M Train: A Memoir

This is a surprisingly compelling book. I have followed Smith's music and writings since the 1970s, and had the great fortune to meet her at the 2010 Miami Book Fair. I'm still unsure as to why I find her so intriguing. This is an unpretentious and often rambling book, dwelling frequently on what could only be considered the mundane activities of everyday life. But Smith somehow draws the reader in. Her trips abroad, largely brought about by literary quests, provide interesting insights into what she finds worthy. Interspersed with these episodes, Smith reveals the loss she felt subsequent to her husband's death, and what can only be described as her philosophy of life. In addition to the more serious stuff, one finds that she lives with three cats, drinks a lot of coffee and devotes considerable time to just thinking and writing. Like her previous book "Just Kids," this book is required reading for Smith fans and those wanting to get to know her better.

Patti Smith is an acquired taste which can't be denied. But like caviar, once you get a taste, that's it. She's a keeper as is this estimable book seller.I've ordered from Half Price Books before who never disappoints. It was also a gift for another Patti fan so its condition, that was pristine, needed to be that.They always send their books nicely, safely packed usually earlier than expected.Quality is something they clearly guarantee.I highly recommend them.

I have just finished "M Train". My mind is still in a stew of words and visions. Ms. Smith has flawlessly uttered. Many of the reviews for this book state its a very differant tome then "Just Kids", and I 100 percent agree. Just Kids was about the journey of the artist. Struggles, pains and ultimatly growth and becoming. M Train is purely about rumination and pontifiction with no particular order, other then the low and high points of Ms.Smith's loves and losses.The Cafe Ino is her entry way into the "M Train", which she alone conducts and rides on. Ino is sadly gone now, but Patti's words will live on in this text. I highly recommened this book to people who are bewitched by the craft and ritual involved in writing. The author effortlessly puts it all down and shares it with us, from her favorite pen to her most beloved objects that surround her when she creates. Patti once said "The finest gift a writer can impart is the desire to write", and her words are evidence of such. Sumptuous phrases illustrating travels from Paris to LA, London to Berlin.Missing coats-lost luggege and a wealth of detective shows poured over with zealous passion. A chorus of faces come and gone, from secret groups to dear friends. Its the art of words at its highest point.As a fledgling writer myself, I will carry this book with me wherever go.Chris Cipollini

M TRAIN is a better book IMHO than her JUST KIDS, though the latter won a National Book Award. This book is a collage of memories and experiences narrated in non linear fashion, interwoven with with dream sequences. It's a book about solitude, grieving a lost loved one, courage, and recreating the self. I keep thinking about this book even though I finished two weeks ago. There is much humor in the book, too, in Smith's deadpan way; some of the situations she puts herself into or gets invited into are amusing or endearing, making me smile. Other situations, especially one or two memoirs about Fred Sonic Smith are very sad but Smith rises above the sadness. I am 61 years old and I learned something about life from this book. Thank you Patti.

In a world of fakes and poseurs, Patti Smith is the genuine article, an artist deeply absorbed in poetry and music. She's been recognized with at least three premier international awards, but she still spits onstage. Bless her tangled waves of gray.Her pilgrimage to Gide's prison, her optimistic investment in a seaside bungalow despite the wreckage of storm Sandy, her insistence on reminding us of Rimbaud and Burroughs, and Maplethorpe--and every other artist, musician, and personage that she adores. She is for real.She is first an admirer, and--hats off to her--able to turn her admiration into her own art.We frequented the same clubs, I knew her when she recited her poetry in St. Marks church. New York City in the 70s and 80s was a wonderful paradise that bloomed in trash and needle strewn streets.I am not really sure it could happen again.

O livro pode até ser bom (ainda não li), mas chegou em péssimas condições.

El libro llegó pegado de la peor forma posible, las páginas se desprenden fácilmente. Fuera de eso, grande Patti Smith, quiero que me adopte <3

Patti Smith is a true poet and an extraordinary woman and her books are true gems. I had loved ‘Just kids’ and ‘M Train’ is just as marvelous. If you love memoirs you’ll love this book.

Arrived moldy

Beautifully written. A must for Patti Smith Fans!