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Low Down: Junk, Jazz, and Other Fairy Tales from Childhood
Emmy-nominated Game of Thrones star Lena Headey reads the acclaimed memoir that inspired the film in which she stars. This special movie tie-in edition is now available from Encore for a great value!
One day we’re walking down the street, passing a newsstand, when I stop and pick up a magazine (maybe Life) with Thelonious Monk of the cover. I kiss it, and say, ‘Hi Monk.’ Dad, combusting with pride, picks me up, looks at me with those beautiful gray-green eyes, and says: ‘From now on, you’re not just my baby, you’re my ace-one-boon-white-coon.’ That, he would claim, was the day we forever connected, and became more to each other than everything.
So begins Amy Albany’s life with her father, the legendary though obscure jazz pianist Joe Albany. Joe played with the likes of Charles Mingus, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and Dexter Gordon. In red-boothed, booze-drenched Hollywood nightspots, chances were you’d find Albany’s daughter tucked behind the bar, curled on someone’s fur coat, while her father played his set. Teddy bears were for other kids—Amy slept with a ‘78 of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Sugar Blues’, and later with a photograph of the man himself inscribed ‘To little Amy-Joe, always in love with you—Pops’.
Written with gritty honesty, Low Down is Amy Albany’s extended improvisation on growing up, wise beyond her years and hip to the unpredictable ways of Old Lady Life at all too early an age, Albany guides us through the dope and deviance of the late 1960s and early 1970s jazz scene in Hollywood’s underbelly and beyond. What emerges is a raw and poignant portrait of a young girl trying to survive amongst the outcasts and misfits who guided her life.
One day we’re walking down the street, passing a newsstand, when I stop and pick up a magazine (maybe Life) with Thelonious Monk of the cover. I kiss it, and say, ‘Hi Monk.’ Dad, combusting with pride, picks me up, looks at me with those beautiful gray-green eyes, and says: ‘From now on, you’re not just my baby, you’re my ace-one-boon-white-coon.’ That, he would claim, was the day we forever connected, and became more to each other than everything.
So begins Amy Albany’s life with her father, the legendary though obscure jazz pianist Joe Albany. Joe played with the likes of Charles Mingus, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and Dexter Gordon. In red-boothed, booze-drenched Hollywood nightspots, chances were you’d find Albany’s daughter tucked behind the bar, curled on someone’s fur coat, while her father played his set. Teddy bears were for other kids—Amy slept with a ‘78 of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Sugar Blues’, and later with a photograph of the man himself inscribed ‘To little Amy-Joe, always in love with you—Pops’.
Written with gritty honesty, Low Down is Amy Albany’s extended improvisation on growing up, wise beyond her years and hip to the unpredictable ways of Old Lady Life at all too early an age, Albany guides us through the dope and deviance of the late 1960s and early 1970s jazz scene in Hollywood’s underbelly and beyond. What emerges is a raw and poignant portrait of a young girl trying to survive amongst the outcasts and misfits who guided her life.
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First published April 3, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 19, 2014
A hard to put down, and for a very good reason. It's excellent. This has to be the ultimate Jazz/drug/damaged youth memoir written by the daughter of jazz pianist Joe Albany, who on one level can be seen as a dad from hell, but one can still like him by the end of the book. The one likable figure that does come out is the author A.J. Albany, who is an extremely good memoirist and leaves the reader charmed by her observant manner of picking the difference between the dirt and the stars.
Although her upbringing is troublesome at the very least, her intelligence and good taste comes through greatly. I really like that she has a knowledge of the golden age of cinema while living in 1970's Hollywood, when it was dicey and not very nice, specially to young people damaged by the world of drugs and abandonment. The one thing that does save her, we think, is her smartness, and the relationship between dad and her is both touching, because even though he fucked up big time, there is that bond between daughter and father that is pretty good. But I think the daughter worked towards the bond more than dad, which is sad, but the reader doesn't fall into the world of pathos, because she has the spirit to survive, or at least we hope so - the book ends on a dark note. One suspect that this dark note may have changed, but we're not sure till we read what happens later, and I hope she continues to write her adventure on to a page or two or another book.
"Low Down" is without a doubt an important document on life on the edge in Los Angeles, as well in the twilight jazz world. This small book reads well and fast. Her focus on the teenage and young youth years does want one to read more, and that is a very good thing to have a desire for.
