Everything I'm Cracked Up to Be: A Rock & Roll Fairy Tale

by Jen Trynin

"With plenty to say and ample musical gifts with which to say it, Boston newcomer Jennifer Trynin is poised to join the upper ranks of GenX alternative rock queendom . . . One of the year's best debuts. A revelation."-BILLBOARD

It was 1994-post-Liz Phair, mid-Courtney Love, just shy of Alanis Morissette. After seven years of slogging it out in the Boston music scene, Jen Trynin took a hard look at herself and gave "making it" one last shot.

It worked. Suddenly Trynin became the spark that set off one of the most heated bidding wars of the year. Major labels vied for her, to the tune of multiple millions of dollars in deals. Lawyers, managers, and booking agents clamored for her attention. Billboard put her on the cover. Everyone knew she was the Next Big Thing. But then she wasn't.

In a series of dizzying, hilarious, heartbreaking snapshots, Trynin captures what it's like to be catapulted to the edge of rock stardom, only to plummet back down to earth. Everything I'm Cracked Up to Be is the story of a girl who got what she wished for-and lived happily ever after anyway.

Genres: Music, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography

354 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s the thing with rock and roll memoirs (at least this is the thing I’m getting after reading, well, two) stories about playing crowded, smoky clubs all the sound the same after you hear about three of them. Doesn’t matter where the club is, who the band is, or what year it is. Sometimes something quirky happens, but even then it’s not enough to break up the monotony.

That would be my main complaint about Jen Trynin’s Everything I’m Cracked Up to Be, which weighs in at a wrist-straining 350+ pages, a lot of her stories all sound alike. In fact, much of Trynin’s rockstar career can be broken down into three stories:

Read the rest on I Will Dare

[CrossingJordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 - 4 ⭐

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, heart-breakingly honest book!

I feel sorry for Jen. From this book she is a hilarious, self-effacing, honest, creative, darkly witty person who often mistakes and isn't afraid to say so. It sucks that the music business swept her off her feet, making her think her music was much more than it was (and it sucks that the music execs couldn't hear how "just OK" it was), and then dropped her flat. How depressing! But luckily she picked herself up after this and was able to get married and have a child and get on with her life. Amazing that she could write this book! It must have been deeply cathartic for her.

I bought both of Jen Trynin's CD's from amazon after having read this. I just had to hear the music she was describing! The songs are a little catchy in some places, but mostly so ... dated and unoriginal sounding. But you know, she wasn't the only one cranking out music like this, hoping it would catch on and make her famous. She dreamed of being another Joni Mitchell. She wanted to be the voice of her generation. And then Nirvana came on the radio, and she felt like someone had beat her to the punch ... clearly it was Nirvana who would be "the voice," not her. But she thought, she could still be "the next big thing" for a woman singer-songwriter-rocker ... however, Alanis Morrisettte swooped in and took that spot. (Most of Alanis' music sounds pretty dated and awful when you go back and listen to it as well.)

I loved the part at the end when Jen, after having turned down excellent opportunities to tour with Jennifer Hatfield (at the time, Jen thought she was too much of a "big deal" to open for Juliana), and then Lillith Fair (because Jen had burned bridges, saying she didn't to be pigeon-holed as a woman singer-songwriter; she wanted to be acknowledged as a true rocker and play on the same bill with MEN, not women! ... which pissed off the other women singer-songwriters) ... finally, as her opportunities keep dwindling, she goes on tour, opening for this singer-songerwriter she totally hates. Prior to the show, she does her usual rockin' show, opening for that same hated singer, who was headlining. (I think she must have changed the name of the hated singer because when I looked up the name online, I came up with nothing.) According to Jen, she totally upstaged the headliner, with her rockin' electric guitars and what-not. And so the headliner made it a rule that when they go on tour, Jen has to do an all acoustic set, which Jen hated. So Jen ends up turning her opening act into a stand-up comedy routine, mainly talking and cracking jokes and only playing a little bit. The audience loved it, and she STILL upstaged the hated singer-songwriter lady. (I read this more than 1 year ago and can't remember the name, which I think was made up anyway, of the hated singer-songwriter lady right now. It was something like Shalam! with an exclamation mark.) So after only a few shows, the hated Shalam! or whatever canceled the tour, due to some (in Jen's mind) feigned illness, which got Jen off the bill. Then the Shalam! lady recovered and re-booked her tour without Jen.

