Biography Books > O Biography Books

Advantages: Thought provoking, gritty in parts & honest
Disadvantages: none

Dame Catherine Cookson (1906-1998) Our Kate is the autobiographical accounts of Dame Catherine Cookson, struggling with her demons and early childhood memories made the writing of the book especially difficult. In fact it took her over 10 years to complete and was only published in 1969 after her mother passed away. Nothing came easy for this amazing woman, born Katie McMullen in 1906 she talks of her desperate childhood in the North East of England.... ...
...95 million novels sold. Our Kate is compelling reading for lovers of social history in our country. Catherine Cookson allows you to gain knowledge into her triumphs and all too often tragedies. She overcame literary critics disdain that had in the past dismissed her work as romantic nonsense. She took offence to these comments and I agree as Catherine Cookson put a little part of her life into each book whilst challenging the hypocrisy of her own ... Read review

Advantages: Fantastic writing, amazing story
Disadvantages: You will probably cry (I did!)

...we would ever see him on tv again, would he be the same person? The first television appearance was on Jonathan Ross, and I tuned in eagerly, to see if the Hamster we all loved was still there. It seemed yes he was, apart from a new love for celery, and an uncanny ability to recall everyone's phone number! What relief. During this time we had been watching the media storm against the BBC and more specifically Top Gear, claims it was dangerous, it ...
...I had found Hammonds interview on Ross fascinating. Being stingy however, I waited until I could pick it up at two books for £7 in the supermarket! (In all fairness, it's only now Mia's reaching one that I get chance to read anyway!). To be honest, I didn't expect a talented writer when I thought of Hammond, which in hindsight, was silly, he is a journalist after all. I was shocked by the unique and direct writing style he used. Somehow, there ... Read review

Advantages: A must read for Carlisle fans, a good insight into the struggles of a player outside of the premiership
Disadvantages: Will have very limited appeal, mostly to football fans, Not many people outside of Cumbria are likely to remember him

...Carlisle fan it is possibly one of the most important goals anyone has ever scored for the club. Jimmy Glass will always be remembered by Carlisle fans as the man who quite possibly saved our club. It was his 94th minute goal on Saturday 8th May 1999 that kept Carlisle in the football league and it's that goal that's prompted this autobiography. With the help of Roger Lytollis, Jimmy Glass decided it was time to put his thoughts and feelings down ...
...side to football than the one portrayed on the TV. This isn't footballers wives, life isn't easy for players in the lower leagues and Jimmy's story certainly highlights that. I found his book to be incredibly interesting and even includes a few crossed paths and opinions on some of footballs big names. As biographies go it is certainly on of the better ones I've read. It kept me interested throughout and at times I found it very hard to put down. ... Read review

Advantages: A must-read for football fans and 60s nostalgists
Disadvantages: A must-to-avoid for anyone else

News of the untimely death of Peter Osgood yesterday put me in mind of this review of his autobiography, written three years ago. The review was originally entitled "Born is the...." to echo the song sung in praise of Ossie by Chelsea supporters at Stamford Bridge stadium. I thought of revising the review to make it more of an obituary (and to edit out the bits of it that were about me rather than about him), but somehow it seems more poignant left ...
...Osgood was just another over-idolised sports star, but he also exemplified an era, the passing of which is to be regretted, as is the passing of all human experience. And his passing, of course. * Personal Preamble - How I came by my copy * Geoff has been a friend of mine for many years, so naturally we don't give each other Christmas presents. I remember meeting him in my ... Read review

Advantages: Beautifully written
Disadvantages:

...when I spotted this book, Out of Africa by Karen Blixen. Of course I'd heard of it, and vaguely knew there was a movie, but it was one of those books I'd never got round to reading. I can't remember who defined a classic novel as a book no-one had read but everyone thought they ought to have, but they're pretty much right. So I bought it and read it, and am now wondering how on earth I never got round to it before. It is quite simply one of the ...
...come across. It is always a mystery to me why fiction writing is rated so much higher than non-fiction writing, as the latter is just as difficult to do well, and I challenge any novelist to produce work as clear and poetic, as passionate and flowing as this. So what's it all about? On the most simple level, it is Karen Blixen's account of the years she spent in Africa, Kenya to be precise, running a coffee farm with her husband. But much much more ... Read review