Tag: Memoir

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Audio Books book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar, Derek Dillard & Craig Borlase

Published September 14th, 2023 by Gallery Books
Autiobiography, Memoir, Biography, Cults & Demonism, Other Religions

TW: Sexual abuse, neglect, religious indoctrination, trauma

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SYNOPSIS:

For the first time, discover the unedited truth about the Duggars, the traditional Christian family that captivated the nation on TLC’s hit show 19 Kids and Counting. Jill Duggar and her husband Derick are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans.

Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines. She didn’t protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.

But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore.

For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members—they weren’t willing to rock the boat. But now they’re raising a family of their own, and they’re done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.

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MY REVIEW:

From the moment I first stumbled upon an episode of  ‘19 Kids and Counting’ I was an avid viewer. Like many, I was fascinated by this huge family and their fundamentalist beliefs that were even stricter than my own fundie-lite upbringing. And while I didn’t buy that they were as perfect as they tried to portray, I was blindsided and horrified when the dark truths they were hiding were revealed. 

In this memoir the Duggar’s fourth child, Jill, finally tells her story, bravely narrating the audiobook version that I listened to. A story of  indoctrination, control, fear, trauma and abuse, Jill discusses the strict religious doctrine, purity culture and modesty culture they were raised in, their set gender roles that included the girls being parentified from a young age under the guise of ‘buddy teams’, the bleak reality of their poverty-stricken life before TV fame, and how religion was used as a way to control, silence and shame. Also woven through Jill’s story is the cost, which was not just financial, but emotionally, talking about how affording a better lifestyle because of the show meant there were prices to pay and how the money became another tool used to control them. Some things should not be for sale, she says, and I agree. 

I decided to listen to this on audiobook which Jill bravely narrates, and you can hear the emotion in her voice throughout. There were a number of revelations in this book that I was unprepared for despite the shocking secrets that had already come out of the Dugger closet. My jaw hit the floor and I was enraged at how her parents treated their children and the lengths they went to to try and keep control. While her mother, Michelle, isn’t innocent, it is clear that her father, Jim Bob, is the greater villain of the two and I was disgusted by so many of his actions. He retains a  tight grip and control on most of the family and my heart broke for Jill as she discussed being painted as the black sheep for daring to live her own life. 

A powerful, heart-rending and ultimately inspirational story, I highly recommend this book, particularly if you have an interest in cults or controlling families.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHORS:

Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger Duggar appear with the rest of their family on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, which airs five times a week and is now in its tenth season. The Duggars have appeared on such national TV shows as the Today show, Good Morning America, The View, Inside Edition, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and more.

Derick Dillard has been in the public eye since his first date with Jill Duggar, and over 4.4 million people tuned in for their two-hour wedding special on TLC. He starred on the TLC shows 19 Kids and Counting and Jill & Jessa: Counting On. Derick served in fulltime Christian ministry for five years, working in Asia while single, and then together with his wife Jill in Central America. Before going to law school, Derick worked in management at the Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, as a tax accountant. He is a practicing attorney, licensed in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Derick and Jill live in northwest Arkansas with their three sons.

Craig Borlase is a bestselling ghostwriter specializing in memoir. Previous works include the New York Times bestseller Finding Gobi and My Name Is Tani, the story of an eight-year-old chess prodigy.

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Audio Books book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Published October 24th, 2023 by Simon and Schuster UK
Memoir, Autobiography, Biography

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SYNOPSIS:

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

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MY REVIEW:

“The woman in me was pushed down for a long time.”

When I heard Britney Spears was releasing a memoir I wasn’t sure I’d read it. I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan, but I have always enjoyed her music and was interested in hearing her side of the story after she spent so many years silenced. This was definitely a case of ‘Bookstagram made me do it’ but I was glad I decided to listen to this at the end of last year. Powerful and heartrending, The Woman in Me left me with a new-found respect and admiration for Ms. Spears. The writing can be shaky, it’s obviously written by a ghost-writer, and it was sometimes hard to follow, but it was good to finally hear Britney’s side of her story. 

This was an emotional listen. There’s sadness, anger, frustration, heartbreak and joy, taking you on a rollercoaster of emotions as Britney recounts her personal and family history. We learn that the Spears family have been beset by tragedy and trauma for generations. Britney talks about how her alcoholic father, Jamie, continued the cycle of abuse and they all lived under a constant cloud of fear where nothing was ever good enough. At a young age Britney became a ‘little entertainer’, discovering that she came alive, was taken out of her bleak reality, and felt a sense of taking back control whenever she sang or performed on stage. But what felt like an escape for her soon became another tool for control and she was repeatedly let down and betrayed by her family; the very people she should have been able to rely upon most. Even the supposedly heartwarming memories she discusses are concerning and it is so hard to listen to as she’s mistreated again and again. I was enraged and incensed as I listened to the many awful things her family has put her through.

Obviously this wouldn’t be a memoir from one of the biggest female pop stars of her generation without discussing her fame and having achieved huge stardom when she was just a teenager, this is something that has been a massive part of her life. The way she has been treated by the media and paparazzi is vile. It made me so angry to hear how she was slut shamed and mocked, especially when compared to how men in the industry were treated so differently in the same situations. My rage was also inflamed as I listened to Britney’s side of her infamous breakdown and break-up with Justin Timberlake, revealing the media spin that was put on those situations so that she was portrayed as the problem, feeding into what her father wanted the world to see so he could keep control. 

Heart-rending, maddening, and illuminating, The Woman in Me is a candid memoir which serves as a stark warning of the negative side of fame and fortune. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album …Baby One More Time in 1999. During her first decade within the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again” became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s.

In 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and expanded her brand, playing the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone released in 2003, which yielded chart-topping singles “Me Against the Music”, “Toxic” and “Everytime”. After the release of two compilation albums, Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went under hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released in 2007 and despite receiving little promotion, it spawned hits “Gimme More” and “Piece of Me”. In 2008, her erratic behaviour and hospitalizations caused her to be placed in a conservatorship. The same year, her sixth studio album Circus was released, with the global chart-topping lead single “Womanizer”. After embarking on The Circus Starring Britney Spears, she released greatest hits The Singles Collection, which featured U.S. and Canadian number-one single “3”. In 2011, Spears returned with her seventh studio album, titled Femme Fatale, which was released on March 29, 2011, including the lead single “Hold It Against Me” which has become Spears’ fourth U.S. number-one single. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard 200. This made Spears the only female artist ever to have six number one debut albums, and have seven albums debut in the top two spots.

Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists in the history of contemporary music. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums. Spears is also recognized as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall. She was ranked the 8th Artist of the 2000s by Billboard. In June 2010, Spears was ranked sixth on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world; she is also the third most mentioned musician on the internet, according to Forbes.

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Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The T in LGBT by Jamie Raines

Published June 29th, 2023 by Ebury
Biography, Memoir, True Story, LGBTQ+ Biography, LGBTQ+ Political and Social Issues, Sex, Health and Social Issues

Today is the last day of Transgender Awareness Week so I’m sharing my review of the powerful, moving and thought-provoking, The T in LGBT.

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SYNOPSIS:

Hey, I’m Jamie, a 29-year-old trans guy from the UK. I’ve been transitioning for 12 years now after realising I was trans (by accident!) at sixteen years old. I knew I was a boy since the age of four, but realised whilst growing up that I was different. It was only in my teens that I found the words to express who I was and what I needed to do. Since then, I’ve been on testosterone for more than a decade – I know, I can’t believe it either – I’ve also had top and bottom surgery and legally changed my sex, so I know a few things about the transitioning process and being trans!

I want to welcome you to The T in LGBT where you can explore and learn about so many topics surrounding gender identity: realising you’re trans, starting hormones, considering surgery, and everything in between. Whether you’re questioning your own identity and are looking for advice on certain stages of transition, or whether you’re wanting to learn about the trans experience to support someone or understand allyship, I hope this book can be your one-stop guide to everything trans related.

And don’t just take my word for it either – this book is packed full of advice, tips, and the personal stories of a range of trans voices, because no one journey is the same.

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MY REVIEW:

Jamie is a transgender man who has documented his transition on his YouTube channel, which also includes commentary on LGBTQ+ and lifestyle issues. I’ve been a loyal subscriber for about four years and his channel is one of my favourites. He is charming, likeable, witty, and relatable, and I appreciate how well-researched his videos are whatever their topic. As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, Jamie and his wife, Shaaba, have been two of my biggest sources of education about transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, so when he announced he was releasing a book this summer I immediately pre-ordered myself a copy but had yet to find time to read it. When I learned that this week is Transgender Awareness Week I decided it was the perfect time to finally do so and added the audiobook to my playlist so I could fit it in more easily.

The T in LGBT is a book for everyone. The tagline refers to it as a book that will tell you ‘everything you need to know about being trans’. But it isn’t just for those who identify as trans, or a great tool for anyone questioning their gender identity, it is also for allies or anyone who wants to understand more about what it means and feels like to be transgender. Raines narrates the audiobook himself and I loved the familiarity of his voice, which is easy to listen to. He tells us at the start that it can be listened to in any order but I decided to listen chronologically as he took us through a wide range of subjects and I liked that he not only tells his own story, but also gives quotes from  others in the community, and provides tips for allies. 

Jamie talks about believing in ‘education through entertainment’ and that really shines through in the book. Like the man himself, this book is overwhelmingly positive, upbeat, funny and entertaining, never feeling heavy despite the difficult subjects that are addressed. It offers us a deeply personal look inside the difficult journey faced by trans men and women, reminding us that behind the headlines we have become so used to seeing are real people going through an incredibly difficult, emotional and life-changing experience. And by merging this with factual evidence that he gives credible sources for, Raines educates while reminding us that kindness and understanding is key. He also encourages the reader to check out the sources he provides and do their own research so they can make up their own mind about everything that is discussed, and I know I’ve learned so much from both this book and his videos. 

Powerful, thought-provoking, moving, inspiring, and eye-opening, The T in LGBT is an important book that everyone should read. 

Rating: ☕☕☕☕☕

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jamie Lotun-Raines is an English YouTuber and LGBT advocate also known as ‘Jammidodger’. His videos include commentary on gender identity and other LGBTQ+ issues as well as general lifestyle topics. Raines is a trans man and has documented his transition on his chanel, which has over one million subscribers.

Raines has a masters degree and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Essex, receiving his doctorate in 2021. He has conducted research into the sexual response of trnasgneder men as well as other topics relating to gender and sexuality. The T in LGBT is his first book.

Raines lives in Essex with his wife Shaaba, who he married in 2022, and their cats Apollo and Prawn.

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Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

REVIEW: Eighteen Seconds by Louise Beech

Published April 27th, 2023 by Mardle Books
Memoir, Depression and Mental Health Biographies

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mental health, suicide, abuse, neglect, trauma.

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SYNOPSIS:
My mother once said to me, ‘I wish you could feel the way I do for eighteen seconds. Just eighteen seconds, so you’d know how awful it is.’

I thought about it. Realised we could all learn from being in another person’s head for eighteen seconds. Eighteen seconds inside Grandma Roberts’ head as she sat alone with her evening cup of tea, us girls upstairs in bed. Eighteen seconds inside one-year-old Colin’s head when he woke up in a foster home without his family. Eighteen seconds inside the head of a girl waiting for her bedroom door to open.

Writer, Louise Beech, looks back on the events that led to the day her mother wrote down her last words, then jumped off the Humber Bridge. She missed witnessing the horror herself by minutes.

Louise recounts the pain and trauma of her childhood alongside her love for her siblings with a delicious dark humour and a profound voice of hope for the future.

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MY REVIEW:

“This is my story. No fiction to hide behind.”

