Lit

A Memoir

By: Mary Karr

Narrated by: Mary Karr

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Lit follows Mary Karr's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness - and her astonishing resurrection. Karr's longing for a solid family seems secure when her marriage to a handsome, Shakespeare-quoting poet produces a son they adore. But she can't outrun her apocalyptic past. She drinks herself into the same numbness that nearly devoured her charismatic but troubled mother, reaching the brink of suicide. A hair-raising stint in "The Mental Marriott" awakens her to the possibility of joy, and leads her to an unlikely faith.

Lit is about getting drunk and getting sober; becoming a mother by letting go of a mother; learning to write by learning to live. It is a truly electrifying story of how to grow up - as only Mary Karr can tell it.

©2009 Mary Karr (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Astonishing....One of the most dazzling and moving memoirs to come along in years." (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times)

Wonderful

What a wonderful story. I looked forward to hearing Mary's voice tell me the story of her life. Her slight drawl is unmistakable and added to her story. It made me feel like I have a new friend named Mary. Looking forward to another audiobook by her soon!

Well done!

I felt like I was sitting across the table from Mary drinking a cup of coffee and listening to her story. It was simply a delightful read. She is an amazingly talented writer, with a riveting, heartbreaking and hilarious tale. She describes the experience of alcoholism and the miracle of recovery better than most. Totally worth it!

Compelling.

As a memoir, this ranks up there with the best. The author successfully navigates the parallel paths of intellectual elitism, drugs, sobriety, family, relationships, sex, religion, financial dysfunction and everything in between. Her writing is smart and not always direct, and her language is surgically precise. This is not a sparse, lean style - it's more complex and indirect and you have to pay attention. Things are more rhythmic and measured as the book progresses, but the beginning chapters are not at all linear. Well worth the effort to stay the course, however.

Mary Karr as a narrator sounds rather harsh at the start - but after a few chapters one gets accustomed to the "lived in" voice. It's not a nice, crisp and correct "designer" narration - but it's emotionally riveting and very well matched to the material.

I am only giving this book 4 stars because of the lengthy epigraphs at the start of each chapter. Most of them are annoyingly long and oblique, and I started resenting these passages for taking up so much space in the book. When you like a listen, every minute counts, and I didn't think the quotes did anything to enhance the story. But, bottom line, this was excellent!

This was my favorite listen of Karr's books

I've read a few times that it's a bad idea for authors to narrate their own books, and I have to say now that I've listened to all 3 of Karr's, I think that's mostly right. I first read Liar's Club and then listened to it, to Cherry and then Lit. The first was a hard one to listen to, but the second was better and the third was best of all. I hope now that Karr is really comfortable at narration -- and really good at it -- that she will do some more. She is one of my all-time favorite authors.

Narration is horrible

Sounded like Siri reading me a book. I returned it before the end of the first chapter

Poet tells great story . . .

Where does Lit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

mid-majors

Who was your favorite character and why?

her husband--she's very nice about it but he's obviously a tool

Which scene was your favorite?

first visit with the mother in law

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

sort of

I'd like to grab some coffee with Mary Karr and Jesus

I so enjoyed this memoir, and Ms. Kate's narration made it particularly powerful. The message of struggle and redemption rings genuine and true.

Punkrawkgrl

Wonderfully written. Love the narration. Good story. Well rounded. Poetry throughout. Great! Hope her other works are just as good.

Finally! One for the "Win" column

I have made some really poor choices since joining the huge club of audiophiles. I've downloaded some real stinkers and mediocre titles that made me groan with regret within the first 3 chapters - then force myself to listen to the rest either because I wanted to punish myself or I wanted to hold out hope that it would get better if I just kept going. This book goes in the "win" column - fantastic flow and descriptive enough to really take hold of the imagination without going overboard. The last 4 chapters fell out of the groove a bit - but that doesn't cancel out the enjoyment I experienced listening to the rest. The language is sharp and shocking in some sections - which I really appreciate because it's real and I'm no stranger to sarcasm, satire, and cynical rants - I guffawed glee several times. Thank you Mary Karr - you freakin' rule

great follow up memoir!

The follow up to The Liars' Club is just as brilliant and well-crafted as the original. Karr's overall life and perspective are interesting, but it is her track to sobriety that really makes the book. While she does include a few scenes of the road to the bottom and what it looks like down there, she doesn't dwell too much on the, "and then I was so drunk or wanted booze so bad that I did horrible things T, U, V, W, X, Y, & Z." The focus ends up being more on how she got sober, which is refreshing and potentially useful. Not everyone is going to be a convert, but reading this could help some people. Even if you don't have drink/sobriety issues, it's still a good read & the author is in perfect voice in this edition.