Biography Books > M Biography Books > M > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Interesting social history aspects
Disadvantages: A fairly despicable subject

If I was to tell you that in her autobiography "Don't Wake Me at Doyles'", Maura Murphy describes herself as being born "chronically ugly and cross as a briar" in 1920s Ireland, you might think that you're in line for some heartbreaking but humorous and self-deprecating tales in the vein of Frank McCourt's best-selling "Angela's Ashes" (Doyles' of the books title is the name of an Offaly bar where Maura Murphy's husband spent most of his free -time ...
...greatly of Frank McCourt). Indeed, this is how the account starts - a charming account of a typical upbringing in a poverty stricken Irish family. Maura Murphy paints an eye-catching picture and tells a good story despite the lack of a formal education and she should certainly feel proud of this her first published work. However, quite what Mrs Murphy's motives in writing the book were, is unclear and what you feel about Maura Murphy affects your ... Read review

Advantages: Evocative of more glamorous times
Disadvantages: Shallow

Perhaps I'm going to be a little harsh on this book, after the joy of reading his brother Frank's books. At times I was reminded of the great david Niven's books "The moon's a balloon" and "Bring on the empty horses" in a similar autobiographical style, but when you're not that famous namedropping is so passe. Content I got pissed, I got fucked and I travelled; end of story. Yes I was harsh, there are some quite humorous moments and yes there ... 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