Although her upbringing is troublesome at the very least, her intelligence and good taste comes through greatly. I really like that she has a knowledge of the golden age of cinema while living in 1970's Hollywood, when it was dicey and not very nice, specially to young people damaged by the world of drugs and abandonment. The one thing that does save her, we think, is her smartness, and the relationship between dad and her is both touching, because even though he fucked up big time, there is that bond between daughter and father that is pretty good. But I think the daughter worked towards the bond more than dad, which is sad, but the reader doesn't fall into the world of pathos, because she has the spirit to survive, or at least we hope so - the book ends on a dark note. One suspect that this dark note may have changed, but we're not sure till we read what happens later, and I hope she continues to write her adventure on to a page or two or another book.
"Low Down" is without a doubt an important document on life on the edge in Los Angeles, as well in the twilight jazz world. This small book reads well and fast. Her focus on the teenage and young youth years does want one to read more, and that is a very good thing to have a desire for.
January 31, 2020
I was moved by John Hawkes' depiction in the film, and I like very much the soundtrack. Now, I have read the poignant homage to Joe Albany’s extraordinary talent and tragic life by long-suffering daughter Amy-Jo Albany. Most of this tumultuous period of pained art and heroine borne self-destruction occurred during her earliest years making the necessarily hallucinogenic and removed recollections in this revealing memoir all the more moving and even harrowing.
Game of Thrones star Lena Headey delivers an excellent and understated performance as she reads for this unabridged audiobook the acclaimed memoir that inspired the film in which she stars.
Game of Thrones star Lena Headey delivers an excellent and understated performance as she reads for this unabridged audiobook the acclaimed memoir that inspired the film in which she stars.
July 21, 2007
Ohmygosh...I love this book.
Its about the forgotten jazz icon, Joe Albany. Written by his daughter, a childs eye view of living in hollywood land, L.A, just when Jazz & poetry was blowing up in the last 50s while having a very amazingly, talented father who is also a drug addict. It very sad & can be disturbing but I like it because A.J. Albany writes like me...or thinks like me when she does. She's only 8 years old and has this mad crush on Thelonius Monk. She hangs out in bars and spots where here dad would perform and meets all these amazing poele. Evening speaking of encounters with Jack Keourac, Miles Davis and all these other famous poets & jazz cats before they were even famous. I think Dizzy Gilepsie is even her Godfather! Easy quick reading and only 163 pages.
Its about the forgotten jazz icon, Joe Albany. Written by his daughter, a childs eye view of living in hollywood land, L.A, just when Jazz & poetry was blowing up in the last 50s while having a very amazingly, talented father who is also a drug addict. It very sad & can be disturbing but I like it because A.J. Albany writes like me...or thinks like me when she does. She's only 8 years old and has this mad crush on Thelonius Monk. She hangs out in bars and spots where here dad would perform and meets all these amazing poele. Evening speaking of encounters with Jack Keourac, Miles Davis and all these other famous poets & jazz cats before they were even famous. I think Dizzy Gilepsie is even her Godfather! Easy quick reading and only 163 pages.
July 21, 2015
A GOOD READ
I saw the movie and decided to read the book and I'm glad I did. It provided more details which really kept my interest. I would recommend this book.
I saw the movie and decided to read the book and I'm glad I did. It provided more details which really kept my interest. I would recommend this book.
January 26, 2009
In Low Down, A.J. Albany recounts her childhood growing up as the daughter of jazz pianist Joe Albany. A.J. was brought into a life where both of her parents were drug addicts and part of the 1960's & 1970's jazz and poetry scene in Hollywood. Amy Jo (A.J.) was named after her father's two favorite characters from Little Women in the hope that she would have the best characteristics of each. After A.J.'s mother abandons the family when A.J. is only 5 years old., A.J. and her father move into a hotel on Hollywood Blvd, a place with lots of seedy characters. He drags her to his late night shows in smokey jazz clubs where she meets some jazz legends. A.J. is more often than not left to fend for herself as her father is often under the influence of heroin.
Albany uses a series of short vignettes to recount the gritty, emotional memories of her childhood. These memories include abuse and exploitation of A.J. by family, friends, and neighbors, yet A.J. tells her story without self-pity. The beautifully-written, honest memoir makes you wonder at how she survived such a childhood.
It reminded me of other "awful childhood" memoirs along the lines of "The Glass Castle" and "The Liar's Club". At under 200 pages, "Low Down" is a quick read full of raw emotion that lets you dive into the underbelly of the Hollywood jazz scene. Some famous folks such as Sinatra, Alan Ginsberg, and Thelonious Monk make cameos in the book.
