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Chanel Bonfire
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
11 posts | 11 read | 40 to read
In her stunning memoir, Wendy Lawless tells the often heartbreaking tale of her unconventional upbringing with an unstable alcoholic and suicidal mothera real-life Holly Golightly turned Mommie Dearestand the uncommon sense of resilience that allowed her to rise above it all.Georgann Rea didnt bake cookies or go to PTA meetings; she wore a mink coat and always had a lit Dunhill plugged into her cigarette holder. Shed slept with too many men and a few women, and she didnt like dogs or children. Georgann possessed the icy beauty of a Hitchcock heroine with the cold heart to match.From living at the Dakota in 1960s Manhattan to Londons swinging town houses and beyond, Wendy Lawless and her younger sister navigated day-to-day life as their unstable and fabulously neglectful mother, Georgann, chased her delusions, suffered dramatic breakdowns, and survived suicide attempts. With clear-eyed grace and flashing wit, Lawless portrays the highs and lows of her unhinged upbringingand how she survived her mothers endlessly destructive search for glamour and fulfillmentin a searing memoir that reads like a novel (Anne Korkeakivi, An Unexpected Guest).
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review
britt_brooke
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️ More like Chanel Dumpster Fire. This is a pretty standard narcissistic artist mom memoir. Nothing wrong with that; every story deserves to be told. Lawless‘s mother Georgann was a real piece work. Alcoholic, neglectful, promiscuous, often cruel and violent, and sometimes suicidal. Totally batshit bananas and in no shape to raise children. It was quite a volatile environment for Wendy and younger sister Robin.

emilyhaldi Thank you for this. Just the review I needed to see right now 😂👏🏻👌🏻🙌🏻 5y
britt_brooke @emilyhaldi 🤗😆💚 5y
KarenUK Perfect, succinct review! 👌💕😊 5y
See All 6 Comments
Cinfhen Not sure why I‘ve previously stacked this book 🤷🏼‍♀️but I think I‘ll be unstacking xx great review 5y
britt_brooke @KarenUK Thank you! 💚 5y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Thanks! 💚 It‘s not bad, but didn‘t blow me away either. Narrowly a “pick.” 5y
87 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
LauraBeth
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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I forgot to review this. If you love dysfunctional family memoirs such as:
- The Glass Castle
- The Liars' Club
- Running With Scissors
The writing isn't as good as the above three, but the story is crazy enough that it'll hold your attention (I read it in a day - practically in one sitting).

batsy 🐶 7y
britt_brooke Sounds up my alley. #stacked 7y
Cortg Thanks! I love dysfunctional family memoirs. Makes me feel like my family is almost normal 😂 7y
114 likes4 stack adds3 comments
blurb
My_novel_obsession
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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Wow. Memoir about a truly dysfunctional family and a mother from hell. I can't explain why I liked this book, but it is kind of like driving by a car accident - you can't look away and you're glad it's not you. It might also be that reading about this mother in this book, makes me feel like the best mother in the world 😝

suvata Added to my stack. I love stories about dysfunctional families. Maybe because mine was so normal. Thanks for recommending it. 7y
L_auren One of my favorite memoirs! 7y
51 likes4 stack adds2 comments
blurb
Redwritinghood
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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Today's #bookmail is inspired by @LauraBeth . Shown here with the latest addition to my extensive handbag collection, also acquired today.

LauraBeth That.Is.Beautiful! 7y
Mimi28 Both awesome!! ❤️❤️📚📚😍😍 7y
L_auren Love that book!!! 7y
[DELETED] 3803335244 Very Nice! 7y
50 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
LauraBeth
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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Reading with the kids

PS I don't finish many books in a day but this one will be an exception

Bette Are they surgically linked by a scrappy blue toy? 😂🐶💙🐶 7y
LeahBergen The kids look exhausted. 😆 7y
cathysaid Wow...this sounds good. Some odd part of me enjoys reading about dysfunctional families; I think because such stories make my own family seem slightly less nuts by comparison 😁 (think Southern gothic family tree that branches very little). 😂 7y
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LauraBeth @Bette it does appear that way, doesn't it? 😂 7y
LauraBeth @LeahBergen exhausted from the good life 😀 7y
LauraBeth @cathysaid I'm the same - give me a raging dysfunctional family memoir any day 😀 7y
batsy What @cathysaid 😀 I love reading dysfunctional family stories too and I think it's for that reason 😆 7y
133 likes3 stack adds7 comments
blurb
LauraBeth
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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I don't know what I've just stumbled upon here but...wow

Redwritinghood Sounds interesting! 7y
Jinjer Totally sounds like my cup of tea! Stacked! And hello silly Bitsy! 7y
See All 8 Comments
kspenmoll Bitsy is at it again! 🐶❤️ 7y
LauraBeth @Redwritinghood I loved it! 7y
LauraBeth @MicheleinPhilly this is a major trainwreck 👏👏👏👏 7y
LauraBeth @Jinjer I finished it today - excellent! Bitsy says hi 👋 7y
LauraBeth @kspenmoll silly dog 😊 7y
127 likes10 stack adds8 comments
review
Ajbsimpson
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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Pickpick

Love.

19 likes2 stack adds
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SarahK
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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I've worked with people that have personality disorders and they are horrible to deal with. Wendy Lawless and her sister grew up with a mom who I would say was probably Borderline PD. Her whole life was chaotic and spent trying to handle whatever her mom did. But she made it and wrote a pretty good memoir about it.

26 likes1 stack add
blurb
Jenshootsweddings
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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This was a fave of mine a few years ago, and definitely a good example of a #dysfunctionalfamily -or mother, anyway. Maybe I'll re read this soon. #photoadaynov16

MrBook I like that title! 7y
EvieBee I've been meaning to read this one. Reminds me of one I finished this year via audiobook. So good! 7y
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
welldonebooks
Chanel Bonfire | Wendy Lawless
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Pickpick

4.5/5 stars. A great memoir for fans of Jeanette Walls & Patti Smith

HardcoverHearts You had me at Patti Smith. 8y
6 likes2 stack adds1 comment