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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Not normal diary entries, but little snippets of his days. His longer entries were back in the 70's to the 80's. His wife's 'Afterword' definitely pulled on the heart strings.
Though it wasn't what I thought it would be, I loved getting a glimpse of his mind and the love he had for his family and friends. He would have been a fantastic person to meet.
There really shouldn't be a rating on this, but I gave it 5 stars just for the fact that we are able to read this. My opinion doesn't really matter, with it being a diary.
Though it wasn't what I thought it would be, I loved getting a glimpse of his mind and the love he had for his family and friends. He would have been a fantastic person to meet.
There really shouldn't be a rating on this, but I gave it 5 stars just for the fact that we are able to read this. My opinion doesn't really matter, with it being a diary.
Not a reflection of the beloved actor at all, but the format of this book was difficult to get behind and too raw for an enjoyable read. There are a few interesting moments but otherwise it’s a collection of journal entries that simply state what Alan did each day —for decades. It really should have been transcribed into a more biographical, narrative format; maybe someday that will be the case. Even after reluctantly choosing to skim, I did not finish.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
i’m not sure that Rickman’s diaries were ever meant to be read, and given the statement in the introduction, neither were the editors sure. this makes the whole situation wholly uncomfortable for me. how are we to know if Alan would’ve wanted this? simply put, we can’t know the answer to that, and reading anyway feels yucky to me.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
For some time I had this book on my wishlist, as something I wanted to own, but then I spotted it at my local public library and decided to read it that way. Thank goodness I did. Although I loved Alan Rickman's work (particularly in Dogma and Harry Potter) reading his diaries ended up being a major chore. The foreword and introduction by the editor were excellent, but the meat of this massive tome was very hard to read, both logistically and cognitively. Until about 35% in, when the entries began to mention movies I was familiar with, it barely kept my attention. It wasn't all bad, I want to make clear. There were many moments when I laughed out loud, others that encouraged me as a storyteller, and still others that made me think (especially, seeing the way he lived his life, it's actually no surprise Alan Rickman succumbed to illness in the end. Rather than thinking he was taken from us too soon, I now think it's a miracle he lasted so long). All said, the final line in the afterword did make me tear up 🥲 Thank you for all the joy you continue to bring into the world, Alan Rickman.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Far from I thought it would be and what I was hoping for. A lot of laundry lists of day to day life, a list of flight times and destinations, food eaten, admittedly too many drinks consumed, and a sadly long list of friends, family, and colleagues dying.
Interesting to hear his views on ongoing projects, opportunities turned down, and brutal honesty when reviewing productions, shows, movies, music, and other actors. Overall he was more interesting and likable in interview and press clippings. I may know more about his life, but I don’t feel like I’ve gained anything in any aspect from deep diving into a beloved actor’s life.
Interesting to hear his views on ongoing projects, opportunities turned down, and brutal honesty when reviewing productions, shows, movies, music, and other actors. Overall he was more interesting and likable in interview and press clippings. I may know more about his life, but I don’t feel like I’ve gained anything in any aspect from deep diving into a beloved actor’s life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Probably a good book for superfans, but so many entries didn't have enough context to make sense to me. You can tell he had a great social life with many famous people - but also, lots of the people he wrote about I had no knowledge of. It's not the kind of diary full of insights and self reflection, it’s more “went here, these people were there, ate food” etc. I'd be more interested in reading a biography about him. it was long and tedious in places.
I could not get through this.
I have loved Alan Rickman throughout his time in Harry Potter, as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, in Robin Hood, and Galaxy Quest. I thought this would be edited more in a biographical style to make it more readable, but it is literally day to day diary entries that name drop, showcase how much he used to travel and hate the press, and how he used to eat out at every restaurant under the sun. Even when I skipped around to the time periods where I was interested in how he got his roles, or wanted to read about his time on set, it read: "spoke to David and Jo. Very interesting character, and I think I can do a lot with him. Shooting starts Tuesday."
I wanted more, and I miss him, but not enough to suffer through this. DNF at 34%.
I have loved Alan Rickman throughout his time in Harry Potter, as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, in Robin Hood, and Galaxy Quest. I thought this would be edited more in a biographical style to make it more readable, but it is literally day to day diary entries that name drop, showcase how much he used to travel and hate the press, and how he used to eat out at every restaurant under the sun. Even when I skipped around to the time periods where I was interested in how he got his roles, or wanted to read about his time on set, it read: "spoke to David and Jo. Very interesting character, and I think I can do a lot with him. Shooting starts Tuesday."
I wanted more, and I miss him, but not enough to suffer through this. DNF at 34%.