Albany uses a series of short vignettes to recount the gritty, emotional memories of her childhood. These memories include abuse and exploitation of A.J. by family, friends, and neighbors, yet A.J. tells her story without self-pity. The beautifully-written, honest memoir makes you wonder at how she survived such a childhood.
It reminded me of other "awful childhood" memoirs along the lines of "The Glass Castle" and "The Liar's Club". At under 200 pages, "Low Down" is a quick read full of raw emotion that lets you dive into the underbelly of the Hollywood jazz scene. Some famous folks such as Sinatra, Alan Ginsberg, and Thelonious Monk make cameos in the book.
July 6, 2014
AJ Albany writes candedly about growing up with her father a jazz musician with addictions and the trouble it brings. This collection of glimpses of Albany's childhood reveal insights into her father and her strength.
January 17, 2018
I saw the movie, and the narration made me curious about what sort of read the book might be. I had a feeling there was potential for an excellent read, that there might be more to the story than was depicted in the film. I hoped for it, anyway. And, indeed, this was the case. The movie only hints at the negative impact on a child raised in an unhealthy environment. While watching the movie, I wondered why the girl seemed rather healthy and "clean," that is, seeming to have escaped dire relatively inevitable consequences. The movie hints at impact rather late in the girl's life, when she's already a teenager. The book reveals the impact was sooner. Her saving grace is that her father was a brilliant jazz musician, a true artist. Art is Beauty. So, she had beauty in her life. A beauty the average person does not personally experience (and IMO most hardly recognize). Ms. Albany was/is sensitive and intelligent enough to appreciate and recognize her father's talent and the beauty of his art. Though with personal flaws, and inadvertently also psychologically hurting and harming his daughter, her father demonstrated love and caring, which softened the impact of her self-centered, detached, and abandoning mother. A mother such as that is enough to cause great psychological harm to a daughter. And the damage does manifest after all. Sensitivity is a gift and a curse. This is a sad yet beautiful story. I truly enjoyed reading it. A.J. Albany writes with beauty. I hope she publishes more work. This leaves me craving for more.
October 2, 2018
The movie was almost light-hearted compared to the actual memoir about Amy Jo's upbringing (or complete lack thereof) by her heroin-addicted Dad, Joe Albany. One stark fact that stands out & not really covered at all by the movie, when your parents are neglecting a kid due to drugs and alcohol, not only are the kids victims, but, as in Amy Jo's case, they become quite easily, sexual prey. The father in the movie played by John Hawkes comes across as a sympathetic character who despite his addiction tries his best to take care of his young daughter, Amy Jo. IN the book he is that character to a degree, but because of his neglect of her, Amy becomes prey to many predators who live on the fringe which through her childhood is mostly unwanted attention & near escapes but by the time she's a young adolescent leads to a long episode of incestuous rape at the hands of her adult uncle. Grim stuff. The book ends w/Amy cleaning up the dregs of her father's apartment in NYC & a visit 10 years earlier w/her drunken Mom that both bring into full realization the sadness of Amy Jo's life. Apparently that is the case no longer from what I can glean & it seems that there is another book to be written perhaps telling the story of Amy Jo's own battle w/heroin & her ability to somehow end the cycle & start her own family. I hope that book gets written because at the end of this one I felt so almost heart-broken at Amy Jo's story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2024
Mostly well written, and Lena Headey did an excellent job narrating the audio version. However, A.J. Albany is one of the most hateful and pessimistic writers I've ever read. She seems to hate everyone she's ever met except her father (despite him being a racist, sexist, abusive piece of work who had a major influence on her worldview), including herself, yet she also views herself as being worlds above the rest of the human race. I adored the movie starring Elle Fanning and John Hawkes, which also featured such stars as Lena Headey, Caleb Landry Jones, Peter Dinklage, Flea, and Glenn Close, so I was excited to read the book and see what information might not have made it into the movie. I wish I hadn't wasted my time.
