Her Last Death: A Memoir by Susanna Sonnenberg Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Her Last Death: A Memoir
Book Review: A Joke
Summary: 1 Stars
Pffft! How does this get to be published? Try Walls's Glass Castle or Taylor's Rules for Saying Goodbye for a MUCH better young woman's memoir. Book Review: Great book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book and I did not want to put it down. The details that she remembers in this book are amazing. It tore at my heart strings as a mother. Highly recommend this book to any mother, or anyone with addiction in their family. Book Review: Tragic (Warning: Spoiler Alert)
Summary: 2 Stars
...but not in the way you might think. Unlike some of the other less-than-positive reviews, I'm not offended or shocked by the book, and didn't have any issues with the so-called "morality" of the author's actions. Nevertheless, with every page I turned, I believed more and more that Ms. Sonnenberg is not a nice human being. By about 2/3 of the way through the book, I decided that while her mother was indeed toxic, she herself was much worse, as she went on and on about how awful "mummy" is, while at the same time using people, lying and cheating in the exact same self-absorbed way. I found myself laughing towards the end as I was starting to hope the author would be the "death" mentioned in the title.
Strangely, as the book goes on, she doesn't even elaborate on her mother's antics, but basically uses the structure of "I was wary of meeting with my mother, and I warned my latest boyfriend about her, and then my mother said something very sexually inappropriate to my boyfriend!! Can you believe it, reader??!" Well, yes I can, as she's been doing that through the whole book, and in fact am getting quite bored with the broken record. I also found it a very annoying tic of the author to use the "I've changed all names" approach, but then drop lots of teasing hints as to who the so-called famous people in the book are. She's not shy about bragging that she lived next door to Bob Dylan and Henry Fonda, but then drops all sorts of details about "The Famous Lyricist" who her mother had a fling with. I guess she doesn't want to get sued for an inaccurate portrayal (if not an outright lie).
I also don't understand why many people seem to think this is well written. The sentences are often jagged and can read like a telegram. The flow of the words was a bit limp as well. Everyone was written about so shabbily and dismissively, that at times I was left trying to remember whether "Penelope" or "Daphne" was the mother or daughter. Additionally, her many boyfriends just drop in and out, with very little exposition or closure. Does she like any of these men for other than superficial reasons (i.e. they're good in bed)? Luckily, I got my copy out of the library, so at least I'm not out $20 for this.
On a somewhat more positive note, I will say that the book was interesting, in that I think it's the first time that I've read a book where the characters that I initially viewed as tormentor/victim were completely reversed by the end. It's not exactly the most wonderful kind of "interesting", but it is the only positive thing I can say about the book as a whole.
Book Review: Poor excuse for a memoir
Summary: 2 Stars
I found Sonnenberg's "memoir" to be nothing but a tirade against her mother. It did not read like a cathartic exercise ... it seemed rather more a revenge novel. Sonnenberg's mother is indeed a toxic presence to the author and it is with good reason that Sonnenberg eliminates her from her life. However, Sonnenberg spends too much time casting blame for behavior that she herself engaged in with absolutely no apology or reflection. The reader is led to understand that the author has changed her ways but is it simply because she found a man loyal to her? There is little to no mention of the journey of the mind that must have taken her to this present life. That piece that is so lacking here is what makes the art of memoir great ... especially if you're not going to name names.Book Review: Her last death
Summary: 5 Stars
What a shock to read this book! It shows that a child's love for a mother is all forgiving, no matter what suffering, neglect and abuse they have to endure. It is an amazing story of survival and hope. Well written, better than any suspense story because it is real life.