Kim Woodburn is best known these days as being the tall bossy one of the pair of ladies on the TV show "How Clean is Your House?" I really enjoy watching this programme (how do people live like that?). Unfortunately when it's over I always get this subliminal urge to go and clean my kitchen!
I ... Read review
Advantages: it's an interesting and well written book Disadvantages: none
Kim Woodburn is best known these days as being the tall bossy one of the pair of ladies on the TV show "How Clean is Your House?" I really enjoy watching this programme (how do people live like that?). Unfortunately when it's over I always get this subliminal urge to go and clean my kitchen!
I had heard about this book and even thought about buying it, but when I found it in my local library I had to bring it home and read ... ...of the book "The story of my Brutal Childhood" kind of gives the game away as regards the story. Kim was bought up by her violent mother as her father was away in the Royal Marines much of the time. She was their second child, and second daughter, and was made to feel that she had disappointed from the start by not being a boy. Her mother took up with her father's former best friend, and went on to have seven more children with him. more
Kim Woodburn is best known these days as being the tall bossy one of the pair of ladies on the TV show "How Clean is Your House?" I really enjoy watching this programme (how do people live like that?). Unfortunately when it's over I always get this subliminal urge to go and clean my kitchen!
I had heard about this book and even thought about buying it, but when I found it in my local library I had to bring it home and read it. It didn't disappoint.
The subtitle of the book "The story of my Brutal Childhood" kind of gives the game away as regards the story. Kim was bought up by her violent mother as her father was away in the Royal Marines much of the time. She was their second child, and second daughter, and was made to feel that she had disappointed from the start by not being a boy. Her mother took up with her father's former best friend, and went on to have seven more children with him.
Kim left home when she was sixteen, living for a brief time with her father with whom she had an equally unsuccessful relationship.
By 1966 she was lodging in the house of a lady whose daughter was at drama school and later went on to play Suzie Birchall in Coronation Street in the 1970s (for those who can remember that far back. Kim was encouraged in her ambitions to get a grant and go to drama school which she did, but her desire to take this further was cut short by her unhappy first marriage.
In 1975 she met policeman Peter Woodburn, and at last the story starts to have a happy ending. By 2003 she and Peter had been working as housekeeper and houseman for several years and Kim was approached by their domestic agency asking if she would like to take part in a possible TV project… the rest is history.
CONCLUSION There is an awful lot more to the story than I have outlined above - you'll have to read the book to find out!
It's a proper "rags to riches" story. I found it very easy to read, the story flows very well. Having watched the TV programme I felt I could hear Kim talking as I read. She comes across as a very natural, down to earth person. It was like having a conversation with a stranger on a bus, and when you reach your stop you don't want to get off because you are enjoying it so much!
There were no boring bits of filler but some very sad and moving parts, such as the birth of her son.
JUST TWO THINGS I LEARNT Kim's real name is Patricia. She started calling herself Kim because she admired the actress Kim Novak.
For the first series of "How Clean is Your House?" Kim and Aggie were paid £2000 for each of the seven episodes. (But as she commented, her annual salary at the time was £12,000, so it seemed like a good deal to get £14,000 for making seven TV programmes!)
FACTS ABOUT THE BOOK It is 294 pages long and has eight pages of black and white and colour photographs of Kim's family, Kim as a child, a young woman and more recently with her husband.
The RRP is £16.99 for the hardback book, but it is available from Amazon for £11.21. It is also available on audio CD for £14.24.
Madge11 04.02.2007 (04.02.2007)
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Review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
Kim Woodburn is best known for the being the bossy person on "How clean is your house? As you can guess by the title of the book it is about her Brutal childhood. Kim was bought up by her violent mother as her father was often away as he was in the Royal Marines. Kim was the second child, another daughter. Her parents made her feel that she had disappointed them from the start as she was not a boy (obviously they must have wanted a son). Her mother ... ...friend, they ended up having seven children together. Kim left home at the age of sixteen and went to live with her father, their relationship as father and daughter was not very good.
By 1966 she was living in the house of a lady whose daughter was at drama school (this daughter played the role of Suzie Birchall in coronation street in the 70's and later went on to play Suzie Birchall in Coronation Street in the 1970. Later Kim had been encouraged ...
Rachael-X 27.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
Advantages: excellent read, totally honest and thoroughly intresting. Disadvantages: quite hardhitting. not at all a lighthearted read.
I have always had a soft spot for Kim woodburn. I think that on her programme How clean is your house she comes across as a larger than life, fun and interesting character. So when i heard that she had brought out her autobiography i decided that i must go out and buy it. As soon as i started the book i knew that i had had it for the next few hours because in my opinion when you pick this book up you simply cannot put it down. Kim was brutally honest ... ...mother and also the brutality she suffered in a volatile and violent relationship. She reveals with great bravery in the book details of a past event that she had buried deep in her mind for years and in my opinion it is impossible to read this without feeling emotional. I loved the way in which the book was written, it was very easy to read and flowed nicely. In some autobiographies you are willing the writer to move on to the next stage of their ...
betterbe 31.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
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Quick review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
This woman is incredible!! What she has lived thru is more than most can take, and for her to end up being such a well put-together, funny, and kind person is a major accomplishment! Couldn't believe what she as endured in her life. Love her and loved the book. ...
ronroberts 13.01.2008 (12.01.2008)
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
Quick review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
I could not put this book down. This lady has been through so much in her life. I am truly glad she has made it big and stuck two fingers up to that awful family of hers! Good on ya girl. One of the best books I have ever read!. ...
ali3071 03.06.2009
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn
Product Information for "Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood - Kim Woodburn" »
Product details
Type
Non-Fiction
Genre
Biography
Title
Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood
Author
Kim Woodburn
ISBN
0340920475; 0340922214; 0340922222
Manufacturer's product description
For Kim Woodburn finding fame in her 60s in the smash hit television series How Clean is Your House? "with fellow dust-buster Aggie Mackenzie is like living a fairytale. Often she has simply wished that she had never been born, for Kim has overcome horrific emotional and physical abuse both at the hands of her alcoholic mother and her philandering, sexually abusive father. In her brave and revealing story Kim's memories of growing up are not of love and cuddles, but of beatings and random cruelty. Shuttled between the brutal houses of her warring parents, a succession of miserable children's homes and a grim convent -- Kim's past has cast a long shadow over her life. But just before her sixteenth birthday she finally made her escape, only to find herself in an abusive marriage a few years later. It has taken decades of hard work, and a wonderfully happy marriage to conquer depression but now she has emerged unbowed and unbeaten as Britain's Queen of Clean.
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