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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
as a whole, i am grateful for Mathew’s ability to speak his truth and to see the reality of addiction’s impact on his life - something I’m sure most of us have wondered about as we’ve watched friends over and over again. the book was eye opening and fulfilled the curiosity after his comment at the friends reunion. Chandler remains one of my favorites and it is just so wild to know that show and his character has gotten me through MY darkest times as he struggled with his darkest days. this disease is horrible and i hope he keeps fighting and winning.
that being said, the repetition of certain things and the structure of the memoir did impact my overall thoughts/rating. sometimes it was hard to pick out the timeline of an event until he’d mention a year or an event you’d recognize. doesn’t make it any less interesting of a book to read though.
that being said, the repetition of certain things and the structure of the memoir did impact my overall thoughts/rating. sometimes it was hard to pick out the timeline of an event until he’d mention a year or an event you’d recognize. doesn’t make it any less interesting of a book to read though.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Truly heartbreaking to listen to this story after his passing. I learned a lot, and my heart really ached for everything he went through. I believe he is greatly missed.
There was a point where I felt like there was a lot of repeating, so I got a little confused towards the end.
There was a point where I felt like there was a lot of repeating, so I got a little confused towards the end.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The autobiography of 'Friends' star Matthew Perry is an honest, unflinching look at his life & his struggle with alcohol & drug addiction. I didn't realise it had gotten as bad as it was, taking 55 pills a day at some point & ending up in a coma for 2 weeks!
Perry is very frank with the fact that at times he was not a nice person to those around him, as Chandler would have said "Could I BE more of an asshole?". Obviously reading this book after Perry's death almost 2 years ago gives it an extra sense of poignancy - he was trying to keep clean & looking forward to life but couldn't quite manage it. RIP.
Perry is very frank with the fact that at times he was not a nice person to those around him, as Chandler would have said "Could I BE more of an asshole?". Obviously reading this book after Perry's death almost 2 years ago gives it an extra sense of poignancy - he was trying to keep clean & looking forward to life but couldn't quite manage it. RIP.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
It's heartbreaking to read this knowing how things actually ended for Matthew Perry. It was especially hard to read the last chapter, where I could feel the hope oozing out of the book, and where I too picked up hope that everything would turn out fine in the end even though when I read this I already knew the end. I haven't read accounts by others who also suffer/ed from addiction, so I have nothing to compare this to, but I did appreciate that Matthew Perry shared all the nitty gritty details of his story, how the disease would take over his brain and how helpless he felt. Whether he did it justice or not, I don't know. I cried when he wrote that he'd give everything up, the fame, the money, just to not "feel this way." If only it were that simple.
I appreciated the humor, for the most part, and liked the storytelling except for the interludes. Those would throw me off as far as the timeline went and I would be confused as to why I was reading about the third stay in rehab when I had just read about something that happened five years ago. Otherwise, it was entertaining as much as a book about addiction written by an actor can be.
I did get annoyed by all the "look at all the sex I had!" Thanks, bro, that's really what I wanted to read about. I'm not sure what point Matthew was trying to get across with those tidbits.
I appreciated the humor, for the most part, and liked the storytelling except for the interludes. Those would throw me off as far as the timeline went and I would be confused as to why I was reading about the third stay in rehab when I had just read about something that happened five years ago. Otherwise, it was entertaining as much as a book about addiction written by an actor can be.
I did get annoyed by all the "look at all the sex I had!" Thanks, bro, that's really what I wanted to read about. I'm not sure what point Matthew was trying to get across with those tidbits.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
I love Friends, especially Matthew Perry’s Chandler. But sometimes the dialogue can be a bit slow-paced. But if you dig deep, you can learn a lot about addiction through their conversations.
I listened to the audiobook copy of this memoir three years after reading it when it was first published. Hearing Matthew talk about his life is a different experience from reading it. His speech is somewhat slurred. He sounded oh so sad that I wanted to hug him.
This is not an easy book to read. Matthew was honest and graphic about his battle with alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, and his many medical conditions. He detailed how he became an addict and how he wanted to be cured of the disease.
He was also honest in describing his life. There was no false humility. He acknowledged that he was good-looking, an intelligent comedian, had gazillions of money, had the nice houses, and the nice cars. He was also honest about his relationship with women - how he couldn't commit to a serious relationship and be loved fully.
Despite his success, wealth, family, and friends who stood by him, Matthew was not happy. Addiction is a terrible thing to battle with, and it's just so sad that despite trying his hardest to defeat it, he got defeated in the end.
Thank you, Matthew, for your talent and for giving us Chandler Bing.
This is not an easy book to read. Matthew was honest and graphic about his battle with alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, and his many medical conditions. He detailed how he became an addict and how he wanted to be cured of the disease.
He was also honest in describing his life. There was no false humility. He acknowledged that he was good-looking, an intelligent comedian, had gazillions of money, had the nice houses, and the nice cars. He was also honest about his relationship with women - how he couldn't commit to a serious relationship and be loved fully.
Despite his success, wealth, family, and friends who stood by him, Matthew was not happy. Addiction is a terrible thing to battle with, and it's just so sad that despite trying his hardest to defeat it, he got defeated in the end.
Thank you, Matthew, for your talent and for giving us Chandler Bing.
I'm actually pissed at this book for making me dislike Perry so much. I was always a fan, but man he was so obviously not a good dude. Yeah, he had addiction (and many other) problems, and I have some sympathy. But he comes across as completely selfish and devoid of any self awareness. He writes in a way where he seems self deprecating and filled with shame. But it feels disingenuous. He seems to really blame others and the so terrible circumstances of his (charmed) life. His poor little rich boy whine through the whole thing is tedious. His humble bragging about all the women he treated like garbage is nauseating.
Was the writing good? Yeah. I listened to it in a day. But I came away from it feeling disappointed and feeling little sympathy for him.
Was the writing good? Yeah. I listened to it in a day. But I came away from it feeling disappointed and feeling little sympathy for him.