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Breezy and candid, intimate and expansive, this memoir, by non-fiction writer Susan Orlean, refuses to be typecast. The author, an expert in the art of a quirky sort of storytelling, featuring uniquely interesting real-life characters, places or topics, each of which is are not quite what you’re expecting, will surely both entertain and inform you.

The author is known for her exhaustive research, appetite for learning, no-holds-barred attitude, and engaging, folksy writing and style, — the combination of which allows her to leapfrog into the worlds of her characters, getting inside their heads and bringing the reader along for the ride.

In this memoir, the author turns her pen inward, while keeping to the same formula. So much so that, as subject to her own story, she does first invite a friend to interview her, letting readers in on her own very personal warm-up period, as she learns to inhabit her own “self” as one of her characters.

A joyful read follows, with plenty of interesting meanders into the author’s personal life and loves. Most interesting of all is the content devoted to simply sharing her craft, the background to her successful career, and the backstories to the multitude of stories that made it to print in book or magazine, tv or even the big screen.

An all-together fascinating look at the life of an author, the ups and downs of her personal life, and the drive, energy, passion and professionalism underlying each of her forays into a new literary project.

I loved this book and found its chatty, sweeping coverage tells its tale with just the right levels of both revelation and restraint. The author emerges a little crushed around the edges (she is human too, and not afraid to share it all) and so approachable and genuine that her story cannot help but shine.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.