Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on
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.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 27 January, 2017: Finished reading
- 27 January, 2017: Reviewed