Biography Books > E Biography Books

Advantages: Quite interesting
Disadvantages: Only quite interesting

PRICE & PUBLISHER: This hardback is currently for sale for £11.39 new on Amazon, and was published by Little Brown, Sept 2006. 416 pp. It's heavy and gave me wrist ache (ooer missus) so I recommend waiting for the paperback. A GOOD READ? I used to dismiss Everett as yet another floppy-haired posh-boy who can't act, but is very beautiful and excellent at playing upper class roles (ie themselves, usually). This book changed my opinion only in that ...
...and a good writer most of the time. I have not read any of his novels. Everett was born in Norfolk in 1959, son of a Major. After a spell in Hook, Hants, the family moved on to Braintree in Essex and were part of the hunting fraternity. Impressed at an early age by the film "Mary Poppins" he identifies with a couple of the characters and is stirred to perform. A couple of prep schools were followed by admission to the Catholic Ampleforth College ... Read review

Advantages: Keeps you interested the whole way through
Disadvantages: Upsetting, disturbing

...for quite a while now, the other day I decided it was time to make a proper start on the pile and this was at the top. I read almost all of this book in one day as I just couldn't put it down, I even got out of bed and went down stairs (so I didn't disturb hubby with the lights) so I could read more as I felt that I couldn't settle until I had finished the book. This book is the tale of Jane Elliott, who from the age of 4 to the age of 21 was abused ...
...files have been lost over the years. Unfortunately her mother finds a boyfriend and has a little boy so the authorities agree that Jane can go home and live with her family. The first thing you realise is that they are not interested in Jimmy who gets left at the foster home and not mentioned again within the family. Towards the end of the book Jane does mention what eventually happened to him. The story then goes on to detail most of the mental, ... Read review

Advantages: Eggers truly human voice commands respect - despite what sometimes, admittedly, comes across as arrogance.
Disadvantages: Perhaps a little long winded in parts. But you really have to remember that this is sincerely part of Eggers intended technique.

...Cancer and your Dad of a heart tumour. Then, as the 'responsible' sibling of three, you're the one left to bring up your 8 year old brother. What do you do next? Well, if your Dave Eggers - self confessed martyr - you sell your childhood home, take your brother to California, take as many advantages from the sympathy of others and as much cash from government organisations as you can (after all you are now "owed"), start up a failing magazine and ...
...then of course you write a book about it. AHWOSG is certainly what it says on the tin. Eggers writes from the heart and is unafraid of telling such a heart rendering story in his own way. You would never expect a tale of childhood loss and the resulting effects of social anxiety to be even remotely humorous. Yet, as Eggers is well aware, our anxieties are often masked through forms of humour. He consistently reveals his innermost pains, only to cover ... Read review

Advantages: Challenging and Entertaining
Disadvantages: Some people may be offended by it's contents

Joe Orton was famous, homosexual, scandalous and murdered. The celebrated English playwright was killed by his mentally declining lover, Kenneth Halliwell, at the height of his career. The book charts Joe Ortons life in a gripping fashion. The young lad showed disturbing attitudes towards people, viewing them in a cold and detached fashion, yet with a kind of morbid fascination. His family's rather odd behaviour towards each other is used more than ...
...was the catalyst in him evolving into the outrageous writer that he was during the heady days of the swinging sixties. His partner since drama school was a slightly older man, Kenneth, who was very much his mentor in the early days. He encouraged Joe in his writing, at the expense of his own career, whilst being a creative force and even co-writing a lot of the plays and scripts with Joe. But it was Joe that became famous. Joe was outspoken, young, ... Read review

Advantages: entertaining,funny and factual
Disadvantages: none

I loved this book. I think all of Imogen Edwards Jones books are very cleverly written. It gives you an insight into the way that an airport and airlines work with all the behind the scenes stuff added in too. At the same time it has all the characters of a fictional book that you just love and learn to warm to. I struggled putting this book down. I love the way that she writes with an anonymous writer too. Reading it is actually quite shocking. ...
...airport or how sneaky and devious some airlines are. It also gives you a few inside tricks to get upgraded on the plane. There are also things in the book that yuo hear about happening but are never quite sure wether they actually do such as bribing etc. A truly excellent read in a knowledgable way as well as entertaining and funny. ... Read review