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Book Reviews of The Kiss : A Memoir

The Kiss : A Memoir
The Kiss A Memoir
Author: Kathryn Harrison
ISBN-13: 9780679449997
ISBN-10: 067944999X
Publication Date: 3/4/1997
Pages: 207
Rating:
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 53

3.1 stars, based on 53 ratings
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

26 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

Leigh avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I think this book was too over-hyped. It's full of dry writing and reads more like a woman relaying facts to a police detective and less like an emotional and true confession.

It was interesting in places, disgusting in others, but overall, I'd not recommend it simply because it's more boring than anything else.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 149 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Very honest memoir of a girl's sexual molestation by her father and how that affected her life. It was hard to read in places but impossible to put down.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 242 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Whew! The dynamics in this family could keep several therapists busy for a long time. I mainly wanted to read this book because of several women I've known who had sex with their fathers. I wanted to get a clearer sense of what was going on psychologically. I'm glad the sex was never depicted in any detail whatsoever. Abandoned by her mother at a young age, Ms. Harrison's quest turns towards her father for love. Unfortunately, he exploits her needs and initiates her into having sex with him. Thus begins an affair that paralyzes her. This started at Age 20 for the author which left her no recourse with the courts. A moving, sad book that left me with a better insight into incest victims' suffering.
Mom2EmNAbby avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 49 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I thought this would be better than it was, overall it was rather dry & depressing. Quick read though.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 85 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
The storyline intrigued be. Before I really understood what this was about, I made up many scenarios on how a daughter and her father could get together without all the implications of sin. But, to let you know, it is straight-forward and honest--and that's what happened. Good, though, and well-written. Worth a read.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 412 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Extremely creepy. How can anyone be brave enough to actually write about this and put it out there for the world to see? I guess I admire her for it... on the other hand, I felt like I needed a really hot shower after reading this...
L avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on
Helpful Score: 2
Interesting yet quite odd - the true tory of a woman reunited with her father from whom she had been estranged. Includes incest.
murder101 avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on
Helpful Score: 2
Well written , But very creepy and disturbing.
saphyreskyes avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 34 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A very rare glimpse into sexual abuse and incest. Gives one a whole new perspective on the matter. I feel so badly for this poor girl and then the next minute I am angry at her reactions. If you are interested in the phsycological aspects of the subject and want to enlarge your understanding of others, this is a great story. I have to wonder how much of it is true...but then, I wonder that about my own life sometimes. Could it really have happened like this?
k9kutter64 avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 167 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very well written but a disturbing story....
JTG avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 280 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Harrowing but fascinating account of a young girl and the father who takes advantage of her unconditional love.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 49 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Not for the weak. I read it in one sitting. Great writing, disturbing story.
Invidosa avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book all in one sitting; I literally could not put it down. Harrison's writing style in her memoir is vaguely reminiscent of Joyce Carol Oates, poetic and evocative. Every moment described with a clarity that is frequently lacking in memoirs, bringing the reader into the mind of the author.

The Kiss is beautiful, and horrifying. Basically telling the story of a slow spiral dance of destruction circling around the author's mother whom she loves terribly, and the father she never knew.

A beautiful book, and an excellent read for anyone who has interest the psychology of abuse. . . but one I don't think I could bear to read again.
ms avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a very interesting novel about the author's romantic relationship with her biological father, which took place when she was an adult. A lot of issues come up in the reading, such as consent and of course the topic of incest is addressed. The book can be difficult because of the strong taboo most of us feel against incest, and it's uncomfortable hearing about her experiences. Nonetheless, it is a valuable book and well worth the read.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Erotic, Obsessive, Extremely Distructive. Words to describe the story and the characters. Every person in the story is part of the situation either by participation or as an enabler. I feel the Mother and Father were already on a slippery slope with their meetings...to satisfy the Mother's need?...even before the daughter grows up and becomes the obsession of her Father. Extended family seems to have known about this hopeless relationship and yet it persisted. Strangely I really enjoyed the story even though at times it left me feeling more than sad. The memoir is well written and to me believable.
teacharrgh avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This memoir is disturbing and sick.
ElizabethG avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book because I thought I would have enjoyed the novel "Lolita" had it been told from her perspective. I was instead deeply disturbed. But I could not put it down.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on
Helpful Score: 1
This was a great book- a quick read. Shocking- but even more shocking because it is a memoir of a girl's experience. Read it!
Yoni avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 327 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Although this book is beautifully written, it made me queasy.
chrysanthemum avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 65 more book reviews
this is a memoir about a long lost daughter who has a love affair with her long lost daddy.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 5 more book reviews
Honest and fierce memoir of how love can be bartered, conditional, bought.The people who call this book sensationalistic have either been blessed not to be aware of these things in their own family, or not had them happen in their own family.
doodlina avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 26 more book reviews
I hated this book.
I read it cause a friend suggested it.
What is the author seek by telling this story?
None of us wants to be "judgmental", all behaviors -even the ones we call abhorrent and evil- have roots somewhere... that doesn't necessary makes you a victim.
The writer was in her 20s when she engaged in incest with her father. She was an adult,she had a choice,she consented.
If this book had a point other than blaming others for her behavior,I missed it.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 8 more book reviews
"Powerful... This sotry is about the soul of a young girl and the terrible injury inflicted by the man who should have been its protector"

-The New York Times Book Review
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 46 more book reviews
This book was very well written that I've decided to read her other books. The content is not easy to take but the author didn't write it as a pity party. I admire her bravery and her ability to move on. This is not a light-hearted read but one that is hard to forget.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 2 more book reviews
Started and finished this book in one day so its a quick read. I found the writing to be dry - more like I would expect from a professor or textbook. I didn't feel like there was alot of content to it. The author obviously had a very troubled childhood that everyone in her family attributed to. I'm just glad she was able to come out of it and have a family of her own who hopefully adores her.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 40 more book reviews
A total train wreck. It's the supposedly true story of a girl who gets to know her father when she is a teenager/young adult and they develop a sexual relationship.