From the number one New York Times bestselling author comes another stunning memoir that is tender, touching…and just a little spooky. “Here’s a partial list of things I don’t believe in: God. The Devil. Heaven. Hell. Bigfoot. Ancient Aliens. Past lives. Life after death. Vampires. Zombies. Reiki. Homeopathy. Rolfing. Reflexology. Note that ‘witches’ and ‘witchcraft’ are absent from this list. … absent from this list. The thing is, I wouldn’t believe in them, and I would privately ridicule any idiot who did, except for one thing: I am a witch.”
For as long as Augusten Burroughs could remember, he knew things he shouldn’t have known. He manifested things that shouldn’t have come to pass. And he told exactly no one about this, save one person: his mother. His mother reassured him that it was all perfectly normal, that he was descended from a long line of witches, going back to the days of the early American colonies. And that this family tree was filled with witches. It was a bond that he and his mother shared–until the day she left him in the care of her psychiatrist to be raised in his family (but that’s a whole other story). After that, Augusten was on his own. On his own to navigate the world of this tricky power; on his own to either use or misuse this gift.
From the hilarious to the terrifying, Toil & Trouble is a chronicle of one man’s journey to understand himself, to reconcile the powers he can wield with things with which he is helpless. There are very few things that are coincidences, as you will learn in Toil & Trouble. Ghosts are real, trees can want to kill you, beavers are the spawn of Satan, houses are alive, and in the end, love is the most powerful magic of all.
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Extremely amusing stories. I enjoyed the witch material, but for me this was more a story about getting older and making life changes. With hindsight, time and distance, Augusten Burroughs is able to look back and forgive wrongs done to him by his mother, and he appreciates the gift of witchcraft he inherited from her. Burroughs’ supportive husband never disappoints; I looked forward to his reactions to anything the author threw at him. On a different tangent: This book made me want to: 1) buy a charming old home deep in the woods, out in the middle of nowhere, and 2) get another dog!
I have read Running with scissors a few years back that was also a good memoir. I’m not sure if I believe the whole witch thing in general. But I’m also not someone that says something isn’t true because I haven’t seen it for myself. But the stories that were written here are what I would have expected. They are funny and just when you think you will put the book down it pulls you back in. Happy reading everyone!!
Did I miss the part where the author revealed a plot?
Having read Running with Scissors, I picked up Toil & Trouble and am glad I did. Augusten Burroughs does not disappoint in this wonderfully entertaining memoir. A fun, quick read.
I enjoyed Augusten Burroughs memoir and his storytelling is magic. I was under his spell the moment I picked up the book. Burroughs descended from a long line of witches, going back to the days of the early American colonies, and a bond that he and his mother shared. I loved that he shared his inner most thoughts and the love he has for his mother. I didn’t know much about him but the title and the cover really resounded to me that I had to read it for the entertainment value and I actually picked up a lot along the way. What a fascinating read and highly recommend for those interested in magic, witches and of course Burroughs life.
In his memoir, Toil & Trouble, Burroughs shares that as a child, he understood that he was not like the other children. He knew things that he shouldn’t have known and willed happenings that shouldn’t have happened.
His mother told him that this was normal…at least in their family. They are descended from a long line of witches, going back to America’s colonial days and beyond.
For the complete review, go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/toil-and-trouble/.
Toil and Trouble is the newest memoir by Augusten Burroughs, and in it he reveals a secret: he is descended from a long line of witches and is, himself, a witch. Not TV with that can make things appear from thin air, or make a feather float across a room. Augusten is a witch who knows things, things he has no right knowing, like that his grandma hurt her head while he was riding the school bus, or that a tree will cause harm if it is not cut down. Within the pages of Toil and Trouble are funny, sad, strange and heartfelt stories from Augusten’s life and his experiences as a witch. Just as I have with his other novels, I was hooked, amused, and entertained from the first page to the last. I highly recommend it!
All that being said, there is something I must add. I used to love you Augusten! Running With Scissors revealed to me that you and I have had some very similar experiences, many of mine occurring right around the time that book was published, and you helped me to see that things could and would get better, that I could rise above my childhood and not let it determine my life path. But then I read about you and Bea Arthur…after reading that…well…I’m not so sure anymore…