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PorshaJo's Reviews > Educated
Educated
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This one first came to my attention via a GR review. I thought wow, I need to read this now. The wonderful Traveling Sisters group set it up as a slow read and I was in. Grabbed a copy from NetGalley and was ready to go. BUT.....and a big BUT......I didn't like this one, I had to force myself to finish. Had it not been for the group read, I'm sure I would have DNF'd this one.
So I'm probably in the minority in not liking this one. It was more of a 'having a hard time believing the story' kinda thing. Tara details her life growing up in the mountains. She paints a picture of this wild child who doesn't bathe, or wash her hands after using the toilet (her grandmother had a fit about this), is quite ignorant, but yet...she self teaches herself to get into a prestigious college. She talks about her childhood and her parents seems so bad - no schooling, must work and earn money, her father seems to be a religious zealot who harbors a fear of the govt, her mother creates tinctures that cure people from near death. It just became a bit much and I was having a hard time believing it all. Multiple car accidents, severe burns, head trauma, and all cured with herbs. But then she wants to go to school, so she does...college, gets a PhD. Where did she get the money? They didn't seem to have much money. Yet, being in the 'mountain' rustic home, they had a phone, tv, internet. I dunno, it was just getting to be a bit much for me to believe. She ended up having multiple siblings teach themselves, go to college, and get advanced degrees. Really?
A memoir is defined as an autobiography or a written account of one's memory of certain events. Maybe this is how she remembers everything, maybe it really all happened this way. I really don't know. But it all just did not add up for me. I had so many questions about everything. I have a family member who remembers his childhood different from how I remember HIS childhood. So it happens. I'll just say thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the read and this in no way influenced my review.
So I'm probably in the minority in not liking this one. It was more of a 'having a hard time believing the story' kinda thing. Tara details her life growing up in the mountains. She paints a picture of this wild child who doesn't bathe, or wash her hands after using the toilet (her grandmother had a fit about this), is quite ignorant, but yet...she self teaches herself to get into a prestigious college. She talks about her childhood and her parents seems so bad - no schooling, must work and earn money, her father seems to be a religious zealot who harbors a fear of the govt, her mother creates tinctures that cure people from near death. It just became a bit much and I was having a hard time believing it all. Multiple car accidents, severe burns, head trauma, and all cured with herbs. But then she wants to go to school, so she does...college, gets a PhD. Where did she get the money? They didn't seem to have much money. Yet, being in the 'mountain' rustic home, they had a phone, tv, internet. I dunno, it was just getting to be a bit much for me to believe. She ended up having multiple siblings teach themselves, go to college, and get advanced degrees. Really?
A memoir is defined as an autobiography or a written account of one's memory of certain events. Maybe this is how she remembers everything, maybe it really all happened this way. I really don't know. But it all just did not add up for me. I had so many questions about everything. I have a family member who remembers his childhood different from how I remember HIS childhood. So it happens. I'll just say thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the read and this in no way influenced my review.
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Reading Progress
February 21, 2018
–
Started Reading
February 21, 2018
– Shelved
March 2, 2018
– Shelved as:
challengereads
March 2, 2018
– Shelved as:
challengereads-2018
March 2, 2018
– Shelved as:
netgalley
March 2, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 139 (139 new)
message 1:
by
Sara
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 04, 2018 07:13AM
I'm currently reading this, will be waiting for your review, because so far I'm enjoying it.
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Uh oh. This is the second 2-star I have seen on this one this morning.
Looking forward to your thoughts, Jen. I started this one and stopped because I wasn’t thrilled. Not sure if I will finish it. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
There are so many raves on this one that I'm really interested in your two stars! Looking forward to your review.
Sara wrote: "I'm currently reading this, will be waiting for your review, because so far I'm enjoying it."Well, I hope you enjoy it Sara. I'll just say it wasn't for me. I had a hard time believing everything.
Dianne wrote: "Uh oh. This is the second 2-star I have seen on this one this morning."I know many people just love this one Dianne. But it just didn't work for me. I wonder how much was added to the story to make it more 'juicy'.
Jennifer wrote: "Looking forward to your thoughts, Jen. I started this one and stopped because I wasn’t thrilled. Not sure if I will finish it. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you."Looks like it didn't work for you either Jennifer. I just had a hard time believe it all was all so horribly bad and then she turns it all around to earn her PhD. Just didn't believe it all. But it's probably just me as so many people love this one.
