A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father
by Augusten Burroughs
|
List Price: Our Price: $1.99 You Save: $22.96 (92%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father
Book Review: A promise kept
Summary: 5 Stars
Back when Burroughs released "Possible Side Effects" I complained that most of the pieces felt like leftovers, and that his comedic touch had become forced. I singled out "The Forecast for Sommer" and "The Georgia Thumper" as notable exceptions. These two stories were serious in tone and delivered with a hitherto untapped reservoir of empathy. I expressed a hope that these pieces were a promise of better things to come; with "A Wolf at the Table" Burroughs delivers on that promise.
Simply stated, this is not the self deprecating Burroughs we have come to know and love. Gone is his trademark use of outrageous humor to depict everything as absurd and mask the mind-numbing effects of gross emotional, spiritual and physical neglect. "A Wolf at the Table" is the work of a seasoned, mature writer exploring and expanding his range. The resluts are often breathtaking. Presented here are all the events that precipitated those depicted in "Running with Scissors," reported with razor sharp wit and unflinching clarity.
This small volume is not easy to take; one cringes and winces throughout. However, the end result is a wholly rewarding and illuminating reading experience.
Book Review: Is this book an example of "Creative Nonfiction?"
Summary: 1 Stars
I disliked this book so much that I didn't even finish it. Mr. Burroughs has clearly run out of material from his own life and seems unable or unwilling to try fiction again. The thing I find most disturbing about this 'memoir' is that I saw Mr. Burroughs at a book reading when Magical Thinking was released and he spoke about his father and how they had reconciled. He also mentioned that he was working on this book at the time and that it had already been optioned to be filmed by a major studio, which was pretty impressive considering the book hadn't even been completed. I wonder how much of his recollection was influenced by the notion that A Wolf at the Table was going to be a movie (although that seems unlikely now, given the critical drubbing the book has received and the poor box office performance of "Running With Scissors.") In fact, during the Q&A, an audience member asked what he thought of "creative nonfiction" writers like David Sadaris (a writer who admits to changing his stories based on audience reactions at readings) and Mr. Burroughs said he had no problem with either the term or concept as long as the book is entertaining. Unfortunately, this book is not.Book Review: Well Writen, But A Tad Misleading
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm giving this book three stars primarily on the technical aspect of Burroughs writing. It's extremely well written, evocative, moody, and at times actually scary.For those who are familiar with his other books, this is also uncharacteristically very serious, lacking the many laughs or frankly even chuckles his other books have elicited. My problem with the book is that I kept waiting for the torrent of what I believed, and is actually foreshadowed, of violence at the hands of his father towards Augusten. Some of the incidents that he relays are awful there's no denying it, and there's no way to underestimate the feelings brought on by living with someone who was so clearly an angry alcoholic, but less so the menacing sociopath he would lead you to believe tormented him. The homicidal impulses he believes his father was capable of were merely that; feelings. And as the book progressed it seemed to become less about an abusive parent, whether physical or emotional, and more about a boy becoming a man and finding the way to put to rest the monster that had been created, and accept he might never get the love and validation he was seeking from this wolf he called "Dead".Book Review: Not his best, but still a remarkable read.
Summary: 4 Stars
Well he did it. Augusten Burroughs, whose finest trait as an author of narrative nonfiction was almost ridiculous objectivity, finally succumbed to moments of self-pity. But who wouldn't? I wonder if while writing The Wolf at the Table, Burroughs simply had to show that little boy the love he so desperately craved. It's not his best work, true. In my humble opinion, his best is Dry. I am a student of writing and therefore I'm always looking at the effective use of craft and while it's difficult to pinpoint in Burroughs work (other than a knack for witty and snappy turns of phrase) I will say this. His work is difficult to put down. You can't help but turn the page, find out what happened next and how he's going to tell it. And unlike other reviewers, I stopped asking myself if it was plausible early on. Who cares? He may not be literary, he may be embellishing for drama, and he may have caved to the self-involved urges of many memoirists (ironically his major distinction previously) but Burroughs knows how to tell a tale. His readers number in the millions now, but his voice is still that of a friend confiding to a friend. Bravo, Burroughs. Now let's see some fiction.Book Review: Disappointed.
Summary: 1 Stars
I didn't realize Burroughs had a new book coming out this summer. So when I walked past a table at the bookstore and saw it, I snatched it up immediately.
That was the first and last time I was at all excited about picking up this book.
"Dry" is one of my favorite books. I liked "Magical Thinking," too. And while I went in knowing "A Wolf at the Table" wasn't going to be humorous, I was still disappointed. It just read as the same thing over and over and over - and not in a "wow, i can't believe this stuff just keeps happening to him" way. In a "maybe if I keep reading something more will happen" way. I could never keep track of how old Augusten was in the book. But it didn't really matter, because every year read pretty much the same. His usual quality of writing wasn't there.
I finished it, but I wasn't happy about it. And wouldn't recommend it. I'm not judging his childhood, just the book he wrote about it.
If it was to expel some demons, I do hope it helped. For that, I won't begrudge him. I'm just kind of sorry I signed up to be present for the exorcism.