June 14, 2017
I read this on a Christmas vacation, buried in a blizzard, with a bottle of bourbon and chain smoking cigarettes. Perfect mood for this late 60's Los Angeles coming of age tale. The narrator voice immediately grabbed me, like that of an orphan child wise beyond its years, growing up with a junky father, bending reality to conform to a fantasy of sweet innocence—yet not hiding the skeletons in the closet (or in this case, literally in the living room). Improvised miseducation through jazz, specially the experimental, technical phrasings of bebop, the creepazoids of Skid Row, and the unlikely friendships—a tough as leather existence, so distant from the pampered millennial set. Ok, it's derivative John Fante, but at least it's not Bukowski, and it eludes Salinger, avoiding sentimentality and confronting ugliness and despair matter of factly. "What saved me, was a crazy conviction: the idea that something along the lines of an all-purifying love did exist, in some corner of the messed-up universe."
May 30, 2025
Really incredible memoir! I’ll now check out the film version that seems to have been lost in the Covid shuffle, but I kept wishing that David Lynch had gotten hold of this. Mean, wild, weird, absurd and an incredible paean to all that was glorious and horrible in 60’s/70’s Los Angeles. So many stunningly gorgeous passages. Just wow!
March 27, 2020
I remember I quite liked it. Gave an interesting insight to a disturbed family.
February 9, 2023
Incredible.
September 21, 2015
Avant-propos
"Joe Albany était un grand pianiste de jazz. Telle était l'opinion de Charlie Parker, Lester Young et de quantité d'autres musiciens qui jouèrent avec lui. Au début des années quarante, il fut l'un des premiers musiciens qui oeuvrèrent à faire sortir le jazz du carcan du swing, participant à la création de ce qui serait connu comme le be-bop.
J'étais moi aussi en admiration devant le talent de mon père, mais je lui vouais un amour totalement démesuré, comme seule une fille peut aimer son père. Il était né à Atlantic City en 1924 et mourut à New York en 1988, le corps ravagé par un demi-siècle de dépendances et de tristesse. Dans l'une de ses dernières lettres, il me mettait en garde : "Méfie-toi de cette Vieille Dame qu'est la vie - elle peut être une sale pute."
On a toujours manqué d'informations sur les faits et gestes de mon père au cours des années soixante. Ce ne fut pas, pour lui, une période productive sur le plan musical, mais c'est alors que je le connus le mieux. S'il n'était pas en prison ou en cure de désintox, on était ensemble. Ce livre est un récit de ma vie avec lui à cette époque : une série de moments fragmentés vus à travers le prisme de mon enfance. C'est aussi une histoire sur le fait de grandir et de survivre à Hollywood, un voyage difficile dans une ville unique sur la mauvaise pente."
Je voulais commencer à parler de ce livre par cet avant-propos de Amy-Jo Albany qui résume parfaitement ce qui va suivre tout le long de son récit. Elle arrive par de courts chapitres, qui pourraient s'apparenter à ceux d'un journal intime, à nous décrire sa relation avec son père. Le mot qui prévaut dans ce livre : c'est l'Amour qu'ils se prodiguent l'un pour l'autre. Il n'y a aucun patos, je dirais même que le livre est presque joyeux. Et là est la grande force du livre et de sa narratrice.
Si vous vous dites : "oh lala!!! Ca parle encore d'un artiste drogué. On va avoir droit à tous les clichés du genre". Je vous arrête tout de suite, laissais une chance à Amy-Jo de vous emmener dans son univers et vous ne le regretterez pas. Ce livre est une petite pépite.
Pour les fans de jazz, ce livre vous décrira l'envers du décor où la ségrégation existait mais pas pour ceux que l'on croit. Cette musique, dans ces années, était la chasse gardée des noirs américains et les blancs n'étaient pas les bienvenues dans leur univers, même si cet artiste avait un talent énorme. Il faut dire que les noirs avaient peu d'espace pour s'exprimer.
En conclusion, je vous dirai courrais acheter "Low Down" de A.J. Albany (Editions Le Nouvel Attila). Il vaut largement certains auteurs de la rentrée surmédiatisés.
P.S. : je vous ai mis un lien (j'espère qu'il fonctionne) correspondant à une petite interview qu'a donnée l'auteur à la suite de la parution du livre.
http://bookalicious.fr/interview-aj-a...
Bonne lecture.
"Joe Albany était un grand pianiste de jazz. Telle était l'opinion de Charlie Parker, Lester Young et de quantité d'autres musiciens qui jouèrent avec lui. Au début des années quarante, il fut l'un des premiers musiciens qui oeuvrèrent à faire sortir le jazz du carcan du swing, participant à la création de ce qui serait connu comme le be-bop.