Julie wrote: "There are so many raves on this one that I'm really interested in your two stars! Looking forward to your review."Yes, so many people love this one Julie! That's why I was so excited to read it. But it just seemed so over the top and I kept think 'oh come on, really???' Just did not work for me.
Norma wrote: "Wonderful honest review, PorshaJo! 😊"Thanks Norma!
Diane wrote: "Fair n honest review, PorshaJo!"Thanks Diane!
This does sound really over-the-top! Great review!
Julie wrote: "This does sound really over-the-top! Great review!"Yeah, I thought it was Julie! But then again, I'm a very few number of people who felt this way. Many love this one. I just had a hard time believing it all. Thanks too!
Very thoughtful, honest review PorshaJo! I had a completely different take on this one and definitely liked it much better, but I understand where you’re coming from. I like the points you brought up – all valid points – and even though I ultimately found Tara’s story believable, I still respect the difference in opinion. Sorry this one didn’t work out…hope your next read is better! :-)
Terrific review, PorshaJo! I'm sorry this one didn't work for you.
PorshaJo, we felt very differently about this one but I appreciate your thoughts.
There was so many tings that just didn't add up in this book. Your review said everything about how we all felt about this book. Wonderful review of a book that had more questions than any answers.
Wonderful review PorshaJo! Wish it would have worked out better for you. You bring up some very interesting points that I think I would struggle with as well if I read this. Thanks for an honest review! Hope your next book is fantastic! 😊
Great and honest review, Jen. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. I’m not sure if I’m going to finish it.
Sorry it didn’t work for you PorshaJo! Great review!
Thanks for the heads up! I'm not sure when, but I will be reading it. Hope your next is better!
Nice review PorshaJo. I probably won't read this. I wasn't a huge fan of The Glass Castle (I know I am an outlier on that one) and this seems so similar.
Bkwmlee wrote: "Very thoughtful, honest review PorshaJo! I had a completely different take on this one and definitely liked it much better, but I understand where you’re coming from. I like the points you brought ..."Thanks Bkwmlee! I understand how many people love this one and really admire the author. Guess I'm just a skeptic. I'm glad that you really liked this one. And thanks so much for the great comment!
Julie wrote: "Terrific review, PorshaJo! I'm sorry this one didn't work for you."Thanks Julie! Well, not all books work for everyone.
Angela M wrote: "PorshaJo, we felt very differently about this one but I appreciate your thoughts."Thanks Angela! I'm glad that you liked this one. I know many people just love this book.
Marialyce wrote: "There was so many tings that just didn't add up in this book. Your review said everything about how we all felt about this book. Wonderful review of a book that had more questions than any answers."Agreed! It's always good to question things when they just don't make sense. Glad that we all read this together as it seemed we all had the same thoughts on this one.
Lindsay wrote: "Wonderful review PorshaJo! Wish it would have worked out better for you. You bring up some very interesting points that I think I would struggle with as well if I read this. Thanks for an honest re..."Thanks Lindsay! Guess I'm just one that has to question everything. But I'm reading some really great books now and looking forward to an upcoming Sisters read. Hope you are joining that one (Sadness is a White Bird).
Jennifer wrote: "Great and honest review, Jen. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. I’m not sure if I’m going to finish it."Thanks Jennifer! Sorry this one didn't work out for you either. Better luck on our next ones! :-)
Kaceey wrote: "Sorry it didn’t work for you PorshaJo! Great review!"Thanks Kaceey!
Holly wrote: "Thanks for the heads up! I'm not sure when, but I will be reading it. Hope your next is better!"Thanks Holly! Well most people love this one. I hope that you do too when you read it.
Melanie wrote: "Nice review PorshaJo. I probably won't read this. I wasn't a huge fan of The Glass Castle (I know I am an outlier on that one) and this seems so similar."Thanks Melanie! So many people made comparisons of this to The Glass Castle too. I've never read that one but it's the one book I've been told more than others to read. I think I'll skip it. :-) But if they are similar, as many have commented on, perhaps this one will not work for you.
Excellent review, Porshajo! Enjoyed reading this with you.
