"The life we end up with should ideally be far less interesting than the one that got us there . . . The prospect of having a rich and eventful life right now seems exhausting."

What led me to request an arc for a memoir by a poet I've never heard of, I don't know. I just had a feeling it would be worth the read, and it was, mostly. I enjoy memoirs by those close to my own age, as reading about someone else's similar experiences is almost like reminiscing with an old pal. Though Paterson grew up in Scotland, we still have plenty in common, and I really enjoyed the first part of his story as he described his childhood filled with religion, origami, and The Osmonds. I lost interest in the later parts of the book, as the author (who is also a jazz musician) delves quite heavily into music. I love listening to it, but reading about it? Not so much.

*nonfiction - not rating*

𝘼𝙣 𝙪𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜-𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝘿𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 1970𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 1980𝙨.

This is my third memoir of the year, normally I don’t pick them up… but I do want to start mixing some in between my fictional reads. I honestly picked this one up without knowing much, I just liked the cover.

Don Paterson was born in Scotland in 1963, this book talks about his boyhood and the struggles he had to become the poet, writer, and musician he is now.

The book itself is beautifully written and enjoyable. It does talk about poverty and music, there were also some funny moments in between to lighten up the mood. I wasn’t too familiar with Don Paterson beforehand, but I’m so glad I ended up requesting this on NetGalley.

There was an emotional aspect of his life with his father and the connection to music.

While there were some serious topics discussed, this memoir had me laughing and emotional at times. It was beautifully written, and I’m so glad I was able to experience a bit of Paterson’s life through this memoir.

Thank you so much NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the review eARC in exchange for my honest review!