Saturday, January 26, 2013

CHANEL BONFIRE : A MEMOIR
by Wendy Lawless

Wendy Lawless and her sister, Robin, grew up with a not-so-normal "mother" (parenting skills were virtually nil with this chick). Georgann Rea loved mink, wore Pucci clothing, had Louis-Vuitton luggage, and always had a lit Dunhill in her cigarette holder. She liked anything in pants and went through men like a box of tissues. Georgann had two husbands and actually kidnapped the daughters away from the second one telling them (lying) that he was no longer interested in them. They took off for London on the QEII and lived in high-end townhouses where it was late night parties all of the time. Georgann craved glamour and wealth. When she would run out of money, it was off to another city to reinvent herself and continue with the same lifestyle.
By the time Wendy was seventeen, she realized that her mother was not exactly normal and was ashamed to bring anyone home. Between the excessive use of alcohol, the back-and-forth mood changes, ugly and disturbing fights, living with Georgann was chaotic. The sisters knew that they had to get out of their toxic and dangerous environment.
Chanel Bonfire is such an appropriate title for this book. Georgann was beautiful, perfumed, stylishly dressed but had a frightening dark side that smoldered. She would have been a good example for psychologists to write about. What is amazing is how the daughters survived through such turmoil.
Wendy writes with searing honesty that, at times, is funny but also sad. It grabs your interest immediately and is a quick read (two days for me). To come out normal from such a dysfunctional family and to be able to write about it without bitterness or hate is remarkable.
Recommended.

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