Cherry

By: Mary Karr

Narrated by: Mary Karr

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

From Mary Karr, author of the best selling The Liar's Club, comes the gorgeously written, often hilarious story of her tumultuous teens and sexual coming-of-age. In edgy, brilliant prose, Cherry takes listeners to a place never explored with such candor. Parts will leave you gasping with laughter. But its soaring close proves that from even the smokiest beginnings a solid self can form, one capable of facing down all manner of monsters.

©2000 Mary Karr (P)2000 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Karr captures, exactly, what it’s like for a girl to kiss the first boy she loves….She captures, exactly, what it’s like to start high school….She captures, exactly, what it’s like to be a book-hungry teenager, enraptured by the words and heady ideas that offer transport from the banalities of small-town life….As she did in The Liars’ Club, Ms. Karr combines a poet’s lyricism and a Texan’s down-home vernacular with her natural storytelling gift.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

“A compelling ride through [Karr’s] adolescence….What distinguishes Karr is the ability to serve up her experiences in a way that packs the wallop of immediacy with the salty tang of adult reflection…her descriptions of the bruised-lip, druggy wonder of teenage love are precise, unsentimental, and lovely.” (Chicago Tribune)

“The Liars’ Club left no doubt that Mary Karr could flat out write…the one question everyone had upon finishing her story was, could she do it again? Cherry lays that question to rest once and for all….It never lacks for those trademark Karr details, but it’s about all of us." (Newsweek)

Not as good as her other memoirs

This added more detail to her teen years, however it felt almost like fill in material than important, moving memoir material. This book covered ground she previously covered perhaps in more detail, but it some was repeated material. She certainly could have added this to the end of the first memoir (The Liar's Club) since that ended quite abruptly, as did this one. I really enjoyed Lit which is the third of Karr's three memoirs. Had I read or listened to the memoirs in order, I may not have given Lit a chance so I am glad I listened to Lit first.

Mary Karr's voice makes the story come alive

As one who grew up in the same era as Mary Karr (albeit not in East Texas), I loved this book and Ms. Karr's ability to resurrect memories of that time that I'd long forgotten. She also gets beneath the surface of what her characters are saying to reveal what they really mean. Unlike another reviewer, I found Ms. Karr's reading to be a benefit, not a detraction. Highly recommended.

Refreshing

I enjoyed the authors ability to be self aware and self critical while also telling her honest story, which is wildly indulgent. Funny at times and sad at times, but never too much of anything. I loved this book!

In depth

This audio book is at times gut wrenchingly painful in its descriptions of drug use and the ways it impacted her. The dark places people reside in hard drug use, and its inherent dangers. Poetical prose does not soften the blows of the experiences she lived in and eventually grew from. It does nothing short of amaze me that she can remember what it was like in deep drug induced states but then, she always had a notebook, so I imagine she somehow wrote it down. While no insights into the why's of her behavior are described I was able to extrapolate it from her descriptions of the bleakness she was trying to escape from. A dramatic end rings of hope she finds herself.

Thoughtful and entertaining

It doesn't surprise me that someone who likes The Fountainhead would not appreciate this book. The author describes her tween and teen years, with an emphasis on her developing relationships with friends and boys and the world around her. Her words are worldly yet unpretentious. On the other hand, Rand's wacky stuff is about the 'wisdom' of selfishness in a cruel fantasy world. This book is about a real, flawed, human being dealing with other real, flawed, human beings. And the author's voice is quite pleasant and engaging, to my ear!

Good book, good narration!

What did you love best about Cherry?

The tough yet vulnerable narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator, see above.

Which character – as performed by Mary Karr – was your favorite?

Herself

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

No, I wanted to savor it.

Any additional comments?

One of few books read by the author of the book that I really enjoyed.

A brilliant girls' adolescent roller coster ride

Would you consider the audio edition of Cherry to be better than the print version?

Growing up in SE Texas in the 70-80's I can say that the author paints an accurate picture of her world. That picture was endearing to me. A fascinating look at the formative years of a brilliant girl growing up in a dysfunctional setting.

Catchy Turn of Phrase

What did you love best about Cherry?

Karr's ability to take us back in time to an era where she and I grew up and came of age.

If you’ve listened to books by Mary Karr before, how does this one compare?

No, 1st time.

Have you listened to any of Mary Karr’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Can't say but her voice is provocative and sexy.

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

no

Any additional comments?

I am a MWM and his book was recommended by a female friend who us a Karr devotee.
As there are so many interesting books available (and so little time) this expedition into the nostalgic world of Mary Karr may be a one and done for me.

yesyes

very entertaining bio

Overindulgent

I found this book to be offensive at times. Don't get me wrong. I have truly enjoyed a number of Mary Karr's books and love her gritty nature. However, some aspects of this story are grotesque and could have been written with a bit more tact.