In his breathlessly paced new novel Jay McInerney revisits the nocturnal New York of Bright Lights, Big City. Alison Poole, twenty going on 40,000,...
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Dec 16, 2009
Karen
rated it: 
I come to review this and of course Angelina is here first--how?! HOW?! Anyway, I reread this book constantly and love it to wee pieces. 80's bad girl in the city...siiigggh.
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Dec 16, 2009
Janarchy
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Probably one of the least bullshitty books I've ever read. The main character is more Salinger than Salinger, both sincere and intensely jaded. This book is extremely re-readable.
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Oct 05, 2008
christa
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In August, it became national news that there was a Jay McInerney novel that I had somehow overlooked. I thought I had McInerney covered — I even read his winefesto Hedonist in the Cellar for the love of God — and here was a novel-novel, probably set in New York City in the ’80s, probably filled with a cast of coke fiend scenesters, and probably something I should have read years ago.
Story of my Life is written from the perspective of 20-year-old Alison Poole, a party girl and aspiri More...
Story of my Life is written from the perspective of 20-year-old Alison Poole, a party girl and aspiri More...
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Aug 20, 2008
Derek
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This book made me think of Geeta.
That sounds bad, I know. I'm not implying that Geeta was a self-obsessed blue blood who snorted her way into rehab after spending all of her family's money in the nightclubs of 1980s New York City. Much to the contrary. I guess I imagined her as the absent moral center to Story of My Life while I read it. I pictured her sneering at these ridiculous people from the dark wall of the nightclub, reflecting my own disapproval. And I suppose I did this for More...
That sounds bad, I know. I'm not implying that Geeta was a self-obsessed blue blood who snorted her way into rehab after spending all of her family's money in the nightclubs of 1980s New York City. Much to the contrary. I guess I imagined her as the absent moral center to Story of My Life while I read it. I pictured her sneering at these ridiculous people from the dark wall of the nightclub, reflecting my own disapproval. And I suppose I did this for More...
Oct 25, 2011
For some unknown reason--actually the reason is known: I once read an article in a magazine where McInerney blasted a book/writer that I adored--a festering hate for Jay McInerney has been boiling up inside of me. Time to pop this wound and let the puss ooze.
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Oct 20, 2010
Tony
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McInerney, Jay. STORY OF MY LIFE. (1988). ***. After the success of his earlier novel, “Bright Lights, Big City,” it was likely that his publishers would publish anything. This novel falls under the classification of “anything.” It is the story of Alison Poole, a twenty-year old woman who lives in New York and who spends her life hopping from party to party and shopping at Chanel. She also spends a lot of time falling in and out of lust and abusing her friends’ credit cards. She has neve
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Oct 26, 2011
Very
rated it:
So I’m reading this book by Jay McInerney, who’s supposed to be a big deal, and this is the first book of his I’ve ever read, although I did see that movie with Michael J. Fox. Anyway, the story’s about this tough New York City party girl, and after the first few chapters, I go, wow this is surprisingly entertaining despite the fact that it’s written without a single quotation mark, which usually drives me insane. No one talks. Every “goes.” He goes, Hello. And then she goes, Hey. And then we go
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Sep 03, 2011
Camilla
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This is possibly one of the funniest books I have ever read. It's packed with rapier-sharp witticisms and hilarious misadventures, all delivered at breakneck speed. It's also a story of unexpected depth, despite the ridiculously shallow cast of characters and their asinine preoccupations.
There's nothing particularly profound about the people and the 80s New York lifestyle it satirises, and it's not a book that screams Literary with a capital L. But make no mistake, it's very finely wri More...
There's nothing particularly profound about the people and the 80s New York lifestyle it satirises, and it's not a book that screams Literary with a capital L. But make no mistake, it's very finely wri More...
Jun 07, 2008
Sun
rated it:
Alison Poole is a party girl come wannabe actress in New York. She's a cynic who's in touch with her inner child. She's got crazy friends and a dysfunctional family. This is her story.
McInerney achieves a power and a true voice and sustains it. Cutting insights and a deliriously good read.
McInerney achieves a power and a true voice and sustains it. Cutting insights and a deliriously good read.
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Aug 29, 2011
Keith
rated it:
Jay McInerney writes about characters on on the verge of insanity. They grip what little sanity they have left by a frayed rope that no doubt will soon break. In Story of My Life that character is Alison Poole, a twenty-year-old debutante living in New York, and who hangs out with other twenty-year-old debutantes, all whose frayed ropes had already snapped. Alison's frayed rope, her grip on reality, is her fledging relationship with a bonds broker named Dean, but Dean seems more interested in l
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Dec 29, 2009
So...a couple weeks ago it occurred to me that within a week I could read all the works of Jay McInerney and so thus I should. If you read Bright Lights Big City and were like "I wonder what else people did in the 80s in Manhattan?" you would read this book. It's crazy that the girl he based this character on went on to be the John Edwards extramarital girl. I say this because I am writing a novel now based on a girl I know and I wondered if something poetic like that would happen.
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Aug 29, 2010
Lize
rated it:
Once upon a time this was my favorite book--I can't tell you how many times I re-read it, and I cribbed a bunch of my best lines from it. (How embarrassing.) 'Tis the story of Alison and her coke-fueled, Chanel-wearing, trust-fund baby friends in New York City, and as far as guilty pleasures go, this is a gooooood one. Sometimes I get nostalgic for the 80's--it was so, well, innocent compared to where we are now. Some favorite lines:
"It's been so long since I've been laid tw More...
"It's been so long since I've been laid tw More...
Mar 31, 2009
Sharon
rated it:
The back cover compares Jay McInerney's Alison Poole to Truman Capote's Holly Golightly. I can see the similarites, but I think McInerney's novel is better because he was able to do with words what only Hollywood was able to do to Capote's work - make an unlikeable character likeable. At the end of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' you want to kick Holly's butt (at least I did), but at the end of 'Story of My Life' you wish that there was a phone number you could call to ask if Alison is alright. Alison
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Dec 18, 2008
Kecia
rated it:
This was a fun read when I did read it (long before I decided to go to graduate school and learned how to pay better attention to things like plot, pace, voice).
I actually went to a reading when this book first came out and when he signed my book I felt the need to correct him on the Life magazine photo that's mentioned in the book (she's face-up, not face-down; makes all the difference). I don't think I've ever done that to any other author since but I was a 23-year-old nerd and thi More...
I actually went to a reading when this book first came out and when he signed my book I felt the need to correct him on the Life magazine photo that's mentioned in the book (she's face-up, not face-down; makes all the difference). I don't think I've ever done that to any other author since but I was a 23-year-old nerd and thi More...
Mar 04, 2010
Ryan
rated it:
This book is supposedly about Rielle Hunter (the current mistress of John Edwards), back when she was a party girl in 1980's New York, and her father murdered her prized racing horses for the insurance money, and she went by the name Lisa Dreck. Or something like that. The character's name is Allison Poole. Supposedly McInerney dated her briefly and was so appalled/fascinated with her and her friends, that he wrote this book, and made her the narrator. It's pretty funny; an amusing few hours
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Jul 30, 2011
My favorite fluff book ever! It's no doubt terribly dated now, but read it anyway. The protagonist is fantastically flighty but also hilarious and warm-hearted. The tone and perspective of this novel definitely had a strong influence on my own work. My love for this book was the basis of a beautiful friendship with a beautiful man (you know who you are); we're both literary snobs but were shocked and delighted to realize we'd both read Story of My Life over and over! It's definitely McInerne
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Sep 17, 2009
Becca
rated it:
This book chronicles the life of Allison Poole, an 80s-era New York-dwelling heiress. I expected to hate the character and her circle of beautiful, vapid friends, but for some reason I sympathized with Allison's relentless quest for truth.
Supposedly the heroine was inspired by the mother of John Edward's illegitimate child (or baby mama, if you prefer), for those who want insight into that affair. For me, it was enough to explore the mind of a character whom I would normally dismiss More...
Supposedly the heroine was inspired by the mother of John Edward's illegitimate child (or baby mama, if you prefer), for those who want insight into that affair. For me, it was enough to explore the mind of a character whom I would normally dismiss More...
Apr 07, 2010
Andrew
rated it:
I found this book for like six bucks at a Goodwill a long time ago. There were like three more copies of this same book next to it on the shelf. It made me curious, so I bought it. Keep in mind, Goodwill is a good place to shop for books, if you don't mind them occasionally covered in a patina of someone else's DNA or maybe find a wad of chewing tobacco stuck inbetween the pages. Yes, that happened to me once.
From what I remember of this book, since I read it during the time shorter More...
From what I remember of this book, since I read it during the time shorter More...
Aug 26, 2008
Penny
rated it: 
So, in reading about the John Edwards scandal, I came across the information that Jay McInerney based his novel "Story of My Life" on his former girlfriend (and, it appears, Edward's former girlfriend) Rielle Hunter. I hadn't thought of this book in years, but I suddenly remembered that I gave a presentation on "Story of My Life" to a roomful of Hungarians when I first joined the Peace Corps in 1990. As part of our training in Pecs, we were expected to give presentations to t
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Jul 06, 2011
Robyn
rated it:
I am not sure this book is worthy of 3 stars, but since it kept my attention to the end, I felt like it deserved more than 2. The most interesting aspect is that a guy wrote the book and the main character who narrates the story is a 20 year old female. It was an interesting look at life among a group of friends, who do many, many drugs and think nothing of sleeping around in NYC, in the '80s. So completely opposite of any kind of life I've ever known or will know.
