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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
i feel weird rating this so i won’t. it’s a really good, real and raw memoir and i recommend it.
Read this off the back of Everything I Know About Love and whilst not being quite as good, I really really enjoyed it........... even though it was quite tough in places. I've been really loving these memoirs by women talking about their younger lives and this was perfect for that. I listened on audio and at first I thought oh god this isn't good cause she has such a droll voice, but i quickly got used to it and actually thought she was a good reader. Gave a really interesting insight into her life and some interesting observations about being a young person (and WOMAN SPECIFICALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in the public eye.
Would recommend!
Would recommend!
“Telling stories is important, especially if you are a woman. When women share their stories, loudly and clearly and honestly, things begin to change – for the better. This is my story.”
Watching A Star is Born, for all its faults (although I still loved it tbh), got me thinking about the effects fame must have on a person. I'd never really stopped to think about it before - that celebrities are made into characters which we can have intensely strong reactions to (either positive or negative) and which we're really comfortable in airing vocally. Imagine if we had the same reactions to work colleagues, acquaintances or family members? We wouldn't dream of it. We scrutinize famous people's every action but in so doing they become less than human, they're fair game, they're characters in a story we're all complicit in writing. This stayed with me as I finally sat down to watch Gaga's Netflix documentary last week. Sure there are moments she seems a bit pretentious and fully aware of the cameras, but several times I was like "fuck, this is an actual person with fears and hopes and insecurities I've had all these assumptions and ill-informed opinions about". Why do we expect a celebrity to be perfect in every way?
So this was all fresh in my mind when I started reading My Thoughts Exactly. It ended up being the exact opposite of what you'd expect a celebrity autobiography to be. I've dipped my toe in this genre a few times but have found almost every one to be a cringey exercise in self-mythologizing/deification (Keith Richard's autobiography being one of them). This is not that AT ALL. Everything is laid bear with searing honesty and an intense level of self-scrutiny. Nothing seems to be off-limits - her substance abuse, eating issues, dysfunctional relationships, her stalker and losing her first child under horrific circumstances are all here. She never makes any attempt to glamorize anything or to feed the celeb gossip machine.
So to summarise, I enjoyed this a lot. It's gripping, hard to read in parts but somehow manages to be a page-turner all the same. Maybe 'enjoy' isn't the right word to use when describing reading about some awful things happening to someone, but I'm glad I read it. It takes immense bravery to share a life so personally and openly, and Lily should be commended for this. Hopefully this can help other people in the public eye become more themselves.
Watching A Star is Born, for all its faults (although I still loved it tbh), got me thinking about the effects fame must have on a person. I'd never really stopped to think about it before - that celebrities are made into characters which we can have intensely strong reactions to (either positive or negative) and which we're really comfortable in airing vocally. Imagine if we had the same reactions to work colleagues, acquaintances or family members? We wouldn't dream of it. We scrutinize famous people's every action but in so doing they become less than human, they're fair game, they're characters in a story we're all complicit in writing. This stayed with me as I finally sat down to watch Gaga's Netflix documentary last week. Sure there are moments she seems a bit pretentious and fully aware of the cameras, but several times I was like "fuck, this is an actual person with fears and hopes and insecurities I've had all these assumptions and ill-informed opinions about". Why do we expect a celebrity to be perfect in every way?
So this was all fresh in my mind when I started reading My Thoughts Exactly. It ended up being the exact opposite of what you'd expect a celebrity autobiography to be. I've dipped my toe in this genre a few times but have found almost every one to be a cringey exercise in self-mythologizing/deification (Keith Richard's autobiography being one of them). This is not that AT ALL. Everything is laid bear with searing honesty and an intense level of self-scrutiny. Nothing seems to be off-limits - her substance abuse, eating issues, dysfunctional relationships, her stalker and losing her first child under horrific circumstances are all here. She never makes any attempt to glamorize anything or to feed the celeb gossip machine.
So to summarise, I enjoyed this a lot. It's gripping, hard to read in parts but somehow manages to be a page-turner all the same. Maybe 'enjoy' isn't the right word to use when describing reading about some awful things happening to someone, but I'm glad I read it. It takes immense bravery to share a life so personally and openly, and Lily should be commended for this. Hopefully this can help other people in the public eye become more themselves.
What a ride! I really loved Lily Allen when I first heard her & while I haven't kept up with her music more recently I've always thought she was a brilliant lyricist. This book was heavy duty, bold, brave, disturbing, troubled, honest and left me with a feeling of hope. She shines a.light on some pretty shitty things we all know happen in the music industry but kind of just ignore. I hope that changes and I wish Lily all the best in her life which has been full of craziness and drama until now!
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
The Details:
Narrated by author
Unabridged
This was such an insightful read, especially after recently reading the fiction story of Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson.
I've always like Lily Allen's music, so I enjoyed hearing about her life - a lot events I never knew had happened - and the honesty of it all was so vulnerable.
The audiobook was great. Lily's speaking voice is so easy to listen to.
Narrated by author
Unabridged
This was such an insightful read, especially after recently reading the fiction story of Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson.
I've always like Lily Allen's music, so I enjoyed hearing about her life - a lot events I never knew had happened - and the honesty of it all was so vulnerable.
The audiobook was great. Lily's speaking voice is so easy to listen to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
It was interesting to read her version of the events in her life and her background. I liked understanding her better but hated the way it flits between time periods and focusses on topic, just not my ideal way to read. She's funny in her writing, as we'd expect from what we see and hear in the media, and it's definitely telling it in her own words.
Lily tends to come across as pretty spoilt throughout; although many terrible things have happened to her, she seems to blame a lot of other people for her own wrongdoings. Would have preferred the photographs within the book rather than at the end (or is this just the kindle version?) Far more honest and personal than I expected and there's a fair helping of celebrity gossip and her sexual conquests.
Glad I read it but a bit disappointed in the structure.
Lily tends to come across as pretty spoilt throughout; although many terrible things have happened to her, she seems to blame a lot of other people for her own wrongdoings. Would have preferred the photographs within the book rather than at the end (or is this just the kindle version?) Far more honest and personal than I expected and there's a fair helping of celebrity gossip and her sexual conquests.
Glad I read it but a bit disappointed in the structure.
A really honest book worth reading. The writing isn't amazing but her story is so interesting and address some really important issues.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced