Today on The Daily Beast: Christ Matthews-- host of Hardball, bestselling author, survivor of malaria-- asks whether Losing Mum and Pup satisfies JFK's criterion for biographical success (i.e., Does it compelling convey what its subject was like?). Its an interesting question, and a complicated one. Here are some key excerpts:

"If [Buckley] left some things out as he takes us through his parents’ last months, it’s like one of those plays by Harold Pinter. What he doesn’t say says a lot."

"As you read Buckley’s story of the year in which he lost both parents, there’s a “life goes on” quality to it all. He seems to be saying in numerous ways that, given it all—the spats, the toughness—the palpable love between his parents won in the end."

You can read the whole thing here; to see other recent reviews of the book, check out:

• Janet Maslin, "Turns out it all Does Seem Funny," New York Times
• Mona Charen, "Under Buckley's Giant Shadow," The National Review
• John R. Coyne, Jr., "Son's Memoir Honors "Great" Buckley Parents," Washington Times

Labels: Christopher Buckley, Losing Mum and Pup, New In Hardcover

In last week's Weekend Edition, Scott Simon met up with Twelve's Christopher Buckley to discuss his parents-- Patricia and William F. Buckley-- the subjects of his new memoir LOSING MUM AND PUP. There are many revelations about the pair, some of them funny, some of them more raw. Of the dynamics of the glamorous pair, he says,

He was the intellectual and she had beauty and style, so together they made really for quite a formidable pair. But when it's your mom and your dad, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing with your mom or dad is your relationship with them."

You can click here to hear the interview, and to read NPR's writeup, and here to read more about the book, which pubs on April 15.

Labels: Christopher Buckley, Losing Mum and Pup, New In Hardcover