Jun 03, 2011
Chris
rated it:
The majority of this book is a (semi?) fictionalized account of Rielle Hunter's sex life and drug addiction. It gets old after a while. The last two chapters, though, are great. Kind of sad. It redeemed the book for me.
If McInerney should get any praise for this novel, it's for his mastery of narrative technique. Even when the plot falls flat - the storyline with the drug dealer Mannie seemed entirely out of place - the narrative is so well formulated that you have to forgive it. It de More...
If McInerney should get any praise for this novel, it's for his mastery of narrative technique. Even when the plot falls flat - the storyline with the drug dealer Mannie seemed entirely out of place - the narrative is so well formulated that you have to forgive it. It de More...
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Jan 11, 2009
Patrick
rated it:
"I'm thinking of declaring myself a disaster area, you know, so I can get federal funds."
"Less Than Zero" meets "Sex and the City." The trials and tribulations of a privileged 1980's New York slut nearing her 21st birthday. Dark humor and cocaine abound. Quotation marks to denote dialogue are replaced with the words "...so I go.." and "...then he was like..." I bet "The Hills" would be a lot like this book if TV shows ha
"Less Than Zero" meets "Sex and the City." The trials and tribulations of a privileged 1980's New York slut nearing her 21st birthday. Dark humor and cocaine abound. Quotation marks to denote dialogue are replaced with the words "...so I go.." and "...then he was like..." I bet "The Hills" would be a lot like this book if TV shows ha
Nov 02, 2009
Esther
rated it: 
First JM book I've read and probably my last. I don't get the critical acclaim. Maybe you had to be there at the time reading this in the 80s..ooh how shocking, how zeitgeist-y all these pretty young materialistic things doing coke and having casual sex. All first person narrative, so it reads like a long dull conversation with Paris Hilton 'so like she was completely out of it.'
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Aug 12, 2008
Kate
rated it:
My dear friend Diana pointed out that "Reille Hunter" aka Lisa Druck, John Edward's baby mama or something like that, was the inspiration for this book's protagonist. I went through this complete 80s obsession in high school and started reading all of Jay McInerney's books that chronicle the coking and clubbing life of New York in the age of greed (I also dragged poor Diana to a Jay McInerney book signing in Paris when we were living there, where I got his autograph). This Book, like _
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Jul 15, 2011
macgregor
rated it:
Quick read that mostly nails the formerly rich socialite protagonist, a mash between Holden Caulfield and Holly Golightly. Surprisingly sensitive approach to the character but doesn't ever come to a conclusion about the hedonistic lifestyle, a more ambiguous Ellis novel. Read my more detailed review:
http://alayoftheland.blogspot.com/2011/0...
http://alayoftheland.blogspot.com/2011/0...
Sep 09, 2009
Colin
rated it:
I realize this is satire, so I'm supposed to hate the narrator, but I also hate every other character, and everything they do.
McInerney gets a lot of praise for his ability to really accurately portray the culture of 80s-era Manhattan airhead coke fiends. I'm not sure why this is considered difficult, or worthy.
McInerney gets a lot of praise for his ability to really accurately portray the culture of 80s-era Manhattan airhead coke fiends. I'm not sure why this is considered difficult, or worthy.
Mar 18, 2011
Myles
rated it:
Story of My Life is a funny, fast-paced read with a surface covered in the night life, fashionable lifestyles and references to the high-life of the 1980s. Beneath it all is the story of a confused girl trying to make sense of her life, love and why exactly her and her friends do what they do.
Alison Poole is a little selfish, admittedly undereducated and full of flaws but she is entirely honest and only occasionally flinches at telling the reader everything. I enjoyed reading the boo More...
Alison Poole is a little selfish, admittedly undereducated and full of flaws but she is entirely honest and only occasionally flinches at telling the reader everything. I enjoyed reading the boo More...
Jun 12, 2009
Liz
rated it:
Didn't like this as much as Bright lights/Big city. Was a funny, sad, amusing quick little read. McInerney either really understands women and the womans point of view, or he's really pandering and patronizing. Not sure which. Bret Ellis with heart and wearing womens panties.
Jan 08, 2010
Joann
rated it:
I could not finish this book. It was recommended on a great book list but I did not find it that interesting. It was about young people behaving badly with drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. I did not find the characters sympathetic nor interesting.
Nov 11, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
I really thought this book was fair to middling. The only reason it even was middling to me is because supposedly the main character was based on Rielle Hunter who eventually helped John Edwards destroy his life. Other than that, not worth the read.