February 2019. As author Louise Beech took her usual morning walk she paused to photograph some early daffodils she was surprised to see. Five hours later she gets the devastating news that her mother has jumped from the Humber Bridge. Had Louise not stopped to take that photograph, she might have been there when it happened.  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so it feels like the perfect time to be sharing this review.  Powerful, poignant and heart-wrenching, Eighteen Seconds is the true story of Louise’s life and the aftermath of the harrowing event that shook her family to its core. It was hard-hitting and emotional from the start, and I cried many times while listening to the audio version of this book.  But this is Louise Beech, and even the most solemn of stories cannot be told without her trademark wit, and there is lots of laughter amongst the tears. However, this isn’t only her story. It is also the story of her family, and includes interviews and quotes from her siblings and other family members that discuss how events impacted them. The strong bond Ms. Beech shares with her siblings is clear to see, and I loved their banter and their sense of humour, which they use as a coping mechanism and a way to lighten the darkest of times. I loved her reflections of her grandmother and the special relationship they shared. These were deeply moving and made me think of my own Nan, who I was very close to. 

“… humour is the wonky mirror for emotions often too difficult to look at directly.”

This isn’t an easy read, but it is an important one, featuring topics such as trauma, mental health, suicide, and abuse. It also highlights how dysfunction, pain and trauma don’t only affect us in that moment, but our whole lives, with ripple effects trickling down through the generations as we attempt to not only survive, but flourish, and break those harmful cycles.  And Louise seems to have achieved this. Her love for her own children shines brightest of all in this book and it is evident she is a wonderful mother. I admired her ability to help her children through their problems while navigating her own pain and breaking those toxic cycles. 

“I discovered the one thing that thawed me: writing.”

There is no question that Beech is a talented author. She is one of my favourite authors and I’ve loved every book of hers that I’ve read. Consequently, I expected this book to be well written, but I was unprepared for just how beautiful, potent and unflinching her prose would be this time around.  The narration was fantastic and perfectly conveyed the appropriate emotions for the listener while bringing to life those whose stories are being told. Though my own story is obviously different, her story resonated with me on a personal level in many ways, particularly the exploration of the effects of trauma in chapter five. I laughed, cried, raged, and felt every emotion in between as I was swept away by this phenomenal and courageous memoir.

Eighteen Seconds is a tableau of heartbreak, healing, and forgiveness that demands to be read. Piercingly frank, raw, heartrending, and courageous, it never shies away from the pain and messiness of family and life, striking a resonant chord as it pulls on your heartstrings and then ties them back together with uplifting humour. Louise’s story is one I will never forget and I applaud her for being brave enough to share it with the world. It is a reminder that those who have been through the greatest pain often have the kindest hearts and brightest smiles, and my admiration for this author has grown after reading her story. 

Bravo, Louise, and thank you. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Louise’s debut novel, How to be Brave, was a Guardian Readers’ pick in 2015 and a top ten bestseller on Amazon. The Mountain in my Shoe longlisted for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2016. The Sunday Mirror called Maria in the Moon ‘quirky, darkly comic, original and heartfelt’. It was also a Must Read in the Sunday Express and a Book of the Year at LoveReadingUK. The Lion Tamer Who Lost was described as ‘engrossing and captivating’ by the Daily Express. It also shortlisted for the RNA’s Romantic Novel of the Year and longlisted for the Polari Prize 2019. Call Me Star Girl hit number one on Kobo. It also longlisted for the Not The Booker Prize and won the Best magazine Big Book Award 2019. This Is How We Are Human was a Clare Mackintosh August Book of the Month 2021. Audiobook memoir Daffodils came out in 2022, and novel Nothing Else too. Her memoir is coming in paperback as Eighteen Seconds April 2023.

Louise also writes as Louise Swanson.

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

Published: September 29th, 2020
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio
Genre: Autobiography, Memoir

*I’ve included some personal photos of Mariah, her backup singers and dancers, and of my friends who are part of the Lambily. Some were taken by me, others by lamb friends. These can’t be viewed in the WordPress app so please go to the Web page to see them.

SYNOPSIS:

The global icon, award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, actress, mother, daughter, sister, storyteller, and artist finally tells the unfiltered story of her life in The Meaning of Mariah Carey.

