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369 reviews for:
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family
Omid Scobie, Carolyn Durand
3.24 AVERAGE
369 reviews for:
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family
Omid Scobie, Carolyn Durand
3.24 AVERAGE
Fairly one sided account, but a good look underneath the cloth!
Leave no cliche behind. I listened to this, which was probably a better approach than actually reading the meh writing. This reads like one long press release by Megan and Harry. I am the total audience for this and I found it boring. But my hands were tangled in my knitting so I stuck it out. It’s fine. Nothing you can’t get from 10 minutes of google.
Some of the reviews are quite harsh. While this book was not a Pulitzer-prize material, it nevertheless provided an intimate view of the royal family. And who would want to blame Meghan and Harry for wanting to escape a stuffy world of the British Monarchy? Good for them for finding freedom! They surely have the right to it, just like every person in this judgmental world.
This book is exactly what you think it’s going to be. Good pandemic reading.
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
I think I would have enjoyed this book a little more if I read it years ago when it was initially released. That’s how long it’s been in my “to-read” pile. Since then, a number of revelations about the Sussexes has come out, including a Netflix show and Harry’s memoir. So for me it felt a little repetitive. But it was an interesting read regardless.
Written by two members of the royal retinue, this book tells the story of Harry and Meghan’s lives, both individually and as a couple. At the heart of the story is the unrelenting intrusion of the press, which cost Harry his beloved mother, Princess Diana.
Harry, of course grew up in the shadow of his elder brother William, the future king, but is commonly seen as the apple of the Queen’s eye, his grandmother. Harry is most proud of his significant military achievements, and his advocacy for wounded war veterans. Meghan faced her own challenges growing up a biracial girl. But with her motivation and support from her parents, she became an educated go-getter, a successful blogger, actress, social influencer, and spokeswoman for a variety of causes.
With the ever-present press hounding the couple from their early days, much of what we read in the book is common knowledge. Of great interest was the inside story of their meeting, their courtship, and their lives outside the public eye. Having met and photographed Harry at an event for wounded soldiers in New York City in late June of 2010, I had the pleasure of getting to know him. This book captures his charming humility, his humor, and his admirable desire to be of service.
Despite Meghan’s good intentions and hard work with various charities, the press and the public widely criticized her. Her celebrity, coupled with Harry’s royalty, made them irresistible targets. Fearing that Meghan could risk the same fate as his mother, Harry spoke out against the press. They even filed lawsuits. The inside story of how the royal family shunned him, and ignored his concerns, was revealing and troubling.
With the Queen’s blessing, they eventually declared their independence from the monarchy. Cutting ties meant that they abandoned their rights to be addressed by royal titles. They also forfeited Harry’s military honors, including the right to wear his uniform. They are now forging new lives with their young son, Archie, splitting their time between California, Canada and England. They remain committed to continuing their charitable work and supporting military causes. Royal watchers will enjoy this book.
Harry, of course grew up in the shadow of his elder brother William, the future king, but is commonly seen as the apple of the Queen’s eye, his grandmother. Harry is most proud of his significant military achievements, and his advocacy for wounded war veterans. Meghan faced her own challenges growing up a biracial girl. But with her motivation and support from her parents, she became an educated go-getter, a successful blogger, actress, social influencer, and spokeswoman for a variety of causes.
With the ever-present press hounding the couple from their early days, much of what we read in the book is common knowledge. Of great interest was the inside story of their meeting, their courtship, and their lives outside the public eye. Having met and photographed Harry at an event for wounded soldiers in New York City in late June of 2010, I had the pleasure of getting to know him. This book captures his charming humility, his humor, and his admirable desire to be of service.
Despite Meghan’s good intentions and hard work with various charities, the press and the public widely criticized her. Her celebrity, coupled with Harry’s royalty, made them irresistible targets. Fearing that Meghan could risk the same fate as his mother, Harry spoke out against the press. They even filed lawsuits. The inside story of how the royal family shunned him, and ignored his concerns, was revealing and troubling.
With the Queen’s blessing, they eventually declared their independence from the monarchy. Cutting ties meant that they abandoned their rights to be addressed by royal titles. They also forfeited Harry’s military honors, including the right to wear his uniform. They are now forging new lives with their young son, Archie, splitting their time between California, Canada and England. They remain committed to continuing their charitable work and supporting military causes. Royal watchers will enjoy this book.
I'm not a monarchist. I think the whole institution is garbage. If I were a Brit I'd want the whole institution demolished. Yet I love The Crown and The King's Speech and the sort of glamorous, but duty-soaked escapism that type of royal story telling offers. Also, I'm not a Brit...I'm an American stuck inside during a pandemic looking for a distraction.
Finding Freedom offers the exact kind of glamorous adventure I was hoping for when I checked this out from the library. It read like a season of The Crown unfolding in real time. I crushed it, chugged it, inhaled it.
My opinion of the monarchy is even lower than it was than when I started the book. So is my opinion of the British press. But I didn't start with high opinions of either entity. Weirdly, my opinion of Harry and Meghan is also a wee bit lower having finished the book, despite the authors' clear agenda of propping then up. All the royals just seem so butthurt and dysfunctional all the time, The Sussexes included.
I'm sad The Crown will end before these events can be covered!
Finding Freedom offers the exact kind of glamorous adventure I was hoping for when I checked this out from the library. It read like a season of The Crown unfolding in real time. I crushed it, chugged it, inhaled it.
My opinion of the monarchy is even lower than it was than when I started the book. So is my opinion of the British press. But I didn't start with high opinions of either entity. Weirdly, my opinion of Harry and Meghan is also a wee bit lower having finished the book, despite the authors' clear agenda of propping then up. All the royals just seem so butthurt and dysfunctional all the time, The Sussexes included.
I'm sad The Crown will end before these events can be covered!
Not a ton of new information, but I found it compelling nonetheless.
It’s no shock that this is very….fawning. The authors deny the couples involvement in the introduction, but I’m unconvinced. The writing is overly flowery at times, but interesting enough to keep me reading, even though it did get a little tedious after a while, sounding like a fan blog rather than a biography. It frames Meghan solidly in “manic pixie dream girl” territory, which is just plain weird to read about a fully grown woman.
In terms of the “truth”, books like this I take with a mountain of salt. All of these writings are from one perspective or another, full of the biases and grudges that come with being on one side of an “argument”.
Overall, this is fine? but massively overwritten.
In terms of the “truth”, books like this I take with a mountain of salt. All of these writings are from one perspective or another, full of the biases and grudges that come with being on one side of an “argument”.
Overall, this is fine? but massively overwritten.