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The Liars' Club: A Memoir (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) Kindle Edition

by Mary Karr (Author), Brian Rea (Illustrator), Lena Dunham (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 678 ratings
#4 on The New York Times’ list of The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years

The New York Times bestselling, hilarious tale of a hardscrabble Texas childhood that Oprah.com calls the best memoir of a generation

“Wickedly funny and always movingly illuminating, thanks to kick-ass storytelling and a poet’s ear.” —Oprah.com

The Liars’ Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at age twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all. This unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as “funny, lively, and un-put-downable” (USA Today) today as it ever was.
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  1. Print length
    354 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    November 10, 2015
  5. File size
    1.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"For a certain group of twenty-something women, consumption of, and passion for, The Liars' Club is both a rite of passage and a mode of self-identification. . . . I am lucky I was eight when this book was published. I am lucky I grew up in a world where it colored people's reactions to personal stories, female stories. We all are. Because The Liars' Club is more than an account of a tattered childhood and one brave and brilliant woman's attempt to use it rather than deny it. It is an aggressive tap on the shoulder in a crowded room, a smiling funny face asking its readers: 'Wanna be friends?' " --Lena Dunham, from the Foreword

"The essential American story . . . A great pleasure to read." --The Washington Post Book World

"Astonishing . . . one of the most dazzling and moving memoirs to come along in years . . . [Karr's] most powerful tool is her language, which she wields with the virtuosity of both a lyric poet and an earthy, down-home Texan. It's a wonderfully unsentimental vision." --The New York Times

"This is what the memoir is supposed to be." --Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

"This book is so good I thought about sending it out for a backup opinion. . . . It's like finding Beethoven in Hoboken. To have a poet's precision of language and a poet's insight into people applied to one of the roughest, toughest, ugliest places in America is an astonishing event." --Molly Ivins, The Nation

"Overflows with sparkling wit and humor . . . Truth beats powerfully at the heart of this dazzling memoir." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Karr lovingly retells [her parents'] best lies and drunken extravagances with an ear for bar-stool phraseology and a winking eye for image. The revelations continue to the final page, with a misleading carelessness as seductive as any world-class liar's." --The New Yorker

"Karr has drawn black gold from the [Texan] mud." --Texas Monthly

"Karr's God-awful childhood has a calamitous appeal. The choice in the book is between howling misery and howling laughter, and the reader veers toward laughter. Karr has survived to write a drop-dead reply to the question, 'Ma, what was it like when you were a little girl?' " --Time

"Mary Karr is a phoenix. That she arose from any fire to create poetry says as much about poetry as it does about Mary Karr." --Mary-Louise Parker on her favorite memoir, The Liars' Club, in Ladies' Home Journal

About the Author

Mary Karr kick-started a memoir revolution with The Liars' Club, which was a New York Times bestseller for over a year, a best book of the year for TheNew York Times Book Review, TheNew Yorker, People, and Time, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the winner of prizes from PEN and the Texas Institute of Letters. Karr has won the Whiting Award, Radcliffe's Bunting Fellowship, and Pushcart Prizes for both verse and essays, and she has been a Guggenheim Fellow in poetry. Her other bestselling books include The Art of Memoir, the memoirs Lit and Cherry, and the poetry collections Sinners Welcome, Viper Rum, The Devil's Tour, and Abacus. The Peck Professor of Literature at Syracuse University, Karr lives in New York City.

Lena Dunham (foreword) is the creator of the critically acclaimed HBO series Girls and the author of the New York Times bestselling essay collection Not That Kind of Girl. A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, she lives in Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Brian Rea (cover illustrator) is the longtime illustrator for the New York Times' "Modern Love" column and a former art director for the New York Times op-ed page. His design clients include Kate Spade, Honda, Billabong, Herman Miller, and MTV. Rea lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00SI0B5QC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Deluxe edition (November 10, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 10, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0143107798
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 678 ratings

About the author

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Mary Karr

Mary Karr

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Mary Karr's first memoir, The Liar's Club, kick-started a memoir revolution and won nonfiction prizes from PEN and the Texas Institute of Letters. Also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, it rode high on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year, becoming an annual "best book" there and for The New Yorker, People, and Time. Recently Entertainment Weekly rated it number four in the top one hundred books of the past twenty-five years. Her second memoir, Cherry, which was excerpted in The New Yorker, also hit bestseller and "notable book" lists at the New York Times and dozens of other papers nationwide. Her most recent book in this autobiographical series, Lit: A Memoir, is the story of her alcoholism, recovery, and conversion to Catholicism. A Guggenheim Fellow in poetry, Karr has won Pushcart Prizes for both verse and essays. Other grants include the Whiting Award and Radcliffe's Bunting Fellowship. She is the Peck Professor of Literature at Syracuse University.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
678 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the memoir easy to read and enjoyable. They praise the writing style as great and poetic. Many find the humor humorous and heartwarming. However, some readers feel the story is too detailed and dark, with some scenes being overly graphic.

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ReadabilityWriting styleHumorStory quality
31 customers mention "Readability"28 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the memoir's storytelling. They find it engaging with memorable characters and vivid descriptions. The narrative is described as gritty but seasoned with love. Readers appreciate the author's ability to get them involved in the narrative, making it a worthwhile read.

"...I marvel at how she comes up with some of these phrases. The story is fascinating - though better read than lived." Read more

"...my belief that everyone has a history and, mostly, they are worth listening to." Read more

"...What impressed me is that she emerged with good memories, love of family, and the ability to see who her parents were with unfiltered lenses and a..." Read more

"A terrific memoir with unforgettable characters and detailed visual descriptions that make you feel you are part of this dysfunctional yet lovable..." Read more

13 customers mention "Writing style"13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style. They appreciate the poetic language, humor, and honesty. The book provides a well-written perspective into a complicated and painful childhood. Readers find the author talented and easy to read.

"...her is what an interesting and at times both tragic and numerous writer she is. I marvel at how she comes up with some of these phrases...." Read more

"So written such that I would like to know the author and her sister...." Read more

"Well written book about a somewhat dysfunctional family. I like her writing style and her honesty and her matter of fact acceptance of the faults in..." Read more

"Very well written-really enjoyed the style of writing Mary uses...." Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor. They find it humorous and heartwarming, stirring memories.

"...The author is both humble and funny without sparing those around her...." Read more

"...It was funny, sad, awful, uplifting all rolled into one...." Read more

"A great read overall. Sad and funny at the same time. What a life story" Read more

"Both hilarious and heart stopping. Stirs up memories. There are no 'normal' families. A gritty chronicle of childhood seasoned with love...." Read more

4 customers mention "Story quality"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the story too detailed and dark, with some scenes being overly graphic. They feel the story is contrived with a lack of information.

"...The story was dark and a couple scenes were overly graphic but overall, I liked the book!" Read more

"The author had a beautiful way of describing everything. The story was frustrating when you witnessed the mother’s neglect of her daughters...." Read more

"Too much detail of events. Got to be a bit much." Read more

"I didn't like this book. I felt it was contrived with lots of info left out" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Dean R. Peterson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Still my number one recommended book to read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is absolutely one of my favorite books and at least the last five years. If anyone ever asked me about a book that I recommend this is always the one that comes to mind first. I read her most recent memoir and one of the things that you discover in reading her is what an interesting and at times both tragic and numerous writer she is. I marvel at how she comes up with some of these phrases. The story is fascinating - though better read than lived.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • scn
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not just any old memoir
    Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    So written such that I would like to know the author and her sister. I was influenced to buy this because of the cover picture of the child among men sitting on a barstool. It is a picture from my own past; grampa "babysitting" me while mom worked and dad was in school after the war. Mom told me about it. I am so glad I did read this memoir even though the rest, after the cover, was not my story at all. This story reaffirmed my belief that everyone has a history and, mostly, they are worth listening to.
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  • Rowdygirl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and gritty
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Mary Karr's memoir is an honest tale of the gritty , dark truth of her childhood. A child of imperfect parent's who lived the ghosts and haunts of their own imperfect childhoods, passing on the guilt, regrets and angers. Makes you appreciate your own parent's who were less crazy, less haunted and doing the best they could with what they knew. What impressed me is that she emerged with good memories, love of family, and the ability to see who her parents were with unfiltered lenses and a heart filled with love.
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  • JognJan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Memoir; A must for Every Bookshelf
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A terrific memoir with unforgettable characters and detailed visual descriptions that make you feel you are part of this dysfunctional yet lovable family. The author is both humble and funny without sparing those around her. A bit of a surprise with respect to the relationship with her mother at the end, but it helped to explain much of the latter's behavior throughout the book. This was one of my favorite books, and I look forward to reading more of Mary Karr's works.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Tele Guy
    3.0 out of 5 stars I can’t say I recommend it.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I must be one of the last people on earth to read this book. I also have to say I didn’t much care for it. There’s some interesting and poignant sections to this book but overall I found it very sad and tragic. I really had to struggle to get through it and I read an average four books per week. The title centered around her father’s friends who get together and spin lies to entertain each other was not terribly interesting. I know the author tried very hard to make it seem terribly quaint but for me it just came across this pathetic.
    The stories of her alcoholic mother and her problems may for some people be poignant, but I lived through that myself and I wasn’t very interested in being reminded of it.
    I can’t say I can recommend it but then most of the planet has already read it.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • William J. Fallon
    5.0 out of 5 stars I Enjoyed This
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Well written book about a somewhat dysfunctional family. I like her writing style and her honesty and her matter of fact acceptance of the faults in people's lives. No expressions of horror that her mother had had multiple marriages, just an acceptance of her weaknesses and why she was the way she was. Same with her loving Dad. Would recommend highly.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • DebBJ
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for a dark story!!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Very well written-really enjoyed the style of writing Mary uses. The story was dark and a couple scenes were overly graphic but overall, I liked the book!
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  • J. Davita-Rauch
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This will keep you reading until the end, and you'll feel it was time well spent. I've read that this is the memoir that set the bar for others; I'm not sure that's true, but you could make a case for it. After reading this book, I ordered her next memoir. You really feel for Karr as a girl growing up in Texas, and admire her as well. This book is a good use of your time.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Deea
    1.0 out of 5 stars Really booooring
    Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    If you like really really reaaaaaaaaaaallllllyyyyyy slow stories... this one's for you. It put me to sleep. I don't mean to offend those who like this book but it wasn't for me.
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