And that was the end. Of Jen's musical career anyway. I do think Jen's stand-out talents lie in comedy and writing, if this hilarious book, and her success with impromptu stand up comedy, are any indication.

Go Jen! Your music was fun, back the in day, and your live performances certainly helped a lot of people have a rockin' night out on the town. Sure, the recorded music wasn't something to last for the ages, but you know what's more important? You are awesome, and you rock. Totally! Thanks for writing this book.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

We went to a small local show a couple weeks ago because my wife’s guitar instructor was in the band. The lead singer was a totally natural performer who seemed completely at home being the center of attention. She was young, the band was young, the crowd was young. (Except for what seemed like parents of various band members. And my wife and I. I felt super old.) But they’re a local group playing for the love.

But it turns out not everyone who likes playing music is by extension someone who likes performing music, or further, to make a living grinding away doing so. I play bass. But pretty much exclusively while wearing headphones, for myself, in my house. Excepting a bit for family or friends, it is not at all performing. Even if I become a really good bassist (doubtful; I suspect I will be terminally intermediate) I wouldn’t want anything to do with band life or constant performing.

Jen Trynin was also, as it turns out, not a comfortable performer beyond small local shows in familiar places. I think that is evidenced by her not really wanting to write an autobiography. It’s more about the very odd sequence of things that happened to her, than about her. The first half or so of the book is the story of a record label bidding war, all convinced Trynin was the next mid-90s alt-rock zeitgeist, and it’s nuts. The labels spent fortunes lavishing her with attention and promises, flying her around first class to stay in swanky hotels for meetings with label bigwigs. They tried every sales trick, pretending they deeply cared about her, pretending they didn’t care at all, promising she’d stay indie, promising she’d be major. They were hilariously transparent and always corporate and icky.

She eventually picks one and kicks off the big promotional tour. This is where the swanky spending stops and the work starts. Now it’s life in a van, at the seediest motels, playing show after show in the same dark grungy caverns. She’s on Conan, on a million radio shows. It seems like everyone involved with the music industry is crazy or creepy or both. It honestly sounds like a version of hell and it turns out to be very much not her thing. She kinda loses her mind constantly performing, answering the same dumb questions, keeping terrible hours with too little sleep, too much drinking, barely eating (feeling pressure to stay thin she admits to some level of anorexia). Adding insult to injury, the record does just OK, which is enough for the label to lose interest and stop calling her. She records another but gets no support (though is very well-received critically), and she opts out.

I wondered if that energetic local band would have loved the touring and been willing to do what Jen wouldn't. But Jen was already 30, and had a job and an apartment and a boyfriend and a cat. She doesn’t really even listen to music! Numerous times in the book someone mentions some other band and she has no idea who they are. Maybe if she’d have had more love for it. But it’s probably more luck, more statistical and banal. Music labels throw a lot of darts hoping to find one that hits. Not all of them do. However, she is a really good writer, and it's fun to hear her story.

n.b. This book reminds me of Slow Getting Up as a similar example of someone on the fringes of fame.

[Jim Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Everything I’m Cracked Up to Be: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fairy Tale” Jen Trynin relates her experiences in the 90’s music business from wanna-be at open mic nights at coffee houses, to putting together her own album first as a cassette tape, later as a CD. Cockamamie that garnered indie buzz and soon got the attention of the major labels and soon a full out bidding war was on, Trynin’s wildest rock ‘n’ roll dream came true!

Trynin tells her story in a stream of conscious manner that puts you in the moment, and some times those moments feel surreal. Trynin imparts that with an acerbic sense of humor on the situation and her part in it. “Everything I’m Cracked Up to Be” is also very insightful into the business of the music business in the mid-1990’s. From how a deal actually works, what the percentages and who gets them and how many albums an artist has to make before they make a profit (this is told in a totally relatable way and isn’t boring in the least) to the personalities of those deal makers as well as the people she met on the road.