J'étais moi aussi en admiration devant le talent de mon père, mais je lui vouais un amour totalement démesuré, comme seule une fille peut aimer son père. Il était né à Atlantic City en 1924 et mourut à New York en 1988, le corps ravagé par un demi-siècle de dépendances et de tristesse. Dans l'une de ses dernières lettres, il me mettait en garde : "Méfie-toi de cette Vieille Dame qu'est la vie - elle peut être une sale pute."
On a toujours manqué d'informations sur les faits et gestes de mon père au cours des années soixante. Ce ne fut pas, pour lui, une période productive sur le plan musical, mais c'est alors que je le connus le mieux. S'il n'était pas en prison ou en cure de désintox, on était ensemble. Ce livre est un récit de ma vie avec lui à cette époque : une série de moments fragmentés vus à travers le prisme de mon enfance. C'est aussi une histoire sur le fait de grandir et de survivre à Hollywood, un voyage difficile dans une ville unique sur la mauvaise pente."
Je voulais commencer à parler de ce livre par cet avant-propos de Amy-Jo Albany qui résume parfaitement ce qui va suivre tout le long de son récit. Elle arrive par de courts chapitres, qui pourraient s'apparenter à ceux d'un journal intime, à nous décrire sa relation avec son père. Le mot qui prévaut dans ce livre : c'est l'Amour qu'ils se prodiguent l'un pour l'autre. Il n'y a aucun patos, je dirais même que le livre est presque joyeux. Et là est la grande force du livre et de sa narratrice.
Si vous vous dites : "oh lala!!! Ca parle encore d'un artiste drogué. On va avoir droit à tous les clichés du genre". Je vous arrête tout de suite, laissais une chance à Amy-Jo de vous emmener dans son univers et vous ne le regretterez pas. Ce livre est une petite pépite.
Pour les fans de jazz, ce livre vous décrira l'envers du décor où la ségrégation existait mais pas pour ceux que l'on croit. Cette musique, dans ces années, était la chasse gardée des noirs américains et les blancs n'étaient pas les bienvenues dans leur univers, même si cet artiste avait un talent énorme. Il faut dire que les noirs avaient peu d'espace pour s'exprimer.
En conclusion, je vous dirai courrais acheter "Low Down" de A.J. Albany (Editions Le Nouvel Attila). Il vaut largement certains auteurs de la rentrée surmédiatisés.
P.S. : je vous ai mis un lien (j'espère qu'il fonctionne) correspondant à une petite interview qu'a donnée l'auteur à la suite de la parution du livre.
http://bookalicious.fr/interview-aj-a...
Bonne lecture.
September 3, 2015
http://tribulationsdunevie.weebly.com...
L’auteur nous accueille dans ce court roman autobiographique à Los Angeles dans les années 60. Ce qui frappe dès le début, c’est la construction de ce livre : de très courts chapitres à thème, chacun correspond à une anecdote sur la vie de l’auteure, Amy-Joe ALBANY et de son père, le célèbre pianiste précurseur du be-bop : Joe ALBANY. Toutes ces anecdotes, ces chapitres de vie n’ont pas de lien direct entre eux ; seulement de constituer les souvenirs de jeunesse d’une femme qui souhaite nous parler de son père, dans la plus stricte intimité.
A la lecture de « Low Down », j’ai eu l’impression d’être en pleine discussion avec l’auteure, autour d’un café, à la terrasse d’un petit bar. Une bulle se crée entre nous dans laquelle elle m’a confiée en toute confiance et avec une franchise déconcertante sa vie.
Et surtout la place qu’a tenue son père dans sa construction personnelle. Et Dieu seul sait qu’elle en a des choses à dire sur cet homme qu’elle a toujours admiré avec des yeux pétillants, même dans les pires situations. Car, le contraste saisissant de « Low Down » est l’écart palpable entre toute l’affection que l’auteur porte pour son père et les conditions dans lesquelles il l’a élevé. Un univers où la drogue régnait en reine, dictant faits et choix de Joe Albany.
Du coup, j’ai été pris d’une grande émotion lors de la découverte des anecdotes d’une petite fille qui a du grandir trop vite, qui a vu des scènes inimaginables et qui, malgré tout, garde en elle une immense joie et des souvenirs heureux.
Une des plus belle déclaration d’amour qu’une fille peut faire à son père ! Un roman époustouflant de franchise.
