A review by adamskiboy528491
Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru by Hugh Bonneville

4.0

"Was I hiding under the piano? Or was I just playing?"

[b:Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru|60824917|Playing Under the Piano From Downton to Darkest Peru|Hugh Bonneville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1662444501l/60824917._SY75_.jpg|95919873] by [a:Hugh Bonneville|2853768|Hugh Bonneville|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is just a sweet memoir from a friendly and talented actor! We learn great detail about his filmography and what happened behind the scenes. He is a surprisingly engaging storyteller! Bonneville also writes with poignancy about his father’s dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death. Whether telling stories of working with divas, dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor. His story has a lot of heart, care, and humour, and I especially admire how he heaved his family story with the burdens of becoming an actor.

Most of the chapters revolve around the fun, hardworking and sometimes challenging working day-to-day in this kind of career. From Downton Abbey to Notting Hill and Paddington, you can visualise the moment as if it’s happening. Sometimes when a celebrity rights their book, it can be long-winded and seems more like an exercise in naming the other famous people they know. This memoir of his was funny and moving in parts, and Bonneville certainly does not take himself seriously.