Mary wrote: "Excellent review, Porshajo! Enjoyed reading this with you."Thanks Mary! Me too - looking forward to our next read!
Great review, PorshaJo! Sorry it didn't work for you, though. Hope whatever you're reading now is terrific!
Excellent review, PorshaJo - very well balanced. I especially appreciated reading about the inability to believe parts of it due to inconsistencies in the story. I would find this very troublesome myself and better I know this before going into it.
I have this one coming up relatively soon, PorshaJo, so I can't really add much of how I felt since I haven't read it yet, but I'm sorry it wasn't a better read for you! Your thoughts on this were very well thought out, so your review is still great, even if the book wasn't great for you!
Larry wrote: "Great review, PorshaJo! Sorry it didn't work for you, though. Hope whatever you're reading now is terrific!"Thanks Larry! Not all books work for everyone. But I'm starting Sadness is a Whitebird and so excited for this one.
Elyse wrote: "PorshaJo -- I fully understand your review. Its not the rating I care about at all -- its what you wrote I appreciate. I appreciate your thoughts.I rated it higher -- but I remember 'clearly' why ..."
Thanks Elyse! Star rating are really difficult to pinpoint. Sometimes with a read I struggle with it. If I absolutely love a book, do I really want to give it a 5. And one I don't like, a 1 star. This one was a perfect example. But what you write is what is important. I know I always read your reviews and what you have to say. And to be totally honest, I prefer GR friends who actually write reviews instead of just giving a star rating. You can get so much detail from what a person says about a book.
On this one, I did see some interviews with Tara WHILE I was reading this one. Initially I had some suspicion around this one and a few on the group read posted links. It didn't add up for me and I really doubted the validity of all the details in book after watching her interviews. But I do think this is a good one for discussion for people too.
Jaline wrote: "Excellent review, PorshaJo - very well balanced. I especially appreciated reading about the inability to believe parts of it due to inconsistencies in the story. I would find this very troublesome ..."Thanks Jaline! I don't want to sway you in any direction on this one. I know so many people just love this one and are so inspired by her and her book. I just immediately had questions. But I'm a person who questions everything. I do hope when you read this one you love it! I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it.
Cheri wrote: "I have this one coming up relatively soon, PorshaJo, so I can't really add much of how I felt since I haven't read it yet, but I'm sorry it wasn't a better read for you! Your thoughts on this were ..."Thanks Cheri! I really wanted to like this one but it all just did not seem as plausible as it should be. Perhaps it all happened this way but I just find it hard to believe. I wish the author well and hope her book does well. I will be interested in your thoughts if you do end up reading this one soon.
PorshaJo, excellent review. You already know I agree with you and you stated the why very well. I enjoyed our discussions!
JanB wrote: "PorshaJo, excellent review. You already know I agree with you and you stated the why very well. I enjoyed our discussions!"Thanks Jan! Yeah, it's funny we all agreed on this one. I too enjoyed our discussions and looking forward to our next sisters read.
I really appreciate your honesty in this review. I have not read it, but I can certainly understand your reservations and why you have them. Thank you for the heartfelt review.
Melissa wrote: "I really appreciate your honesty in this review. I have not read it, but I can certainly understand your reservations and why you have them. Thank you for the heartfelt review."Thanks Melissa! I'm in the minority on this one and most just love it. I hope if you do read it, that you love it too.
Nice review PorshaJo, just goes to show how different our opinions can be, I added this book to my to read list based on the rave reviews it was receiving. Not so sure I want to read it now.
Paul wrote: "Nice review PorshaJo, just goes to show how different our opinions can be, I added this book to my to read list based on the rave reviews it was receiving. Not so sure I want to read it now."Thanks Paul! Well, so many people love this one and are very inspired by the story that is told. I just questioned the accuracy of much of it. I also watched some interviews with the author during reading which made me question it even more. But I'm in the very few who felt this way. There are some wonderful reviews out there that encouraged me to read this initially. If you do read it, I hope you love it!
Sorry it didn't work out but appreciate your honest review!!
Deanna wrote: "Sorry it didn't work out but appreciate your honest review!!"Thanks Deanna! Guess they all can't be 5 stars.
I’m reading the book right now and had the same nagging feeling that some stuff just didn’t add up. Glad to know it wasn’t just me. Enjoyed your review and will finish the book but I’m a born skeptic!
