What do readers think of The Memory of All That by Katharine Weber? Write your own review.

First the good things: There's nothing more fascinating than a good dish on a totally dysfunctional family, and this story of the extramarital affairs of two generations of a very prominent family certainly fills that bill. The writing is excellent - Weber's description of her father's career as being "at the intersection of making it and making it up" really caught me. On the down side: the combination of a cast of characters so extensive that it should have been presented on a spread sheet and the author's choice to use a reverse chronology for part of the story was terribly confusing. Also many of the characters who were quite prominent in the early to mid 20th century aren't so well-known now and could have been better introduced. I'm not sorry I read the book, but I didn't love it.

I enjoyed the book very much. It was more than simply a memoir of a dysfunctional childhood (there are more than enough books of that genre around now). The connection between the author's grandmother (Kay Swift) and George Gershwin added interest to the family story. Kay Swift was a fascinating, charismatic, and very musically talented woman. As a fan of George Gershwin's music, I found his relationship with her fascinating.

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..

Poor Katharine Weber! Despite her life in an uber-dysfunctional family, she has grown up into a responsible, grounded human being. The "hook" in the book is her grandmother's long love affair with George Gershwin, which is very interesting to read about. Kay Swift Warburg was a gifted composer in her own right but never had true success after having collaborated in some capacity with him on Porgy and Bess and writing Fine and Dandy with her then-husband, James Paul Warburg. Katharine Weber's mother, Andrea's, upbringing did not prepare her for a life of stress and non-privilege with Sidney Kaufman.

There are interesting historical and family moments in this book. Read further to find them!

This book was delightful. It is amazing how many names from 20th century history were connected in some way to this family in the arts, politics, and business ventures. The underlying humor and smooth writing made this easy and enjoyable to read.
The myriad of characters and extended family was confusing at times (expecially the FBI activities), but well worth the glimpse into the lives of some prominent , creative, intelligent, and most often wealthy people who were thrown together or crossed paths personally and/or professionally.
I found myself joyfully humming Gershwin tunes for days and being deeply touched by the memories of all the grandmothers who will always hold a special place in our hearts.
"The heart wants what the heart wants" It is destiny.

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.

A well-told history - just when I thought I couldn't hear another thing about S. Kaufman (he reminded me of my ex) - Weber switched to the story of her grandmother and what a gratifying one! It was long ago, so many names are no longer familiar to the reading public but I can understand how time needed to pass before it could be talked about. Those who love a tell-all will love this tale. And what a strong women's story it is!

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.