Marjorie Price's Blog
July 16, 2009
Q & A with Marjorie Price about "A Gift from Brittany"
Please visit Commitment Now's Q & A with Marjorie Price. A Gift from Brittany has been selected as the Book-of-the-Day.
Truth in Memoir Writing
The topic of truth in a memoir is a complex and interesting one. I'm curious to know what other writers & readers think about it.
When I wrote my memoir about living in France in the 1960s, "A Gift from Brittany," I found that writing the book and preserving the truth of what happened were part of a balancing act. The strength of the memoir is that it is bound to the truth. But a memoir is not a diary; it is based on the truth, and at the same time, it must be a good story. Memoir writing means finding a balance between telling your honest perspective and also writing about what happened in such a way as to engage a reader.
Fiction is also rooted in a personal truth, but it involves flights-of-fancy and the flexibility of imagination. If you are compelled to write a memoir, there must be a reason why fiction is an inadequate form. Often, the truth of the events are even more remarkable than what we can make up.
Marjorie Price
When I wrote my memoir about living in France in the 1960s, "A Gift from Brittany," I found that writing the book and preserving the truth of what happened were part of a balancing act. The strength of the memoir is that it is bound to the truth. But a memoir is not a diary; it is based on the truth, and at the same time, it must be a good story. Memoir writing means finding a balance between telling your honest perspective and also writing about what happened in such a way as to engage a reader.
Fiction is also rooted in a personal truth, but it involves flights-of-fancy and the flexibility of imagination. If you are compelled to write a memoir, there must be a reason why fiction is an inadequate form. Often, the truth of the events are even more remarkable than what we can make up.
Marjorie Price
June 16, 2009
Praise for "A Gift from Brittany"
"...When you wake up at five in the morning to continue reading, you know that the book has pulled you in! Written with both passion and restraint, the book resonates with the reader throughout. "
"All I can say is how poignant, how haunting, how memorable your story!"
"...a sudden, violent summer storm in the fields of new-mown hay; the tide receding from a rocky shore; a black-clad Breton woman gathering mussels in her knotted apron; the brilliant artist husband whose dark side gradually emerges — all are captured in quick, deft strokes and integrated with Price's own journey to self-awareness as an artist."
To read more readers' comments, visit: http://www.marjorieprice.com/?section...
"I loved this book. It is a wonderful, loving tribute to a special woman who was the product of a dying way of life. [...:] This is a story that is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. Here is a peek at a European way of life that endured for centuries and then completely died out in a few decades. It is one of the best memoirs that I have ever read and I highly recommend it. It would be an excellent choice for book clubs."
Read the entire Tome Traveller's review at: http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/...
"... 'A Gift from Brittany' did not disappoint on any account. [...:] It is the relationship between Jeanne, the 70 year old illiterate peasant woman, and Mitch (her pronunciation of Midge) that is the crux of this story [...:] On the surface there should be no reason why these two women would ever speak to one another, much less become close friends [...:] [T:]hey do not even speak the same language, yet over time they learn to confide in one another their most intimate thoughts. The relationship they share is one that many of us long for, and we are privileged to have the opportunity to witness this friendship grow and develop into full maturity. The beauty of this narrative is greatly enhanced by the beauty of the author's language."
Read Molly Totoro's entire review at: http://mycozybooknook.blogspot.com/20...
"All I can say is how poignant, how haunting, how memorable your story!"
"...a sudden, violent summer storm in the fields of new-mown hay; the tide receding from a rocky shore; a black-clad Breton woman gathering mussels in her knotted apron; the brilliant artist husband whose dark side gradually emerges — all are captured in quick, deft strokes and integrated with Price's own journey to self-awareness as an artist."
To read more readers' comments, visit: http://www.marjorieprice.com/?section...
"I loved this book. It is a wonderful, loving tribute to a special woman who was the product of a dying way of life. [...:] This is a story that is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. Here is a peek at a European way of life that endured for centuries and then completely died out in a few decades. It is one of the best memoirs that I have ever read and I highly recommend it. It would be an excellent choice for book clubs."
Read the entire Tome Traveller's review at: http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/...
"... 'A Gift from Brittany' did not disappoint on any account. [...:] It is the relationship between Jeanne, the 70 year old illiterate peasant woman, and Mitch (her pronunciation of Midge) that is the crux of this story [...:] On the surface there should be no reason why these two women would ever speak to one another, much less become close friends [...:] [T:]hey do not even speak the same language, yet over time they learn to confide in one another their most intimate thoughts. The relationship they share is one that many of us long for, and we are privileged to have the opportunity to witness this friendship grow and develop into full maturity. The beauty of this narrative is greatly enhanced by the beauty of the author's language."
Read Molly Totoro's entire review at: http://mycozybooknook.blogspot.com/20...
