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Blue Suburbia: Almost a Memoir – An Honest and Searing Free Verse Chronicle of Escape, Love, and the Human Spirit
Blue Suburbia is a searing memoir so fresh, original, and honest that it will break your heart and renew your faith in the human spirit. With each spare stroke of her pen, Laurie Lico Albanese paints a vivid portrait of the blue-collar landscape of her childhood -- rusted swing sets, auto body shops, greasy hands, home improvements -- taking readers along for the wild, treacherous ride that leads to her escape. Her mother may stand silently at the sink year after year, or lie in the basement weeping, but Albanese is determined to flee the deadening certainty of her parents' lives. Her story does not disappoint us. By turns haunting, hilarious, tragic, and romantic, Blue Suburbia is the chronicle of a determined young woman who overcomes family limitations, socio-economic obstacles, and personal fears to build a happy -- and blessedly ordinary -- life. Written entirely in free verse, Blue Suburbia 's cadence is a steady, rhythmic heartbeat, pulsing with pain, rebellion, love, and triumph. This is the story many of us might tell, if we had the courage.
- GenresPoetryMemoirNonfiction
205 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2004
3 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Lico Albanese
10 books907 followersI'm so excited to share my newest novel, HESTER, with you. This is a prequel and a retelling of Hawthorne's classic novel THE SCARLET LETTER, in which he links female passion and shame. My HESTER is Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish seamstress new to Salem in 1829, who falls in love with aspiring writer Nat Hawthorne and inspires his first novel.
I'm also the author of STOLEN BEAUTY, a novel about love, art, courage and war that illuminates the intimate lives of two remarkable Viennese women whose fates and awakenings are bound by Gustav Klimt and his golden portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.
Thanks for visiting and for reading.
WARNING: READING CAUSES EMPATHY. It's a fact.
HESTER
A Novel
Coming October 4, 2022 from St. Martin's Press
973-477-3891
https://linktr.ee/laurielicoalbanese
I'm also the author of STOLEN BEAUTY, a novel about love, art, courage and war that illuminates the intimate lives of two remarkable Viennese women whose fates and awakenings are bound by Gustav Klimt and his golden portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.
Thanks for visiting and for reading.
WARNING: READING CAUSES EMPATHY. It's a fact.
HESTER
A Novel
Coming October 4, 2022 from St. Martin's Press
973-477-3891
https://linktr.ee/laurielicoalbanese
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 9, 2007
This book was picked out of a book box my loop and I send around. It had been sitting on my shelf for years, or at least it seemed that long! I loved this book, the poetry was amazing and some of the emotions shared really seemed to hit home with me. I recommend it to other moms to read and to those who love poetry.
October 25, 2011
Wow. I mean really... wow. This is a simply incredible, powerful, wonderful book. It's like sushi --- raw, but fantastic in the small bites it is presented in. Yes, technically it is a book of poetry, but it is so very much more than that. It is her life, from childhood to adulthood, cut into small, strong snippets. I can't praise this highly enough. It is an absolute MUST READ.
August 9, 2010
4.5 stars. Definitely original - the "memoir" is a series of poems that chronicles the author's life. Most are difficult and poignant, but lovely in their ability to convey so much in so few words. As the back cover blurb offers: "It took me one hour to read Laurie's book, but I'll remember it forever." Recommended.
January 5, 2012
Billed as “almost a memoir,” this is an autobiography written in free verse. She tells her story of a childhood with an abusive father, who himself was abused by his father, and a cold, distant, unhappy mother, whom I would imagine was clinically depressed. She escapes her hometown and gets herself to college, and then eventually into a good marriage and motherhood. Yet her past haunts her, and her fears of becoming like her mother and mistreating her children, combined with suffering from anxiety disorder, overwhelms her. Therapy helps, meds help, and she turns herself around yet again. As someone with anxiety disorder who finally sought help at age 37, those passages of the book speak to me in a very special way.
It is a real accomplishment of writing. Although spare, her writing is so effective that I feel that I know her better than others who have written their memoirs in prose, in long, winding prose.
Among the highlights for me are the following.
