Review by Booklist Review
This dazzling memoir from the writer better known as Lemony Snicket (a nom de plume whose origins he hilariously explains here) delves deeply into every aspect of his life. Each section effortlessly shifts from the sublime--such as his literary and cultural influences, particularly the poetry of Baudelaire--to the banal, then the deeply silly, and then back to another immensely readable description of the writers and artists he loves (he includes a short reading list at the end of the most notable works he mentions since he discusses so many). In stupendously written, engagingly conversational prose, Handler candidly covers a wide range of topics and experiences--his mental health struggles, his sexuality, his terrible early attempts at writing, and some shocking trauma. Handler also thoughtfully probes what to include and not include in a memoir, and throughout there are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Handler's army of devoted fans will be delighted with this imitable memoir, while his fascinating experiences and approaches to writing will engage all readers interested in how writers write and why. Thought-provoking, deeply personal, and like few other memoirs in the range of topics covered, Handler's mix of the personal and the literary is as compelling as his gloriously off-beat fiction.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Handler (author of the A Series of Unfortunate Events books as Lemony Snicket) takes a charming if diffuse look at the people, literature, and films that shaped him. Topics on offer include misogyny in movies like Vertigo and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Roald Dahl's antisemitism, Handler's experiences having his work adapted for the screen, and the "mysteries" underpinning his happy 26-year marriage. The author's stated purpose is to share "the lunatic ways" such musings "explain what I've done and what I'm doing," and by and large, he delivers. In a punchy, stream-of-consciousness style, Handler excavates his childhood--including a chilling, flatly delivered recollection of sexual abuse--and his fraught relationship with novel-writing, pulling readers into his funny, fractured world. The wide net he casts can, however, make the proceedings feel slightly rudderless, with too few through lines to tie the book's entertaining parts into a satisfying whole. Still, this offbeat, discursive outing will entertain and enlighten Handler's many fans. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary. (May)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The acclaimed author muses on personal events and reading experiences that have uniquely shaped his writing and outlook on life. With his inimitable wit and candor, Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, crafts an exceptionally companionable memoir sure to delight and perhaps even challenge both existing fans and readers new to his work. The author vividly recounts a diverse array of experiences, from seemingly random occurrences to deeply personal moments--e.g., a troubling incident of childhood sexual assault at a museum and a succession of debilitating seizures in his youth. He constructs a subtly, even slyly instructive manual on living an unapologetic, fruitful existence. Interwoven with Handler's memories are considerations of some of the writers who have influenced his work, such as Nabokov, Baudelaire, Elizabeth Bishop, and Roald Dahl. These are equally matched by pop-culture influences such as the films Attack of the 50 Foot Woman ("a bad movie") and Plan 9 from Outer Space ("a famously terrible movie"). In trying to explain how inspiration arrives, the author serves up a uniquely eccentric template: "Little bits from all over the place, mostly literature--scurry into my mind and I scurry after them. They are not original ideas--not because they are not original, although of course they aren't; it's because they're not ideas. Not yet. In the beginning they are just things." Finally, Handler deftly confronts recent literary issues, specifically censorship and a gnawing tendency to admonish "problematic" authors. His keen insights cut through the controversies, and he delivers a blunt summation: "Books are like people in this way. And if you find yourself feeling that the book is problematic, all that means is that you have a problem with it, and that's easily solved. Leave the book behind…and go home." A fully captivating memoir rich with insights on reading, writing, and life itself. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
