On the surface, Catherine Gildiner has written a "memoir" of growing up near Niagara Falls and her experiences as an overly precocious, conspicuously intelligent only child with a talent for athletics, philosophy, reading, and just about everything else, apparently. On another level, what we have here is an over-the-top sales pitch on what an unusual and extraordinary life young Catherine led. When reading a memoir, I automatically assume that most of what the author writes is actually fiction. Sure, it's probably based on actual memories (which are themselves imperfect, diluted by time and prone to subjectivity) but recollections alone do not a good book make. They must be embellished and expanded in order to form a fully-developed narrative. I'm fine with that. I do, however, take issue when an author other than the Rain Man insists, as Gildiner repeatedly does, that she remembers VERBATIM what someone said in any given situation. It felt like she was trying way too hard to convince me of her narrative authority while not letting her experiences stand on their own two feet.Mostly, though, I was turned off by the last twenty or so pages when Catherine, as a pre-adolescent, spends the day and evening on an outing with a Catholic priest, where she manages to get drunk, climb down some craggy path overlooking the Falls, and experience an apparent sort of epiphany regarding the futility of Catholicism and religion in general. It seemed so contrived, and so utterly unbelievable (there were apparently no consequences for this questionable excursion either for Catherine from her parents or for the priest from the Church...at least not that the author cares to write about) that I was left with a bad taste in my mouth for the whole book. Up until that point I had been more or less happy to go along for the ride...Gildiner writes well and at a satisfying clip, and her parents seemed like truly interesting people...but the ending was too jarring and the overall tone too self-indulgent for me to really buy into this particular recollection collection.
For some reason, I thought this was a novel. Then I thought: "another memoir by a spunky girl with an unusual family"--and, in a way, that was what it turned out to be. But also more, and better.Cathy Gildiner's small upstate New York town upbringing was stultifyingly normal, or typical, or it tried its best to be. The veneer was patriotic, religious, insular, narrow-minded. There were Rules and Roles that were followed and not questioned. Add Catholic School and a precocious naivete to the mix, and a child who saw the contradictions and asked about them was heading for a hard time.One of the big disillusionments of growing up is the realization that what is said and what is done by adults, communities, religions, and nations are often quite different, even opposite. Navigating this treacherous socialization process without succumbinhg to a life with blinders, cynical manipulation, or total rejection is difficult. When and how to compromise? When to dig in and fight? How to maintain integrity and still be part of a hypocritical and imperfect social community? How to break or sidestep Rules creatively? How to look Correct and yet also do what the conscience says is the right thing?Cathy has some good teachers, in both a postive and a negative sense. One of the strengths of these stories is the way the author reveals her subjects' complicated layers of humanity and hidden dignity.Bright yet not wise in the deceptive ways of fitting in and getting by, Cathy, working in her father's pharmacy from the age of four, lacked the normal prejudicial filters for much of her early exposure to the full range of adult life in Lewiston. How hard it is to duplicate when grown older and jaded that openness to the world.
What do You think about Too Close To The Falls (2002)?
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of a very bright, ADHD, girl growing up in a small town near the Niagra Falls in the 1950's. In order to keep Cathy from getting into trouble, her father - the owner of a pharmacy - has her working in the shop from the age of about five years! Cathy loves the work and the companions she has there, especially Roy, a young black worker who befriends and protects her. She attends a Roman Catholic school and struggles hard to fit in. The memoir ends when Cathy is in her teens and rebelling against authority.I so enjoyed Cathy's intelligence, her vitality, and also her innocence! When other teens were very aware of their sexuality, Cathy is totally unaware! I loved reading about the people who played such a large role in her life, for example her mother who never, ever, cooked! (Rare in those days!)There is a double meaning to the title. Towards the end of the book, Cathy is very close to going "over the falls", in more ways than one, when she is attracted to an handsome young priest. It's interesting that this theme should come up in this book, as it's central to the theme of the book I'm currently reading: "The Bishop's Man" and is also very much in the news.I would love to read the sequal to this book, which Alexis has highly recommended.
—Aban (Aby)
I liked this book. I thought it was funny, and sad, and interesting, and I loved her parents! But in today's Helicopter Parenting world Cathy's parents would be considered near-neglectful. Today kids like Cathy are considered ADHD & given medication to make them conform to society & the need to sit still behind a desk for 8 hours a day from age 4 to age 18+. In the 1950s, they said "she's a busy and bossy child - give her a job." So when not in school, she went to work with her dad! There she learned about business, life and people. Her mom was involved with historical & anthropological research; played bridge like a master but dropped out of bridge group because it was full of "eggheads, and I'm sick of taking it so seriously;" didn't cook but instead took her family to eat at restaurants every day; and hid behind furniture when people knocked on the door. Her father guided Cathy just enough to keep her within the lines of polite society, school and church, but gave her questions to think about rather than edicts. In Too Close to the Falls, Cathy grows into young adulthood with a huge capacity for questioning people, rules and systems. An enjoyable and unique read.
—Marigold
I loved the early parts of this memoir—the bright little girl and her adventures with Roy—they made a wonderful pair. Even though her upbringing was eccentric, it somehow worked. She was clever, imaginative, precocious and funny, and even though parts of it were a bit of a stretch, it really didn’t matter—it’s a fun, entertaining read. But when Roy left and Cathy moved into her teenage years, I no longer found her quite so charming and loveable. Her relationship with the salacious Miranda was the polar opposite of what she experienced with the good-hearted Roy. When Roy left the heart went out of the story. What began as a whimsical, enchanting childhood, became dark and confusing. I wish I’d stopped reading after the 11th chapter.
—Nancy