Like any good cautionary tale, it has a downside too. However, it’s a double edged downside, as Cockamamie started to falter and fizzle in the charts and in the eyes of the record company, Trynin’s alienation from the experience and the industry executives increased, as well as her feelings of inadequacy in not being a rock star (note: if someone asks you are you a god, you say yes!). Leaving you with the question did her music career falter because her label lost interest or because of her attitude? Although, one is left with the feeling by the coda is that Trynin was able to exercise an option no male in her place would be able to.

While the tale told in “Everything I’m Cracked Up to Be: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fairy Tale” is almost twenty years old. The music business probably hasn’t changed that much and would make it a must read for any artist wanting to follow their dreams, you should at least be fore warned of the dragons ahead. Or if you want to read a quirky look at the rock ‘n’ roll scene, or if you were there “Everything I’m Cracked Up to Be: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fairy Tale” is the book for you.

[Sue Bridehead (A Pseudonym) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gun Shy Trigger Happy is one of my favorite albums, and let's face it, "Better Than Nothing" is a friggin' fantastic song. But Jen Trynin is a far better song writer than she is a prose writer. Somehow she manages to make the lead character in a memoir -- herself -- largely unlikeable and hard to root for. Everyone around her is treating her like a star, but she keeps finding ways to be miserable. As much as I admire her guitar skills and love love LOVE her songs ("Everything" is one of my all-time favorites), I found myself looking forward to the inevitable fall from grace. This was an okay position to be in as a reader, but a confusing one as a fan.

It was fun to read about her experiences on tour, particularly her self-financed Gun Shy Trigger Happy tour in '97. I happened to see one of those shows, in New Haven. It was great and her trio was super solid. But what I'd forgotten until I read this book was how heavily Trynin flirted between songs with the cute college guys at the bar, picking on them from her position behind the mic. It was a little weird and oversexed. But then that edginess and give-and-take with the audience is her, I guess, or at least part of her rock persona.

Overall, this book is very readable and quick. It was my first rock memoir, and great fun to learn about the inner workings of the music business, from the initial bidding war through the contract all the way to the tour bus and beyond. Also fun to read about Trynin's creative process, though there isn't a tremendous amount of insight into that here. But it's still neat to imagine the moment when the lyric you're destined to sing forever first dawns on the songwriter.

[Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have a whole lot of good to say about this book. I liked learning about how musicians actually make money (or more often don't) once they're signed to a record label. I liked how Aimee Mann flitted through the narrative like some alt-rock wraith, searching for a label to call home & offering pithy statements about bassists with issues and going straight to the studio from the airport. So that's where the star comes from.

I did not like the despicable things Trynin did, like making out with her bassist behind her boyfriend's back even though his erratic behavior "terrified" her. I don't like that she never explicitly told her band members that they were not actually her "band", that the contracts she signed had nothing whatsoever to do with them. I don't like that she told her bassist to go ahead & buy gear and never stressed that it wasn't actually his to keep, even though she'd just learned all about recoupables. Most of all, I don't like that she repeatedly referred to the people who shared her apartment/house/nursing home-wherever she lived as retards. I hate that word. It was so important to get that point across, apparently, since she mentioned it three or four times, but I have no idea why even though I read the damn book and I still don't have any idea what type of place she lived in except there were "tards" there. Whatever.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jen Trynin is a very good writer, but even if she wasn't, she has the kind of story that's so compelling that there's no way this book could have been boring. In the early '90s, the buzz around her self-released debut album made her the subject of an insane bidding war between record labels. She eventually signs a contract, tries to be a star, engages in a lot of self-destructive behaviors, decides she hates trying to be a star, and gives it all up. The dream of being famous is so ingrained to the American psyche, that's unusual to hear someone say they tried it and just didn't like it.

