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iinasomnia's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death of parent, Cursing, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Drug use, Death, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, War, Racism, Xenophobia, Slavery, and Colonisation
Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
venetiana's review against another edition
3.75
It's in three parts: roughly, those are 1. Harry's childhood, 2. his time in the army, 3. his time with Meghan.
The childhood/yourh part is of course emotional and sad, but also interesting. The army part absolutely made me cringe, the way he talks about war and killing people etc. (also slightly racist, though I guess trying not to be). The third part was shocking in terms of the violent and racist press, the aggressions within the family/firm etc., but of course also romantic and hopeful. Harry reading the book himself certainly adds to that, and makes it much more personal.
Given how the author has spent his whole life "inside", certain views didn't surprise me, though I was kind of disappointed that he hadn't yet found the time to "adjust" them to a world less enabled by privilege. But I definitely respect how he shared all his traumata (and stories), and how he's working on them. I respect that Meghan and him left, it's a big step, and I think it was important to share and explain what led there.
That being said, one small thing, I felt the book ended quite abruptly.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Car accident, Stalking, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Ableism, Gun violence, Slavery, Islamophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Body shaming, Addiction, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, War, and Xenophobia
The way Harry writes about travelling to Africa isn't always done well, there are sort of mildly racist bits (also, a bit white saviour-y and tourist-y). There are islamophobic/racist bits in the army part (quite violent at times). It's within the frame of the "duty" of war etc., but still.laura_clarinets's review against another edition
3.5
Like all memoirs, this story is deeply one-sided, and I think a lot of the criticism around this book so far has been misplaced in that it's asking for a more nuanced, more all-sides view of events. But that's not what a memoir is? This is Harry's point of view on Harry's life. It should be biased and largely one-sided, and it is.
I think Harry does a lot of admirable self-reflection here and was especially pleased that he didn't leave out his more....controversial...moments. But at the same time, I think this book shows that there is still room for more growth. Especially in a book that is taking such a hard line criticizing press on racism and misogony, it seems like more care could've been taken around language towards those same and other similar issues. In particular, I bumped on:
- The ableist language around wounded veterans and Invictus (ex. "confined" to a wheelchair)
- The misogynistic language around women in the press or even tangentially related to the press, especially the way the women were described in the Vegas anecdote
- The consistent, repeated use of "Africa" to describe or explain a specific place, feeling, or topic. Africa is the second-largest continent in both land and population, filled with hugely diverse cultures, peoples, and biomes. It is not a substitute word for Botswana or any other place, just like you don't say "Europe" when you mean "London," and furthermore it has been exhaustively documented and discussed the harm that painting with such a broad brush has done throughout history and continues to do. The argument with Will about who got to "have Africa" just felt gross. If you're talking about animal conservation, just say that. It felt like such an oversight to use language like this in a book where the damages of racism and racist language are such a central theme.
In addition to the language, the other thing keeping this from four starts for me was the pacing. I understand the reasons behind telling the story in such quick anecdotes, but especially in audiobook form the constant new chapters just wasn't for me. Additionally the pacing overall felt a little off to my tastes -- anecdotes in the first third often felt exhaustively detailed and disruptive to the overall flow, while the latter third or so of the book just raced through, leaving out lots of things and dropping quick comments that felt like they deserved more attention. I felt like part three gave me whip lash!
Overall, I'm glad to have listened to it, and I'm glad that Harry put his story out in the world. Most of all, I'm glad that he seems to be finding his own peace with his family like he's wanted to for so long.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, War, Car accident, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Animal death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Mental illness, and Drug use
elspeth_h's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and War
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Car accident, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Bullying, Racism, Miscarriage, Classism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol
emilydamron's review
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, and Misogyny
mandaraffe's review against another edition
Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Grief, Racism, Medical content, Sexism, Death of parent, War, Drug use, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Death, Stalking, Gun violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
cheuksin's review
3.75
The tunnel is called Pont de l'Alma, I told him.
Yes, yes. He knew it.
I want to go through it.
You want to go through the tunnel?
At sixty-five miles per hour - to be precise.
Sixty-five?
Yes.
The exact speed Mummy's car had supposedly been driving
Wow. The ghostwriter really worked some magic. At some times it does feel like someone tried to stretch an sentence into and essay. Harry mentions his mother in pretty much every paragraph. Oversharing is a understatement.
Honestly, anyone who could hate Harry and Megan after reading this book is a heartless bastard. My neutral opinion of Will and Kate has also depreciated.
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia, Drug use, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Minor: Infertility, Trafficking, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, and Suicide
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
I’m trying to read more memoirs in 2023, and of course I had to kick things off with this obscure book absolutely no one is talking about!
I truly enjoyed Spare. Typically, I find celebrity memoirs to be pretty dry and, frankly, poorly written, but this one was a genuinely good read from start to finish. I know there was a ghostwriter involved, and first and foremost I just want to say that person deserves SO much kudos for their work here.
As to the substance, I am firmly Team Harry and Meghan and have been since the beginning, so it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that this book changed nothing for me on that front. What it did do was give me context and insight into Harry’s life and mental state that I didn’t previously have, including the depth of his mental illness/struggles, beginning with the trauma of losing his mother at such a young age and continuing through his highly unusual and stressful life, his time in war, and then the all-out press assault that resulted from his relationship with “an American actress.” I found myself crying multiple times, and alternately so angry for the way these people were treated for absolutely no reason. Finally, while I understand that many are upset about any criticisms aimed at the Royal family, I personally felt that Harry maintained a pretty fair and balanced tone when talking about his family—he was hurt by them, and he is expressing that, but he doesn’t resort to unnecessary attacks or vitriol, and remains extremely respectful when discussing his grandmother and the Crown itself.
There were certainly a few parts of the book I thought were entirely unnecessary (IYKYK) but I also understand the need to generate headlines and press to sell copies! Overall, if you have any interest in this ongoing drama at all, I urge you to pick this up and form your own opinions—both about the book and about the people involved.
CW: Death of a parent/grief; suicidal thoughts; mental illness/PTSD; war/violence; animal cruelty/death
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, War, Animal death, Death, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, and Miscarriage
josieruby1's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Death of parent and War
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Racism, Drug use, Mental illness, Medical content, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
j_c_'s review against another edition
4.5
I am happy for Harry that he is getting the help he needs to learn how to cope with his trauma, deeply entertained by the entire royal drama (seeing as it doesn't involve me and I am, against my better judgement, a Royal Watcher) and believe that he is, in fact, speaking the truth. For the most part. It helps that this is his face and that he doesn't shy away from names (for the most part).
It is relatively easy to read, this book. It is short and direct, and Harry's humour is intensely acidic and self-derisive. He isn't shy about making a fool of himself, touching on aspects that don't, necessarily, depict him in the most beneficial light.
No matter how much he says he wrote this book to help his family understand, that his end goal wasn't to shame them... I don't necessarily believe it. His depictions of some of his family members are eye-opening and made me think about why he would write them if not to shame them. That being said, he does share some light on some of them, and mostly, (mostly), portrays them in a flattering way.
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Vomit, War, Abortion, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Car accident, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts