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205th out of 733 books
—
756 voters
Too Close to the Falls
Welcome to the childhood of Catherine McClure Gildiner. It is the mid-1950s in Lewiston, New York, a sleepy town near Niagara Falls. Divorce is unheard of, mothers wear high heels to the beauty salon, and television has only just arrived.
At the tender age of four, Cathy accompanies Roy, the deliveryman at her father's pharmacy, on his routes. She shares some of their mem...more
At the tender age of four, Cathy accompanies Roy, the deliveryman at her father's pharmacy, on his routes. She shares some of their mem...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
February 26th 2002
by Penguin Books
(first published February 26th 1999)
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This is a fast, easy read. I, too grew up in that part of the country (city of Niagara Falls, to be exact) a generation later. I also grew up Catholic. I read this mainly because I grew up there. I became slightly obsessed with where what she calls the Rainbow Inn, a restaurant on the edge of the Falls supposedly on the American side, actually was. I can ask my dad that one. Other than that, I have serious problems believing a lot of this. There were a few possible discrepancies in names, places...more
I read this because my parents - who were exactly Cathy's age but grew up on the Canadian side of the falls - said her stories reminded them a lot of their childhoods. There are some funny parts and I'm especially fond of her dry sense of humour.
Gildiner's memoir of her very unusual childhood is vivid and hilarious. From the age of four she worked in her father's drug store in Niagara Falls, NY. Her best friends were the store employees, especially the delivery man, Roy, with whom she spent hours ferrying medicines to the locals and learning a lot of their secrets.
In her Catholic school the too-smart-for-her-own-good, hyperactive Cathy would try anything except studying. When the boy behind her wouldn't stop pulling her hair out, she s...more
In her Catholic school the too-smart-for-her-own-good, hyperactive Cathy would try anything except studying. When the boy behind her wouldn't stop pulling her hair out, she s...more
On the surface, Catherine Gildiner has written a "memoir" of growing up near Niagara Falls and her experiences as an overly precocious, conspicuously intelligent only child with a talent for athletics, philosophy, reading, and just about everything else, apparently. On another level, what we have here is an over-the-top sales pitch on what an unusual and extraordinary life young Catherine led.
When reading a memoir, I automatically assume that most of what the author writes is actually fiction....more
When reading a memoir, I automatically assume that most of what the author writes is actually fiction....more
For some reason, I thought this was a novel. Then I thought: "another memoir by a spunky girl with an unusual family"--and, in a way, that was what it turned out to be. But also more, and better.
Cathy Gildiner's small upstate New York town upbringing was stultifyingly normal, or typical, or it tried its best to be. The veneer was patriotic, religious, insular, narrow-minded. There were Rules and Roles that were followed and not questioned. Add Catholic School and a precocious naivete to the mix,...more
Cathy Gildiner's small upstate New York town upbringing was stultifyingly normal, or typical, or it tried its best to be. The veneer was patriotic, religious, insular, narrow-minded. There were Rules and Roles that were followed and not questioned. Add Catholic School and a precocious naivete to the mix,...more
Apr 22, 2010
Aban (Aby)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
to all my friends
Recommended to Aban (Aby) by:
Jerri Seniuk
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of a very bright, ADHD, girl growing up in a small town near the Niagra Falls in the 1950's. In order to keep Cathy from getting into trouble, her father - the owner of a pharmacy - has her working in the shop from the age of about five years! Cathy loves the work and the companions she has there, especially Roy, a young black worker who befriends and protects her. She attends a Roman Catholic school and struggles hard to fit in. The memoir ends when Cathy is in...more
Catherine Gildiner was an amazing little girl. She was born in the mid 40's grew up in the 50's and 60's in a small town very near Niagra falls. She was smart, precocious, and a little high strung, so her family doctor suggested her father put her to work in the family's pharmacy....when she was four. She began making deliveries with her trusty sidekick Roy, who didn't know how to read, so she learned how to read, including maps. She knew much about the drugs they delivered, and about the people...more
I love memoirs!!! And not a lot of them are any good but I can't resist reading something and knowing that it's true. I came across this one because my husband is a big fan of Rush and his favorite drummer Neil Peart is an avid reader and reviewed this book. ANyway, long story short this book KICKED ASS!
Told through the eyes of Cathy Mclure, a very independent sarcastic inquiring youngster who was working part time at 4 years old at her fathers pharmacy in upstate NY right near Niagra Falls. She...more
Told through the eyes of Cathy Mclure, a very independent sarcastic inquiring youngster who was working part time at 4 years old at her fathers pharmacy in upstate NY right near Niagra Falls. She...more
Very mixed feelings on this one! I enjoyed the book (until the last part when it took a serious dive) but I do not believe it is really an accurate account of the author's life and shouldn't be listed as a autobiography. The dates of events do not match up (one example: she and Roy start delivering together when she is 4, Roy supposedly leaves when she is in 6th grade which would be 8 years at most but later she says she and Roy delivered meds to the Dupont girl for 12 years), the memories she s...more
Too Close to the Falls is my latest book club read. My book club typically picks some good books and I consider it being by a Canadian author a bonus.
The story takes place in a small town on the American side of Niagara Falls and follows the (apparently) real-life exploits of the author as a child. I found much of the memoir to be unbelievable and bordering on egotistical. I tend to like memoirs to be insightful with realization and acceptance of the past. Any self reflection in the book is from...more
The story takes place in a small town on the American side of Niagara Falls and follows the (apparently) real-life exploits of the author as a child. I found much of the memoir to be unbelievable and bordering on egotistical. I tend to like memoirs to be insightful with realization and acceptance of the past. Any self reflection in the book is from...more
I just finished this memoir and was interested in it originally from an interview on radio with the author. She made references to many of the episodes from her childhood which appear in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. She truly had an unusual upbringing. Also, a lot of insight from her writing into what it was like going to a Catholic school. My only complaint would be her lack of reference to her age. The last story made it seem as though she were in high school but if I've calculat...more
This book should be in the fiction section. If you do the math Cathy was coming to philosophical conclusions about family, life and religion at the age of 4. She was 5'7 at the age of 9. She also mentions she had been working in the drugstore for several years before entering kindergarten at the age of 5. Hmm. The family had a housekeeper but there was no food in the house. They sent a 9 year old to NYC without an adult chaperone. She was out making housecalls to prostitutes on Christmas eve. Sh...more
I really enjoyed this book. Catherine made me chuckle many times from the things she said and did. Although I find it hard to believe that her parents never really saw her as the little girl she was. This author is someone I'd love to meet!
I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book and I still do after 3 readings in 6 years. It also evoked so many memories of what it was like to grow up female in America in the 50s and 60s. Catherine is so gifted at capturing the absurdity of adults when you're a child; nothing they do or say makes any sense, plus they seldom practiced what they preached back then. So much of the mysteries of life were taboo to talk about; every adult lied and then tried to cover it up with platitude...more
Apr 14, 2013
Rosemary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone over 13 years old
Recommended to Rosemary by:
Jan Tarasovic
Shelves:
memoirs
Catherine Gildiner must have a photographic memory to have recreated scenes from her childhood as early as age 4 with such startling clarity. Her ability to recall conversations, gestures, sights, smells, and feelings brings the reader right into her small town by Niagra Falls, and into her childhood mind. Each character from her father and mother (I fell in love with her mother--a mother who referred to her daughter as "novel" when everyone else called her "strange."), her mother who allowed a...more
Lewiston is known as one of the sleepiest towns in New York. People drive through Lewiston as shortcut to Niagara Falls. Little do they know that they are missing out on one of the most exciting places to grow up in. Catherine McClure, the daughter of the town's drugstore owner, wrote Too Close to the Falls and recalls the all the memories she had living there. From witnessing Mad Bear, a vicious Indian, abusing his wife, to being a member of the Blood Brothers, a group of the neighborhood kids...more
A Catholic childhood in l950's Lewiston, NY. But no matter how many of these memoirs you have read, this one has the worst nuns, the largest cast of characters, and the best narrator. Really a top-notch memoir.
