Priestdaddy

A Memoir

By: Patricia Lockwood

Narrated by: Patricia Lockwood

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

From Patricia Lockwood - a writer acclaimed for her wildly original voice - a vivid, heartbreakingly funny memoir about having a married Catholic priest for a father.

Father Greg Lockwood is unlike any Catholic priest you have ever met - a man who lounges in boxer shorts, who loves action movies, and whose constant jamming on the guitar reverberates "like a whole band dying in a plane crash in 1972". His daughter is an irreverent poet who long ago left the church's country. When an unexpected crisis leads her and her husband to move back into her parents' rectory, their two worlds collide.

In Priestdaddy, Lockwood interweaves emblematic moments from her childhood and adolescence - from an ill-fated family hunting trip and an abortion clinic sit-in where her father was arrested to her involvement in a cultlike Catholic youth group - with scenes that chronicle the eight-month adventure she and her husband had in her parents' household after a decade of living on their own. Lockwood details her education of a seminarian who is also living at the rectory, tries to explain Catholicism to her husband, who is mystified by its bloodthirstiness and arcane laws, and encounters a mysterious substance on a hotel bed with her mother.

Lockwood pivots from the raunchy to the sublime, from the comic to the deeply serious, exploring issues of belief, belonging, and personhood. Priestdaddy is an entertaining, unforgettable portrait of a deeply odd religious upbringing and how one balances a hard-won identity with the weight of family and tradition.

©2017 Patricia Lockwood (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Patricia Lockwood's side-splitting Priestdaddy puts the poetry back in memoir. Her verbal verve creates a reading experience of effervescent joy, even as Lockwood takes you through some of her life's darker passages. Destined to be a classic, Priestdaddy is this year's must-read memoir." (Mary Karr, author of The Liars' Club)

"Beautiful, funny and poignant. I wish I'd written this book." (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy)

" Priestdaddy is a revelatory debut, a meditation on family and art that finds poetry in the unlikeliest things, including poetry. Patricia Lockwood's prose is nothing short of ecstatic; every sentence hums with vibrant, anarchic delight, and her portrait of her epically eccentric family life is funny, warm, and stuffed to bursting with emotional insight. If I could write like this, I would." (Joss Whedon)

Buy.This.Book!!

If you love bigger-than-life characters, read this book. If you love the Midwest, read this book. But most of all, if you love stunning and evocative combinations of words that create vivid settings, feelings and people, read this book. Patricia Lockwood's memoir blows the roof off the genre, super-charged by her ability to see in metaphor, to hear in color. She's a poet first, and she's wickedly funny as well - although in my opinion, her observations on women and Catholicism are even better then her hilarious captures of her strange family. The best book I've read in a long, long time.

Lockwood herself is the narrator, a fey voice for a fresh literary voice. Her performance is a superb match for her words.

Favorite Memoir

Perfectly coded for the elder millennial who wishes they had the discipline for face yoga. You will use enough face muscles while laughing to put Botox off for just a little longer.

Very poetic and literary

Funny subject but a bit too wordy and navel gazing at times. She's a poet and it shows, which I mean in a nice way. She certainly comes across as her authentic self, I just don't think there will be neutral feelings about her style. I think you'll adore it or find it rather grating. I had laugh out loud moments though generally fell in the "grating" camp.

Almost Didn’t Listen

and I would have been poorer off for having not. The cover art made me think it was some kind of cheap novice material. Thank goodness I listened to the reviews and finally listened. This is one of my favorite books i’ve listened to in the last couple years. I laughed out loud often. I’m glad I listened, because the way she impersonated her parents was downright hilarious, and I think added to the already stunning hilarity of her words.

I can’t stop thinking about this book

It’s been months since I listened to this book and I’m still absolutely in love with it. The writing is beautiful—moving and hilarious. Deeply honest. I’ve never laughed so hard or cried so hard over any book. It’s spectacular. I’m buying a hard copy so I can experience it in a new way.

funny and thoughtful

I read some of the reviews from people who weren't into this book for various reasons - they didn't like how it talked about religion, they didn't like the narration - but if religion is sacred to you, why would you be reading this book? and I didn't find her whiny at all, I found her hilarious, and plenty of it resonated with me as an ex Mormon (although I found myself jealous that she got to drink with her parents... I'll never get that). and honestly I think she is actually pretty even handed about the good and bad about the Catholic church. I also came up appreciate how a poet approaches prose. I'm not really into poetry, but some of her sentences blossomed on front of me like a flower. I'll listen to this when I want to get into a writing mood in the future.

Maybe I just don’t get it?

My sister LOVED this book. She is not a big reader so I thought it must be good. She thought I would appreciate it since I loved and recommended Jenni Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (sooosooo good). Unfortunately, I found this book hard to follow. I would find myself thinking “ did I just zone out?” And then I would rewind and listen again, only to be disappointed that I wasted time doing that. Sometimes the voice alone seemed to lull me into a depression and then I would snap back when she did an impersonation of the father or mother. I personally would not recommend this book.

Love the humor and artistry

I’ve read another of her books, and this one helped me get to know her style and sense of humor more. I didn’t know she lived in North St. Louis County until I read this- that’s where I’m from so it was interesting to see it from her eyes.

Lovely language - disjointed

Would you try another book from Patricia Lockwood and/or Patricia Lockwood?

I am sorry, there is intriguing language and simile, very new prose. However, I found this lacking. A winding rant on upbringing, childhood disappointment, unilateral view of history. Did not draw me in to the story. Lacked development of characters. Hit and miss events of importance. Actually couldn't finish the book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Patricia Lockwood? Why or why not?

No.. This was not a worthy experience.

What three words best describe Patricia Lockwood’s voice?

self-centric, biased, unforgiving

Could you see Priestdaddy being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

N/A

so perfect

the narration is sublime the prose transcendent and the poetry in every line, bravo bravo