There's something wrong with my copy of this at the time I tried to listen to it, some chapters worked but others for some reason just dodn't really work very well. Not sure why but because of that I could not finish this read.

I have been reading more autobiographies and memoirs of late, and I enjoy Kelsey Grammer as an actor. He has a great speaking voice, so I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook of his memoir about the loss of his sister, Karen. I have such a hard time rating memoirs because it is about someone's life, someone's truth, and I normally rate them high. However, though there a poignant aspects of grief and loss and coming to terms with the brutal murder of his sister, this book itself is disjointed. It is like Grammer sat down at a typewriter (I'm imagining an old school button-type writer here) and just wrote down every thought that came out of his head that could remotely relate to his sister or, more appropriately, what he was doing when his sister was doing something else. There were many tangents; the book is in fact mostly tangents with no real structure. He opens by saying that he will be working backward from her life, then proceeds to not do that. I don't know if it just needed some serious editing or what, but it was not a read that was easy to stick with and didn't seem to understand its goal. Grammar has been through a lot. This is a tragedy I would wish on no one, but also this book needed some structure.

This story was so so so boring. I could not finish it to save my life. I found it to lack engaging dialogue. It might have been better if a different narrator had been used.

I really wanted to love this. The story is very interesting and it gives so much detail. Kelsey’s voice is so soothing, he really does make for a great storyteller.
But it’s very long, and I just feel like I have learned more about Kelsey Grammer than his sister Karen.
Kelsey definitely does a great job of telling who Karen was and their relationship and how she was killed.
But like I said it’s very long and really seems like an autobiography with some details of his sister’s murder.

Honestly maybe it’s my fault a little. Maybe I misunderstood what the book was supposed to be.

It’s a good book and the audiobook is great. Just jot for me

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

I'm a huge fan of Kelsey Grammer and a avid True Crime reader, so when I saw this book I had t request it. The book was interesting. You could tell how much feeling to put into this book, especially because I listen to it. . I did feel that he repeated himself quite a bit, but it wasn't so much so that it was off putting. I would read another book by him. And I hope that writing this book and sharing his sister's story with the world has brought him some peace.

Audiobook. NetGalley. Although I absolutely love Kelsey Grammer I found this story extremely heartbreaking and how sometimes we never really get over the trauma in our lives.

This book was remarkable in the struggle it took me to finish. It is remarkable in how self-absorbed, egotistical, and self-serving this book is.
The book description told of a look at a brother’s grief and longing for answers to his sister’s violent death. What is it is a stream of consciousness, time jumping mess that is confusing. Grammer goes on tangents about the female form, fishing trips, his romantic relationships, and career. He also sprinkles religion and politics in an attempt to sound righteous and accepting. In true boomer fashion, he mentions multiple time that the generations today do not understand that drug use and sexual exploring were normal in his day. There is an uncomfortable number of times he speculates on Karen’s sexual experiences.
Karen is mentioned in mostly passing as an afterthought to these tangents. It was very much, ‘this is what Kelsey was doing, oh yeah and Karen was in Colorado for some reason.’
It is obvious in his style of writing Grammer wanted comparisons to his favorite authors. He even alludes to Henry Fielding as a nudge to the reader to recognize this.
When Grammer does write about his growing up with Karen, their parents and grandparents, her murder, and the related aftermath, it is a very moving book. Unfortunately, there is not enough of these stories compared to the tangents.
If Grammer wanted to write a recollection of his life, then the book title and description needs to reflect as such.

Heartfelt and courageous, Kelsey Grammer’s memoir about his sister’s tragic murder is moving and deeply personal. It sheds light on unimaginable grief and the long road to healing, while paying tribute to Karen’s life. However, at times it felt a bit uneven in tone and pacing, making it harder to stay fully engaged. Still, Grammer’s honesty and vulnerability deserve respect, and those interested in true crime or stories of resilience will find value here.

Very interesting story that covers the death of Grammars sister. It is something I hadn’t known about and was shocked to discover. The details were interesting and surprising to unearth as the novel continued to cast its tale.

Initially I liked this, because Grammer's narration is done in an extremely emotional way, making you feel connected to him almost immediately. However, he's very clearly a 60 year old white man in his writing, and I couldn't handle how he portrayed women. Also, his opinion on the death penalty was brought up too many times for me, a defense attorney, to be comfortable with. Wasn't worth the time, so I DNFed 15% in

This book was so surprising to me. I had not know much about the actor and the story of his sister but I could feel the pain he still carries. You look at celebrities and just assume their lives are prefect. I thank Kelsey for wanting to keep her memory alive. Also, he has a wonderful voice well suited for narration.

#Karen #Netgalley

Kelsey Grammer has the perfect voice for narration! That alone will make you want to listen to this one!

I found the story slightly disjointed and it jumped around a bit. But given the subject matter, as well as the fact that writing this book very clearly was a therapeutic experience for him, it made sense. Grief is evident this whole book, but he also does a good job of showing the person Karen was apart from the tragedy.

Great true crime real world novel in a story I didn't know much about if anything and hearing from such a personal voice expanded my world

I listened to the audiobook and while Kelsey does a great job as the narrator, I didn’t love the book. Part of it felt like it was written as Karen’s story but so much more felt like it was the Kelsey show. I think this would have been better touted as his life story that also included his sister’s as well because that’s how it felt it ended up. This was a very emotional read and I know this had to hard to write and especially self narrate.

Trigger warning: this review mentions rape, murder, grief, abortion.

This is a hard review to write. I don’t like to rate memoirs negatively, especially one about such a difficult subject, however this is my honest opinion.

The book promises to be a poignant tribute to Kelsey Grammer’s younger sister Karen, who was tragically and brutally raped and murdered in 1975, aged 18. I had no knowledge of Grammer’s past and was appalled to find out his family had been through such trauma.

I knew the book would likely be a difficult and emotional read; indeed, when Grammer speaks of his sister, it is. He does not shy away from the details, nor his anger and devastation that surrounds them. He speaks of Karen with tenderness and it’s clear there was a great deal of love between them.

The predominant issue with the book is that Karen barely gets a mention. Instead, the book is a rambling stream of consciousness with no obvious structure or relevance.

The way Grammer talks about women is unpleasant. Men are introduced in relation to their accomplishments and the respect Grammer has for them. Women are introduced with a description of their anatomy, and often whether or not they had sex.

He discusses an abortion his ex had that he later regretted. Considering his ex has since passed away, I found the way he spoke about it distasteful. He apologises to her family and hopes discussing it is okay with them. I would have hoped he’d made sure of that beforehand.

The audiobook is narrated by Grammer himself and he is generally accomplished in doing so. However, when he discusses difficult subjects, he frequently breaks down. He then immediately returns to normal voice without pause or indication of needing any recovery. I’m not sure if this was an editing decision or if it was him acting but it came across as disingenuous.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me and it became my first ever DNF. A real shame, it had great potential.

Thank you to very much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for my gifted copy.

Oh this book just melted me. Kelsey, you wrote such a beautiful story. I felt every emotion reading this. It was absolutely fabulous

DNF'ed this book at 50%.
The physical book is easier to read because you don't hear Grammer's voice. His narration just shows how pompous he really is.
There were great moments where he talked about his sister and their life together, and that's what I came for. He even claimed that a medium channeling Karen told him to write her story. But this book isn't her story. It's Grammer not taking any responsibility for his actions and giving shout-outs and fake apologies.
Halfway through, I couldn't take it anymore. I am so sorry Karen; this is not the book you wanted.

I think there are definitely people who would really like this book, but I ended up DNF'ing. It's not necessarily that I thought it was bad, it just wasn't quite for me. I got through 36% of it and didn't feel I could stay captivated in it for another 64% - the book just felt a little too long. I think that is partially because the writing style was definitely more of a stream of consciousness writing instead of structured so the back and forth and repetitiveness was getting to be a little uncomfortable for me. It was also a bit off-putting that the book seemed to be, at least through almost 40% of the book, more about Kelsey rather than his sister. I think it was a great way for him to be able to go through his grief, and I'm sure there's people that can relate, but I would've liked to know a little more about Karen.

I will note that I did appreciate it being read by Kelsey Grammer. I think it was interesting to be able to hear his emotions while reading.

Kelsey Grammer delineates his sister's life and murder. Karen was and continues to be loved by Grammer. This narrative demonstrates a tragic, grief remembrance: the story is nonlinear and recalled via Grammer's connections to events, sounds, and places. I read some reviews that stated this narrative was not well crafted, but I disagree. I studied life-writing in my graduate Literature classes, and this narrative is well edited and organized. Grief is not linear. Memory is not linear. We recall our lives based upon our moods, environments, and purpose. Grammer honors Karen by demonstrating her importance to him, to his family, and to her friends. He recalls a story about Karen during their childhood, which leads him to discuss family, belonging, and pride. This thought leads to Grammer wishing Karen was present during other life events he wished he could have shared with her. This is normal life-writing; moreover, it is typical for grief and memory. I am honored to have read this book.

I also listened to the audiobook. Grammer provides a thoughtful reading of his narrative.

Thank you #NetGalley for my ARC; this review is my honest opinion.

Reading Karen by Kelsey Grammer, I really enjoyed his meandering style of remembrance. The book bounces around and that is just how our minds work. It can be hard to follow at times, but you catch up fast, and his charming and insightful delivery keep the narrative flowing.