Don't I Know You? by Marni Jackson

Don't I Know You? Reviews

• 
  Lolly K Dandeneau

  "I saw myself on the news that night and was shocked by how normal and round-faced I looked. I thought I was working on a different sort of character, the girl with the cheekbones who reads Albert Camus and plays sarabandes at dusk."
  
  (
  https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com...)
  
  Oh how that line takes me back to what it means when you are 'becoming'. I don't care who you are, though most won't admit, we've all tried to project ourselves as something and are deflated when we see we aren't quite there. As 'Miss McEwan' (Rose) takes her "flair for art" and "way with words" to The Doon School of Fine Arts, she is introduced to more than creativity. Filled with longings a young woman coming into bloom can't understand nor name, she falls under the spell of writer John Updike and all the passion that entails.
  My favorite story in the collection is Free Love with Joni Mitchel, because for most of us love isn't free nor communal. The caves are a wonderful atmosphere for this bohemian story, there is something almost spiritual about caves but Rose is lost here. This is love that is expired, a love that should be discarded but for unknowable reasons Rose remains. And even in the face of Nick's indifference and selfish cruelty her thought process is, "They can't make an exile out of me." Sometimes we are rooted with the wrong person and getting nothing good from it. "I just felt foolish, swathed in jealousy like ugly clothes that didn't fit." It does feel that way when situations turn us into someone we aren't. I connected most with Rose in those caves, humiliating herself, neglecting her needs and not leaving when she should have. In meeting Mitchell "I began to feel the expansiveness that comes with the company of a smart, frank woman." If only we all could have a Joni Mitchell of our own- a frank woman, that could spur us into action long overdue. Younger women could navigate the world much better with the wisdom of such women.
  All of these stories are linked and celebrities swim in the pages, is Jimi Hendrix truly dead? Did Dylan's song about the moon and porch have anything to do with "Ro", does Keith Richards dabble in surgery? Leonard Cohen (whom I adore) serving soft-ice -cream from a truck, why not? This was a fun little escape with clever writing. The celebrities are more human than idol, even if some of the stories are out there.
• 
  Eva • All Books Considered

  Review originally posted at
  All Books Considered: 3 STARS
  
  First, this GR description is almost as long as the book -- way, WAY too detailed. But if you read that GR description, you pretty much will know exactly what the book was like. The first chapter was SO good that I was excited to dive into this further. Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't live up to that same magic of the first chapter; however, this was definitely still very interesting and unique. We essentially follow Rose through her life wherein she has unique and quite odd encounters with celebrities in her everyday motions, i.e. Adam Driver comes to shovel her driveway; Taylor Swift is an Apple TV guru/installer; Leonard Cohen owns an ice cream truck; Meryl Streep tries to be her best friend after they meet at a spa, etc. The problem for me was that this did not feel like a cohesive novel. Yes, the novel is ostensibly about Rose but each chapter with various celebrities was its own short story that truly could be read on its own. The stories are told linearly and some hints are dropped as to what has happened in the time since the last chapter but it wasn't enough for me to get a sense of the character of Rose, which is a problem since this book is about her. I found this also to be a bit too voyeuristic for my taste; Rose is basically allowed to live our her own personal fantasies with each celebrity when they seek her out and I just couldn't help but question why and how. The ending also is absurdly abrupt -- I couldn't believe that was the end and had to check my ARC several times to verify.
  
  This one reminded me a bit of
  The Versions of Us but with celebrities (it was a bit like Forrest Gump, too) -- it's hard to know how to recommend this but perhaps if you like short stories and/or want to imagine a life intertwined with random encounters with celebrities. Don't I Know You? comes out tomorrow on September 27, 2016, and you can purchase
  HERE.
  
  

  But the quality that most equipped me for writing, perhaps, was a chronic sense of unease. I felt outside most things, a shy and yearning observer--if not a fly on the wall, then an ant at the picnic. At seventeen I was already the omniscient narrator of my own life, both everywhere and nowhere at once. I also had the remnants of a childhood stutter, and dreaded being called upon in chemistry class in case I had to say the word "carbon" with its unforgiving hard c. My stutter did make me choose my words more carefully though. It fed my writing.
  
  No, the most remarkable thing about me that summer at Doon was the fact that I was full of longings I couldn't name. I thought these longings had to do with art. And in a way, they did; first loves are partly works of fiction.
• 
  Robin Morgan

  I received a hardcopy edition of this book from the author’s publisher, Flatiron Books, through a giveaway they had on GoodReads and the following is my honest opinion.
  
  “Rose McEwan has lived her life out of the spotlight—daughter, wife, mother, ex-wife, journeyman writer trying to make ends meet. But even so, fame has come to her.” So states the description for this debut fiction novel which contains 14 episodic stories in this fictional woman’s life from the age of 16 to 60. At the same time the author tells us in her Author’s Note that they contain some autobiographical elements.
  
  These stories, in part, remind me of the fictional character Walter Mitty who begins to fantasize and daydream the moment he hears something interesting the moment he hears something which triggers he imagination. Rose after encountering the celebrities mentioned in each of these stories; however when she retells each incident she begins to embellish what happens afterwards.
  
  All of these stories are quite plausible but only to a point; these stories attempt to show that even though these individuals might be a celebrity that they’re really ordinary people like you and me given the right circumstances. Rose’s embellishments are fascinating and touching, as well as being quite thought provoking and delightfully fun to read.
  
  The interesting thing is many of us can, given the right opportunity, might do the same thing as Rose has done. I should know because being involved in local politics the way I was I got invited to a birthday party for a local elected representative where I met someone who’s a nationally known political figure, and had a photo taken of the three of us. I didn’t have to say a single word when I would show someone the photo; the photo did the embellishing for me. Honestly, wouldn’t you want to embellish a story about someone who might met who’s well known.
  
  For having given me something I would love to read again if I can find the time, I’m giving Ms. Jackson 5 STARS for this endeavor.
  
  
• 
  Jennifer

  I have mixed feelings about this book. I understand the author's motivation in writing about the ways in which celebrities touch our lives, but at times it felt too unbelievable, too forced. As the story progressed the circumstances in which the celebrities came into the narrator's life got less and less feasible. By the end it almost felt like a different book than the one I started. At the same time, though, I was frequently surprised by the beauty of the writing, and I must admit it was fun to see some of the celebrities I myself would want to encounter, even if just through the author's imagination.
• 
  Joseph Carano

  Won this book in a Goodreads contest. Marni Jackson really impressed me with her writing. She takes a bunch of famous people and put them into the story of her fictional life. This offering was not boring in any sense, just a pleasure to read. This is what fiction should be.
• 
  Danielle Katz

  An interesting idea tor a book as this is a string of short stories all related to a main character who keeps meeting famous or soon to be famous people. It’s quiet and contemplative but not terribly exciting and yet every so often a sentence will seem so poignant as if it holds all the secrets you didn’t know you were seeking.
• 
  Rebecca

  Very rarely I come across a book that inspires such wanderlust in me that I can barely keep from throwing necessities in a bag and rushing out the door, never to be seen again. Inexplicably, Don’t I Know You? was one of those books. It’s not even a book that’s specifically about travelling, though there a few chapters that the character, Rose McEwan, spends abroad. Don’t I Know You? is strange- Rose McEwan is a writer with a number of relationship faux pas under her belt, but the curious thing is how celebrities just seem to show up throughout her life.
  
  The celebrities aren’t specially designed fictional characters; they’re actual celebrities like Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Keith Richards, and Meryl Streep. Of course, they’ve been fictionalized for this story and the encounters certainly aren’t real, or based of anything real. The funny thing is that, for the most part these people just pop into Rose’s life in one interesting way or another, but they’re just so normal. They aren’t being red carpet superstars- Bob Dylan decides to take Rose’s air mattress for a paddle around the lake and becomes a house guest for an unacceptable length of time. Meryl Streep is her spa buddy. You can get the picture.
  
  I liked the format of the book because each chapter was kind of a short story unto itself. The chapters follow the courses of Rose’s life, but we never get bogged down in one period for too long, and her boyfriends, husband, and children remain somewhat distant, like extras in a movie. I’ll be honest, Rose’s life made me really sad because it seemed like love was a failed endeavour for her. She had a moderately successful life, children that seemed distant, and a heck of a lot of stories to tell her friends but the overall tone was melancholy. The setting frequently changed- Canada, to France, to Greece, to perhaps somewhere in the US. The constant change kept me on my toes and never once did I get bored.
  
  Don’t I Know You? was a great change in pace for me and a good little break from tons of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult books. If anyone has recommendations for some good contemporary fiction, I would appreciate your suggestions! I look forward to adding some more things like this to my reading list, just for some novelty (pun not intended). This is definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read before and enjoyed it immensely. Huge thanks to Flatiron Books for sending this to me- it was a great surprise!
  
• 
  Olivia

  "Don't I Know You?" is the story of Rose, told through various significant events during her life, with an assortment of celebrities there to witness them (e.g. Keith Richards performing surgery to remove a potentially cancerous growth, which wound up being a bit terrifying as he was drunk during the procedure). I am not sure I totally understood all the celebrities she meets and why these are the varied time points we are allowed to witness. Is the point that we are all the stars of our own lives? That anyone you meet can have a significant effect on you?
  
  There was a strong undercurrent of affairs, as it seemed that every relationship Rose had involved some form of cheating on her end or theirs. I thought from the description that it might be more comedic, but I found it rather dark and depressing. It seemed that her life, like so many others, is interesting only to herself and went by in the blink of an eye without any ceremony and with so many negative events (e.g. we don't witness her wedding or birth of her child, but many affairs, deaths, etc.). I found it easy and hard to follow at the same time- I wondered what happened in the gaps of Rose's life which we do not witness and yet, I felt that I could imagine them filled with very little.
  
  I still can't decide if I liked the book, but it certainly made me think. I feel that I might need to reread it to really begin to understand it more. Please note that I received an ARC through goodreads giveaways.
• 
  Josey Matos

  Fun concept, w the celebrity encounters less of a frame and more of a current snaking through the stories. Felt familiar in its Canadian-ness, but in a good way. Not too earnest. Love how each story reflected Rose's perspective at that particular age and life experience, carrying forward what she'd learned along the way, or not. Repeated patterns in our lives, so easy to see, when the focus is pulled out over decades
• 
  Lucy Black

  Marni Jackson’s Don’t I know You? is an interesting and humorous example of metafiction. A collection of linked short stories describe the life of Rose and her various (imaginary) interactions with celebrity figures. Jackson makes it clear that these are fictional stories with autobiographical elements. From this, we can assume that many of the travel adventures, relationships and coming-of-age elements that Rose provides include some grains of truth. There is a strong sense of verisimilitude in the narrative and the writing is luscious, amusing and pristine. The first story describes an arts camp that Rose attends as a teenager. John Updike is an instructor at the writing camp and he and Rose have a romantic relationship. In another story, Rose is at the family cottage and Bob Dylan stays for an extended period to go tubing and mooch groceries. We also meet Joni Mitchell, Meryl Streep, Keith Richards, Leonard Cohen and a host of others. Over the course of these fantastical adventures, Rose is transformed from an innocent teenager to a mature woman with rich life experiences. In point of fact, the vibrancy of Rose’s life, however, unfolds despite the presence of cultural icons, and not because of them. While their fleeting appearances are memorable, they are not crucial. Together, these stories also work on a deeper level. Jackson reveals her thoughts on creativity, celebrity and relationships. This is a clever book written by an accomplished writer. Recommended.
  
  
• 
  Aban (Aby)

  This is one of the least inspired books I have read in a long time! The premise of the book, apparently, is that an ordinary person's life can be as interesting as that of the celebrities we admire today. At the beginning of the book the protagonist, Rose, is a teenager and by the end is in her 60's or 70's. She is a writer and each chapter - a story in itself - centres on her meeting someone famous: John Updike, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan. The list goes on and on, and on , and on! The stories are uninteresting. The celebrities - mostly - are uninteresting. Rose never developed into a character with whom I could empathize. As for the chapter where she is operated on by Keith Richards . . . I found myself repulsed! Did the author really think that, by introducing famous people into her novel, that she could create a work of appeal and fascination? As far as I am concerned, she couldn't have been more wrong.
• 
  D.A. Brown

  This is a book that left me smiling. I won’t go into the plot, as so many reviewers cover what that is- my view of it is as a female picaresque, where our roguish heroine pluckily meets with many many famous people in situations outside of their norm and charms them all, sleeps with many of them, acts as a muse and, altogether, makes their lives better as she drags herself through her own.
  The main character is so sketchily drawn as to be mostly a dream, a dream who can make cornbread from scratch in the wilderness and advise the world. In the background her marriage dissolves, her career languishes.
  She’s plucky, though, and the adventures are both dreamy and fun- Leonard Cohen explaining about roasted marshmallows is one of my favourite scenes.
  A light, charming book, filled with stories that seem drug induced. I quite enjoyed it, and there are a few images that will remain in my mind forever.
  It sure didn’t help my already sour view of John Updike, though...
• 
  S.M.

  I read "The Mother Zone" by Marni Jackson years ago and still quote from it, so I'm a big fan of her work. I listened to the Blackstone audio recording of this collection of linked short stories and really enjoyed it. All the stories were enjoyable, and I recommend this collection.
  
  I have a quibble with the reader of the audio book, in that she was clearly not a Canadian, and I felt she should be. Her pronunciations were often very distracting. She didn't know how to pronounce "Okanagan" or "Inuktitut" or even "Il Fornello" and (most teeth-grindingly) she kept saying "a-boot" for about. I have never in my life heard a Canadian actually say "aboot". This is something Americans think we say, that we don't. This book might be better read than listened to, if you are as easily irritated as I am.
• 
  Cathy

  Don’t I Know You started out as 5 Star but took the conceit of imaginary encounters with celebrities a touch too far and by the last couple of stories I was weary of the premise and finding it all a bit silly. However, until that point I found the tales delicious and often hilarious with enough reality to make me wonder if a few may be based on the actual experiences of the author. Which, of course, is beside the point. Who among us has not fantasized about spending time with our favourite celebs? And throughout most of the book Ms. Jackson nails the kind of situations we fantasize about. And then she floats off into a dream world that breaks the spell.
  Either she needs a better and more ruthless editor or needs to listen to the one she has.
• 
  Madison Dawn

  Not sure what I was expecting when I started reading. But I was not surprised at all the book was exactly what the good read description said it was. In fact it was the whole story. There was no mystery left and in fact I was not as interested in her encounters I would Think. I love hearing about how other have meet celebrities and what those celebrities are really like. But the book missed that personal element. I just did not care who she met or how she met them. It was just not as cool since I did not know her and her encounters did not have an air of wow, you are so lucky, this could never happen to me.
• 
  Lisa

  Not sure how to approach reviewing this one. I found the writing to be quite good, and individually the stories were quite entertaining, thought-provoking and well-written. The stories follow the protagonist at different stages of her life, and for that reason I understand why it is necessary for the stories to be all together in book format. That said, I did find that, after a while, the inclusion of a new celebrity in every chapter/story felt just a bit too gimmicky. I sped through the first half but dragged through the last half, not because the stories were any worse (in fact, I quite enjoyed the last one), but because I felt the concept was a bit worn out.
• 
  Abril M

  This book follows the life of Rose (heartbreaks, divorces, infidelity, and grief) but it is ultimately strung along by the silly random apparitions of A-list celebrities. While I did enjoy certain chapters more than others, specifically the Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan ones, I think this book deserves two stars at best. One of my main complaints is the switch from first to third person with no rhyme or reason. As well as other plot/literary devices that fell flat in my opinion. On the other hand, I did enjoy reading about a woman coming into her own slowly and older in age, this book shows that life does not end when you get old, and that youth and adventure does not disappear with age.
• 
  Pamela

  Fun and, at times, insightful story. I loved some of the stories of famous people, and some I did not, but the whole novel is a reminder of how to incorporate wishfulness with writing. In particular, Jackson did Leonard Cohen very well. It helps with my grief.
  
  And so it ENDS with Leonard Cohen, calling out to them.
  "We resumed paddling. The other shore was close now, a silhouette blotting out the stars at the bottom of the sky. The two of us surged forward. I felt boundlessly capable in that moment, equipped to tackle the shapelessness of my future. Although I didn't know what lay in store, the important thing was to keep moving toward it, even in darkness.
  With some effort we hauled the boat onto a point where it would be visible if the hunters came looking for it the next day. The metal keel made an awful sound as it scraped across the granite. I retrieved the tow rope, coiling it neatly, and we lost no time stepping back into the red canoe. And then we were on the water, weightless.
  'Hello,' came Leonard's voice from across the lake, 'here we are.'"
  
  
  Thus it BEGINS.
  "The Doon School of Fine Arts occupied the former summer house of Horatio Walker, a modestly celebrated (there is no other kind) nineteenth-century Canadian painter. Two of his canvases, landscapes with sulfurous skies and tossing trees, hung on the walls of the dining room, where art students doubling as waitresses set the long communal tables and served the meals: shepherd's pie, weeping coleslaw, hard rolls on a side plate. Dinner always began with tomato juice in a slender glass, like the red line in a thermometer.
  I had just turned seventeen. My parents, eager to encourage my precocious 'way with words' and my 'flair for art' (I excelled at drawing horses in profile) had signed me up for summer courses..."
• 
  Susan

  Presented as a series of vignettes over the course of the life of Rose McEwan, this book starts off extremely believable. Rose has random encounters with a couple celebrities. After all, doesn't everyone at some point? But as the stories progress, the interactions become more and more fanatical with the last one obviously a weird food/alcohol induced dream or something. While I wish the book had stayed more towards the realistic end of the spectrum, it was very enjoyable and probably as close as I will come to reading a collection of short stories.
• 
  Jediam

  This is either a collection of short stories or a novel where instalments are told from different perspectives. The stories focus primarily on encounters with celebrities, and fame is a key theme. I admit that every time I recognized someone new and famous and I felt a bit of a thrill, and there are some creative moments in the stories. I just felt that there was an atmosphere of CanCon (modesty, if you will) that held the whole thing back from being great.
• 
  Alise

  This book has a promising premise that goes nowhere. A novel in stories where the main character, Rose comes across celebrities throughout the different stages of her life. It seems to move back and forth between the premise that celebrities are "just like us" and also being star struck as Rose treats some people completely normal and others she asks normal celebrity questions. This book feels like it takes itself too seriously while also reading like bland fanfiction.
• 
  alyreads

  This book was given as a gift, and I honestly expected a lot. The first few chapters showed a little bit of premise, but after a while I just felt bored. I was looking for that gripping feeling for me to move forward faster, but I just felt that I wanted to finish the book only to move on to the next one. Although I enjoyed having to read different famous personas, and their mundane personalities.
• 
  Christie Litchfield

  Disclosure: This book was given to me through the First Reads program.
  
  The plot of this book was so interesting! That is what lured me to this book. I wanted to love it so much, really I did. However, I just couldn't get completely lost and devoted to it. It is a fun read though, and I appreciate the chance to read and review it.
• 
  Paula

  This was a cute read. I really enjoyed the stories with Joni Mitchell and Meryl Streep. Most of the stories were, of course, fairly far-fetched, but I often fantasize what it would be like to run into a celebrity and spend some time with them. This was a clever idea, and the author's writing style is really engaging.