My review of Patti Smith's M Train, on New York Journal of Books (Churched! I tell you. Churched!)

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Yesterday, on Huffington Post, I wrote about the importance of structure in memoir. How, indeed, considered structure makes memoir memoir. If we don't care about how the true story gets told, if we don't think broadly, innovatively, wisely about structure, we're only writing autobiography. Telling our story because it's interesting to us, because we feel like talking.

Patti Smith understands structure.

Indeed: How much did I love Patti Smith's utterly humble and humbling new memoir, M Train?

TOOMUCHTOSAYTOOMUCHTOWRITETOOMUCHTOOMUCHTHATMUCH.

This is a star who moves quietly through this world, sitting at coffee shops, remembering and thinking. Never drops a name. Never boasts a moment. She is, and she takes us with her.

My thoughts on M Train, in New York Journal of Books, here.

4 comments:

Liviania said...

I can't wait to read this one, after Just Kids.

sgaissert said...

Thanks for this. I also cannot wait to read it. read "Just Kids" in one sitting, breathlessly in love with it all the time I was reading.

Beth Kephart said...

Liviania and Sgaissert — you will love this book. You won't breathe until you finish.

sgaissert said...

Looking forward to not breathing! : )

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