Linda Katherine Cutting's memoir of family and music movingly portrays the trauma and recovery of a woman whose childhood was betrayed by those who were supposed to protect her. In exquisite prose she illuminates the inner life of a child for whom the gift of music was the only refuge, a refuge that protected her as long as it could. For when Linda began to remember what her father had done to her and her brothers -- both eventual suicides -- she stopped being able to remember Beethoven's notes.
Linda Cutting's writing bears witness to what had occurred. Her stunning "Hers" column, originally printed in the "New York Times Sunday Magazine" in October 1993, was clipped and carried in wallets and pocketbooks and reprinted around the world. Now, her memoir "Memory Slips," will not only reach out and give voice to victims of abuse but also move anyone who cares about the power of writing, the beauty of music and the innocence of children. "In her writing, Linda Cutting displays the same grace, thoughtfulness and talent that she's always brought to her music-making. With courageous candor, Linda has shone light into the darker corners of her own compelling life, and we, the readers, are richer for it." --John Williams, Academy Award-winningcomposer and conductor laureate, The Boston Pops Orchestra "This is a mesmerizing story about the loss of music and innocence and -- very nearly -- the self; and the subsequent recovery of all those things. It is testimony to the power of Linda Cutting's writing that the same book that tears at your heart can, in the end, make it rise up with gladness." --Elizabeth Berg, author of "Talk Before Sleep," "Range of Motion" and "The Pull of the Moon" "It is testimony to the power of Linda Cutting's writing that the same book can tear at your heart can, in the end, make it rise up in gladness. Thank God this rare individual had the strength and courage to survive--and to tell her story."--Elizabeth Berg, author of "Talk Before Sleep," "Range of Motion," and "The Pull of the Moon"
"What survivors want is to go beyond their trauma into healing. Linda Cutting's understated reserve and the dignity in the way she tells her story is very special. This is a subject that's been sensationalized, but this wonderful book is not about an issue--it's a human story. I stayed up all night reading it and couldn't put it down."--Ellen Bass, coauthor of "The Courage to Heal"
"A remarkable survival story. The language's lyrical beauty lifts it above other memoirs of abuse." "--Library Journal"
"Intense and perceptive, it should satisfy a large, serious readership." "--A. L. A. Booklist"
"Will lend great strength to other sufferers whose memories have met with such willful disbelief, for she has built a persuasive indictment with this dignified, eloquent book."--Margaret Moorman, "New York Times Book Review"
