bumblingbookworm
Written on Nov 14, 2020
The Princess Diarist is Carrie Fisher’s intimate, hilarious and revealing recollection of what happened behind the scenes on one of the most famous film sets of all time, the first Star Wars movie.
When Carrie Fisher recently discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Today, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon is indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a (sort-of) regular teenager.
With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. And today, as she reprises her most iconic role for the latest Star Wars trilogy, Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candour and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into the type of stardom that few will ever experience.
- ISBN10 0593077563
- ISBN13 9780593077566
- Publish Date 24 November 2016 (first published 22 November 2016)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 5 March 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Random House USA Inc
- Imprint Bantam Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 272
- Language English
Reviews
kiracanread
Written on Feb 7, 2020
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Oct 22, 2018
Even coming from a famous family, Carrie really got thrown in the deep end with the unexpected popularity of Star Wars. That said, The Princess Diarist is not about Star Wars. You'll get glimpses of the story and a little behind the scenes (I liked the story about her hair) but this is not an inside view, not really. The Princess Diarist is about Star Wars in as much as Star Wars defined and redefined Carrie Fisher's life. It's about how Leia became such a big part of herself, whether she wanted that eternal intimacy with the character or not.
I think that a lot of readers will be frustrated with the scattered nature of this book, but I fell in love with Carrie's voice right away. She's uncertain and snarky and uncomfortable. She felt more real that just about any writer I can think of, and I've read quite a few memoirs this fall. Carrie doesn't put on airs - she tells things how she remembers them and refuses to sugar coat it. And if it's not the fairy story you were hoping for... well, oh well.
This one captivated me, and if you like memoirs or non-fiction with clever, honest narrators, The Princess Diarist is a great book. And being a Star Wars fan doesn't hurt, either.
Blog: The Literary Phoenix
Bookstagram: @theliteraryphoenix
Nessa Luna
Written on May 9, 2018
inlibrisveritas
Written on Jan 27, 2017
Carrie’s death hit me sort of hard. I had literally just stepped out of the theater restroom (we got out of Rogue One only a few minutes earlier) and my boyfriend had this almost pitying look on his face, he showed me his phone screen and I broke down. In the middle of the theater lobby. I don’t cry.I might blink rapidly or swallow hard, but the act of crying is something I hold back right up until I just can’t anymore. As a kid Leia was my hero, as an adult it was Carrie. So going into this audio was hard, but you can’t really stay upset when you have Carrie Fisher in your ear making jokes about her hair and everything else. I needed this. On that note, I fully recommend the audiobook! The book has an almost conversational tone that really works for audio, and it helps that Carrie is the one reading it. I think it’d probably be better as an audio, to be honest. We also have Billie Lourd, Carrie’s daughter, reading the diary entries in the middle.
I think the title could be a little misleading for those who are looking for a more in-depth glimpse of her filming the movie. Instead, this book focuses on two things: Carrie’s relationship with Leia, and Carrie’s affair with Harrison Ford. Carrie’s portion is full of her characteristic wit and self-deprecation as she goes over how Leia has shaped her and who she is. I think the audio shines because these portions really flow like a conversation, and I’ve seen reviews saying that reading it was odd. She knew how to poke fun at the odd portions of her life and really hones in on all aspects of ‘being Leia; everything from horrible hairdos to convention visits. Even with her breaching actual issues, it’s light and fun. The diary entries, however, hold a different tone. We see a young woman struggling with fame and with being in love with a man who has no intentions of being in love with her. We see her struggle with mental illness, self-loathing, and drug use. These entries are beautifully written and utterly heart wrenching in areas. To see her struggle with the infidelity but not want it to disappear, and struggle to be a woman that would make a lasting impact on those around her it really hurts. For a woman who shared so much of herself with everyone it’s odd to say that this provided a candid look at her life, but in some ways, it does feel more personal and intimate than normal.
If you were a fan of Carrie Fisher, be it her films or her work with mental illness awareness, then I definitely suggest finding a copy of this one audio. It’s not one of the ‘must read’ books that will become the tome which she is known by but it really does give you a glimpse into her life that was previously left untold. It’s raw and holds nothing back, like Carrie herself.
SilverThistle
Written on Jan 2, 2017