Customer Reviews

Still Woman Enough: A Memoir

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We all loved both the book and the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter." And now Loretta Lynn is back with "Still Woman Enough" to not only finish the story since the original book, but to complete and more accurately detail events from the earlier book. As expected, the vivid stories are told in Loretta's appealing brutal honesty, wit, detail, and charm. The biggest change between the two books is that as time and people have passed, Loretta can provide a different perspective on her life. You will openingly laugh at some of the tales. And you will be greatly sadden by the stories of abuse. We have all seen stories of Loretta in the tabloids for years, but nothing I've read in the tabloids is as shocking as what I found in the book. Several parts of this book must have been very difficult for Loretta to write, and I give her a lot of credit for having the guts to do so. Loretta also writes about several country music legends, personally I enjoyed reading about Conway Twitty and Tammy Wynette. All in all this book is fascinating and very satisfying. And, yes, she is still woman enough.

I happened upon Loretta Lynn's new book by accident and I finished it in ONE DAY! Impossible to put it down. Like "Coal
Miner's Daughter" "Still Woman Enough" is written as if Loretta were sitting having a chat with you telling you all that happened.

Her memoir is revealing and she holds nothing back. And I was
shocked at some of the 'things' she had to go through with her
beloved husband. She says often throughout the book that these are things she couldn't tell while he was still alive....and small wonder.

Loretta Lynn is a remarkable 'just a person' person! If you don't know why Loretta is universally loved, this book will show you why.

This book really makes you feel that Doolittle Lynn, portrayed as such a hero in the Loretta Lynn's first book, and played by Tommy Lee Jones as a saint in the 1980 movie version of the memoir, was really the devil. Oh, she fell in love with him young, she was not quite fourteen years old, and still Loretta Webb, under 14 just like Juliet in ROMEO AND JULIET, but when push came to shovem it was Loretta Lynn who got pushed and shoved sometimes physically and violently. She explains how she was forced to write COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER and put a positive spin on things, by her management and by family pressures, and also she did not see yet how "Doo" and his wayward cheating ways were destroying her family from the top on down. You know how one bad apple can destroy the whole sack? Well in this case it was "Doo."

And yet she continued to stay with him and nurse him through his battles with diabetes, etc, heart problems, until his 1996 death. But at that point, as she says, it was like the sun (instead of going down) appeared from behind dark clouds and she found herself able to see a lot more clearly. Doo drank too much, often with her connivance, and slept around, most humiliatingly with women in her own family, and yet she sucked it all up and stood by her man even when she was actually in danger from him. She admits that theur children were hurt in this one-sided struggle, and yet as she saw it, it was all part of a mysterious game plan God had for her (and for them). However, STILL WOMAN ENOUGH is not all about blaming Doo, it is about good friends, good times, the incandescent electricity of being a country star, and many anecdotes about fame and her fellow musicians. On every count you feel that she has pulled up a kitchen chair and she's telling you things in her low voice, intimate things that make you feel you're the only one in on the know.

Written as one might imagine Ms Lynn in a one on one conversation, this memoir comes across as an honest look at her life, good and bad. Blatantly direct and without apology, this book isn't overly lengthy, nor is it an epiphany. It is, however, a terrific update on a woman who has cried as often as she has laughed, but she is still standing. I am not a country music fan, but I enjoyed this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it very hard to put down. The book is written the way Loretta talks because Loretta wanted it that way. I am glad she did! Loretta talks of friends and family. She speaks of good times and bad times. Loretta also talks about the price of fame. Some may think Loretta leads a glamorous life, but you'll see from this book that it is not always easy to be "The Coal Miner's Daughter". Loretta talks about many struggles she has faced, but her humor can be found in this book as well. In the end, Loretta is shown to be a very courageous and inspiring lady who is indeed "Still Woman Enough"!

Still Woman Enough reveals a side of Loretta Lynn that perhaps no fan has seen before. The book is straight-forward and blunt, and I would expect no less from Loretta who has a reputation for being just that--honest. The stories are heart-wrenching, and there were times when I found myself wiping tears as she told the stories of losing her mother, son, brothers, dear friends, and her beloved husband, Doolittle.

However, the book is by no means a fairytale. Here, Loretta Lynn reveals many of the horrors that accompanied being married to Doolittle Lynn. She tells the stories of harsh treatment toward her and her children while Doolittle lived his own life that often meant skirt-chasing and spending money on outrageous items when his family didn't even have food to eat. There are also stories such as the green bean incident in which Doo throws cans of green beans all over the house in a drunken rage, as well as a story of Doo holding Ernest Ray over a bridge by his ankles. Loretta's story elaborates on the good and bad alike.

Regardless of some of the haunting stories, Loretta also makes sure to point out the good times with Doo, and I must applaud her for remaining faithful to a man who was unfaithful more often than not.

This book illustrates perfectly why Loretta is loved by so many. She's a devoted woman, whether it be to her family, fans, or country music. She's straight-forward and tells her stories with class. I'd recommend this book to anyone.

Based on the fact that she is an absolute living legend, this is the most honest bio I've ever read. Everything is just all laid out on the table, and written in her special conversational vernacular that really brings it to life. Not a happy story, but that's ok - it's real and it teaches us something about life and love and inner strength, no matter who you are.

When Doolittle Lynn was still alive, there was plenty he didn't want Loretta Lynn to say in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER. Here, she tells us just what the book left out and what the movie got wrong, in her own simple, down-home style. The highs and the lows are covered in equal measure and with an unforgettable flair.

Loretta married a hard-drinkin', abusive man, and stayed with him through more nonsense than anyone should ever experience. Ruined awards ceremonies, holidays and tours due to his drinking, his cheating and his outrageous jealousy (heaven forbid that Loretta, who was always faithful but always suspected of not being so, should give the skirt-chaser a taste of his own medicine). Her thoughts as to why she felt the need to remain in the marriage make for compelling reading. Even if I didn't agree with her, at least I was able to understand her motivations.

Also discussed are the sad losses in her life - Patsy Cline, her son Jack Benny, Tammy Wynette, and of course, Doo, whom she forgave in the end, and with whom she had a peaceful final year or two before his passing. At least she has this to remember, and luckily for us, she set it down on paper.

Hats off to the co-writer and editors of this book, who let Loretta's voice shine through. She is a plainspoken woman, who sometimes uses "creative" grammar. Leaving the words just as we know she spoke them only makes the story that much more impressive.

I was given this book and read it because I ran out of books to read. I ended up loving the book and Loretta's insight and ability to see herself and where she came from without criticism of that former person. Anyone would enjoy this book, even if, like me, you aren't a country music fan.

I have the utmost love, respect and admiration for Loretta Lynn, a true country music icon. "Coal Miner's Daughter" is a movie I can watch over and over. But altho I'm fascinated to gain insight into the personal lives of "the rich and famous", I was surprisingly shocked by amount of dysfunction in this country legend's life. (For example, her husband slept with her brother's wife and years later, fooled around with his son's girlfriend!) Much is made of her amazingly inspiring rags to riches story, but at what cost to Loretta? Should we really admire the personal side of her life as she stayed with a abusive, womanizing, alcoholic husband? Loretta freely admits that her marriage had negative affects on all her children. Is this really a lifestyle we'd want for any of the loved ones in our lives? Yet, having raised these issues, I give this book high ratings for its brutal honesty.....altho I found it curious that Loretta never once came right out and stated that she never cheated on her husband, in my opinion, she skirted around that issue (but kudos to her if she was faithful). Parts of the book seemed fuzzy with details but all in all this is a fast, interesting read.