Rememberings

I don't know how to rate this because it feels like rating her, and I can't do that. I listened to the audiobook initially because the library waitlist had it before other versions, but preferred hearing it in her own voice--she snorts and laughs at herself sometimes, which is delightfully intimate. But the years about her childhood will break your heart, and her talking about her future and her son Shane's future will also break your heart. Don't necessarily stay for the latter part of the story, when she (as she admits) doesn't have the material to draw from because she was in such a state of trauma. z"l

As most I did not follow Sinead's career very close, she was hard to follow via media outings only. This testament feels incomplete, but it feels like more than we're entitled to. It was read with dry humour and felt personal, it does inspire to find out more about her music. I'm not religious, never will be, but I do respect the way she talks about her religious beliefs and explaines her personal relation to them. Could it have been more polished, less monotone mentionings, more critical, more ordered, perhaps.. but then it would not have been her rememberings.

Rememberings dimostra come raccontare la vita di Sinéad O'Connor sia difficile perfino per la cantante stessa, vista l'assenza di numerosi elementi biografici a partire dal 1992 fino ad oggi (lei si è giustificata dicendo che fosse "perennemente fatta di erba" in questo lasso di tempo). Il libro è comunque per la sincerità con la quale la cantante scrive: a volte vi farà arrabbiare, a volte vi farà ridere, a volte vi farà piangere. Tolti i momenti di immane sofferenza, una delle vite che credo chiunque avrebbe voluto vivere o prenderne parte.

It’s a harsh buzz to give this so few stars after the year the author has had. But while it met the expressed style set out in the opening stanza, I couldn’t help feel that a better publisher would said “Sinead, we love you and your work, but let someone take these words and write an engaging tale for you”. Instead we have this Staccato set of disconnected memories which hint at a bigger story which begs to be told, preferably by one of Ireland’s greatest modern day artists.

Heartbreaking trauma. O'Connor comes through as frank and likeable, but it is clear (and clearly stated) that the first third of this was written in a good state of mind for reflecting on a distraught childhood, and the rest was thrown together after further trauma that's going to need future effort and space to sort out.

Firstly, I will state the obvious: Sinéad O’Connor is one tough motherfucker. She is also a talented storyteller, as if that needs stating for anybody who listens to her music.

I don’t. I don’t listen to her music. I find her voice lovely but I don’t like her music particularly.

Her stories, the collected writings in this book, however, I have much time for.

The rest of my review is found here.