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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I loved this book. Some parts made me laugh and other parts made me cry. I couldn't put it down and now I want to watch Matilda.
I cannot believe I failed to pre-order this book. I follow Ms. Wilson on Twitter and knew the book was coming out this week. I’ve been very excited to read it because I know she is a great storyteller and writer. I figured it would be insightful and entertaining, and even though my to-be-read pile is absurd at the moment, I bought this yesterday and started reading it immediately.
It did not disappoint.
Ms. Wilson is an extraordinarily talented storyteller. In this collection of essays, she shares many deeply personal stories about her time not just as a child actor (which is how many people likely know about her) but as an adolescent and young adult. Her stories are relatable even to people who haven’t experienced the exact same challenges she has – such as losing her mother as a young girl, or going through puberty after being a well-known child actor.
I found myself giggling quite a bit, and also tearing up a few times. I also got very excited about the essays that talked about show choir, because choir factored very heavily in my high school days. But I think what is sticking with me most is how sincere and kind the writing is. Ms. Wilson doesn’t use sarcasm at all. As someone who is overly sarcastic and intentionally (and unintentionally) snarky, it’s lovely to read such engaging writing that doesn’t need to rely on any of that.
I could write more, but honestly I’d rather just enjoy what I got out of each of these essays, and simply say that I hope you’ll read this book and experience the joy of it for yourself, in your own way.
It did not disappoint.
Ms. Wilson is an extraordinarily talented storyteller. In this collection of essays, she shares many deeply personal stories about her time not just as a child actor (which is how many people likely know about her) but as an adolescent and young adult. Her stories are relatable even to people who haven’t experienced the exact same challenges she has – such as losing her mother as a young girl, or going through puberty after being a well-known child actor.
I found myself giggling quite a bit, and also tearing up a few times. I also got very excited about the essays that talked about show choir, because choir factored very heavily in my high school days. But I think what is sticking with me most is how sincere and kind the writing is. Ms. Wilson doesn’t use sarcasm at all. As someone who is overly sarcastic and intentionally (and unintentionally) snarky, it’s lovely to read such engaging writing that doesn’t need to rely on any of that.
I could write more, but honestly I’d rather just enjoy what I got out of each of these essays, and simply say that I hope you’ll read this book and experience the joy of it for yourself, in your own way.
I never watched Matilda I confess but the book overall was interesting.
I wanted to like this book and I do think she has had an interesting life, but this book needed a ghost writer. It was disjointed, an example is her build up to being in a school extracurricular activity that was later to become "famous" (won't spoil it with further description). The description of the activity was so all over the place I was bored but if she had revealed what the later fame was upfront it would have made me tune in more. I also didn't feel the pain of her early losses came through. I can imagine it would be difficult to capture those feelings in writing but that is the job of the author when writing a memoir.
I gave up on this book. She spent an inordinate amount of time exploring her childish prudery about sex, which quickly became exceedingly boring. Pass.
A lovely, honest and revealing set of essays. I first saw the movie Matilda at a tender age, and it helped me feel less alone. Mara Wilson's book did the same. I ran into her after her storytelling show What Are You Afraid Of? a couple of years ago and she was kind enought to snap a picture with me, for my mom, who always thought we looked alike. Her book is every bit as gracious as she is.
I love a good memoir, and celebrity memoirs are fun for me because I feel like I'm getting insight into such a foreign point of view. And some of Mara's chapters did just that, particularly the ones about Robin Williams and the process of filming Matilda. Other than that, I was looking for more reflection and nuance and less moaning and groaning about life. It skipped around in time quite a bit between chapters which was a little confusing, but the story telling itself was strong, which is a topic that Mara came back to throughout the chapters. I hate to not love this memoir because there are a lot of vulnerable parts and a lot of growth shown by the author, but I feel like there is more learning and reflection and growth for her to experience, and that is what is missing.
I am so amazed that so many people remember so much of their childhood. I don't think I could fill half a book with musings about my kid-years.
The first few chapters were fine, but it was overall very boring.