Gretchen Cherington

Gretchen, as a little child, watches her father struggle with his career. As his career developed and he began winning awards and selling more books, he became more absent. More trips, lectures and less time at home as she was growing up, made a profound impact on her life. Then…several events compounded her relationship with her father.

I enjoy memoirs and this one is a favorite. I will be honest. I had never heard of Richard Eberhart (GASP!). Well, I might have studied him in college…but I swear I don’t remember. So, this story had me researching and studying his poems. I love learning new things and this one had me on the hunt, even if Eberhart is an unlikable human being. You must read this story to find out why!

Need a unique memoir…this one is it! It is powerful and very well written. It will have you struggling to

Grab it today!

I received a copy from the publisher for a honest review.… (meer)

Poetic License by Gretchen Cherington is a powerful and surprisingly positive biography/memoir. I don't know that I will be able to do the book justice in explaining my feelings but I will do my best.

While who Cherington's father is plays a large part in why many readers will want to read this, understand that this is her story, not his. His life plays an even larger role in the story of her life than many other father's would, it isn't as a telling of his life that it is covered but rather to give us some idea of how Cherington came to understand his actions. But Richard Eberhart is a supporting character, not the main one. Keep that in the front of your mind here.

I think the tendency in some if not most books dealing with familial abuse is to paint the abuser in the worst light possible. Here it is more a case of using as much light as possible to illuminate the entire person (as compared to either just the abuser or just the adored public figure) and letting the reader decide if that presents an entirely negative image or a more nuanced picture of a terribly flawed person. I don't know if I would have been as even-handed in my presentation if I had been in her shoes.

Some who mainly read this because of the celebrated may lose interest when Cherington moves on with her life. That is a shame because the fact is Eberhart never leaves the story just as formative events never leave any person's life. The strength and real message of the book comes in the part of the book such a reader seems to gloss. How does one make sense of what is hard to understand? How does one not become bitter or completely distrusting of all men? And how does one reconcile the bad with the good within the very person such accounting should never have to be done? It is how Cherington lives her life and comes to understand what happened, as well as understand the perpetrator, where this book offers both ideas and support for those who may be grappling with similar internal battles.

The writing itself is wonderful. While we never completely lose sight of those childhood events that created internal doubt and conflict she also lets us see that her life is a lot more than just a response to those events. Humor, happiness, sadness, and of course conflict are all part of Cherington's life, often amplified because of the past, but always hers to own and turn to whatever end she believes best. And she is a very accomplished woman.

I highly recommend this for readers of biographies in general as well as those who might want a voice to help them know they are not alone. This is certainly no self-help book but it does, by showing how Cherington helped herself, shows that there are avenues for self-help even if they are different for each person.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)