In “Minding My Own Business,” she writes about her husband being accepted into an MBA program and choosing to quit his job and go to school full-time. She is apprehensive about finances and such, noting that while her husband sees an opportunity,
“I see
the difference
between growing up
middle class
with the promise
of more to come
and growing up
in the shadow
of the jailhouse.” (95)
The jail was built in her town when she was young, and it was built near her school. An earlier poem tells of her father teaching her self-defense techniques so she would be prepared when an escaped convict attacked her, something her father felt was certain to happen. (And yes, I asked myself why she didn’t use some of these techniques on him.)
In “Working Again,” she has triumphantly become employed as a reporter for the local paper, what she calls the “manic fulfillment” of all she has been through (142). The poem closes with
“empowerment
comes from being a big fish
in a small pond
and I don’t mean
the kind that has to float on the bottom
during winter
to stay alive.” (143)
One of the last segments is titled “Ordinary” and it begins:
“Is it dull
to have an ordinary life
or is it glorious?
I think it depends on the day
and what you think is ordinary
and how true
is your love.” (193)
It’s stunning work, and one of the most affecting things I’ve read in years.
It is a real accomplishment of writing. Although spare, her writing is so effective that I feel that I know her better than others who have written their memoirs in prose, in long, winding prose.
Among the highlights for me are the following.
In “Minding My Own Business,” she writes about her husband being accepted into an MBA program and choosing to quit his job and go to school full-time. She is apprehensive about finances and such, noting that while her husband sees an opportunity,
“I see
the difference
between growing up
middle class
with the promise
of more to come
and growing up
in the shadow
of the jailhouse.” (95)
The jail was built in her town when she was young, and it was built near her school. An earlier poem tells of her father teaching her self-defense techniques so she would be prepared when an escaped convict attacked her, something her father felt was certain to happen. (And yes, I asked myself why she didn’t use some of these techniques on him.)
In “Working Again,” she has triumphantly become employed as a reporter for the local paper, what she calls the “manic fulfillment” of all she has been through (142). The poem closes with
“empowerment
comes from being a big fish
in a small pond
and I don’t mean
the kind that has to float on the bottom
during winter
to stay alive.” (143)
One of the last segments is titled “Ordinary” and it begins:
“Is it dull
to have an ordinary life
or is it glorious?
I think it depends on the day
and what you think is ordinary
and how true
is your love.” (193)
It’s stunning work, and one of the most affecting things I’ve read in years.
July 26, 2009
How can
a few words
slice right to
your heart?
From its description at Amazon, Blue Suburbia sounded like a novel written just for me. I love poetry, and I
have a soft spot for confessional Anne Sexton-type poems. I love memoirs, especially sad childhoods. I grew
up in suburbia, so I've walked that neighborhood.
From the outside, Laurie Lico Albanese seemed to live an ordinary suburban life. But Laurie doesn't leave us there,
watching her life from the curb. She brings us inside, into the house, right into Laurie's heart.
It's hard to read Laurie's little poems about her life, at times; it feels like watching a person cry, watching a
person bleed. Recommended.
a few words
slice right to
your heart?
From its description at Amazon, Blue Suburbia sounded like a novel written just for me. I love poetry, and I
have a soft spot for confessional Anne Sexton-type poems. I love memoirs, especially sad childhoods. I grew
up in suburbia, so I've walked that neighborhood.
From the outside, Laurie Lico Albanese seemed to live an ordinary suburban life. But Laurie doesn't leave us there,
watching her life from the curb. She brings us inside, into the house, right into Laurie's heart.
It's hard to read Laurie's little poems about her life, at times; it feels like watching a person cry, watching a
person bleed. Recommended.
June 6, 2012
Actual Rating: ***1/2
There are a lot of books I’ve read where the main character has suffered many of the same things as are written about in Blue Suburbia. For some reason, however, that those same circumstances are written in verse seems to make them slap the reader upside the head with the reality of it all. The language of Blue Suburbia is wonderfully sparse which, I think, emphasizes the actions…there are no flowery or minimizing adjectives or adverbs to take the sting out of the nouns and verbs. The word imageries linger long after closing the cover on Blue Suburbia.
“How To Mourn a Mother” could have been straight from my journal. These are the thoughts and emotions that have never been far from my heart and soul since February 29, 2004.
