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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol
i’m gna find the chapter about his anorexia and read that because that’s what i’m really interested in. i know he says it’s about his dad and their relationship in the blurb and everything but i didn’t expect it to be so much about his father and their relationship it seems like that’s all the book is really about. what i did read of it was boring to be honest. just not for me.
Very honest account by Christopher Eccleston of his life although it's probably just as much the story of his Father too. Everything we learn about him is seen through the lens of his sometimes complex relationship with his father.
Eccleston was born in a working class family In Salford. He is fiercely proud of his working class routes and this comes out all the way through the book. He speaks honestly about the prejudice he's faced in his profession because of his background, as well as talking very openly about his battle with mental illness and depression.
This isn't a book about dishing the dirt it's simply an (often self depreciating) account of his life. There is a good length about his time on Doctor Who but this my no means takes up the whole of the story. Its well known that he didn't leave the show on good terms with the production team but anyone looking for him to dish the dirt on them won't find it. He never descends into that sort of pettiness.
The most moving part comes in the last few chapters when he speaks in detail about his Father's battle with dementia. Anyone who has seen this happen to a loved one will see familiar patterns, as he speaks of the loss of the man who he loves while physically he's still there and then when he speaks of his death he has to face the loss all over again.
This is a fascinating, honest and moving autobiography. Its not a book of showbiz tittle tattle and it's all the better for that. Its refreshing to see the disdain he has for the hypocrisy he sees in the industry he's in as he feels he's had to fight so much harder for every part he's played because of his background. Although he himself is his strongest critic always feeling he could have done so much better in many of his roles. He's perhaps too critical of himself as he is surely one of our finest actors.
Well worth a read. A refreshingly honest book
Eccleston was born in a working class family In Salford. He is fiercely proud of his working class routes and this comes out all the way through the book. He speaks honestly about the prejudice he's faced in his profession because of his background, as well as talking very openly about his battle with mental illness and depression.
This isn't a book about dishing the dirt it's simply an (often self depreciating) account of his life. There is a good length about his time on Doctor Who but this my no means takes up the whole of the story. Its well known that he didn't leave the show on good terms with the production team but anyone looking for him to dish the dirt on them won't find it. He never descends into that sort of pettiness.
The most moving part comes in the last few chapters when he speaks in detail about his Father's battle with dementia. Anyone who has seen this happen to a loved one will see familiar patterns, as he speaks of the loss of the man who he loves while physically he's still there and then when he speaks of his death he has to face the loss all over again.
This is a fascinating, honest and moving autobiography. Its not a book of showbiz tittle tattle and it's all the better for that. Its refreshing to see the disdain he has for the hypocrisy he sees in the industry he's in as he feels he's had to fight so much harder for every part he's played because of his background. Although he himself is his strongest critic always feeling he could have done so much better in many of his roles. He's perhaps too critical of himself as he is surely one of our finest actors.
Well worth a read. A refreshingly honest book
This is a beautifully flawed book that clearly comes straight from the heart. Brilliant discussions of working class masculinity and family, and the struggles that are often concealed. I stand by CE as my favourite Doctor.
'As a child, I would have liked that level of honesty and candidness with my parents, but it was no more a part of Ronnie and Elsie than it had been their parents, and so on and so before. I completely understand that the openness switch was neither at their fingertips nor was it socially reinforced. Emotion could hold a working-class child back, make them unready for what was to come - what they were for.'
'As a child, I would have liked that level of honesty and candidness with my parents, but it was no more a part of Ronnie and Elsie than it had been their parents, and so on and so before. I completely understand that the openness switch was neither at their fingertips nor was it socially reinforced. Emotion could hold a working-class child back, make them unready for what was to come - what they were for.'
A very honest, introspective and at times a very raw account of Chris' childhood, growing up and his experiences of the world of acting, his mental breakdown and, above all, his relationship with his father. He discusses many important issues such as his father's dementia, the class system, his depression and Anorexia, as well as the body dysmorphia he has struggled with all his life. It was lovely to hear about his hopes for his children's futures. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, particularly since I'm only familiar with a small amount of his work, but this book has definitely affected my opinion of him... For the better.
I loved this book. The flow of this book is captivating and incredibly honest. I appreciated the way in which his memories and experiences are painted and masterfully woven together to tell a cohesive tale about a family’s existence. Incredible.
Phenomenal, beautiful stuff. Hard hitting and achingly honest, Eccleston doesn't sand off the edges of his father nor demonize him, but present the man he so loved in full color. And he gives the same energy to himself and his career, never once holding back his honest feelings about his profession and the politics therein, his mental health, and more. A memoir so individual and yet one we can all see ourselves in.
A very raw, personal memoir by English actor Christopher Eccleston, one which largely focuses on his relationship with his late father, his father's slow death from dementia, and his own struggles with mental health issues (depression and anorexia) over the years. I found parts of I Love the Bones of You very moving, as someone who has also lost a beloved family member to dementia, and parts of it interesting as much for what Eccleston doesn't seem to be able to see or acknowledge as what he does (e.g. he is clear that some of his father's behaviour, such as his outbursts of rage, was wrong, but as best as I can remember he never specifically names it as abuse). On a structural level, the book could have with a bit of a rethink, though, especially as parts of it are quite repetitive.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
