Fiction Ruined My Family
A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Jeanne Darst
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By:
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Jeanne Darst
About this listen
Introducing a deeply funny, charismatic new voice: an entertaining memoir of a family haunted by its own myths and its obsessive idolization of the literary life.
Jeanne Darst was born the youngest of four daughters in an old, celebrated family long past its glory days. For the early part of her life, the family survived on the memory of past generations' grandeur and the romantic belief that Darst's father would restore that greatness with his destined career as a novelist. Within a few years, however, it was abundantly clear to everyone but him that despite the many years enslaved to the writer's craft and lifestyle, he was never going to sell a book. By the time of Darst's adolescence, the family was broke, and her mother was consoling herself with nightly booze-fueled weepathons, while her father was still too possessed by the dream to get a job.
Later, Darst realizes she has inherited both the gene for alcoholism and the gene for wanting to write, and she isn't sure which is more devastating. Does her need to write, to tell stories, mean that she's doomed to repeat the mistakes of her father, or can she find a way to move beyond her family's curse, and not have fiction ruin her life?
Now sober and a productive writer, Darst looks back on all those years with warmth, affection, and a moving degree of understanding - as well as wicked, deadpan humor.
©2011 Jeanne Darst (P)2011 PenguinListeners also enjoyed...
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Fairyland
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- By: Alysia Abbott
- Narrated by: Alysia Abbott
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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A beautiful, vibrant memoir about growing up motherless in 1970s and 80s San Francisco with an openly gay father. After his wife dies in a car accident, bisexual writer and activist Steve Abbott moves with his two-year-old daughter to San Francisco. There they discover a city in the midst of revolution, bustling with gay men in search of liberation - few of whom are raising a child. Steve throws himself into San Francisco's vibrant cultural scene.
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Great representation of the time
- By AvidReader22 on 06-07-19
By: Alysia Abbott
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Disgruntled
- By: Asali Solomon
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Kenya Curtis is only eight years old, but she knows that she's different, even if she can't put her finger on how or why. It's not because she's black - most of the other students in the fourth-grade class at her West Philadelphia elementary school are, too. Maybe it's because she calls her father - a housepainter-slash-philosopher - "Baba" or because her parents' friends gather to pour out libations "from the Creator, for the Martyrs" and discuss "the community".
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Loved It!!!
- By ayodele higgs on 05-20-15
By: Asali Solomon
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My Inappropriate Life
- Some Material Not Suitable for Small Children, Nuns, or Mature Adults
- By: Heather McDonald
- Narrated by: Heather McDonald
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In her hilarious New York Times best seller You’ll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again, Heather McDonald recounted her adventures as an unwilling virgin in Hollywood. Now happily married with three wonderful kids, she shows that life as a grown-up - even a pretend grown-up - has its challenges. Heather’s a working mom with parents who live next door, a sister who keeps asking for one of her still-fertile eggs, and friends who are up to more hijinks than even Heather can handle.
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Irritating
- By TrishS on 04-23-13
By: Heather McDonald
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God-Shaped Hole
- A Novel
- By: Tiffanie DeBartolo
- Narrated by: Rachael Warren
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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When Beatrice Trixie Jordan replies to a personal ad, she meets Jacob Grace, a charming, effervescent 30-something free-spirit writer passionately seeking life. He possesses his own turns of phrase and ways of thinking and feeling that dissonantly harmonize with Trixie's off-center vision. As they rollercoaster through the joys and furies of their wrenching romance, they try to come to terms with the hurt brought about by both of their distant fathers who, in different ways, forsook them.
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To see a fortune teller or not to see one...
- By Renee on 08-08-18
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I Like You Just the Way I Am
- Stories About Me and Some Other People
- By: Jenny Mollen
- Narrated by: Jenny Mollen
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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Jenny Mollen is an actress and writer living in Los Angeles. She is also a wife, married to a famous guy (which is annoying only because he gets free shit and she doesn't). She doesn't want much from life. Just to be loved - by everybody: her parents, her dogs, her ex-boyfriends, her ex-boyfriends' dogs, her husband, her husband's ex-girlfriends, her husband's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriends, etc.
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Hmm...Why am I listening to a bio of Jenny Mollen?
- By Elisabeth W. on 09-16-15
By: Jenny Mollen
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There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say
- By: Paula Poundstone
- Narrated by: Paula Poundstone
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
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What do the lives of Lincoln, Helen Keller, Joan of Arc, and other historical figures have in common with Paula Poundstone? In the hands of this wryly observant and self-deprecating comedian, the answer is outrageously funny and unexpectedly touching. Poundstone compares her crazy life to theirs, as she holds forth on her children, her career, and the time in her life when it appeared she would lose them both.
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More!
- By Evelyn on 02-11-07
By: Paula Poundstone
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I'm the One That I Want
- By: Margaret Cho
- Narrated by: Margaret Cho
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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I'm the One That I Want, based on her show of the same name, is filled with dead-on insights about the experience of being a woman with attitude, of flowing with the highs and lows of life, and of creating one's own identity and acceptance. It is every bit as hilarious, shocking, and irreverent as she is.
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Hilarious and deeply engrossing
- By Ling on 04-10-03
By: Margaret Cho
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30 Before 30
- How I Made a Mess of 20s, and You Can Too
- By: Marina Shifrin
- Narrated by: Marina Shifrin
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Something was nagging Marina Shifrin. As a freshly minted adult with student loan payments and a “real” job she hated that paid her enough to get by if she also worked two other jobs, something needed to change. Marina and her friend each made lists of 30 things they’d do before the age of 30. The first thing on Marina’s list was, “Quit My Shitty Job”. So she did, and just like that the List powered her through her twenties. Told with humor and heart, 30 Before 30 will entertain, motivate, and challenge listeners to get out of their comfort zones and live their best lives.
