Misadventures [Paperback]

Sylvia Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2001

Part memoir, part comic monologue, this is an ensemble of mishaps and anecdotes that, taken together, reveals the ups and downs of one woman's life. Relentlessly self-deprecating, Sylvia Smith's diary at first seems to relay the humdrum, everydayness of living, yet it steadily gains momentum as a darker undertone gathers force. Interspersed between humorous tales of first-date disasters and "get-rich-quick" schemes gone awry, the reader is thrown off-balance by the loss of sexual innocence and a pervading sense of loneliness. As Sylvia stumbles from one temporary job to another, and through a variety of furnished flats, her deadpan delivery is shot through with moments of sandpaper-dry wit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From single Londoner of a certain age Sylvia Smith comes Misadventures, a compulsively readable series of vignettes that adds up to a comic and touching if rather episodic memoir. The tale of one woman's journey from working-class childhood through a slightly rebellious adolescence all the way to a bemused middle age, this debut work chronicles the author's unrewarding jobs and unfortunate dates, her experiences in grocery stores and the funny things she saw or her friend said with sly wit and a kind of dead pan grace. Each of the anecdotes (many of which are named for the person discussed therein) feature a brief introduction ("John was someone I met at a dance when I was twenty-five Our relationship lasted precisely three dances") and while not all are satisfying, they are so short, so spare, that readers will find themselves unable to not proceed to the next.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A compulsively readable series of vignettes that adds up to a comic and touching if rather episodic memoir."  —Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Canongate UK; 4th edition (November 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841950955
• ISBN-13: 978-1841950952
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,457,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Bitterest Pill, July 23, 2003

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Misadventures (Paperback)

First of all, let's be clear: this is a memoir, not a novel (as some readers seem to think). Basically, a 50-year-old working class London woman has written down around a hundred or so vignettes or episodes from her life. Smith is a totally ordinary woman, living a totally ordinary life as a secretary and temp, and has no great story to tell. What she does have is mostly mundane memories and stories about friends, acquaintances, and people she passes on the street-all told in a flat, unadorned prose. These are presented chronologically, and are mostly around a page in length each.

There are basically two reactions readers might have to this. The first is to be appalled at the simplistic style, stunned at the lack of any compelling story, and bored to tears with the banality of whole effort. One might wonder what the point is of a memoir in which there is no narrative thread to follow and the author's deepest thoughts and emotions are never present. Some will definitely find this a frustrating and annoying read, as it subverts the prevailing trend of edgy memoirs. The second reaction one might have is to appreciate the entire enterprise as a tribute to the everywoman that goes unnoticed and unheralded. One could find a certain profundity in the series of banal episodes, and view it as a valuable document of women's social history. Is there a larger meaning to be found in Smith's portrait of her half-century? Well, it's kind of one of those situations where if you think there is, then there is. I myself found it oddly compelling reading, although rather affected. Ultimately, the book's a mirror, and how one reacts to it may be more interesting than the life it describes.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down, December 7, 2001

By 

Valarie Cumming (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Misadventures (Paperback)

Sylvia Smith, just an everyday woman, writes little occurences and encounters she's had throughout her life, from childhood to her current age, ranging from 3 year romantic relationships, to a shop keeper who asked to take her out for coffee and she declined. So simple you'll wish you had thought of this idea and published it yourself! I literally couldn't put it down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An utterly amazing book, March 6, 2003

By 

Susang (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Misadventures (Paperback)

This book is the equivalent of an indie movie. It may appear dull and unglamourous on the surface, but looked at as a whole, it is a profound portrait of a woman's life. It's simplicity is what makes it so compelling

Smith's vignettes are so everyday and mundane that you are forced to look for a larger meaning. Her stories are all of our stories. And any life is interesting when examined this closely.