It took me a lifetime to have the courage and the clarity to write my memoir. I want to tell the story of the moments – the ups and downs, the triumphs and traumas, the debacles and the dreams, that contributed to the person I am today. Though there have been countless stories about me throughout my career and very public personal life, it’s been impossible to communicate the complexities and depths of my experience in any single magazine article or a ten-minute television interview. And even then, my words were filtered through someone else’s lens, largely satisfying someone else’s assignment to define me.

This book is composed of my memories, my mishaps, my struggles, my survival and my songs. Unfiltered. I went deep into my childhood and gave the scared little girl inside of me a big voice. I let the abandoned and ambitious adolescent have her say, and the betrayed and triumphant woman I became tell her side.

Writing this memoir was incredibly hard, humbling and healing. My sincere hope is that you are moved to a new understanding, not only about me, but also about the resilience of the human spirit.

Love,
Mariah

MY REVIEW:

“This memoir is a collection of the moments that matter. The moments that most accurately tell the story of who I am according to me.”

As a lamb for over twenty years, I had been eagerly awaiting this memoir for many years. I couldn’t wait to learn more about the woman I adore, whose music has been the soundtrack to my life since I was 14-years-old, and through whom I’ve made some of my dearest friends. 

I decided to listen to the audio as well as buying the book, knowing that Mariah would no doubt put her signature flare on the narration. She did not disappoint. She vividly brought her story to life, had me in hysterics, pulled on the heartstrings, made me cry and had my ears rejoicing as she treated us to sections of some of her songs.

“If this kid makes it, it will be a miracle.”

This is more than a simple rags to riches tale. It’s a story of pain, neglect, abuse, racism, fear and heartache. But alongside it is a message of hope, resilience, bravery, strength and a woman who didn’t just survive but overcame. A woman who went from being a little girl the police didn’t think would make it to one of the best-selling artists in history and living legend. 

As a fan, many of Mimi’s familiar characteristics and phrases will have their origins revealed while reading this book, though sadly they are often rooted in deep trauma. But, on the positive side, I loved having the stories behind many of her songs finally confirmed. It made me see some in a whole new light and added even more layers to her music for me.

“A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”

The most shocking part of this book for me was the details of her childhood and the neglect  endured. I knew her childhood wasn’t easy and they were poor, but the depth of their poverty and negligence of her mother surprised me. I could hear the fear of 4-year-old Mariah living in the warzone of the violent relationship between her father and older brother Morgan. A situation sometimes so bad the police had to be called to separate them – bringing with it the extra fear of being black and calling the police. 

I was also surprised by the truth of Mariah’s complicated relationship with her mother, Patricia. I was reduced to tears at how she’s treated her daughter and some of the cruel words she’s spoken to her over the years. I loved how Mariah is using this example to speak good things into her own children and as a lesson in what kind of mother she doesn’t want to be. It’s a powerful reminder of both the long-term impact our words and actions can have, and how we can learn from the past in a positive way.

“I was disappearing in installments.”

Some of the most difficult parts for me were when Mariah discusses her marriage to Tommy Mottola. The chapter ‘Side Effects’ often felt like she was telling my story as well as her own. I know only too well what it’s like to realise you’re in a relationship that isn’t healthy, of feeling yourself disappearing piece by piece, but feeling powerless to change it. 

Listening as she slowly built up her strength and made the plans to leave had me on the edge of my seat. It is hard to leave any abusive relationship and I can only imagine the extra fear it holds when your whole career is also wrapped up in that person.

“It’s been a whole rainbow of emotions.”

This book really will take you through a whole rainbow of emotions. I knew Mariah had been through a lot in her life and that this would be emotional, but I was unprepared for just how harrowing, haunting and shocking her story is and the many tears that fell when reading this book. But it isn’t all bleak, this powerful memoir is also filled with hopeful, happy and triumphant moments that will make you smile. I am left in awe of just how much she has overcome and managed to accomplish in spite of the odds stacked against her. Fan or not, this is a memoir you don’t want to miss. 

Thank you Mimi for trusting us with your truth. LYMA. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1970 in Huntington, Long Island, New York to Patricia Carey (née Hickey), an opera singer and vocal coach & Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer. Her mother is of Irish descent & her father was of African & Venezuelan descent. Mariah attended Greenlawn’s Harborfields High School. In June 1990, Mariah made her debut with “Mariah Carey” which entered at #73, but on August 4, 1990, it reached #1. Her 1990 self-titled debut album went multi-platinum and spawned an extraordinary four consecutive #1 singles: “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” and led to Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. Her 1993 album titled Music Box went ten-times platinum. On September 30, 1995, she made music history. Her single “Fantasy” from her 1995 Daydream album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female artist to accomplish a number one debut in the U.S. Her other Daydream’s single “One Sweet Day” remained for 16 weeks at the top of the charts. She is the only artist since The Beatles to have so many #1 singles and albums. With “Heartbreaker”, the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow and also her 14 #1 single, she became the only artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s, and with “Heartbreaker” at its 60th week atop the Billboard’s charts, she pushed ahead of The Beatles’s 59-week record as the only artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart.

Following “Heartbreaker,” her second single “Thank God I Found You” also from her Rainbow album became her 15th #1. “We Belong Together” from her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi became her 16th #1 single and was also her first #1 without any guest artists since her song “My All” (also a #1 single) captured the top spot in May 1998. The single “Don’t Forget About Us” also from her 2005 album Emancipation of Mimi became her 17th #1 single, tying her with Elvis Presley’s 17 #1 singles. Three more Grammy Awards were gained from The Emancipation of Mimi album. She is the most successful selling female artist in music history and is the only female artist to have the most #1 singles and albums and also holds the record for straight #1 singles and albums each year. Along with numerous awards and incredible vocal range, she also composes all of her own material, with the exception of song covers.

In April 2008, the single “Touch My Body” became her 18th #1 single, pushing her ahead of Elvis Presley’s 17 #1 singles. Now she is the only artist since The Beatles to have as many number one singles and the only singer alive likely to succeed them.

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Blog Tours book reviews

Blog Tour Review: My Judy Garland Life by Susie Boyt ⭐⭐⭐.5 

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SYNOPSIS:

June 2019 is the 50th anniversary of Judy’s death

August 2019 is the 80th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz

October 4th the motion picture JUDY staring Renee Zellwegger and Jessie Buckley is released

An irresistible mixture of memoir, biography, cultural analysis, experiment and hero-worship about one person’s enduring fascination. This is for anyone who has ever nursed an obsession or held a candle to a star.

Judy Garland has been an important figure in Susie Boyt’s world since she was three years old: comforting, inspiring and, at times, disturbing her. In this unique book Boyt travels into the deep underworld of hero-worship, reviewing through the prism of Judy our understanding of rescue, consolation, love, grief and fame.

Layering key episodes from Garland’s life with defining moments from her own, Boyt demands with insight and humour, what it means, exactly, to adore someone you don’t know. Need hero worship be a pursuit that’s low in status, or can it be performed with pride and style? Are there similarities that lie at the heart of all fans? And what is the proper husbandry of a twenty first century obsession. Anyway?

‘When Judy sang to me as I grew older she seemed to confirm the things that I’d all my life held to be true.’

  • Things that are hard have more life at their heart than things that are easy.
  • All feelings, however painful, are to be prized.
  • Glamour is a moral stance.
  • The world is crueller and more wonderful than anyone ever says.
  • Loss, its memory and its anticipation, lies at the heart of human experience.
  • Any human situation, however deadly, can be changed, turned round and improved beyond recognition on any given day, in one minute, in one hour.
  • You must try to prepare for the moment that you’re needed for the call could come at any time.
  • There are worse things in life than being taken for a ride.
  • If you have a thin skin all aspects of life cost more and have more value.
  • Loyalty to one another is preferable to any other kind of human system.
  • Grief is no real match for the human heart, which is an infinitely resourceful organ.

 

MY REVIEW:

Hands up if you’ve ever obsessed over a celebrity? I imagine pretty much everyone reading this raised their hands just then. I know I did. While I’m no stranger to hero-worship, I did think reading this book that the author takes it to a whole other level. I’m a big fan of Mariah Carey and parts of this book reminded me of some lambs (Mariah’s name for her fans) I know who, while I understand their love and obsession, seem to me to never have left that peak of obsession we reach in our teenage years. 

Susie Boyt opens her book talking about her love for Judy Garland and how it helped her when she was a shy, sensitive child. I can relate to that. I’ve always been someone who feels things deeply and like Susie I fell in love with The Wizard of Oz at just three years old. I was instantly obsessed with the film and knew it back to front and inside out. I would quote lines, watch it repeatedly and put on skits acting out scenes with my friends. Of course, I was always Dorothy. But unlike Susie it was the movie and Dorothy I fell in love with, not the actress herself, though I’ve always been a fan from a distance. I can also relate to music and words from someone you admire helping you through hard times. Bad break up – I’d put on Someday by Mariah Carey. A day I’m feeling low – I’d put on Through The Rain. I could probably name a Mariah song for every emotion and situation so I definitely get using that to help you or just to make your day brighter. I’m not going to pull her apart and critique how she hero-worships in detail, and I think there was a lot of positives she has gleaned from her love of Judy, but there were times I thought she seemed a little crazy and I worried about her.

I loved learning more about Judy, including the difficult parts, and she is more interesting to me than ever before. I’ve always been in awe of her talent and admired everything she achieved despite the many obstacles in her way, some of which she arguably put in front of herself. She was a star through and through. But she was also neurotic and insecure. I always saw a sadness to her, like you could tell this was all a bit much for her. All she  wanted to be loved without condition other people taking from her and isn’t that what everyone wants after all? The tragedy is she never found it and died while estranged from her family and alone in a bathroom from an accidental drug overdose. That is no way for anyone’s life to end. I did like that her happiness and joy in life is emphasised as much as her difficulties aren’t shied away from. No one is one dimensional. They aren’t happy or sad, good or bad, they are a bit of everything and that changes all the time. This book showed me more of the real person behind the persona and it made me fall in love with her a little more.

But this book didn’t only teach me things about Miss Garland. It also gave great insight into how some fans think and can be affected by an obsession. The author is aware of how far she goes for her idol and often argues the virtues and benefits of such obsession, which I found fascinating. She asks why we’d want to give up the intense, teenage-like obsession when we get such a rush from it. The book contains a lot of psycho-analysis, which is understandable given her family history. All the way through the book it is clear that the author sees her life as having been enhanced by her love for Judy, rather than hindered by it. Though I have to wonder if there are times those around her wouldn’t necessarily agree. 

An intriguing book that at times felt a little messy and strange, My Life With Judy Garland is honestly like nothing I’ve ever read before. And it is a book I won’t forget. 

Thank you to Virago books and Ann Cater at Compulsive Reader Blog Tours for my copy of this novel.

Out now.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susie Boyt was born in London and educated at Camden School for Girls and Oxford University. After a nerve-wracking stint at a lingerie boutique and an alarming spell working in PR for Red Stripe lager and the Brixton Academy, she settled down into writing and is the author of six acclaimed novels including The Last Hope of Girls, which was short-listed for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and Only Human, which was short-lsited for the Mind Award. Of her last novel, Love & Fame, The Sunday Times said ‘she writes with such precision and wisdom about the human heart under duress that the novel is hard to resist.’

Susie wrote a much-loved weekly column about life and art for The Financial Times Weekend for fourteen years and still contributes regularly to their books and fashion pages. Last Year she edited The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories for Penguin Classics. She is also a director at the Hempstead theatre in London and works part time for Cruse Bereavement Care.

She lives in London with her husband and two daughters. She is the daughter of the painter Lucian Freud and the great-grand-daughter of the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud.

FINAL My Judy Garland BT Poster