that's probably the only time you'll ever see those two shows listed together). The book is her memoir of her relationship with her mother, especially as it changed as she, too, experienced motherhood.
Frankly, the book sounded boring to me. I'm always hesitant to read celebrities who think they can write; I'll roll my eyes at even the mention. And how cliche is it for a celebrity to write a book about their own lives? The story sounded boring and so overdone that this book would never be set apart from any other book about motherhood.
Possibly because I had such low expectations to begin with, this book blew me away. Yes, some celebrities can write! And Burns's story is unique, and the way she tells it is captivating. The book is a series of anecdotes from her life, starting from early childhood. The anecdotes she uses tell the story of her relationship with her mother better than any deep, analytical essay ever could.
I think what impresses me most about the book, though, is the shift in perspective throughout the book. Of course, each anecdote is told from her viewpoint, because it is her memoir after all. But the earliest anecdotes show a self-centered girl and young woman who has nothing but criticism, and sometimes even hatred, for her equally self-centered mother. After the turning point of becoming a mother herself and watching her own mother start to change as she ages, Burns is able to step back and offer us an unbiased look at both her and her mother. She is willing to showcase her own flaws along with her mother's. I think this perspective shift portrays her developing maturity more than what happens in the anecdotes. She is able to relate to her mother better when she realizes that they are both humans full of imperfections, many of the same ones, in fact.
I guess I liked the book not only for its writing style and story, but because it is real. I did not read the selfish story of a celebrity griping about how her mom ruined her, but instead saw real people coping with real problems and coming to terms with their own flaws and those of others through the bond of motherhood. This book was a pleasant surprise, and I hope Burns continues her writing career, no matter what her acting career brings her way.
This book is It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks by Catherine Lloyd Burns. Burns is an actress who has a few lesser-known movies to her name and a few recurring roles on popular TV shows, the only ones of which I've watched being Law and Order and Malcolm in the Middle (that's probably the only time you'll ever see those two shows listed together). The book is her memoir of her relationship with her mother, especially as it changed as she, too, experienced motherhood.
Frankly, the book sounded boring to me. I'm always hesitant to read celebrities who think they can write; I'll roll my eyes at even the mention. And how cliche is it for a celebrity to write a book about their own lives? The story sounded boring and so overdone that this book would never be set apart from any other book about motherhood.
Possibly because I had such low expectations to begin with, this book blew me away. Yes, some celebrities can write! And Burns's story is unique, and the way she tells it is captivating. The book is a series of anecdotes from her life, starting from early childhood. The anecdotes she uses tell the story of her relationship with her mother better than any deep, analytical essay ever could.
I think what impresses me most about the book, though, is the shift in perspective throughout the book. Of course, each anecdote is told from her viewpoint, because it is her memoir after all. But the earliest anecdotes show a self-centered girl and young woman who has nothing but criticism, and sometimes even hatred, for her equally self-centered mother. After the turning point of becoming a mother herself and watching her own mother start to change as she ages, Burns is able to step back and offer us an unbiased look at both her and her mother. She is willing to showcase her own flaws along with her mother's. I think this perspective shift portrays her developing maturity more than what happens in the anecdotes. She is able to relate to her mother better when she realizes that they are both humans full of imperfections, many of the same ones, in fact.
I guess I liked the book not only for its writing style and story, but because it is real. I did not read the selfish story of a celebrity griping about how her mom ruined her, but instead saw real people coping with real problems and coming to terms with their own flaws and those of others through the bond of motherhood. This book was a pleasant surprise, and I hope Burns continues her writing career, no matter what her acting career brings her way.
Labels: Fun Stuff
1 Comments:
Sounds like some interesting anecdotes that you can relate too somewhat... the part about understanding mothers now that you are one.
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