Still Woman Enough: A Memoir

After reading Lynn’s first memoir, Coal Miner’s Daughter, I was excited to jump right in to Still Woman Enough. I was not disappointed! After the death of her (abusive) husband, Doolittle, Loretta was able to be a lot more candid about her life and their relationship. That was refreshing to read about since while reading the first book, I was surprised she stayed with him considering his unfaithfulness, alcoholism, jealousy and draining her finances. I’m actually still dismayed by her choice, but she explains her rationale better in this book, and I guess I can kind of understand.
Lynn is also able to relate some other stories she either forgot to tell in the first book, or wasn’t able to tell because the people involved would show more be hurt. Now, like Doo, most of them are dead and she can be more revealing. As I said in my review of Coal Miner’s Daughter, I knew next to nothing about Lynn and even less about the other country music stars of her era. I watched a lot of YouTube videos while reading these two books, and have come to appreciate the music and the musicians quite a bit.
Loretta tells her stories in her own words, even though she has a ghostwriter. The book reads as though Loretta is having a conversation with you and it might very well be that most of the writer’s work was just transcribing tapes of her telling her story and choosing whether to correct the folksiness of her speaking or leave it alone. The writer mostly chooses to leave it alone, which I think lends more authenticity to the remembrances, even if it isn’t the cleanest, most grammatically correct script.
Loretta Lynn is a strong, talented woman, who is still recording music at the age of 85, and according to the Internet is scheduled to perform in Tulsa on May 17, 2018. (Hm, I wonder if I could get to that show…). I admire her so much and am very glad I read her books. show less

The book is often humorous, telling funny stories about Lynn's family, her celebrity fans, and most of all, Lynn herself, who she often casts as the butt of a "country bumpkin in the big city" joke. When the jokes start and tragedy begins to hit -- including the drowning death of Lynn's adult son out at their ranch, and the slow death of her husband -- Lynn almost falls apart completely, but is held together by her strong will and her good friends.

The folksy diction used throughout the book is occasionally distracting, but if you have ever heard a recording of Loretta Lynn telling a story (like the "Little Red Shoes" track on her 2004 album Van Lear Rose, a story which she also tells in this book), the narrative voice fits right in.

My show more two criticisms of the book: 1) Loretta Lynn, why do you like the Bush family so much? 2) There should have been more pictures in the middle. Otherwise, this is fun read for anyone who is a fan of this legendary country music star.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2009/03/still-woman-enough-2002.html ] show less

Good book. She went through a lot of suffering because she stayed with her husband all those years. Very interesting, and it turns out great, too! Gotta love Loretta Lynn!

Very interesting life. Loretta had a lot of hardship and poverty in her life.