Rated of 5
by Frances B. (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
The Memory of All That
Never have I read about such a dysfunctional family who, at the same time, has great talent. Many of the names I did not recognize but the Gershwin/Kay Swift affair was quite interesting. While the writing is good, I do not plan to recommend it to my book club..
Rated of 5
by Nona F. (Evanston, IL)
Not as Advertised
Katherine Weber’s family memoir The Memory of All That is being marketed as a “colorful, insightful, evocative and very funny” portrait of the extraordinary family (the Warburgs) she descends from on her mother’s side. Readers may see its subtitle “George Gershwin, Kay Swift, and my Family’s Legacy of Infidelities” and fall into the same trap I did, thinking that much of the book would discuss Weber’s grandmother Kay Swift and her relationship with George Gershwin. Instead, the first half of the book is a rather bitter evocation of Weber’s relationship with her father Sidney Kaufman. The second half of the book is more in line of what was promised, but I would have liked to have read much more about the many members of the Warburg family (who I had some trouble keeping track of—a family tree diagram would have been helpful)..
Weber is at her best at the very end of the book where she describes her own relationship with her grandmother. Weber sets out to rehabilitate Kay Swift’s reputation as a musician, and here she succeeds very well in either debunking misinformation passed around among Gershwin biographers or providing fresh insight in Swift’s talent.
This is a well written book, and at times a very interesting book, but it’s not the book the publishers are touting.
Rated of 5
by Gwendolyn D. (Houston, TX)
An entertaining family memoir
I really enjoyed this family memoir. I picked up the book because of it's content on George Gershwin, one of my favorite musicians. I was thrilled to find that the book covers so many more interesting people than just Gershwin. There's Kay Swift, who was Gershwin's lover and also a talented composer and pianist, and James Paul Warburg, FDR’s economic adviser, and many others. History buffs, especially those with an interest in the arts and music, will enjoy this well-written memoir.
Rated of 5
by Philip K. (San Anselmo, Ca)
Memories
The Memory Of All That starts slowly focusing at first on the authors' father,a second rate producer and movie director and first rate cheat who ignored his family. The story takes off when the focus shifts to the authors mothers' family, the Warburgs, grandfather Paul and his wife Kay Swift,a song writer and lover of George Gershwin . At this point the story of this menage becomes at once moving and ultimately tragic ending with the inexcusable death of Gershwin at the hands of his physicians who misdiagnosed a tumor which eventually killed this great American musical genius. The story is replete with wonderful characters, dysfunctional families and the magic years in New York between the two world wars. A wonderful piece of entertainment.
father
Rated of 5
by Anna S. (Auburn, AL)
The Memory of All That
It is always entertaining to read about the lives of the rich and famous, and the book did not disappoint in this regard. It was somewhat difficult to get into the first part of the book which was mainly about her despicable father. It was amazing to me that the author was able to give a reasonably sympathetic telling of his exploits. I found the second half of the book, about her mother's family, much more interesting. I have always been a huge George Gershwin fan, and particularly enjoyed reading about his relationship with Weber's grandmother, Kay Swift. I had not known previously that she was such an accomplished musician. It is a shame that she has received so little credit for her accomplishments.
Rated of 5
by Annette S. (Duluth, GA)
The Memory of All That
A memoir of an eccentric and dysfunctional family that is at times difficult to read because of the trying situations that this family went through. It is told with all the names, and all the family disagreements. I found the section dealing with Kay Swift and George Gershwin fascinating, but so many of the other names mentioned were those I had never heard of.
Rated of 5
by Virginia P. (Tallahassee, FL)
The Memory of All That
Katharine Weber's memories in this small book are of the serial infidelities of her father, Sidney Kaufman, and her grandmother, Kay Swift's affair with George Gershwin. The subtitle of the book suggested that it was more about her grandmother and Gershwin than other infidelities in the family, but the first half of the book was taken up with her father's struggle to be known and his unfaithfulness to her mother. Other than the fact that he was constantly being investigated by the FBI for liberal leanings, it was pretty tedious reading. I don't know why someone wants to write about a parent's infidelity unless it is cathartic to them. The author definitely had issues with her parents and this comes across, loud and clear. The second portion of the book concerned her grandmother, grandfather, James Paul Warburg and George Gershwin. While Gershwin was a marvelous talent and it appeared Swift was also, it was disappointing to learn that they were silly, vain and self-centered. I plan to pass this book on to a friend to get her opinion, but I truly cannot recommend it for anything other than the excellent writing style.
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of 5
by Frances B. (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
of 5
by Annette S. (Duluth, GA)
