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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
Not exceptionally well written, this book makes me mourn his passing all over again. Make your life exceptional. I know he did!
Found myself crying at work while I finished the last few chapters.
I have long considered Robin Williams a fascinating character, and Dave Itzkoff's work has only served to confirm that. Artists and geniuses seem to live rather tumultuous lives, and Williams was certainly both. And the ups and downs of his career and his personal life were significant. Itzkoff has produced a work that makes you feel like you intimately knew Williams, so much so that when the end of his life comes about, it is difficult to not be viscerally affected.
Detailed, balanced, and quite entertaining.
ARC provided.
Detailed, balanced, and quite entertaining.
ARC provided.
Wow. What an in depth biography on this special man. Worth the effort, so well put together and really thoughtful.
The only biography based upon Robin Williams you will need or need to read ever. It covers all basics. The book is really well written in that it takes you on the journey with Robin from his parents coming together to his death and after his death. It tells of his highs and lows, his greatest achievements, his darkest moments and it follows his career start to finish with all the middle included. It also cleverly and unknowingly tells you that there was always something there! There was always something there that was with Robin that know one new about and even maybe Robin didn’t known of. You share in the books sadness that someone so brilliant and someone so funny and someone so unique could be taken so so early. I was just honoured and humble to share the same world as him. Thank you Mrs Doubtfire and Dr P. Adams! And don’t worry Mr Williams I will always keep it in a cage without the need to get the hose!
4 stars to Robin, a thorough and well-written biography of the life of one-of-a-kind Robin Williams! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This book came highly recommended by my friend, Toni. I’m so grateful I read it.
My earliest memory of Robin Williams includes my mom’s hysterical laughter mixed with my own, while watching re-runs of Mork and Mindy. Robin’s silly humor even translated to small children! My favorite memory of him is when he came to my college’s campus to film Patch Adams, and I walked right by him and managed not to faint! Patch Adams remains my favorite Robin Williams’ movie.
Robin is a biographical compendium of Robin Williams’ life. This book is long on pages, but it does not feel that way when reading. Yes, there are tons of footnotes, but the author clearly did his job of interviewing and researching most every aspect of Williams’ full and varied life. I did not know much about his early life, or even his early career, so I soaked in all the details, and tried to put together the intricate pieces of the Robin puzzle.
Also included was information about his final diagnosis, Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia, which unfortunately, was not a diagnosis Williams’ received when he was still alive. One can only hope it would have offered him some understanding of what was going on physically with his body and cognitively with his thoughts.
Robin Williams was in a league of his own. This biography is a must for any fan, and even if you were not a fan, this is a perfectly written biography full of heart.
Thank you to Dave Itzkoff, Henry Holt and Co., and Netgalley for the ARC. Robin is available now!
All of my reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
This book came highly recommended by my friend, Toni. I’m so grateful I read it.
My earliest memory of Robin Williams includes my mom’s hysterical laughter mixed with my own, while watching re-runs of Mork and Mindy. Robin’s silly humor even translated to small children! My favorite memory of him is when he came to my college’s campus to film Patch Adams, and I walked right by him and managed not to faint! Patch Adams remains my favorite Robin Williams’ movie.
Robin is a biographical compendium of Robin Williams’ life. This book is long on pages, but it does not feel that way when reading. Yes, there are tons of footnotes, but the author clearly did his job of interviewing and researching most every aspect of Williams’ full and varied life. I did not know much about his early life, or even his early career, so I soaked in all the details, and tried to put together the intricate pieces of the Robin puzzle.
Also included was information about his final diagnosis, Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia, which unfortunately, was not a diagnosis Williams’ received when he was still alive. One can only hope it would have offered him some understanding of what was going on physically with his body and cognitively with his thoughts.
Robin Williams was in a league of his own. This biography is a must for any fan, and even if you were not a fan, this is a perfectly written biography full of heart.
Thank you to Dave Itzkoff, Henry Holt and Co., and Netgalley for the ARC. Robin is available now!
All of my reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
So, I'm not generally a biography person - I find it difficult for me to build up the reading momentum to keep things moving along and finish the book in a reasonable amount of time. That was still the case here, even though I'm a huge fan of the subject.
It wasn't until I started reaching the portions of the story that included works of his that I was familiar with that I began to really pick up the pace. It was a very well-told story overall, with comments from comedy luminaries throughout. I'm just realizing that biography may never be the sort of book that I tend to pick up.
It wasn't until I started reaching the portions of the story that included works of his that I was familiar with that I began to really pick up the pace. It was a very well-told story overall, with comments from comedy luminaries throughout. I'm just realizing that biography may never be the sort of book that I tend to pick up.
Very long, enjoyable look at Robin Williams' career, life and death.
"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." ~ Robin Williams
I cried. They were ugly tears, too.
Itzkoff brought Robin to life with anecdotes and small glimpses of his genius. He delved into Robin's solitary childhood, his schooling, his struggles with alcohol, drugs, and the risky behaviors that permeated so much of Hollywood in the 70s-80s. We are given a portrait of the women he loved, and the children who were the sources of so much of his joy. In detail, we learned about his struggles and his triumphs, but I don't know that anyone, even those who knew and loved him best, truly understood him.
Humans are flawed. All of us have demons, and even the best and brightest of us are plagued by dark thoughts and inescapable feelings at some point.
Robin was taken away from those who loved him by a disease; a monstrous ailment that stripped him of every single thing that defined him. Even this knowledge isn't enough. I grieved in 2014 when I heard the news that he was gone, and I grieved again when I finished this book. I grieved for the man, for his family, his children, and for all of us who were drawn to his work and his legacy. I grieved for the decades of joy and laughter that he might have given the world if he'd been allowed to continue on this Earth.
Rest in peace, Robin. We miss you. <3
I cried. They were ugly tears, too.
Itzkoff brought Robin to life with anecdotes and small glimpses of his genius. He delved into Robin's solitary childhood, his schooling, his struggles with alcohol, drugs, and the risky behaviors that permeated so much of Hollywood in the 70s-80s. We are given a portrait of the women he loved, and the children who were the sources of so much of his joy. In detail, we learned about his struggles and his triumphs, but I don't know that anyone, even those who knew and loved him best, truly understood him.
Humans are flawed. All of us have demons, and even the best and brightest of us are plagued by dark thoughts and inescapable feelings at some point.
Robin was taken away from those who loved him by a disease; a monstrous ailment that stripped him of every single thing that defined him. Even this knowledge isn't enough. I grieved in 2014 when I heard the news that he was gone, and I grieved again when I finished this book. I grieved for the man, for his family, his children, and for all of us who were drawn to his work and his legacy. I grieved for the decades of joy and laughter that he might have given the world if he'd been allowed to continue on this Earth.
Rest in peace, Robin. We miss you. <3
A lovely tribute to a brilliant comedian who was gone from us too soon. And the bits about his last days had me crying in my car. If you’re a fan of Williams, this book might make you a bigger one.