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369 reviews for:
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family
Omid Scobie, Carolyn Durand
3.25 AVERAGE
369 reviews for:
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family
Omid Scobie, Carolyn Durand
3.25 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
đ§ I love all things Royal Family and have been a huge fan since the days of Princess Diana. Iâve always loved Harry and became a big fan of him and Meghan as a couple and really rooted for them when they choose to step down as âworking Royalsâ but like a lot of people Iâve began to question some of the antics. This one was an interesting listen but an extremely biased one (I think). It came across as very pro Harry & Meghan and I did take everything said with a grain of salt. Iâd love a more unbiased approach looking at the situation from all sides. Iâm none the wiser really when it comes to certain things that have come into question. Still worth a listen even if the curiosity continuesâŚ
Just kind of not in the mood to be listening to this, and don't know if I really want to come back. The like position of the author is kind of weird and creates an impersonal narration style that is kind of weird.
informative
informative
medium-paced
I checked this book out of the library right after I watched Oprahâs interview with the Sussexes. It was as I expected from an unauthorized nonfiction book. Much was vague. Sources were not revealed. But one thing was very clear. Meghan was treated with bias by the media. Her father was hounded and hounded until he finally broke. It was nice to hear another side to the outrageous lies some in the British press published. Harryâs birth order inherently gave him less privilege. This book highlighted how that scenario naturally caused conflict even when the mutual goals were philanthropic.
For all the hype and scandal surrounding this bookâs release, it wasnât nearly as revealing as I expected. While there are certainly some new tidbits in here (including the secret engagement), itâs largely a retrod of information I already knew or suspected. Since it is now understood that the book is essentially an authorized biography, itâs not terribly surprising that it largely avoids criticizing the couple. Aside from labeling them both as âoccasionally hot headed,â thereâs also nearly no self-reflection through the coupleâs friends or aids.
The book largely ignores some of the most interesting rumors from the past few years. That includes the allegations that the Kensington and Buckingham teams would leak stories about Meghan as cover for negative press about Prince Andrew and Prince William. I certainly understand why they wouldnât want to get into the Prince Andrew of it all but given the widely accepted belief that part of Harryâs frustration with The Firm was their failure to defend Meghan while simultaneously defending Andrew, it feels like a pretty glaring omission. They also donât go into much new detail about Harry and Williamâs falling out, although that is less surprising given that, again, itâs essentially an authorized biography.
Overall, this was a highly readable, if sugarcoated history of the couple that would be very interesting for anyone looking to dive into their story for the first time. As for the rest of us, if youâre looking for the full truth of what went on, youâll have to read between the lines.
The book largely ignores some of the most interesting rumors from the past few years. That includes the allegations that the Kensington and Buckingham teams would leak stories about Meghan as cover for negative press about Prince Andrew and Prince William. I certainly understand why they wouldnât want to get into the Prince Andrew of it all but given the widely accepted belief that part of Harryâs frustration with The Firm was their failure to defend Meghan while simultaneously defending Andrew, it feels like a pretty glaring omission. They also donât go into much new detail about Harry and Williamâs falling out, although that is less surprising given that, again, itâs essentially an authorized biography.
Overall, this was a highly readable, if sugarcoated history of the couple that would be very interesting for anyone looking to dive into their story for the first time. As for the rest of us, if youâre looking for the full truth of what went on, youâll have to read between the lines.
informative
medium-paced
Writing this review with hindsight of seeing Oprah interview.
How can this be written without the subjects involvement? With friends SO incensed and helpless to speak (instructed NOT to speak) against what was happening and happening to them. This book -- that People article and various tweets of testimony from various figures, large and small, from across Meghan's life -- all point to the frustration of being silenced in the face of witnessing massive abuse of a dear dear friend who is suffering greatly.
Meghan said she didn't read papers but her friends would call up and inform her in tears. This a highly detailed book but I do believe the Sussexes didn't cooperate with it. It's fairly obvious their friends were at the complete end of their rope watching a loved one slide into suicidal ideation behind a gilded cage. So, yes, they sang like a canary because she couldn't.
This is one of only two books (2: Meghan Misunderstood) that doesn't have a cynical and overly critical narrative about Meghan and Harry's story for quick money.
Some don't like the prose but it is, at the least, absolutely illuminating.
How can this be written without the subjects involvement? With friends SO incensed and helpless to speak (instructed NOT to speak) against what was happening and happening to them. This book -- that People article and various tweets of testimony from various figures, large and small, from across Meghan's life -- all point to the frustration of being silenced in the face of witnessing massive abuse of a dear dear friend who is suffering greatly.
Meghan said she didn't read papers but her friends would call up and inform her in tears. This a highly detailed book but I do believe the Sussexes didn't cooperate with it. It's fairly obvious their friends were at the complete end of their rope watching a loved one slide into suicidal ideation behind a gilded cage. So, yes, they sang like a canary because she couldn't.
This is one of only two books (2: Meghan Misunderstood) that doesn't have a cynical and overly critical narrative about Meghan and Harry's story for quick money.
Some don't like the prose but it is, at the least, absolutely illuminating.
I picked this book up after hearing about Tom Bowerâs book Revenge. I thought, in the interest of fairness, that I should consider both perspectives before drawing conclusions.
Unfortunately, this is just hard to read. Every third sentence seems to contradict itself like when Meghan Markle was deemed as acting âordinaryâ after the authors describe how she turned down one free 5 star hotel for a different one. Or how they took things slow but after their trip to Botswana (6 weeks after meeting) it was full speed ahead.
Interspersed with that is wholly unnecessary information about people who are not really central to the story. One example is that Lana del Ray played at an affluent coupleâs wedding - and the point? It felt very showy and arrogant. A laundry list of âlook who I know, how rich they are, and how much they love meâ.
Harry - a pretty relevant part of the story considering heâs the reason she was rose to prominence so quickly - doesnât actually get mentioned very much. When he did it was brief and always circled back to his mother, Meghan, or some other woman in his life. I think I learned more about Chelsy Davy than I learned about him.
Lastly, the tone of the book was very inconsistent. Some times the prose was very purple and out of place. Other times it was straight to the point. Basically - nothing about this worked for me.
I want to make it VERY CLEAR though. I do not have a problem with Meghan Markle or Prince Harry. My criticism is 100% based on how the AUTHORS chose to tell the story. I know it was later revealed she played a part in the book but I stand by the statement, I am not criticizing their lives or their perception of events. I am only critiquing HOW the book was written.
Unfortunately, this is just hard to read. Every third sentence seems to contradict itself like when Meghan Markle was deemed as acting âordinaryâ after the authors describe how she turned down one free 5 star hotel for a different one. Or how they took things slow but after their trip to Botswana (6 weeks after meeting) it was full speed ahead.
Interspersed with that is wholly unnecessary information about people who are not really central to the story. One example is that Lana del Ray played at an affluent coupleâs wedding - and the point? It felt very showy and arrogant. A laundry list of âlook who I know, how rich they are, and how much they love meâ.
Harry - a pretty relevant part of the story considering heâs the reason she was rose to prominence so quickly - doesnât actually get mentioned very much. When he did it was brief and always circled back to his mother, Meghan, or some other woman in his life. I think I learned more about Chelsy Davy than I learned about him.
Lastly, the tone of the book was very inconsistent. Some times the prose was very purple and out of place. Other times it was straight to the point. Basically - nothing about this worked for me.
I want to make it VERY CLEAR though. I do not have a problem with Meghan Markle or Prince Harry. My criticism is 100% based on how the AUTHORS chose to tell the story. I know it was later revealed she played a part in the book but I stand by the statement, I am not criticizing their lives or their perception of events. I am only critiquing HOW the book was written.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Classism