Feels like I'm talking to a friend

Here's the thing. A memoir is real life. Someone's real life. If you are fortunate enough to travel to Egypt and discover a hidden burial ground or lost relic, by all means write about it, and it will be a captivating tale of adventure. But real life doesn't always entertain. Or make us happy. It makes us anxious, it makes us snarky, it makes us miserable in the dark moments, but also lifted up in the small moments. And we relate, we sympathize, we learn. This book details a woman's story about a period of her life that may seem like a blip on a screen, or not that terrible compared to what may have happened to someone else... but it happened, and she tells it with honesty, a welcome dose of humor, and with moments of despair balanced with little life experiences that embrace being a mom, and being a human. When I talk with close girlfriends, we often say things to each other that aren't meant for everyone's ears, but it is so good to speak them, release them into the universe, and to feel heard or validated by a friend. Or just to be able to complain and not feel judged. Because we need that in our friends, really. That's what this memoir felt like to me. I felt her frustration, pain, anxiety, but also her small moments where we got a glimpse into one person's life - her story, and saw a real, honest, life experience. A mom, a wife, a stay at home mom and member of the work force, and someone who conveys this journey and brings it to life with a strong talent for writing and storytelling. I hope anyone else who has had the unfortunate experience of not feeling secure in a once fairly secure family existence, and felt the anxiety it brings, will not feel that their experience is trivial even if it isn't monumental. And I hope they will feel embraced by this story, and come away feeling like they just talked to a friend. I did.

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6 people found this helpful

very funny very real

the only reason I did not give a 5 star review was there was too much foul language

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4 people found this helpful

Relatable

I enjoyed listening to this challenging real-life experience being told with humor. I think many readers can identify with the writer’s frustrations.

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2 people found this helpful

Love Love Loved

Very relatable memoir. So so many people have found themselves faced with the same situation. Unemployment is cancer to your spirit and soul. Appreciate your candid story!

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2 people found this helpful

A great listen

This is embarrassing, but I didn’t realize until the end credits that I was listening to a real person’s story! Liz has a way to spin a tale of life’s frustrations into a beautiful memoir. I was fully engaged in her narrative and she read it so well.

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2 people found this helpful

Out of touch… don’t waste your time

Liz Alterman narrates her upper-middle class struggles of job loss and marriage grievances in a way that almost make you feel sorry for her. I expected some kind of rise above the challenges inspirational story and instead kept wondering about how much I was letting myself down expecting the author to have some kind of a revelation about how rich and entitled her life was and how much love she had taken for granted. Listened through the entire thing hoping for a big pay off and was disappointed. Steeping in privilege. Skilled storyteller. Lack of actual story.

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1 person found this helpful

Depressing and constant complaining

I read the reviews and people said it was going to be a funny book so i am a bit surprised. This book really brought me down.
Firstly the narrator (the author) is just a bummer. She really sucked the life out of me.

Secondly this book was just her complaining about her husband. Constantly. Wow does she not like her husband.

Finally it is really a really depressing story that drags on for too long but nothing really terrible happens to them. Like nobody dies or looses their house or the kids don’t get taken away. So she just complains and complains. And reading this in the time of this pandemic just made me feel that this lady loves to swim in self pity.

Just annoying

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1 person found this helpful

mostly complaining

after reading thy reviews, I had thought this would be full of dark humor, and pithy observations. but mostly it's just a woman complaining about her husband. saying mean things about her relatives. while mildly entertaining, I couldn't help thinking to myself, you're so mean. I hope your husband never reads this book.

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1 person found this helpful

Humorous and witty!

Loved, commiserated and laughed out loud with this memoir! The author humorously shares her perspective on life after the sudden loss of the primary income for her family and the journey as she and her husband look for work and stress about their life with three kids and a mortgage. It is funny and endearing with family and friends in the author's life providing plenty of advice and expectations, especially her parents(love them, especially Liz's dad). Liz also provides witty insight on the job search including the interview process, waiting for job offers and a job that Liz takes because they need healthcare(not exactly what she wanted - and lots funny stories about the job, too). It is a story that we can all relate to as she navigates through her relationships and life.

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1 person found this helpful

Hit home

The author’s and her husband’s experience — especially her husband’s — hit home in so many ways: a layoff in a similar field, initial relief followed by self-doubt and depression, disappointing my spouse, with life and family stresses coming faster and bigger than in many year’s previous. At times this was hard to listen to because it brought me back to so much of the despair, especially as the “stuck spouse.” But the author’s humor and eye for ridiculous details kept me engaged throughout and I’m glad I listened to it.

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