- Emotional impact: Did you feel emotionally connected to this author?
- Driving thesis: Why did this author write this memoir? Do you as the reader understand the central thesis? What are some themes in this memoir and are they clear?
- Style: Confessional? Casual? Formal? Removed? Distant?
We can also set up our own rating system (Scale of 1 to 10). This will create a chance for ABL to study and analyze different models as she is setting up her own book.
- Content: Is this person's life interesting enough to warrant the audience's attention?
- Skill: Was this well-written?
- Impact: Will you remember this book? Did you feel like this book changed your thinking on anything in life?
I will answer in full when I finish the book, but after the first two chapters I can tell you that a) she did not impact me emotionally, I didn't feel connected or care like I did about Bone. I don't know why she is writing this, seemingly bc of her important relationship with Lucy and writing. One of the themes is coming of age vocationally and sexually and finding oneself in relatinoship to the other. It is a casual style, which might be mine, but I am not loving it.
ReplyDeleteContent so far 5 (I thought about my mom's comment which was, Amy, your life isn't interesting enough for a memoir, you haven't survived a war or anything.
Skill, so far 5, again feels like this could be mine sometimes.
Impact 2, wont remember it and most important wont recommend it!
Have you started?
I haven't started yet, and I invite you to look at the work as a whole before you deliver your ratings. It is perfectly fine to make notes about what you don't like or do like as you go. These are helpful notes to yourself on how you want to open. I think it will be fun after we've read five books to see how each opening compares to each other. We are most interested in discovering what YOU would like to do for your own work.
ReplyDelete