Catherine Gildiner started working full time at the age of 4, working in her father's pharmacy in Niagra Falls, NY. It was the early 50s and her small town didn't quite know what to make of her excessive energy, her bossiness and her attitude. The catholic school she atteneded, and especially the nuns that tried to teach her, didn't quite know, either.
Gildiner writes a memoir that is both funny, engaging and introspective. The people in her childhood and the lessons (both intentional and uninte...more
Gildiner writes a memoir that is both funny, engaging and introspective. The people in her childhood and the lessons (both intentional and uninte...more
I adored this book. Quirky, funny, touching - you name it. Catherine really brings her characters to life, you feel like you know them. The best, however, is the way she opens herself up, all her foibles, her life. I can't remember enjoying a 'character' more.
Being a Niagara girl myself (though the good side) I really related to some of the places and mentions. You don't need to be from Niagara to enjoy this at all, it was just an added bonus for me. This book was given to me as a Christmas gift...more
Being a Niagara girl myself (though the good side) I really related to some of the places and mentions. You don't need to be from Niagara to enjoy this at all, it was just an added bonus for me. This book was given to me as a Christmas gift...more
This book takes place not too far from here and is for a "book chat" as they call them.
Couldn't finish. It is full of a bunch of short stories about her life. Mildly interesting, but I'd rather have a great story that lasts the entire book. It is hard to keep reading because there isn't a huge pull to find out what happens next because you already found out what happened and now you have to start another story. The stories were not that compelling either. Maybe further into the book it picks up,...more
Couldn't finish. It is full of a bunch of short stories about her life. Mildly interesting, but I'd rather have a great story that lasts the entire book. It is hard to keep reading because there isn't a huge pull to find out what happens next because you already found out what happened and now you have to start another story. The stories were not that compelling either. Maybe further into the book it picks up,...more
An absolutely delightful memoir that is broken down into separate essays. Catherine Gildiner was a one of kind child who took the world by the horns and made sure everyone noticed her. Bright, inquisitive, brave and a bit crazy, she would probably be labeled and medicated if she were a child today. Her memoir perfectly captures a unique childhood in a time when uniqueness wasn't necessarily rewarded. She was blessed with understanding parents and a close relationship with Roy, the man who delive...more
I enjoyed this story/memoir. I don't know if i necessarily believe that it happened exactly that way. The story is written through the eyes of a child, and i can believe that a child might think that it was true. For example she talks about driving the car out of a snowbank while Roy pushed when she was 4. Maybe Roy told her she was driving and she believed it as a 4 year old, but i doubt that she actually did. I also have a had time with some of her very deep thought processes that she has with...more
Memoir - alot of fun. An amazingly different childhood - even though she said her mother had 'gone to a casting agency to play the 1950's typical housewife' - she was anything but typical! The Catholic themes were amusing - as was she - very articulate as well.
Catherine grew up working in her Dad's pharmacy from the time she was FOUR - she read the lists and accompanied the driver (who was illiterate but a wonderful compassionate man and her best friend!) so we meet the town's characters through...more
Catherine grew up working in her Dad's pharmacy from the time she was FOUR - she read the lists and accompanied the driver (who was illiterate but a wonderful compassionate man and her best friend!) so we meet the town's characters through...more
This is a wonderfully entertaining memoir. Catherine, who was so high spirited it was recommended by her doctor that she go to work at the age of four, had more drama in her life between that age and her early teens than many people could imagine in an entire lifetime. Her parents most unusual parenting style, her "work" experience at her dad's pharmacy, her friendship and partnership with pharmacy employee, Roy, and the amazing characters she encountered in the little town of Niagara during the...more
Interesting - far more than I anticipated. Catherine's life was, in and of itself, fascinating and unusual, making it a compelling story. It was the atypical characters however, and her clear, funny, and straight-forward writing style that made this book so good. For once, it was almost impossible to discern who was "good" and who was not, and analyzing the reasons behind the decisions made by some of the most important people in Catherine's life (her parents, Ray, Mother Agnes) made for one of...more
Original review posted here.
