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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
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
2.5 stars
Not really sure what to make of this one. It came off as very one-sided and fawning of Meghan and Harry to the point where I was rolling my eyes a bit. There is virtually no criticism of them whatsoever, with the only exception being their choice to release the Megxit statement on their website without consulting the rest of the family (but even that is couched as something they were "forced" to do by the Palace's stonewalling them). But beyond that, you'd think they'd never done anything wrong. It seems pretty clear this was all extremely sanctioned by the Sussexes, even if they didn't work directly with the author.
As someone generally sympathetic to their side of the story and grossed out by the racist and sexist coverage of Meghan and the general ickiness of British tabloids, I found it an easy, enjoyable read. I really wish it had been presented it a more balanced way or at least been more subtle in its hero worship. Written as it is, it will only be well-received by people who already agree with the author (as demonstrated by the truckload of one-star reviews here). A less hagiographic telling could've been more effective at getting non-hardcore H+M fans to understand their perspective.
It's a little sloppily written, with some confusing dangling modifiers and noticeable typos in the last 10%, and I think you could gain all the key points from the articles written about the book's release.
Not really sure what to make of this one. It came off as very one-sided and fawning of Meghan and Harry to the point where I was rolling my eyes a bit. There is virtually no criticism of them whatsoever, with the only exception being their choice to release the Megxit statement on their website without consulting the rest of the family (but even that is couched as something they were "forced" to do by the Palace's stonewalling them). But beyond that, you'd think they'd never done anything wrong. It seems pretty clear this was all extremely sanctioned by the Sussexes, even if they didn't work directly with the author.
As someone generally sympathetic to their side of the story and grossed out by the racist and sexist coverage of Meghan and the general ickiness of British tabloids, I found it an easy, enjoyable read. I really wish it had been presented it a more balanced way or at least been more subtle in its hero worship. Written as it is, it will only be well-received by people who already agree with the author (as demonstrated by the truckload of one-star reviews here). A less hagiographic telling could've been more effective at getting non-hardcore H+M fans to understand their perspective.
It's a little sloppily written, with some confusing dangling modifiers and noticeable typos in the last 10%, and I think you could gain all the key points from the articles written about the book's release.
fast-paced
I had seen mixed reviews for this book, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I actually ended up really liking it!
I have enjoyed reading and watching movie adaptions of well known fairy tales since childhood, but there is a part of me that always wondered what happened after “they lived happily ever after”. Finding Freedom answered that question as we learn about both the magical aspects of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance, and the challenges that the merging of two completely different worlds entailed. I appreciated the way the authors seemed sincere about their desire to portray an objective telling of the story, often citing both sides of controversial events.
I honestly have not followed their story, so I was pleasantly surprised to read about the immense amount of time this couple has spent championing worthy causes such as mental health, gender equality, environmental sustainability, among several others. Those sections of the book really inspired me to research some of those causes, and to think of ways I can support some of those causes in my community.
I have enjoyed reading and watching movie adaptions of well known fairy tales since childhood, but there is a part of me that always wondered what happened after “they lived happily ever after”. Finding Freedom answered that question as we learn about both the magical aspects of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance, and the challenges that the merging of two completely different worlds entailed. I appreciated the way the authors seemed sincere about their desire to portray an objective telling of the story, often citing both sides of controversial events.
I honestly have not followed their story, so I was pleasantly surprised to read about the immense amount of time this couple has spent championing worthy causes such as mental health, gender equality, environmental sustainability, among several others. Those sections of the book really inspired me to research some of those causes, and to think of ways I can support some of those causes in my community.
Super interesting account of the whirlwind that is Harry and Meghan’s romance and the departure from the official royal family... and extra interesting to see how it supports and complements the interview w Oprah that aired in March.
Way more tiny details than I needed, but still interesting.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This was partly what I was expecting (an account from a Sussex friendly POV), but also not (it was MUCH kinder to other royals that I thought it would be - it definitely wasn't knives out). The "juicy gossip" I was expecting was not as flagrant, and instead focused on a really cute and tender love story, then on their charitable endeavors as Meghan joined the Firm, and the last (not even fully) third of the of book addressed Sussexit - their leaving of the Royal Family. I think the best part of the book was it's opening section about their early romance, and it had some really tender moments. I also don't see a lot of ground in people saying this paints the Royal Family or the Cambridges in particular as villains - it's the institution and the press that they fought against, and the authors include flattering details or explanations when other family members could be attacked.
From following them in a Sussex friendly blog, I was familiar with a lot of these stories, but it was still nice to see it explained in this way without the smear campaign in full swing. The book was written in a standard creative nonfiction manner, and while there were a few small instances that I wondered if they were typos or editing errors, it was serviceable. I would probably give it 3.5 stars, but because of the advanced negative reviews by people who hadn't read it and presumably were completely fine with the smear campaign, I rounded up.
This is a book for royal watchers. I don't think it's a "must read" but I hope this will lead to less toxic coverage for Harry and Meghan.
From following them in a Sussex friendly blog, I was familiar with a lot of these stories, but it was still nice to see it explained in this way without the smear campaign in full swing. The book was written in a standard creative nonfiction manner, and while there were a few small instances that I wondered if they were typos or editing errors, it was serviceable. I would probably give it 3.5 stars, but because of the advanced negative reviews by people who hadn't read it and presumably were completely fine with the smear campaign, I rounded up.
This is a book for royal watchers. I don't think it's a "must read" but I hope this will lead to less toxic coverage for Harry and Meghan.
Bohužel nemůžu jinak. Nikdy jsem nebyla fanynka Meghan, její románek s Harrym jsem nijak neprožívala, ale přiznávám, že svatbu jsme poctivě sledovali v televizi (místo učení na státnice) - přece jenom to byla na dlouho poslední významná královská svatba. Vždycky jsem měla slabost pro monarchie, ať už ty skutečné, nebo smyšlené v knihách a filmech. Doufala jsem, že tahle kniha trochu osvětlí to drama, které se v britské královské rodině událo. Bohužel ne. Pokud máte zájem o detailní životopis všech lidí, se kterými se Meghan kdy setkala, tak prosím, tady to máte. Nikdo mi nevymluví, že Meghan se na téhle knize nepodílela, ty detaily mohla vědět jenom ona, jinak by je už dávno žalovala. Ve zkratce - Meghan je nejlepší, ale ona za to vůbec nemůže, že je dokonalá, ostatní si kvůli tomu myslí, že je falešná, ale ona si taková nepřijde, všichni jsou proti ní. Cambridgeovi je nemají rádi, s Kate nejsou bff, zato s královnou evidentně ano. Celý svět se spiknul a tak dále. Nepopírám, že média se chovaly dost hnusně a ten rasismus je hodně přes čáru, nicméně holka musela vědět, do čeho jde, ale i podle slov té knihy to pro ni byla "role", a když ji to přestalo bavit, tak vypadla.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced