The dazzling, prizewinning, wickedly funny tale of Mary Karr’s hardscrabble Texas childhood—the book that sparked a renaissance in memoir. When it was published in 1995, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, as well as brought about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at 12, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all. This unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as “funny, lively, and un-put-downable” (USA Today) today as it ever was.
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"I'm reading this for the second time. That's why I can already give it a five-start review! I'm in wonder of her excellent writing skills. And the characters are fascinating. I love how if she doesn't remember something she says so. Now, I'm suspect of all childhood memoirs--I don't see how people can remember enough details to write a really good story of their early childhood. I know I couldn't. But I no longer see it as terrible to make up the little details like what color shirt Uncle Riley was wearing or what brand chew tobacco he used--though I would deem it dishonest if authors made up events." — Karol (5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm reading this for the second time. That's why I can already give it a five-start review! I'm in wonder of her excellent writing skills. And the characters are fascinating. I love how if she doesn't remember something she says so. Now, I'm suspect of all childhood memoirs--I don't see how people can remember enough details to write a really good story of their early childhood. I know I couldn't. But I no longer see it as terrible to make up the little details like what color shirt Uncle Riley was wearing or what brand chew tobacco he used--though I would deem it dishonest if authors made up events."
" The book was okay- to me it was just another book of this is my life. Today, I went to school, came home and my mom was crazy. I guess we all have something to deal with in our lives and then we choose to write about it or not. "
" If you like being in the mind of a person who has ADD for 320 pages then read this. The story is not cohesive and it is quite difficult to read. I don't know where the "howling laughter" from the critics review on the back of the book was. However, I do know that I will not read another book written by this author in this style. If it wouldn't have been for book club, I would have put it down after 20-50 pages. "
" I liked this the least of her three memoirs, but it was still an enjoyable read. "
" Started strong, but there's some dragging in the middle. I'm ready to get out of Texas! Hopefully it will pick up again soon! "
" I can't imagine remembering this many details from my childhood... let alone eloquently (and at times quite raw) piece them together in a way that makes sense! it,'s really a tragic masterpiece and I can't wait to dive into Lit, now having a visual of her upbringing. "
" Fantastic memoir. Depressing as all hell. Not a book to read in a sitting, but definitely worth the digestive effort. "
" I had a had time reading this book , it was " sad ". It was a while ago that I tried reading it and had to put it down. Maybe one day I will give it another shot "
" The memoir that started the memoir craze. If only they could all be as funny, heartfelt, and well-written as this. "
" This book made we want to write my own book! Excellent, Witty, and some much truth that will make you laugh and cry. "
" The author looks back on her upbringing in a swampy East Texas refinery town with a volatile, defiantly loving family. "
" A nice reminder that people are awful, Texas is awful, and the 60's happened. "
" One of the best memoirs I've ever read. "
" I liked it. Very funny at times. The book ran a bit long, but good enough to stand it. Wary of some of the characterization of the "childlike" mind. "
" dark and good "
" This woman definitely had an interesting childhood. It was well-written book, but dragged a bit in places for me. "
" Karr is an excellent writer. The three stars is more about my inevitable boredom somewhere toward the middle of most dysfunctional family memoirs. The fact that I finished this one is a tribute to her lively prose. "
" For some reason I liked this a lot more the second time around. "
" I really enjoyed Mary Karr's unique blend of Texas twang and poetic lyricism when I read Lit. Lit is the third of her three-installment memoir. The Liars' Club is the first and chronicles her childhood in Texas. Her descriptions are beautiful, searing, accurate, humorous, terrifying "
" Autobiography about growing up in Texas in a chaotic, poorly functioning family, and somehow surviving, apparently more or less intact. How do some people do that and not others? "
" one of my favorite memoirs ever "
" One of the best books! So entertaining and mind boggling "
" This is the first in a trilogy of memoirs by the author. It detail her growing up years in eastern Texas and Colorado. It was difficult to read because much of it was upsetting, though the author was able to provide some humor in her view of her life. "
" Stunningly well-done poetic language to describe what is a grotesquery-filled childhood. I had to take in smaller bits, but Karr's voice carries through all the craziness. "
" Great book about looking back at how you became who you are. And boy did she become somebody! Love her poetry. Very gutsy gal. "
" One of the most powerful memoirs I have ever read. What a life. What a survivor. Scott Ross "
" This memoir was in one word "intense". Hard to believe kids can experience so much suffering. "
" Heartbreaking, hysterical and wholly absorbing. I loved this book, even when it was wrenching sad, dark emotion out of me. Mary Karr can write; every word, sentence, transition and plot point is simply perfect. "
" While this book is ostensibly about Karr's father, it is her mother that steals the show. She is of the same species of flamboyantly neglectful mother as Jeannette Wald's, Ruth Reichl's and Joyce Maynard's mothers. "
" Good enough. Seriously need to get away from this genre. Full of interesting story snippets of her father's life and her own crazy childhood. "
" Well written, memoir of childhood in a very dysfunctional family. Not only "liars" but also secret holders. It made me think many times, "Wow, not only in my life!" There is comfort in finding companions on the same road. "
Mary Karr is an award-winning poet and the bestselling author of Lit, the sequel to her critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling memoirs The Liars’ Club and Cherry. A born raconteur, she brings to her lectures and talks the same wit, irreverence, joy, and sorrow found in her poetry and prose. A sought-after speaker, she has given distinguished talks at prestigious universities, libraries, and writers’ festivals, including Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, Brown, and Syracuse; the New York Public Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Folger Library; the New Yorker Literary Festival, PEN/Faulkner, and the Festival of Faith and Writing. Karr welcomes conversation with her audience and she is known for her spirited, lively, and engaging Q&A sessions.
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