I’m really torn on how to write a review on this for one simple reason: this book is labeled and, according to the author, is a memoir. That means non-fiction, truths as told from the memories of the person writing the book. However, as a non-fiction book, it was.. outlandishly unbelievable.
Now, as a fictional book (or a book that is mostly fiction, or non-fiction events taken and made more sensational through fiction), the book was a hoot. I enjoyed it quite a bit! B...more
I’m really torn on how to write a review on this for one simple reason: this book is labeled and, according to the author, is a memoir. That means non-fiction, truths as told from the memories of the person writing the book. However, as a non-fiction book, it was.. outlandishly unbelievable.
Now, as a fictional book (or a book that is mostly fiction, or non-fiction events taken and made more sensational through fiction), the book was a hoot. I enjoyed it quite a bit! B...more
I loved this book. There must have been a lot of us in the 1950's who had unusual childhoods. This is one author, I could really relate to, because I, too, was raised in an adult world. I had no idea how to relate to children, and their kind of teasing was so different, and it seemed cruder and more cruel than adult teasing.
I, too, was taken on a delivery route with my father, although I don't remember that part very much. He carried mail to several small post offices in rural northern Montana....more
I, too, was taken on a delivery route with my father, although I don't remember that part very much. He carried mail to several small post offices in rural northern Montana....more
Another book club selection.
"Heartbreaking and wicked: a memoir of stunning beauty and remarkable grace. Improbable friendships and brushes with death. A schoolgirl affecting the course of aboriginal politics. Elvis and cocktails and Catholicism and the secrets buried deep beneath a place that may be another, undiscovered Love Canal – Lewiston, New York. Too Close to the Falls is an exquisite, haunting return, through time and memory, to the heart of Catherine Gildiner’s childhood.
And what a ch...more
"Heartbreaking and wicked: a memoir of stunning beauty and remarkable grace. Improbable friendships and brushes with death. A schoolgirl affecting the course of aboriginal politics. Elvis and cocktails and Catholicism and the secrets buried deep beneath a place that may be another, undiscovered Love Canal – Lewiston, New York. Too Close to the Falls is an exquisite, haunting return, through time and memory, to the heart of Catherine Gildiner’s childhood.
And what a ch...more
AS I STARTED: I love memoirs. I started this one last night after reading Before Night Falls, and I think this one is also going to be an enjoyable read in a much different way. The story is about a young girl growing up in Niagara Falls. I haven't read too much, but so far she has talked about what it was like working full time in her father's drug store at the age of four (she was a very active child and the doctors told her parents to keep her as busy as possible), her fun and lively friendsh...more
Fun memoir read. Main character was entertaining with intelligence, energy and honesty. Takes place near the Niagara Escarpment which runs close to where I currently live even though I live in Appleton, WI. Enjoyed reading about growing up in the 50s and 60s even though the author is a little bit older than I am. My maiden name is Flanagan like the priest's and I attended parochial school as well. Enjoyed the advent of television technology. Easy to read and hard to put down.
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Catherine Gildiner has her PhD in psychology and is in private practice in Toronto. She writes an advice column for Chatelaine magazine and publishes humorous articles in various newspapers and magazines. She had been married for thirty years and has three sons.
More about Catherine Gildiner...
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“What puzzled me was why I seemed to be so troubled by all these irregularities and exceptions to major rules while others blithely marched ahead.”
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3 people liked it
“The problem with a small town is that when you don't buy into the powers that be there are very few other choices. It's like a play where there is only a "virtuous" lead, a villain, and bit players. Better to be the villain because you're not duped into believing you're in more than a play, and at least your name goes on the program.”
—
2 people liked it
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Oct 19, 2008 05:30pm
updated Oct 19, 2008 05:48pm