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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, this man lost his mother at a young age and was surrounding about people emotionally unavailable to help him grieve. Moreover, the aggressive paparazzi directly lead to Diana's death, which of course meant that Harry would always have an antagonistic relationships with the paps. His family come across as completely incapable of displaying basic sense of humanity for one another, because being royalty was more important than being affectionate. Plus, the courtiers who work at the palace seem to exacerbate rather than assist in every situation. It's easy to feel sorry for Harry.
All that being said, the tone rings of "poor little privileged prince." Some of the his stories are only possible because he is royalty, famous by chance of birth. While it's not right that anyone be treated so shabbily, especially by one's family, he still makes startlingly poor choices at times. How can anyone think wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party was a good idea? How out of touch are you?! Strip poker and assume no one is going to take and sell photos? Hmm...
And then there are the travels: "I flew to Botswana to get my head straight and get away from the press." Not everyone who feels overwhelmed gets the chance to escape halfway around the world. Yes, the aggressive press is terrifying, far too entitled, and puts Harry and his family at risk (all while the palace shrug). But he never goes without food or shelter, or a night without heat. He never has to make those choices between eating or paying rent.
So yeah, mixed feelings. If the reader fully recognizes the extraordinary context of the author's life, then feel all the feelings. But take the biography for what it is.... the complicated life of a royal.
All that being said, the tone rings of "poor little privileged prince." Some of the his stories are only possible because he is royalty, famous by chance of birth. While it's not right that anyone be treated so shabbily, especially by one's family, he still makes startlingly poor choices at times. How can anyone think wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party was a good idea? How out of touch are you?! Strip poker and assume no one is going to take and sell photos? Hmm...
And then there are the travels: "I flew to Botswana to get my head straight and get away from the press." Not everyone who feels overwhelmed gets the chance to escape halfway around the world. Yes, the aggressive press is terrifying, far too entitled, and puts Harry and his family at risk (all while the palace shrug). But he never goes without food or shelter, or a night without heat. He never has to make those choices between eating or paying rent.
So yeah, mixed feelings. If the reader fully recognizes the extraordinary context of the author's life, then feel all the feelings. But take the biography for what it is.... the complicated life of a royal.
This was a perfectly fine memoir (minus that one part). I think people need to calm down; the monarchy could use some good, hard criticism and I guarantee he could've been more cut-throat but he wasn't.
Annoying that all the parts about my bday were sad :/
Annoying that all the parts about my bday were sad :/
Sambuca gold by day, Sambuca black by night.
A pretty mediocre read which didn't satisfy.
On the plus side, it's the first book I've read with descriptions of frontline combat in Afghanistan, which was fascinating. The author seems to believe his lack of fear is because he's a dark, traumatised man - and not because he's one of the most privileged and powerful men in the world. Harry, shockingly, makes the circular argument that he only killed 25 people because he had learned to dehumanise them in the army - and you need to dehumanise people to be able to kill them.
I showed him my todger, softened by Elizabeth Arden.
Meghan Markle seems to have used invicta-style feminine dating tactics over the course of their first few dates, which amused me greatly. Harry thinks he's normal because he shopped in TK Maxx for a few years, and only spent £200 a go. Ditto in later chapters because his furniture was from IKEA.
On the positive side, there were elegant descriptions of how memories can be repressed and then reawakened by discussing them. It was a portrayal of trauma, intensified by taboo, that made good sense.
Time, as the doctor said, would heal my todger. But would it heal my heart?
My frustration comes almost entirely from the ghostwriting aspect. So many sentences are in creative-writing-masters style, endless metaphors which somehow try to justify this as a book rather than the long-form journalism it essentially is - but which don't add any meaning. The book would have been much improved by limiting itself to simple, conversational language to reflect the conversations that formed it. I would much rather have read a long form interview.
At times, Harry (seemingly unaware) comes off so badly when making excuses for his behaviour that I start to wonder - what is the ghostwriter's agenda? Is he deliberately trying to make the duke look bad? Could he have a second income stream resting on embedding that impression in the text? Are the authors just completely clueless?
Ultimately my motivation for reading this book was the perverse hunger to understand the royal family, the social roles they play within their own families, and find a side to take and an opinion to have. Because the book wasn't written by its claimed author and narrator, and even that narrator will have had so much advice on what to share and what to hide, and the book would then have been vetted by press officers and advisors for content - it was impossible to read into language the way you normally can. In a manner that made me seriously empathise with bible scholars, there is such a confluence of agendas in this text that it obscures far more than it reveals.
DNFed
Took me fooooreeevvvverrrr to listen to this book and I dnfed it at like 50%. Just wasn’t for me. Too long, sometimes to boring and whiny.
Took me fooooreeevvvverrrr to listen to this book and I dnfed it at like 50%. Just wasn’t for me. Too long, sometimes to boring and whiny.
fast-paced
It was fine but the royal family in general isn’t something I’m overly interested in. The narration by Prince Harry was great.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I won’t take too much time explaining the plot of this book since if you don’t know who Prince Harry is and what has been going on in his life, yet you still have access to the internet to read this review, I can't help you.
I absolutely adored Harry’s telling of his childhood to his current adventure as a newlywed escaping the paparazzi. The story has all the ups and downs and nitty-gritty you are looking for in a tell-all book, and this is undoubtedly a big one. Some moments are funny, while others are terribly sad and difficult to handle. There are also some cringy moments as Prince Harry fumbles through maturity.
Surprisingly, Harry’s retelling of his military experiences was the most enriching for me. His bravery, courage, leadership, camaraderie and dedication to service sparks the beginning of his selfless attitude. Coupled with his service work to many charities, including those in Africa, showcase the heart he developed on his own, with the help of the servitude attitude passed down from his mother.
This is a book where you need to dispel your beliefs about the Harry and Megan saga and just enjoy a fantastic memoir written by someone who didn’t think he was a writer but brought me to tears in his epilogue. A true coming-of-age story, this book is one you can get lost in, especially if you listen to the audio version. I encourage you to listen to the audio because you hear the story straight from Harry, and a British accent always makes things sound more authoritative, right?
I absolutely adored Harry’s telling of his childhood to his current adventure as a newlywed escaping the paparazzi. The story has all the ups and downs and nitty-gritty you are looking for in a tell-all book, and this is undoubtedly a big one. Some moments are funny, while others are terribly sad and difficult to handle. There are also some cringy moments as Prince Harry fumbles through maturity.
Surprisingly, Harry’s retelling of his military experiences was the most enriching for me. His bravery, courage, leadership, camaraderie and dedication to service sparks the beginning of his selfless attitude. Coupled with his service work to many charities, including those in Africa, showcase the heart he developed on his own, with the help of the servitude attitude passed down from his mother.
This is a book where you need to dispel your beliefs about the Harry and Megan saga and just enjoy a fantastic memoir written by someone who didn’t think he was a writer but brought me to tears in his epilogue. A true coming-of-age story, this book is one you can get lost in, especially if you listen to the audio version. I encourage you to listen to the audio because you hear the story straight from Harry, and a British accent always makes things sound more authoritative, right?
I would recommend the audiobook if you are interested in this. I read the physical book and it took me longer to get through than I’d expected.
There is definitely some good insight into his life as a royal but he needs a better ghost writer. Also… if you are going to spill the tea, SPILL IT
There is definitely some good insight into his life as a royal but he needs a better ghost writer. Also… if you are going to spill the tea, SPILL IT
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced