Monday, July 20, 2009

Review: The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie SandellThe Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell is a graphic memoir chronicling the author’s journey out of the maze of her family’s myths. The family’s main mythmaker is Sandell’s dad, a larger-than-life man who claims, among other things, to have written position papers for Kissinger, to be a friend of the pope and to have been awarded a Purple Heart in Vietnam. I don’t have much experience reading graphic novels or memoirs, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. One of the blurbs on the back of the book warns: “Don’t pick up The Impostor’s Daughter if you have an urgent looming deadline. You’ll start reading and then keep reading till you reach the last page . . .” Of course, I didn’t listen to A.J. Jacobs: I peeked at the book the day I received it and was instantly hooked. When I finished it several hours later, I realized that most of the afternoon had gone by—luckily, I didn’t have any urgent deadlines! I started reading it again that evening, savouring it more slowly over the next couple of days and paying more attention, on my second read, to Sandell’s delightful art. Despite her unorthodox childhood, her “unsavory experiences” (her words) in her twenties and her glamorous job interviewing Hollywood celebrities, Sandell comes across as very down-to-earth—someone I could relate to. By turns funny and heartbreaking, her memoir is both engrossing and inspiring. I loved the fact that she incorporated several drawings she had done as a child into the narrative and also included a “group photo” of all the Hollywood stars she’d interviewed. I highly recommend this wonderful memoir.

Check out Sandell’s website for examples of her art, but don’t read the article she wrote about her dad for Esquire before reading this memoir unless you’re OK with major spoilers.

Recommended review: Life... with Books (because it’s a graphic review!)

Other reviews:

At Home with BooksBookfoolery and BabbleBookNAroundBooks and CooksChick with BooksEnglish Major’s NarrativeForeign Circus LibraryI’m Booking ItLindy Reads and ReviewsLove, Laughter, and a Touch of InsanitynomadreaderNonsuch BookSophisticated Dorkinessthings mean a lot

Hachette has generously agreed to sponsor a giveaway of five copies of this book on my blog! Come back tomorrow for all the details.

Thank you to Hachette for sending me this book to review.

27 comments:

  1. I thought this book was fantastic! I'll be posting my review later this week.

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  2. Glad to hear you enjoyed it too, Kathy! I really want to explore this genre more now. I loved this book!

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  3. I'm glad you enjoyed this too!

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  4. It's unusual for a memoir to be a graphic novel. I guess 'novel' isn't quite the proper word. Great review, Avis. Sounds like a great book.

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  5. Does sound good. Though I have still to venture into the graphic novel arena.

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  6. A memoir in graphic novel format intrigues me. I'll have to read this one at some point.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  7. I really enjoyed this book too! I didn't realize it was a graphic memoir, but it worked quite nicely. I do wonder how her family feels now that the book is out though.

    ~ Popin

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  8. Okay now I really want to read this book. Your review was great.

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  9. I love graphic novels and memoir's are very fun to read in this genre. Loved your thoughts on this one!!

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  10. New books seem to pop up on blogs all the time. I'm rarely inspired to add them to my wish list right away, but this is one of the exceptions. Thanks for a thorough and generous review...I look forward to reading it for myself!

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  11. I'm a follower and hope maybe I can win this book. It sounds very interesting.

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  12. Thanks for the review. When you say a book is so good that you can't put it down, then I know it is one that I want to read too!

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  13. Thanks for the link love! Loved this book!

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  14. I haven't read any graphic novels and this one defintitely interests me! Your review has made me even more interested in reading it...that you read it in one sitting is a draw as well!

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  15. I so want to read this! The more reviews I see, the better it sounds.

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  16. First of all, I love memoirs and this sounds like a great one.

    Second, I love A.J. Jacob's books -- so if he recommends it, I want it too!

    Third, every review I've read so far is glowing. I hope I win, I hope I win!

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  17. I enjoy graphic novels. It is really not all I read but the ones I do read I enjoy. To read that you, who does not normally get into graphic novels, liked this one so much intrigues me so now I want to read it too.

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  18. All I needed to hear was that AJ Jacobs is a fan. I can't wait to read this book.

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  19. I love graphic memoirs by cool women, have you read Persepolis by Mariane Satrapi and Fun home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel?

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  20. hope to win a copy

    http://chelisshelves.blogspot.com

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  21. I really hope to win this book, it sounds really interesting. ^.^

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  22. I browsed through this book at the bookstore and it's just amazing.. .great illustrations, too!

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  23. can't wait to read this graphic novel

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  24. I would love to win and read "The Imposter's Daughter." I enjoyed your review too. I think it's nice the way you read it the first time because you were "hooked." Then, you read it again at a slower pace. I'm betting this father is really hard to understand.

    email teakettle58@yahoo.com

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  25. I love graphic novels so this one sounds great! Good review too!

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  26. I very seldom have urgent deadlines so I'm in no danger there. And a book you want to savor is a wonderful thing to find. I want to read this!

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  27. Now I am definitely hooked! The author sounds like the kind of woman I would like to be friends with. I am happy to read that despite her unusual childhood, "unsavory experiences" later on in her 20's, discovering her dad liked to make up stories about his life that she pursued a successful career interviewing celebrities but still remained down to earth. I love the fact that she includes a group photo of the celebrities in her book. This sounds like a fascinating story by an extremely likable woman.

    Thank you for a wonderful review (& it is very cool that you read the book 2x!)

    ~ Amy
    Aimala127@gmail.com

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