There are a lot of books I’ve read where the main character has suffered many of the same things as are written about in Blue Suburbia. For some reason, however, that those same circumstances are written in verse seems to make them slap the reader upside the head with the reality of it all. The language of Blue Suburbia is wonderfully sparse which, I think, emphasizes the actions…there are no flowery or minimizing adjectives or adverbs to take the sting out of the nouns and verbs. The word imageries linger long after closing the cover on Blue Suburbia.
“How To Mourn a Mother” could have been straight from my journal. These are the thoughts and emotions that have never been far from my heart and soul since February 29, 2004.
January 17, 2016
If you're married & have children you'll appreciate this (almost) memoir. It's wonderfully done & uniquely written in prose form. The author helps us to remember how our past vision or life experiences/immaturities cloud our perspectives & visions of others. It will only take you an hour to read this & is well worth it!
Merged review:
If you're married & have children you'll appreciate this (almost) memoir. It's wonderfully done & uniquely written in prose form. The author helps us to remember how our past vision or life experiences/immaturities cloud our perspectives & visions of others. It will only take you an hour to read this & is well worth it!
Merged review:
If you're married & have children you'll appreciate this (almost) memoir. It's wonderfully done & uniquely written in prose form. The author helps us to remember how our past vision or life experiences/immaturities cloud our perspectives & visions of others. It will only take you an hour to read this & is well worth it!
February 12, 2025
Wow! This book was truly unique. The poems had an eerie, haunting quality. At its core, the book delves into generational trauma and serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of neglecting both others and oneself. I liked the review on the back: "It took me one hour to read Laurie's book, but I'll remember it forever."
What I found interesting about this book is how completely honest it is. The author admits to some awful truths.
What I found interesting about this book is how completely honest it is. The author admits to some awful truths.
August 1, 2012
I did not read this book so much as devour it. My wife recommended it to me and I loved it from start to finish and could hardly put it down. It is a memoir written in verse, easily read in one or two hours, but full of life, pain, insight, sorrow, humor, sweetness, a genuine delight. Highly recommended.
July 22, 2012
This is the first memoir written in poetry that I've seen and enjoyed from start to finish. Years of listening to poems read out loud has made me comfortable with this medium for a narrative. Complicated, troubling, joyous and tragic, LL Albanese is sincerely herself.
January 3, 2014
Not a long read, but very memorable. The poetry is simple and short, but creates a vibrant story that hits you hard. A beautiful story that ties together family, aspirations, and every human emotion.
Read
February 19, 2025Flipped this open in a bookshop and the title of the poem was “Nick”, I figured I should buy it.
I read it in two sessions which I think worked well for this book. The poems by themselves were mostly just fine, but when put together, they form a loose memoir which I found pretty interesting :)
I read it in two sessions which I think worked well for this book. The poems by themselves were mostly just fine, but when put together, they form a loose memoir which I found pretty interesting :)
January 5, 2008
A memoir in poetry. Beautifully written. I loved it.
January 20, 2010
brilliant work. look forward to reading more from this poet.
October 30, 2011
read as an ARC
February 7, 2015
Parts of this "almost memoir" were so familiar to me, but in a strangely comforting way. Loved this book...So glad I came across it by chance at the library.
November 1, 2013
It's okay. A collection of shallow but otherwise engaging poems. This will inspire you to publish your own poetry memoir. If Albanese can do it, so can you.
September 11, 2014
Memoir written in verse. Sweet, haunting. Sparse words tell just enough of the story of her life to be touching.
January 11, 2016
A poignant glimpse at a tantalizing familiar suburban life.
August 10, 2017
An interesting series of poems about growing us and facing hardships. Very well written.
January 29, 2020
Loved this book! Fast read written in prose. So many impactful phrases.
Read
April 24, 2020Ugh - didn’t even know each chapter was written in short poetic form. NOT my kinda thing. Opened to the first page and closed it immediately. On to the next one...
June 13, 2022
I thought the memoir was excellent and was impressed by how clear the author's story was despite being written in verse.
February 22, 2023
The prose of this book was absolutely beautiful, so much so that I really did not want to put it down. Highly recommend for a quick but powerful read that'll keep you turning the page!
July 17, 2023
I remember feeling shook when I first read this. So relatable for so many reasons. I may have to read it again because it's been a while.
November 4, 2023
Relatable, even though I have no children, only my career as for now... I think I might have to keep it forever so I can go back to it. So lovely I cried a few times. Would recommend, surely :)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews