Biography Books > B Biography Books > P > S

Advantages: Occasional funny stories and glimpses into Billy
Disadvantages: Not much insight; Name dropping; Wanders off

Following hot on heels from the success of 'Billy', Pamela Stephenson's recounting of her husband Billy Connolly's life and how it moulded him, came a sequel of sorts. Bravemouth (so-called because it's the nickname attributed to the Big Yin by Eric Idle, a neighbour in LA don't you know) is a bringing of matters right up to date, with the story of living with Billy for a year - a particular year, this being the one containing his 60th birthday. ...
...shall we say 'modest' start, with an introduction informing us of how well Billy was received and tales of people writing to the celebrity couple after its release to let them know how much Billy's story had inspired them after having gone through similar turmoil. Yes, yes, well done, can we get on with the story please? For a book supposedly with Billy Connolly as its central precept it comes as something of a surprise to learn that Ms Stephenson ... Read review

Advantages: A very entertaining read
Disadvantages: none

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Billy is a very complex character but Pamela really understands him & seems to be able to get into his mind at times. She is an excellent writer & introduces lots of humour into the book. The book charts his life from birth to the star he is today. Billy was born and brought up in the tenements of Glasgow where he lived in poverty and was sexually abused by his father. Billy's teavhers thought he was slow and stupid, ...
...his comedy on his colleagues. Billy worked his way up from doing stand up comedy in pubs and clubs to become an international star you can't help but love. Billy and Pamela seem to be happily married but this must be due in part to Pamela's tolerance and undertanding of Billy's mind! I am sure you will find this book to be a very entertaining read. ... Read review

Advantages: Well written, easy to read
Disadvantages: Nothing new, its all been written before

Madonna - love her or loathe her, it seems that everyone has an opinion about her. With a career that now spans over 25 years her rise to fame from the early days when she first arrived in New York, penniless but with huge ambitions has been well documented many times. Madonna - Queen of the world by Douglas Thompson could at first glance quite easily be dismissed as yet another regurgitated account of Madonna's rise to fame but from the sleeve notes ...
...that everyone claims to already know everything there is to know about. Madonna has given many interviews throughout her life. Usually these interviews are carefully timed to coincide with her latest project, be it a new album, movie, book or other project and the new image that compliments the project is always flaunted to its maximum effect. When it comes to being interviewed Madonna always calls the shots, so how can anyone really expect to know ... Read review

Advantages: A true life account of a terrible accident.
Disadvantages: You don't always get a happy ending in real life.

The book I will now review contains probably one of the worst nightmares any parent could anticipate, the fact is a biography detailing the entire scenario makes it even more difficult and heart wrenching to read. The book I will now review is "Shattered", by Mavis Marsh and ghost written by Andrew Crofts. The book starts with the awful words of the doctor that has done the pre assessment on Mavis's son Mathew - "Your son will be a cabbage for ...
...a vegetable, or what-ever you want to call him". From that awful statement the story goes back to Mavis's ( the mother, writer and teller of this somewhat frightening story), childhood, first detailing her parents life, from jobs and home life, through to her father serving in the war and the untold horrors he had witnessed. From this she went on to her school life, until reading further into the book I never quite understood the purpose for all ... Read review

Advantages: vivid and real
Disadvantages: none

"Cider with Rosie" has to be one of my most memorable, poignant and haunting reads. I discovered it when I was 16 in an English class whilst learning about descriptive writing and use of imagery. I didn't have to read it, I was just shown an example of his work, but it lured me in hook line and sinker and I couldn't put the book down. The book is an evocative memoir of his childhood growing up in a Cotswold village. He captures the time and the ...
...in such a manner that conveys reality - he paints a picture with his words and he excels in this art. I think the opening paragraph is simply magical, "I was set down from the carrier's cart at the age of three; and there with a sense of bewilderment and terror my life in the village began. The June grass, amongst which I stood, was taller than I was, and I wept. I had never been so close to grass before. It towered above me and all around me, each ... Read review