Meredith Maran

For those of us who remember the "Planet Incest" therapy subculture of the 1980's, this is a highly readable look at how questionable accusations of sexual abuse nearly destroyed the author's family. Despite what the title implies, Maran didn't experience false memories of ritual abuse, as some did; she just took the repressed memory movement's dictum "if you think you were abused, you probably were," literally.

Maran is honest about the damage her accusations did to her family. It is easy show more to see how her then-lover, therapists, and even her profession as a journalist who wrote many stories on sexual abuse led her to believe the worst about her childhood and her relationship with her father..

For the most part, My Lie is well written, and a very quick read (I read it in two sittings). It does, however lose some of its momentum towards the end, as Maran interviews her relatives over restaurant meals described in excruciating detail. show less

This is an unexpectedly funny and uplifting memoir. From the cover blurb: Maran writes “a poignant story, a funny story, a moving story, and above all an American story of what it means to be a woman of a certain age in our time” (Christina Baker Kline)

Meredith Maran's marriage has dissolved, her Victorian house on the edge of Berkeley lies empty, and her free-lance writing life is in shambles - so what does she do? She accepts a full time writing job at a start up firm in Los Angeles. show more And thus begins one woman’s story of starting over at 60 in youth-and beauty obsessed Hollywood.

One can imagine moving to a new city, making new friends, trying to find love while in your twenties, but Ms. Maran makes this move in her sixties.

She's alone, missing her friends, her estranged wife, her family, and terror-struck at having to work with millennials ( she's a very good looking 60 -- but still it's that number 6-0, a great distance from the twenties).

She finds a cute and somehow affordable apartment in Los Angeles, granted it overlooks a convenience store air conditioning unit, but its hers and we delight as she decorates it from found objects and little bits from here and there. But still there's still the bittersweet-ness of being alone:

"Biggest. Surprise. Ever. That cheery feminist crap is true. For the first time since childhood, I’m responsible to no one. I can be Helena’s girlfriend or break with her without upsetting my kids or my own living situation or my finances. I can make money or rest on whatever laurels I’ve got without depriving anyone of anything. I can binge-watch Girls till midnight or go to sleep at nine. The bad news and the good news is the same. I have nothing and no one to lose."

Ms. Maran does make friends, discovers joy walking in the hills, and eventually goes on dates - some more successful than others.

She faces death in quick succession, her best friend back in the Bay Area and then her father. During the trips back, she sells her house, finalizes her divorce, and rids herself of belongings from her her former life. A roller coaster ride of emotions -- which Ms. Maran somehow makes both funny and heartbreaking.

Once in awhile a writer's voice will enchant a reader and Ms. Maran does just that. She twists what is actually heartbreaking loss into a story of resilience, love and humor. She never takes herself too seriously and her story of re-invention, re-discovery, and recovery is told with grace, wit and compassion. I adored this memoir.
See all my reviews at http://www.bookbarmy.com show less

I have always enjoyed books by Meredith Maran. They are compulsively readable; oftentimes fun, engaging, full of empathy and pizazz. The New Old Me has all of these characteristics with a heap of sadness and rawness to it given that it was written about her divorce and move to another city. Ms. Maran allows us to see how she makes her way through the anxiety and terror of being on her own again, away from her friends and the comforting rhythms of her life in San Francisco. Not only as a show more single woman but also as a older woman looking for work in a town that prizes youth. One of the best parts of the book is her quest for new friends. It was a hoot reading about her conscious decision to find friends through other friends and acquaintances and, wow, was that brave. I have recently moved to a new town and though slowly meeting people this gave me an entirely new way to look at friendships and companionship. I hope I have the nerve to follow in her footsteps.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion. show less

Inspired by George Orwell's famous essay 20 authors elaborate on why they write, where do they get their inspiration, etc. ...
Although I'm not familiar with most of these writer's work this was a very enjoyable read. Success didn't come overnight for these people, they had to struggle a lot before becoming famous. I particularly liked that at the end of each chapter there is a part titled "Wisdom for Writers" where each of them give some special advice.
Jennifer Egan: "Exercising is a good show more analogy for writing. If you're not used to exercising you want to avoid it forever. If you're used to it, it feels uncomfortable and strange not to. No matter where you are in your writing career, the same is true for writing. Even fifteen minutes a day will keep you in the habit." show less