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The Liars' Club
The Liars' Club
Author: Mary Karr
When it was published in 1995, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, as well as bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780140179835
ISBN-10: 0140179836
Publication Date: 11/19/1998
Pages: 336
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 316

3.7 stars, based on 316 ratings
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Liars' Club on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
I am always amazed when reading a memoir such as Mary Karr's The Liars' Club. I had to remind myself, several times, that this was not a work of fiction as she recounted a litany of abuse and neglect that astounded. Karr is a strong writer, and though the subject matter could have dragged one down, she told her story with wit and wisdom and actually had me laughing at times! Highly recommended!!
reviewed The Liars' Club on + 149 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Gripping memoir of a girl growing up in the south during the 60's & 70's. It is at times really touching and at other very funny. If you grew up in the south, the people and places described will remind you of ones you knew. They did for me. The descriptions and the language are so perfect. I really enjoyed this one and plan on ordering the follow up.
Mizzle avatar reviewed The Liars' Club on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I liked it, but did not love it. I have read other similar memoirs that I liked better. That being said, the book kept my interest. It was a dark story, but had a good message about a family's closeness enduring thorough troubled times.
Bibliocrates avatar reviewed The Liars' Club on + 252 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I liked this book, although I wouldn't rank it as one of the best memoirs I have read lately. It was disturbing on some levels, but not so much so that I couldn't get through it. It was also comforting in an odd way. The members of the Karr family are obviously very close, and that is always a good thing in my book. I can't say that I can relate to having my father beat a man to a bloody pulp for disrespecting me or my mother.
reviewed The Liars' Club on + 66 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Mary's family was complicated by parental drinking, mental illness, a dying grandmother, and a long ago secret that festered into guilt.
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reviewed The Liars' Club on
Excellently narrated story. My new favorite contemporary author.
reviewed The Liars' Club on + 15 more book reviews
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST.

SELECTED AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 1995 BY PEOPLE, TIME, THE NEW YORKER AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
wantonvolunteer avatar reviewed The Liars' Club on + 84 more book reviews
I can totally see why this book has won so many awards and such acclaim for the author Mary Karr. Her memoir describes an East Texas childhood for herself, Mary Marleen, and her older sister Lecia (irritatingly pronounced "Lisa") that is filled with insanity, alcohol, misery, hilarity, and brilliance. Their father (Daddy) is part-American Indian, a military veteran, a hard worker at the local refinery, and a hard drinker. Their mother (Mother) is complicated, beautiful, frustrated, haunted, extravagant, unstable and alcoholic.

Mary Marleen is sexually assaulted twice before the age of 10, habitually driven around by drunk people (including herself), and at risk of inheriting genetic mental illness and yet, this memoir careens around disasters and very unexpectedly delivers an actual happy ending!

I didn't understand how Mary Marleen got taken to school to show off her reading skills at age 3 and then be described as "3 feet tall and barely literate" four or five years later, but that's hardly germane. This ending is highly satisfying, no loose ends to speak of. It isn't explained exactly why Mother so goes to pieces when her own mother dies, but nevertheless it's an epic episode as riveting the second and third time it's brought up as it is on page one. It is masterful how Karr reveals more action and background with each mention of the ordeal. I love this book, and each character in this family made me laugh out loud at some point.
reviewed The Liars' Club on
Well written. Enjoyed this book.
reviewed The Liars' Club on + 35 more book reviews
This book was surprisingly great! I highly recommend it. You easily lose yourself in the story


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Tagsmemoir