Book Nook Cafe discussion

Richiesheff wrote: "Susan wrote: "James Frey said in an interview that his publisher (or publicist? One of those p- words) wanted to market it as nonfiction while Frey originally wanted to market it as f..."

I have a "nose" for lies in memoirs. This one stunk for me, long before he was outted.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I have a "nose" for lies in memoirs. This one stunk for me, long before he was outted."

Were you one that didn't think The Glass Castle rang true, JoAnn?

I read A Million Little Pieces after the controversy all came out. Even if it's not all true, I think it gave some interesting insight into what goes on in someone's mind like that.

Maree wrote: "JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I have a "nose" for lies in memoirs. This one stunk for me, long before he was outted."

Were you one that didn't think The Glass Castle rang true, JoAnn?"

That would be me -- I am sure parts of it were true, but not the chapter she wrote that took place when she was 3! I know, I know, I am too literal, but I do not buy into the excuse that authors who write memoirs write their "impressions" of their life. My grandfather had an expression for that kind of stuff, and it started with bull....!

what is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography? I thought a memoir was a little more "fuzzy".

My understanding is that a memoir concentrates on a specific time period rather than the person's whole life. However, I've read books labeled as memoirs that seem more like autobiographies to me. I don't think either of them are supposed to be especially "fuzzy" but both sometimes are.

This is what I found about the differences between the two and is pretty much how I have always thought of it:

http://www.wordclay.com/genre/memoira...

The line between memoir and autobiography is a fuzzy one at best, especially in this modern literary era, when writers are constantly blurring the boundaries between genres to create a new, exciting one. But there are indeed obvious and practical differences between the two that can be clarified with some definitions and comparison.

Like an autobiography, memoir is a narrative that reveals experiences within the author's lifetime. But memoirs are typically less formal, less encompassing, less obsessed with factual events and, alternatively, center their primary focus around a mood or attitude toward a particular section of one's life.

Autobiography, on the other hand, is essentially a truthful biography written by the main character, or at least drafted with a collaborative writer. While memoir concerns itself with an emotional truth, autobiography details the chronology, events, places, reactions, movements and any other relevant information that inhabited the life of the subject. Fact, above all, is its foundation.

Another difference to note is the potential author of these genres. While a celebrity, renowned athlete or newsworthy politician may be able to hire a ghostwriter to draft an autobiography, a memoir, depending heavily on memory and emotion, will more than likely be written by the subject.

In essence, an autobiography is a chronological telling of one's experience, which should include phases such as childhood, adolescence, adulthood, etc., while a memoir provides a much more specific timeline and a much more intimate relationship to the writer's own memories, feelings and emotions.

In his own memoir Palimpsest, Gore Vidal gave his own definitions of the two genres, stating, "a memoir is how one remembers one's own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked."

Since the modern boom of non-fiction and such heroic real-life stories as Angela's Ashes and The Color of Water, just to name a couple, memoir has become an extremely marketable commodity. Truth is everyone has a section from their life that could be considered remarkable, and as you capture that remarkable life experience in your own words, it's important to embrace your feelings and the reactions to your own past.

Remember, memoir is not just about what exactly happened in the past, but rather how it made you feel, and perhaps more importantly, how it makes you feel now.

Very interesting. this was kind of what I thought too. I always thought a memoir was more the emotional connection and how the writer remembers it. Just like we wrote about the Glass Castle, the three year old story is how she remembers it. Maybe even a complilation of how she remembers it and how the siblings or even parents discussed it there after.

I like memoirs alot, even if they are a little fuzzy. I think that the emotional memory is interesting. I am sure if I wrote a book about my life I would remember feelings and not conversations...

Julie wrote: "Truth is everyone has a section from their life that could be considered remarkable,.."

And it seems like everyone and her brother has gotten on the memoir bandwagon. UGH!

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Julie wrote: "Truth is everyone has a section from their life that could be considered remarkable,.."

And it seems like everyone and her brother has gotten on the memoir bandwagon. UGH!"

I agree JoAnn. I think we have an overload of memoirs these days. I find memoirs of people who are known to me to be interesting as it relates to history, but otherwise all these memoirs seem to be just ego driven.

Bobbie57 wrote:
I find memoirs of people who are known to me to be interesting as it relates to history, but otherwise all these memoirs seem to be just ego driven.
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I know we are beating this poor dead horse again. :)

We all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to various genre. I enjoy reading most memoirs. Some, like Angela's Ashes are extraordinary. Many of them I find quite inspirational. Others can be laugh out loud funny.

Right now I am on a kick of Italian memoirs. And I am enjoying them. I also like that, unlike biographies and autobiographies, most are of a reasonable length.

Well, I am off to do a ton of errands before the big storm hits. Maybe if I lose power, I'll pass the time writing my memoirs. :) Only kidding. That would put even me to sleep.

Stay safe, Alias! I hope the storm doesn't hit as hard as predicted, but good to be prepared anyway.

I am a fan of memoirs. I know that they are not always truthful, they are as a matter of course skewed by the author's viewpoint, some are just written from ego, and some are not worth the paper they are written on (and some never make it to actual paper). But I am just plain nosy about how other people live and their perceptions of their lives. Although I have read some celebrity memoirs, I am less interested in them.

Maybe if people beat this "poor dead horse" more, there would be fewer memoirs being published! Many of them just seem to be so self-indulgent and I think publishers' dwindling dollars could be better spent. Just my prejudiced opinion! LOL

I am as much of voyeur as the next guy, but looking into the lives of someone who managed to get yet another "ego-driven" memoir published is not my idea of fun -----nor is it a way I choose to spend my precious reading time. But to each their own.