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tbkennedy's review against another edition
3.0
I truly love Alan Rickman as an actor and was very anxious to read this book. But I was left with the impression that though his family handed over his diaries to be edited and compiled, Alan Rickman perhaps thought of these diaries more as skeletal sketches so that he could someday return and flesh them out for a book. Sadly, he never got the chance.
The thing that will stay with me - longer than these words, perhaps - was Googling Alan Rickman's beautiful, graphic designer handwriting and sifting through the images of his pen on paper.
Audiobook (It is very strange to listen to the words of an actor and not hear it in their voice.)
The thing that will stay with me - longer than these words, perhaps - was Googling Alan Rickman's beautiful, graphic designer handwriting and sifting through the images of his pen on paper.
Audiobook (It is very strange to listen to the words of an actor and not hear it in their voice.)
kcmaimone's review against another edition
4.0
The editing could have been done differently. Hours were spent googling the people/places/events that AR mentions. The footnotes helped, but more are needed.
It’s so clear that he was passionate about his craft. I’m left wondering what his thoughts were on so many topics; one being how he would feel about his private thoughts in mass print.
It’s so clear that he was passionate about his craft. I’m left wondering what his thoughts were on so many topics; one being how he would feel about his private thoughts in mass print.
frazzlednat's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
I have to believe those who do not like this book were unaware of what it was supposed to be. This was never marketed as an autobiography it is in fact his diaries. The pace is slow, but as it should be we are only seeing snippets of a man's life that lived more life than many of us ever will. I think truly the most devestating part was the last chapter narrated by Rima Horton Alans wife.
This book feels like a ride along to understand the flow of Alans life and career. While not very detailed it feels intimate and intriguing into the way his mind worked and flowed.
Thankful for this read.
This book feels like a ride along to understand the flow of Alans life and career. While not very detailed it feels intimate and intriguing into the way his mind worked and flowed.
Thankful for this read.
damommagrant's review against another edition
3.0
Didn’t get to finish before having to send back to the library- too much going on in life right now. Maybe try again another time.
kilkenni's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Don't expect too much from these diaries. They rarely offer an insight into Rickman's thoughts on characters. He was very brief with his entries. But they offer an interesting look at his personality. Funnily enough, while I thought that, judging by his diaries, I would be too intimidated to talk to him, reading them was like listening bits of intimate conversation with him. I admit I cried in the end. It is also a great example of what an actor's life is. Very demanding, certainly not for everyone, but thankfully Rickman was passionate about it. And I loved his dry humour
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death
cjmattos's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
This wasn't a book I read easily. As a person who's been journaling since, at least, 10 yo, it's hard not to compare writing styles - which, I recognise, is a pretty unfair way to judge a book filled with diary entries. It is, I would say, AR's writing style, which kind of matches his personality (from what his writings transpired): brass, unfiltered, sassy, literally straight to the point. There's pretty much no "poetry", just the description of things, people, feelings, as they were.
AR was also as much a critic of himself, as he is of others. At times, especially when in the director chair, he could be particularly demanding of himself. In one breath he can be critical of a fellow actor's performance, and in the next he was giving the most raw, sincere praise. And you can tell it's all really honest, because why would one lie in their own journal?
It was great to get his thoughts in some of his most famous parts - Severus Snape,or me, particularly -, but also, at times, exastig to try to understand who was who. Sure, there are some recurrent names and a few very well know by the general public, but as someone from outside of the acting business, it can he hard to match the name to the face (Google was a good friend with this book).
In the end, what stuck in my mind was of how said it was that he was writing his day to day life, not knowing he would be dead in 10 years time, or 5, or 2. It puts in perspective how one's life is so utterly fleeting. I am glad he passed away peacefully and, hopefully, feeling loved, by Rima, his friends, his fans (though he'd probably roll his eye at the thought of strangers weeping his passing).
AR was also as much a critic of himself, as he is of others. At times, especially when in the director chair, he could be particularly demanding of himself. In one breath he can be critical of a fellow actor's performance, and in the next he was giving the most raw, sincere praise. And you can tell it's all really honest, because why would one lie in their own journal?
It was great to get his thoughts in some of his most famous parts - Severus Snape,or me, particularly -, but also, at times, exastig to try to understand who was who. Sure, there are some recurrent names and a few very well know by the general public, but as someone from outside of the acting business, it can he hard to match the name to the face (Google was a good friend with this book).
In the end, what stuck in my mind was of how said it was that he was writing his day to day life, not knowing he would be dead in 10 years time, or 5, or 2. It puts in perspective how one's life is so utterly fleeting. I am glad he passed away peacefully and, hopefully, feeling loved, by Rima, his friends, his fans (though he'd probably roll his eye at the thought of strangers weeping his passing).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
planetshannon's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great read. I so appreciated the focus on the art of performing arts, the value of it and when it worked (and when it didn't). Also, I really enjoyed how much of the mundane parts of life are included. I don't know if he really meant for others to read it (the Foreward/Intro is a bit vague on this), but I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read it. It's life, it's art, it's noticing, it's feeling, it's being. I loved it.
Sidenote: I am very happy that I switched from reading this in ebook to physical book because it's so much easier to read the footnotes in a physical edition (and they are on almost all the pages).
Sidenote: I am very happy that I switched from reading this in ebook to physical book because it's so much easier to read the footnotes in a physical edition (and they are on almost all the pages).