A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father

As someone who has read all of Augusten Burroughs books and loved his style and wry observations, this mess came as a shock. It's bad beyond belief, and seems to be written by someone other than the careful and witty author we've come to know. Mr. Burrough's self-pitying has lost its charm. Perhaps he's tapped dry his own life as his major source of literary acumen. He definitely needs to get a grip. Hopefully, he will move on to greener fields. His sharp sense of human frailties needs new targets. His family deserves a rest.

I couldn't get through it and got stuck at the horror show of his pet experience. No need to terrorize yourself if you are a lover of animals and small children.

The only thing more appalling than the horrific family events Burroughs recounts is the cloying, narcissistic, self-cherishing way Burroughs narrates. Every word is lovingly wrapped in self-admiring cotton ("I wrote this word!" "I chose this word!" "I can't believe myself!"), which is not only tiring: it breaks the flow of narration. I was finally able to accommodate myself to this unnecessarily drawn-out style of speaking, and the book manages to come through as a sad, frightening and sympathetic self-portrait.

A horrible tale of a miserable childhood, told in a psychiatrist's-office-confessional style. It took me a long time to get past the author's voice and the stylization of the production, but ultimately this book was strongly affecting. If Augusten Burroughs truly lived through what he describes in this book, he is a much stronger being than most of us. I, for one, don't think I would have made it.

this book is perfect, beautiful...i had a hard time with the first few minutes because it's not what i expected - but, i continued on an was mesmerized.

try his brother's book: "look me in the eye" if you liked "wolf at the table". it will fill some of the gaps.

i hope that if the author himself reads any of these reviews he can see that he has at least touched one reader with the audio version, and certainly the book itself.

perfect.

I've enjoyed his writing style and comedic take on a painful upbringing - up til now. This is apparently his memories from being the most embellishing, whining child on earth. it doesn't feel as if there's any humanity or understanding just the view of a child who by all description isn't very likable or seeing the whole truth. Self pitying. whining. And I have to say, sadly disappointing perhaps because it's through his own voice that it feels disingenuous. Not something that truly presents the "monster" or the "victim" of a cruel childhood - just a lot of words.

I really liked this book. I actually read Running with Scissors and I could not get into it (I saw the movie too and was not that interested in it either). My sister was telling me about this book so I decided to try it out. WOW, I was enthralled with the story as it unfolded and it clarified A LOT of what happened in Running with Scissors.

Be ready for a very intense experience.... I will remember this book every time I think back about a less than perfect, verging on dysfunctional childhood, and note that, compared to this one, mine was mild! Many Thanks to this author for an honest account of a truely dysfunctional childhood... None of us can really use our chidhood as an excuse to fail, now can we......

This audiobook was a well executed production. The author's emotional narration was intense and capatavating. Great supplement to Running With Scissors. The epilogue explaining the original music used in the production was also very interesting. I highly recommend this listen.

I have read Dry and Running with... I just could get past the 2nd chapter. Too dark for me.