L’auteur nous accueille dans ce court roman autobiographique à Los Angeles dans les années 60. Ce qui frappe dès le début, c’est la construction de ce livre : de très courts chapitres à thème, chacun correspond à une anecdote sur la vie de l’auteure, Amy-Joe ALBANY et de son père, le célèbre pianiste précurseur du be-bop : Joe ALBANY. Toutes ces anecdotes, ces chapitres de vie n’ont pas de lien direct entre eux ; seulement de constituer les souvenirs de jeunesse d’une femme qui souhaite nous parler de son père, dans la plus stricte intimité.
A la lecture de « Low Down », j’ai eu l’impression d’être en pleine discussion avec l’auteure, autour d’un café, à la terrasse d’un petit bar. Une bulle se crée entre nous dans laquelle elle m’a confiée en toute confiance et avec une franchise déconcertante sa vie.
Et surtout la place qu’a tenue son père dans sa construction personnelle. Et Dieu seul sait qu’elle en a des choses à dire sur cet homme qu’elle a toujours admiré avec des yeux pétillants, même dans les pires situations. Car, le contraste saisissant de « Low Down » est l’écart palpable entre toute l’affection que l’auteur porte pour son père et les conditions dans lesquelles il l’a élevé. Un univers où la drogue régnait en reine, dictant faits et choix de Joe Albany.
Du coup, j’ai été pris d’une grande émotion lors de la découverte des anecdotes d’une petite fille qui a du grandir trop vite, qui a vu des scènes inimaginables et qui, malgré tout, garde en elle une immense joie et des souvenirs heureux.
Une des plus belle déclaration d’amour qu’une fille peut faire à son père ! Un roman époustouflant de franchise.
February 13, 2017
Depressing, but interesting.
February 24, 2014
A.J. Albany kills it in this memoir! Instead of being told in the usual narration form the author tells her story through a series of short memories and observations from her youth. Some are in chronological order, some are not, but together they all tell the haunting, enchanting, and wildly inappropriate childhood of young Amy Joe Albany, daughter of legendary Jazz pianist, Joe Albany. Her observations about drugs, sexuality, and music are stunning, startling, and amazingly ahead of her time. A great memoir full of stories that will stick with you. I can't wait to see the movie adaptation.
For fans of memoirs, coming of age stories, and jazz.
For fans of memoirs, coming of age stories, and jazz.
November 8, 2012
I am so happy I found this book! I read it years ago, probably when it was first published. I have spent hours today googling everything I remembered about it to find the title to no avail. Finally my memory kicked in and it all came back...LOW DOWN! I remember it as moving, exciting, and genuine. I look forward to reading it again.
April 21, 2011
Joe Albany was a great musician and a notorious junkie in a field noted for notorious junkies. This is a hip read. A.J. has been through the mill and knows the score. Consequently the book is ultimately hip and also very funny at times.
May 1, 2014
Talk about a difficult childhood. Amy describes her and her father's struggles through significant vignettes with some poetic language, and she somehow manages to sometimes turn tragic moments into hope.
November 5, 2014
The first few chapters where alright. Then it felt like a bit too much and I had a hard time concentrating. Yes, the writer is so much more rounded in her experiences dealing with a drug addicts for parents but it just wasn't that interesting after a while.
August 30, 2009
this book was beautiful.
i cannot describe in words how gripping and sometimes sickening these tales are to read at times.
a must read for everyone.
[suggested for mature audiences:]
i cannot describe in words how gripping and sometimes sickening these tales are to read at times.
a must read for everyone.
[suggested for mature audiences:]
March 4, 2010
AJ Albanys' words paint a pretty graphic picture of her childhood. Also, very funny at times. Loved it!
October 6, 2013
The chapter titled, "Three Mother Tales," is as good as memoir writing gets. I have read and re-read many parts of this fine book.
August 8, 2014
I won this from a goodreads giveaway and I absolutely loved it. It's exactly the kind of book I'm interested in!
February 28, 2015
Refreshing to read something so similar to my own experience growing up. Unexpected ending brought me to tears.
February 9, 2014
Hollywood 1970s. Heroin. Father-daughter. Forgotten jazz pianist.
Lou Reed-like, Jim Carroll-like with its vignettes.
Lou Reed-like, Jim Carroll-like with its vignettes.
December 20, 2014
I think I'd never had read this ...entertaining listen with an abrupt and disturbing ending ...must find out more about how the author is doing now ...
November 18, 2014
One of the best brief (163 pgs) memoirs I've ever read. Still marveling that the author lived to tell the tale, and looking forward to the film adaptation coming out soon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews