Mary-Louise Parker (1) (1964–)

Dear Mary Louise Parker:
I'm sorry for thinking, when I picked up your book, that it would be rubbish, that you had nothing to say, no ability to entertain, that your celebrity was sufficient to get you published, that an epistolary autobiography was a bad idea. I was wrong in all of these things. I won't pretend I got all of it but I certainly enjoyed the ride; you even made me cry.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher so thank you to Simon & Schuster.

Mary-Louise Parker came to Iowa City to promote this book and I didn't even consider going to see her. I assumed this was a "celebrity book" and though I've enjoyed some "celebrity books" (most recently Mindy Kaling's Why Not Me) I didn't have particularly high expectations for Dear Mr. You. I was not prepared by how deeply, deeply affecting it would be.

It is series of letters written to various men in her life (and one woman) both real and imagined. Some are funny. Some are heartbreaking. show more All are, as I said, deeply affecting. As soon as I finished it I sent a letter to a good friend and asked her, "Would you please do me a huge personal favor? Would you read this book?" I'd never recommended a book to her before but there is a certain audience for this book, people who like slow, thoughtful, pristine prose. People who can appreciate vulnerability and sincerity.

I could have easily devoured this book in a single setting but I'm glad I didn't. I read a letter or two every day and I believe that's how this book was meant to be read. Most letters gave me pause and left me thinking all day about the people in them and the people in my own life.

In short: This is the real deal. Y'all should read it. show less

If you’ve ever been unclear on the distinctions between memoir and autobiography, Mary-Louise Parker’s Dear Mr. You offers a pretty good illustration of them. Parker has been a well-regarded actress in film, television, and theater for over 25 years, but while some of her writing makes reference to work, she rarely describes projects she’s worked on or when they were made. Timelines are sketchy and often left to be inferred. She’s more likely to name places than people, and equally show more likely to be unspecific about both. Structured as a collection of letters directed to men who have affected her life in one way or another, Parker’s book is a reflection on one woman’s lived experience that is strikingly sparing with identifiable personal details; the latter quality is what makes it apparent that this is not autobiography.

The opening letter in Dear Mr. You is written to the grandfather who died before Parker was born, and the last is for her father, reflecting on her quest to procure oysters for his last meal. She writes to, and about, teachers and friends and ex-boyfriends. She writes to a doctor, a firefighter, and an accountant. She writes to men she’s known deeply, and to men she’s known mostly in her imagination. She writes to the biological uncle of her adopted Ethiopian daughter, and in “Dear Future Man Who Loves My Daughter,” she writes to a man she probably won’t meet for years (her daughter isn’t even a teenager yet). She writes a letter of apology to a cab driver she encountered on an especially bad day. And these letters are literature–creative, vivid, and strongly voiced. While the structure of Dear Mr. You may seem like a gimmick, Parker’s writing is the real thing.

There were times I found it a bit disorienting to realize that Parker was revealing so much of herself while divulging so little in the way of biographical fact. (Try her IMDb page for that.) It created an unsettling intimacy—rather like having a deep discussion with someone about your ugly breakup stories while you’re both waiting in an airport and then realizing later that you never even exchanged names.

MORE: https://3rsblog.com/2016/06/dear-mr-you-by-mary-louise-parker-audiobook-thoughts... show less

Can I give 4 1/2 stars? Look, my crush on Ms. Parker has been decades long and as far as I know, unrequited (although she could just be a really good stalker, just waiting and waiting for the right moment...). So my review on this book does not come without some ingrained bias...but really I would say that other than a couple of the letters, this book is a winner; you can almost smell and taste her writing these letters on a cold frosty morning; on the beach; on a dark rainy day...her show more language is electric and insightful; you can feel the anger, the love and the loss as well as all of the wonder. A real treat no matter what the calorie count. show less