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Review title: An acutely observed memoir rich with pleasure and sadness
Product review: This is not just a happy gloss on Barthelme's early adulthood, it is an intricate, detailed rendering of a time and place--Houston in the late 50s and early 60s. It's a story full of touching romance, heartbreak, anger, sadness, and loss. The characters here seem real and troubled, and their lives are messy, complex, derailed as often as not. Is there a clue to Barthelme's genius here? Well, sure. He was witty and ambitious and very damn clever. Funny, he was funny. His life seems to have been not quite so charmed as his work. This is a vivid portrait, complete with parts of Barthelme's life that may not have been so savory, and it humanizes this man whose work is always at pains to present only the carefully polished surface. An excellent introduction to the artist, his milieu, and his work. Ms. Moore-Barthelme writes with assurance and grace, and is always generous and forthright.
