Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a writing guide for budding novelists.
Just as readers can be diverse in their choice of fiction genre, I find text guides also have different styles and readers preferences are individual.
I rarely read memoirs. I have zero curiosity about the dramas and problems of real people's lives, unless it's a friend, in which case I'd rather not read about it in a book. I like fiction. Stories. Fun. With guides, I like clear instructions, examples, and exercises. Bird by Bird is not a clear instruction manual.
For me it read less 'to-do' and more depressing memoir with vague suggestions of advice hidden amongst passages weighted heavily with flashes of parties, alcohol, and personal disdain. Not that the advice wasn't spot on. You can use index cards to capture ideas (just as easily as a notebook, iPhone, or the back of your hand), and yes, your first drafts can be crap. Research does help strengthen a character. My problem was the ambiguous nature of the advice. Exercise is good for your health, so is eating fresh fruit and vegetables, but I'd expect more explicit instructions in a diet manual. Sadly, I also found the author's attitude to life a little narcissistic and felt uncomfortable about her priority of recording events in order to write about them later, especially when it referred to a dying friend.
Now, I said I rarely read memoir and don't usually enjoy these narrative-style writing guides. However, I did quite enjoy The Happy Hooker, so there's always exceptions. I also appreciate Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (I have the audible version and listen to it often). Goldberg does a better job of combining memoir narrative with hard writing advice in a way that is entertaining and informative.
There you go, my review. A negative this time, but hey, it might be your favourite book? And I know my next review will be positive, because the chosen book is Save the Cat! This review is written as part of the Progressive Book Club blog hop, all the members have reviewed Bird by Bird, so pop about and see what they thought. I dare say most would have enjoyed it more than me.
Sounds like you've given a lot of thought to this review, something I appreciate. No one is going to like every book they read, and your reasons seem valid enough to me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I want to check out Writing Down to the Bones.
ReplyDeleteLike M. J., I appreciate the honest review. Most people go with the status quo when reviewing popular books, whether they really liked the book or not.
ReplyDeleteI love reading memoirs; my bookcase is full of them. And I do love Bird by Bird. But we all have our own tastes, so you totally have the right to read what you want to read and like what you want to like. I like Natalie Goldberg's book too; I bought a couple of her other books on writing and her novel, Banana Rose (it's good). I think that one reason she's so good at writing about her life is because she does timed writing/writing practice on a regular basis, which means she often writes about her life (among other things) on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteExcellent reviews, too. You give good ones over at Goodreads, too.
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate,
Shelly
I enjoyed "Bird by Bird" and found it funny and well-written. But then again, I wasn't really reading it to pick up any writing tips.
ReplyDeleteFrom your review I suspect I wouldn't have liked it much either, probably for the same reasons. I'm not that much into memoirs.
ReplyDeleteGood, honest review Charmaine. Sometimes a book resonates with us as it's what we need at the time. Perhaps you've moved beyond Bird by Bird (which I enjoyed, BTW, but I love memoirs.) Everyone is mentioning Save the Cat. I must buy it.
ReplyDeleteI love your review. When I read Bird by Bird last year, I had a similar reaction, i.e., I wanted to learn HOW to write, not read airy fairy stories about someone I didn't know. I was less impressed with Writing Down the Bones, actually. Twelve months later, I'm surprised how much of Bird by Bird I remember, for reasons different to why I read it in the first place. I'm adding The Happy Hooker to my list of things to read. Cheers for that.
ReplyDeleteI guess if she just wrote down the useful ideas for writers it would have been a very short book. Still, it's very popular so some people must relate to it, I guess. The normal person memoir is a genre I've never really gotten.
ReplyDeletemood
Wonderful review, Charmaine.
ReplyDeleteThe things that you found off-putting are the same things that made a connection with me. I loved the memoir-style lessons and how she applied vignettes of her own life to her writing. Made it more tangible for me.
Her philosophy seems to be one of simplifying...keeping everything basic and easy to understand. And yes, arms, toes, ipads and the like can all be used for notes, which most people are aware, but when dealing with beginners, sometimes the choice should be made for them. Index cards. Get them...use them...love them. Notes on your hand will wash away in time.
I remember college being that same way, though. The Navy, too. Although there were other possible avenues of coming to the same conclusion (some of them quicker and easier), as students we followed the professor's direction. Learn it this way, do it this way, and then—after a thorough understanding of how and why—you can do it however you want.
I think the simplicity of it makes it a wonderful resource for the beginning writer, and I found the humor so witty and dry. In a good way. Dry like a fine champagne. Brut.
Thanks for a wonderful post, and although different than my take, one that I thoroughly respect and understand.
I love memoirs and nonfiction and, like Mike, love her style of writing. But, I totally understand where you're coming from. You bring up a book that I keep meaning to put on my to-read, "Writing Down To The Bones". Erica's response was interesting on that one. Amazing what strikes us about books, isn't it? The other writing book I love, LOVE, was a little gem written in 1933 called, "If You Want To Write" by Brenda Ueland. For some reason, that book touched my writer's soul even more than Bird by Bird.
ReplyDeleteYou and I seem to have similar views on craft books. You'll probably enjoy my non-review review. LOL I will say, though, after reading some other PBC posts, I might have to grab that library copy of Bird By Bird that came in today. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe only craft book I like and use is Donald Maass'. Otherwise, I tend to skip these kind and stick to genre. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree with M.L. and some of the other comments. I enjoy Anne's style because I can relate. I am a bit narcissistic, self deprecating and completely unsure about this writing life except for the fact that I have to do it. And, her use of humor to share and get over life's hurdles is comforting.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear all points of view on a book. That's what book clubs are for.
Interesting how there seems to be two camps emerging on craft books- and both valid and well presented. I can definitely see that if a reader doesn't enjoy memoir-type writing, especially for learning writing technique, that this book would not be enjoyable/helpful.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the memoir-loving camp but completely enjoyed your honest review. Well done and hopefully the next book will be a better fit! :)
Charmaine,
ReplyDeleteYou review was like a shot of tequila, but not the cheap kind that burns your esophagus and eats a hole in your stomach lining. Nope. It's the kind that goes down smoothly while kicking you in the rear.
"The Happy Hooker"...didn't she write for Penthouse? I wouldn't know. It looked at it only for the pictures.