Survival in 1950s South Africa

Wonderfully, powerfully written without being syrupy or full of excesses of emotion. The narrator is in harmony with the story; her voice is either humorous or matter of fact depending on story. Story is one of survival against the most daunting family history of extreme poverty, incest, injustice in White South Africa. I will remember that a woman who shot her father, testified at his trial for incest, established a successful life in England in the 1970s. She overcame trouble that would have caused nervous breakdown in lesser souls. Her strength became her Daughter's inspiration.

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1 person found this helpful

Grim subject, wonderful book!

Where does She Left Me the Gun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is right up there with the best of them.

What other book might you compare She Left Me the Gun to and why?

I can't name a specific book, or author, but what She Left Me The Gun has in common with the best memoirs is a flow, and a story. There is mystery, humor, horror, and growth.

What about Emma Brockes’s performance did you like?

Everything! Sometimes authors reading their own books is a big mistake, but in this case I can't imagine how someone else could do a better job.

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

Yes, although I did break it up for real life concerns, and I will be listening to it again to savor the writing.

Any additional comments?

Don't be afraid of the subject matter - dysfunctional families are the cliche of memoir, but this one is fresh, fascinating, and involving. In my opinion it really does deserve five stars.

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4 people found this helpful

No thanks.

Was interesting, but I was not able to finish. Very graphic. Can't remember the point. Must not have been that good.

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For those who like memoirs

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

We read this for our book club. The performance made the book. I'm happy I chose the listen route.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

There was no surprise ending.

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

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were no strong emotions involved with this listen.

Any additional comments?

Memoirs are not my first choice; but try to read a variety of genres.The narrator kept my interest.

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Mixed reactions

After her mother's death, Emma went back to South Africa where her mother grew up in search of connecting pieces of information about her mother's family. Her mother had corresponded with most of her siblings over the years and told Emma sparse bits of information about her past -- often hinting that there was much more to the story.

South African landscape, climate and culture was fascinating. Conversations with aunts, uncles and cousins revealed their individual approaches to survival in a family that reflected the country, hostile and beautiful. The days spent in research or on a drunk with family she had not previously met was less intriguing to me.

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2 people found this helpful

Needed editing; but interesting concept for a book

Story of a young woman whose seeks to know her mother's past, after her mom passes away. Great concept. Needed editing. Good for discussions.

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Good, but it needs editing

Although the author expresses herself well, the book needs editing. Too many events are thrown in in an unclear fashion. The author’s family is large and I could not keep everyone straight, other than the author’s mother’s seven half-siblings, at least when they were identified with their given name. A “mother” is spoken of and you wonder is that the author’s mother or her mother’s mother or…..which mother?! There are wives and cousins and friends and enemies galore. Few had the same opinion about a given event. The whole story becomes confusing, and it is unclear what information is reliable. Squabbles and drinking influence everyone’s story. And yet, in any family, don’t we all have different versions of the given events?

Life in South Africa is also thrown in, with some brief sections on Nelson Mandela and a few other political figures, but what is the purpose of this book? Is it to relate how historical events affect families? No, I don’t think so. Is it the author’s attempt to understand her mother and her own family? She says that is why she is writing it, but then why does she say she will return but doesn’t?

Or is this simply someone writing a memoir about their family? Ahhhh, this will make an exciting book! I’ve got a story to tell. Everyone nowadays wants to write their own memoir. The basic story here is about a dysfunctional family, about alcoholism and sexual child abuse, and yes, the events are shocking. My guess is that the author needed to work through her own loss of her mother after her death. That IS reasonable, and it IS great to hear of her mother’s strength of character, but I see this as a personal story, not one that I can empathize with. Maybe that is my fault rather than the author’s, but that is how I reacted! Maybe the author through writing the book reached closure, but do you write a book and publish it when you are doing this for yourself? I, the reader, am left confused and without closure. This book will perhaps be more appreciated by one who has dealt with child abuse and alcoholism in their own family…… for them, this may be a helpful book.

In the audiobook the author reads her own book, and she does this very well. She has a British accent, since her Mom had her after she had immigrated to England. England was her home if never really her mother’s. It is interesting: kids should realize their parents have had a whole life before they ever arrived on the scene and often we know very little about that previous life. Do we ask and do our parents tell us?

I did like this book, but it should have been better organized, made less confusing and cleaned up a bit, so for me it ended up just being OK. Often, but not always, I did like how she strung together her words. How an author writes is important to me. Some authors have such a talent and others just don’t. I do think I would try another book by this author.

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1 person found this helpful