- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (16 Jan 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747579326
- ISBN-13: 978-0747579328
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 410,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'The pages of this memoir are lit with movingly vivid recollections of friendship and adventure and fierce childhood games, but although there is plenty to enthuse about, the book's real magic lies in its understatedness. Original and memorable' Mail on Sunday 'Reads like a novel ... You may find yourself sitting very quietly, mulling over the marvels of this truly wonderful book' Anne Tyler 'Her description of the feral Diana is one of the best child portraits I've read in its balance of innocence and corruption, play and manipulation ... This book is hot; it beats with the authentic pulse of childhood ... With verve and tenderness, she takes us there' Daily Telegraph 'So extraordinary, you wonder how she can have held it in reserve ... Shaine Cunningham magics sparkling, sweet-natured comedy in a book that is as rich and multi-textured as fiction' Marie Claire
Sunday Telegraph
‘A magical memoir’
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Laura Cunningham's book starting with her early life with her mother is so infused with symbiotic love it will take your breath away. When her mother dies, she is only 8 years old with no visible support system and no father. Her two bachelor uncles, true eccentrics, take on her care lovingly if not clumsily. They are intelligent and gentle, not of this world. Their way of looking at people and life with break your heart. I could not put the book down and finished it within hours. I laughed out loud at her ability to tell her story, and yet often was so moved by her heartache I had tears in my eyes. I am now looking for everything that Laura Cunnhingham has written and have become a big fan. Do not miss this one!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
why is Laura Cunningham not well known? This memoir reads like novel, and it's funny, knowing, honest and touching. Laura, or "Lily", lives with her young mother in the Bronx. All she knows of her father is that he's fighting in the war, even though it takes a while for her to realize that WWII is long over. Her mother is vastly relived when the Korean War begins so her story makes sense once more. When her mom dies young, Lily lives with her two eccentric uncles and her addled Russian grandmother. Their oddball family is hilarious, and begs the question of what really makes up a family.
I can picture this as a terrific movie and wonder why no one has discovered it yet. Do yourself a favor and seek out this loving tribute. My sister-in-law lent it to me after a friend lent it to her. It's one of those pass-around novels.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can honestly say this is the best (and the best-written) memoir I've ever read, and I must have read thousands. It is killingly funny, sad, and filled with wonderful observations of a New Yorker's funny-sad childhood, raised by her two eccentric uncles, and (late on the scene) her even more eccentric (or was she senile?) grandmother. There is not one word out of place. It is sensitive and poetic. It puts you right there, in 1950s, 60s, New York, in the mind, heart and life of a clever little girl. I loved every word and hated for it to end. You must read this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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Published on 26 April 2009 by Avid Reader
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This is a gentle and profound story of grief and loving responses to it from within an extended family. Read more
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SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS is an utterly irresistible and engaging memoir by Laura Shaine Cunningham, which describes her life growing up in the Bronx between the ages of 5 and 16. Read more
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A very funny book told from a child's view
I read this book over 10 years ago and it's great to see it still in print. It's the story of a young girl who goes to live with her two wacky uncles. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 1999
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