The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion: A Memoir
by Cory Leadbeater
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"A brilliant debut memoir about a young writer--struggling with depression, family issues, and addiction--and his life-changing decade working for Joan Didion"-- As an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant show more to a titan of literature: Joan Didion. In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed. But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large. In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon--and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Definitely not enough Joan Didion, or joy, but an interesting memoir from the man who was her assistant for the last 9 years of her life.
Complicated family issues that have lead him to be someone who considers suicide on a daily basis. A friendship that grew with the poet James Fenton led him to the job with Didion. He does mention her in every chapter, and there is a little more near the end of the book, but I feel she was used as a hook to get him published.
Of 4 novels publishers showed great interest in, none have yet been published. So this memoir is his debut. He certainly writes well, and I would give a novel a go if one gets into print.
Complicated family issues that have lead him to be someone who considers suicide on a daily basis. A friendship that grew with the poet James Fenton led him to the job with Didion. He does mention her in every chapter, and there is a little more near the end of the book, but I feel she was used as a hook to get him published.
Of 4 novels publishers showed great interest in, none have yet been published. So this memoir is his debut. He certainly writes well, and I would give a novel a go if one gets into print.
Leadbeater shows how chance encounters and taking a chance can change your life. But, this is not a fairy tale where all your wishes come true. Instead, there is true friendship and growth. Leadbeater navigates feeling out his depth and becoming his ow person.
A brilliant debut memoir about a young writer--struggling with depression, family issues, and addiction--and his life-changing decade working for Joan Didion"-- Provided by publisher.
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55 works; 1 member
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1 Work 46 Members
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Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Cory Leadbeater; Joan Didion
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- Members
- 46
- Popularity
- 650,499
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 1