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Inspiring read
- By Chris Gledhill on 12-18-18
By: Marina Shifrin
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Small Admissions
- A Novel
- By: Amy Poeppel
- Narrated by: Carly Robins
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite her innate ambition and summa cum laude smarts, Kate Pearson has turned into a major slacker. After being dumped by her handsome French "almost fiancé", she abandons her grad school plans and spends her days lolling on the couch, leaving her apartment only when a dog-walking gig demands it. Her friends don't know what to do other than pass tissues and hope for a comeback while her practical sister, Angela, pushes every remedy she can think of, from trapeze class to therapy to job interviews.
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For fans of "Where'd You Go, Bernadette ?"
- By RueRue on 01-16-17
By: Amy Poeppel
What listeners say about Fiction Ruined My Family
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Michael Dillon
- 05-21-12
Sorry the book ended.
Where does Fiction Ruined My Family rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the best books I've listened to. Loved her voice, her insight and use of language.
What did you like best about this story?
Funny funny funny
What about Jeanne Darst’s performance did you like?
Loved her parents' voices.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I'm listening to it again.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Cassie
- 04-23-15
Amazing!!
Joanne Darst is my new favourite author. Absolutely brilliant!
Cannot recommend this book enough. Hilarious, poignantly sad, moving, thought provoking.
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- Tjane262
- 11-22-21
Rediscovered this gem
One of my favorite repeat listens! She is also the perfect narrator for the story.
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- Kat
- 07-23-14
Not life changing but a good read.
If you could sum up Fiction Ruined My Family in three words, what would they be?
It wasn't life changing, but I don't think that the author intended it to be a great work of nonfiction. It's just her families story. It was very entertaining and really hilarious. A good encouraging read for any artist young or old alike.
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- Dawn E. Sanders
- 01-18-13
Best Audiobook I've Heard in Awhile
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
YES. It's good and super funny.
What other book might you compare Fiction Ruined My Family to and why?
Any humorous memoir about dysfunctional/weird families, such as "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" (Jenny Lawson), "The Liars' Club" (Mary Karr), or "Running With Scissors" (Augusten Burroughs).
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed until I cried.
Any additional comments?
I tell everyone they need to read this book immediately.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Eric
- 01-03-12
Darst Family Dysfunction on Display
Would you consider the audio edition of Fiction Ruined My Family to be better than the print version?
Haven't read the print version, but loved hearing the author's voice.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Liked hearing about the interactions between her and her sisters & the humor. The chapter about crabs was hilarious. The childhood parts were kind of dull; not sure why. Sometimes she is too profane. Profanity is an important narrative tool, but it is ambiguous and overused (in general, not just in Darst's work). As writers, we want to represent truth, and if a direct quote was profane in its inception, we feel compelled to reproduce it verbatim. A more professional (mature?) writer might better serve artistic truth by replacing the bland profanity with more specific words, even if they belie the conversational talents of the original speaker.
Some of Darst's strengths include original and funny descriptive phrases, and fresh observations on common human experiences: the idea that it's possible to struggle desperately to get sober, only to realize that no one cares, or the idea that the seemingly irrelevant historical/literary lectures of pedantic older men (fathers) are their weapons against the heartaches of life. The idea that artistic drive or literary ambition are destructive and dangerous addictions like alcoholism is perhaps not new, but freshly expressed.
It was over too soon. The original and climactic idea of thrusting Joyce or Fitzgerald ahead of one into the void was profound. I wanted a lighter note for the end, funny and more current about Darst, instead of her dad.
What does Jeanne Darst bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She does a wonderful job with the voices of her family, and her timing reading her own funny , original lines was delicious. It's always richer to hear the author's own intonation. It adds a lot to the poetry and interpretation for the listener to hear how the author wants a line to sound. Punctuation can only take the reader so far.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Didn't want to hear it all in one sitting because a.) I wanted to prolong the pleasure and b.) It was little intense and claustrophobic to inhabit her life so vividly for six hours all together. Wanted to get back to my own life between hearings. Heard the whole book over about three or four days while doing chores.
Any additional comments?
Made me feel better about my own weird parents.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jamie
- 12-08-11
Ruined by Fiction, Saved by Humor.
The title alone made me want to read this book, and I was not disappointed. Fiction (and alcohol) ruin a lot of things in this book about Darst's coming-of-age, but her particular brand of humour, her truthfulness, and ultimately her compassion for her parents elevate and illuminate even the saddest parts of the story. A couple of times, the pacing of the narrative seemed off, but Darst is such good company, I didn't really mind. Very well narrated by the author. I was sorry when it ended. Write more, Jeanne!
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2 people found this helpful
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- MB2312
- 10-19-11
Hysterically funny
I found myself repeating chapters because I love the way she tells her story. This book is honest and witty. The author reads the book herself which is sometimes a mistake, but not in this case. She has perfect timing and a gift for mimicry. Loved every minute of it!
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3 people found this helpful
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- AmazonProShopper
- 12-30-21
Hilarious
Hilarious, witty, true new york. Grey Gardens meets HBO Girls. I love the raw honesty that is laughable and used as a coping mechanism. Great quick listen.
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- JJ HUNSECKER
- 02-09-19
F*ck David Sedaris.
He's a punk--this is better. I am utterly charmed by this wonderful book, the beautiful writing, the super-heartedness, the sharpshooter character sketches, the evocative moving portraits of places and times. And no damned Hugh to sweep in and save the day by fixing something at the end.
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