Tryin also has an deep level insight into the way the music industry works, and she's pretty brutal in the telling. The bidding war itself is fascinating and sleazy, as people use any and all techniques to seduce Trynin to their labels, including flattery, coddling, vague threats, and actual seduction. She must have kept a journal during this time, because her vivid descriptions and realistic dialogue are so good, they sound like they were written only days after this stuff happened. She also gives a great breakdown of how the money works, which will make you wonder how anyone ever makes any.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, I wanted to edit it, and was annoyed by several elements in the storytelling, but on the other hand, I tore through it and always wanted more, even though I knew exactly what was going to happen (I lived through the 90s). I loved "Better Than Nothing" when it came out, and I came of age in the era of fAlanis Morisette, so I loved reading this first-hand account Trynin's experience in the rock world during this particular pop culture moment. There was way too much repetition in the sections during the big bidding war with the record companies that could have been edited down and condensed, but if you are a rock nerd like me who was paying attention during the emergence of the "Lilith Fair" era, you will probably enjoy it at least somewhat.

[Aynge · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting story about the rise and fall of a singer/musician. I wish I could rate it higher, but the author is kind of an ahole so I really wasn't rooting for her. I did listen to some of her tracks and I do like one of her songs, but I don't remember her from back in the 90's, when most of this story takes place. Paints an ugly picture of the music industry, but I'm sure it's much different today, what with the rise of the internet.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love rock music, so I couldn't help but be hooked by the idea of a book that described someones roller coaster ride on the pop music machine. One day it's "you're the greatest", the next it's "who the heck are you". In her telling it's somewhat repetitive, but Trynin keeps her perspective and sense of humour throughout.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens to one hit wonders? Well, they are people who go on to live normal lives for the most part. A well written story of what happens when it suddenly stops happening.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having listened to and appreciated Jen back in the 90s, it was a fun trip down memory lane. I always wondered why she never took off, but always marked it up to just not enough folks who appreciate bands on the edge of pop. It appears there is much more to it than that, especially in times when artists had to rely on labels getting them out there. I wonder in today's climate of bedroom production and Youtube instant global availability if she would have taken off. (That access to the globe also brings much more competition for people's ears)

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice Try- but Trynin comes off as a big loser idiot who had no business getting caught up in a mid 90's major label bidding war. Like her music, the writing wasn't very good and story never held my attention.
Check out Jewel's book - Never Broken if you want to read a deserving book on a 90's chick singer.

[marmix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, nostalgic read of one woman's experience going "major". There were some references to outdated language that made me cringe, but it was written almost 20 years ago describing a time 10 years before that. Lots of things from the 90's make me cringe now, but I loved this honest portrayal of trying to make it in the music business while staying true to yourself.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, some insight into the music business and a trip back to the mid 90’s. So good!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a year in the life of a woman who was picked by record companies to be a star and didn't have it work out. What a grind it is to play music on the road.

[Adam Lippman · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite musician bios

[Amy Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, heart-breaking, honest, relatable. Best memoir I’ve read in a long time.

[Charlene Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because the 90s are my dark period in music, discovering this book was a bit like making an archeological find -- the way I feel when I watch Buffy reruns or when I discovered the Pixies (how did I miss all this??) Exceptionally well written, the book reveals a crazy path, supports some of my ideas about DIY marketing, industry types and bass players, and ultimately shows Trynin to be probably more self-aware than about everyone else she writes about. Trynin is appropriately self-effacing and charming.

[Pris robichaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Ass Kicked by Sleazettes, 26 Feb 2006


4.75 stars
"I think that the part about getting up in front of people and playing my own thing - in great part, it was always uncomfortable. And I think that really came across sometimes in my shows and my presentation of myself, because, you know, when I started doing this a million years ago when I was a kid, I honestly never pictured myself being a performer. I always thought I would be a songwriter, and I would give my music to people. And somewhere along the way, I don't know what happened, but I kind of started playing in front of people, and it went pretty well. You know, I'm really not that great a singer, so I think that was always kind of a problem for people.", so says Jen Trynin, recently in response to an interview.

Jen Trynin, a Boston native, had been playing in the Boston music scene for seven years. She had changed her style to match that of the "up and comers" that she was seeing and hearing at her various gigs. Nothing was working; she was still playing at 2am when everyone was movin' on home. She finally decided that drastic measures needed to take place when another female musician, Tracy Bonham made the break. She started writing to a different beat and used simpler lyrics. Her new electric guitar grunge style, her tight pants, ugly shirts and white leather coat caught on. Her self-produced CD "Cockamamie" had all the major labels vying for her. Lawyers, managers, booking agents, the sleaze and sleaxettes wanted her for their own. Millions of dollars spoken.
"Rolling Stone" had their best photograph her. Interviews in "Billboard" made her one of them. And, then, just as suddenly her record didn't fly, and she was on the dizzying spiral downward.

Jen Trynin, stopped eating, smoked furiously, slept with one of her band mates and drank like a drunken sailor. Her lawyer, manager and agent became scarce as her popularity fell. . She continued to play the rock-star as long as she could, and then Jen realized that her career as a singer wasn't what she wanted. She loved writing and that was her forte, but she gave it up. Crash, burn... Her steady boyfriend was there for her, marriage and a child followed. She still rocks, when se feels like it she says in her bio. She is part of a group and gets to go out at night and play the music she loves.

Jen Trynin, wished upon a star. Her wish was granted and then her star disappeared as quickly as it had been granted. Jen Trynin's book is filled with humour, and the ridiculous and following her down the emerald lined road was. as much fun for me as it apparently was for her. She wrote grand songs, and her writing ability has flavored this book with wit and heart. This is beautifully written and highly recommended.

[SHAMALAA DAYVI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice story

[Ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

man, was this book ever a total letdown. it caught my eye on the bookstores "new arrivals" shelf because, you know, i have a weakness for books about rock stars & stuff, even though i know from 29 years of experience reading these books that they ALWAYS suck, they're NEVER good, they are ALWAYS wildly disappointing. but for once, the logical part of my brain whirred into action & said, "ciara, books about rock stars always suck. & this is a book about a woman who TRIED to be a rock star & didn't quite make it. it's about a failed wannabe rock star. it won't even have the benefit of, like, being about music that you actually listened to at some questionable point in your life." so i passed it by. but then, there it was again, on the staff recommendations shelf. "oh, it's so good. you should totes read it," said the recommendation (except in more detail). "would the staff of the harvard bookstore lie to me?" i asked myself. so i bought it. i figured that even if it was pretty lightweight, it would be a nice time killer during the long, boring shifts i was pulling at the zine library at the time. but it couldn't even do that right! somehow, it managed to be both lightweight & interminably boring. & then i found out that since jennifer trynin's attempts to be a rock star didn't work out, she has movedon to teaching adult education courses in creative non-fiction. surely the staff member at the harvard bookstore took her class & turned in a recommendation for this crummy book as a result. man! i was totally tricked by really transparent machinations. never again! now i take the staff recommendations with a serious grain of salt. now if a book catches my eye & it's also recommended by the staff, i almost certainly won't buy it, because it's sure to be a bunch of hipster-tinged bilge. harvard bookstore is a great bookstore, but their employees have questionable taste.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jen Trynin's well-written memoir reads like a novel and offers a unique perspective on the music business. I have read the bestsellers about the wild ride of rock stars, and the DIY books about struggling, starving musicians, but you rarely hear from the would-be stars who never quite make it.
Trynin was courted by major labels and given the rock star treatment until ... she wasn't. Her career and promising future just fizzled when she just didn't sell enough records.
It's tempting to assume that major labels just manipulate the charts and push their favored artists until they sell plenty of records. But it doesn't always work out that way, even for the big guns. Trynin tells us candidly about her contracts and the inner workings of her record deal, but doesn't really dish dirt on the famous record executives, managers and lawyers who populate the book. She accepts responsibility at least as much as she issues blame for her failure to have a major hit.
Even if you have forgotten Trynin's music (and her point is kind of that everyone has) or don't like it, her book is worth a read for a fresh look at an insane industry.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A time trip back to 1994, circa Nirvana. Long before American Idol, X Factor, and the Voice, singers had to make it on their own. Jen Trynin had the attention of the record execs and was poised to be the next big thing in music until overnight no one would touch her with a ten foot pole. The story itself is interesting but Jen herself is not a very likable person. She cheats on her boyfriend with her bass player, is not very kind to her fans, and when things go down the drain her band is dumped without a second thought. Reading the story twenty years in the future from when it happened is actually quite amusing at times like how Jen is repeatedly confused with some new girl singer Alanis Morissette. Neil Gaiman's muse Aimee Mann also features into the story. For the sake of her child I hope Jen has matured since her failed music career. The story could have been trimmed of about 100 pages of Jen's self absorbed musings but in the end it is a good cautionary tale about how to be gracious when you are top of the world because you never know when you will be back on the bottom.

[Kaitlyn Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny. Sharp. Restless.

Trynin's the kind of girl that would drive you crazy but keep you entertained forever. She has a manic energy that comes through in her writing and story telling. The book is nicely written as a description of what it’s like to be yourself and not be yourself all at the same time and to consistently feel like you’re in the wrong place but not be able to figure out why since it really seems that this is exactly where you should be.

It's interesting to contemplate how “hitting it big” is unpredictable. Someone can have all the proper elements of a “hit song” and yet it won’t catch fire. (i.e. Jen Trynin)

Conversely, someone can be at the right place at the right time and be huge and it won’t be all about them (i.e. Rolling Stones). In each case the person in question has done all the work necessary but one makes it and the other doesn’t and you never know how those dice will roll.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always wondered what happened to Jen Trynin and was thrilled to read her memoir. I knew that she was a talented musician but what a wonderful surprise to discover that she is also an accomplished writer. The book tells the story of her wild ride from the folk guitar scene to her signing with Warner Brothers and life on the road.

She wrote the book in a first person, present tense narrative that made me feel like I was right there with her. The book captured the mood and characters of the rock and roll world and Jen has a delightful sense of humor. I actually laughed out loud at several points. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Jen and her bass player. She describes settings beautifully, captures the mood of the time and writes some pretty darn good dialogue. I fell in love with Jen through this book and wish she would write another--any kind of book. How about a stab at fiction, Jen?

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Jen Trynin's music back when I was in college, and was excited to read this account of her up and (sadly) very much down music biz experience. And yet the book is not a downer--it's an emotional, realistic portrait of what a normal person would go through in the face of rocketing stardom that feels like catharsis for the author. Throughout, Trynin comes across as intelligent, honest, self-aware, and, above all, real. She does an exemplary job of creating engaging characters and, although the book can linger on the same type of scenes for a while, you always feel like the narrative is taking you forward. Plus, it gives a great portrait of Boston and the city's music scene (anyone know where the Frontload used to be?). I don't usually go for nonfiction, least of all memoirs, but I couldn't put this book down.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might remember Jen(nifer) Trynin from her semi-hit song "Better Than Nothing" in the mid-90s ("Maybe we could talk in the shower, I bet we'd be gone in an hour...[chorus:] I'm feelin' gooooood, I'm feelin' goooood, I'm feelin' goooooood right now") This book is about her beginnings as an open mic veteran in the Boston music scene who got noticed and then became the object of the largest bidding war in history for her first--and ultimately, only--major label contract. It was fascinating to learn all the ins and outs of both getting and signing a record contract, and also the mechanics of payment (or lack thereof.) At the same time, it was sad to realize how getting discovered doesn't always (or even usually) mean longterm success.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

It's been over a decade since Jen Trynin's first album hit the shelves__and maybe time, as well as getting her story down on paper__has healed some wounds. For all the ups and downs of her flirtation with stardom, she shows neither bitterness nor excessive self-regard. In direct, insightful prose she weaves a tale of manipulation, betrayal, and the power of fame's allure. Critics are as charmed by her debut book as they were with her first album. Let's hope, for Trynin's sake, that acclaim isn't a bad omen.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.