I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads and I'm very sorry it took me far too long to read it. My taking so long to read this book was in no way a reflection on the quality of the book or the author's writing. It's simply a reflection of my busy schedule and the mounds, and mounds of books I have yet to read.

That being said, I really liked this book. Jeanne is hilarious and I really enjoyed reading about her life. Her writing style is fantastic. For the first time, I read a memoir and actually came out feeling like I knew the person. I would, and have already, suggest that people read this book; especially if one has a good sense of humor. ( )

I really wanted to like this one, and there are some chapters -- when the author and her sisters are cleaning out their mothers' house near the end -- that aing. But most of the time the author seemed to be trying too hard to make me laugh, and it eventually just exhausted me. ( )

Jeannies story of growing up in a 'writer's family' is quite entertaining. She and her 3 sisters are constantly being judged by what they are reading- by their father, who spends his life writing the 'great American novel'-- which is always on the verge of completion! Basically her father is so preoccupied with the book he can't hold down a job. Her mother is a neurotic alcoholic and is absent from any mothering. Jeanne writes about having crabs- which I thought "okay, this is not necessary" but she had me roaring! She writes about her alcoholism as a race with her mom and explains her drinking very sardonically. Very funny- a laugh out loud, while at the same time, very sad. ( )

The New York Times refers to this book as a"memoir in the crazy-template family," and I agree. I'm growing tired of the "my family is kooky, and I am too" genre. ( )

Darst's book is another in a long line of , "look at my crazy childhood/life/career choices" memoirs. Quite often I found her annoying, with her insistence that One Has to Suffer For Art. At 20, it's understandable. At 30, you're just avoiding growing up. In any case, I kept reading because Darst does make her crazy family interesting, the passages on her dad's Fitzgerald obsession in particular. I also liked her snarky POV, but sometimes the story was disjointed - she'd mention someone by first name only out of the blue, with no prior reference to who they were or how they related to the story. That said, if you want a truly riveting take on the memoir, check out "The Liars Club" or the one by Jeanette Walls that's escaping me right now. Oh and you might remember Darst from the This American Life episode, "Frenemies" where her sister marries a Muslim. Which? Doesn't even come up. Der hell? ( )