'Wishful Drinking is a touching and incisive account of bipolarity, addiction and motherhood.' Independent
‘No motive is pure. No one is good or bad – but a hearty mix of both. And sometimes life actually gives to you by taking away.' Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking
In Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher told the true and intoxicating story of her life with inimitable wit.
Born to celebrity parents, she was picked to play aprincess in a little movie calledStar Wars when only 19 years old. "But it isn't all sweetness and light sabres." Alas, aside from a demanding career and her role as a single mother (not to mention the hyperspace hairdo), Carrie also spends her free time battling addiction and weathering the wild ride of manic depression.
It's an incredible tale: from having Elizabeth Tayloras a stepmother, to marrying (and divorcing) Paul Simon, and from having the father of her daughter leave her for a man, to ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.
Carrie Fisher's star-studded career included roles in numerous films such as The Blues Brothersand When Harry Met Sally. She was the author of four bestselling novels, Surrender in the Pink, Delusions of Grandma, The Best Awful and Postcards from the Edge, which was made into a hit film starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. Carrie's experience with addiction and mental illness – and her willingness to talk honestly about them – made her a sought-after speaker and respected advocate. She was truly one of the most magical people to walk among us.
Oh, yikes. I had always heard from people that Carrie Fisher was this amazing feminist icon or something, that she had a great voice for women, etc. I knew she was bipolar -- and that's really why I picked this book up (because I am, too). But wow, I never heard about her racism, or that she's homophobic, etc., and loves to use that as an excuse for humor.
Book content warnings: racism homophobia ableism discussions about sexism
I'm not sure what I could really say this book was about. It sounds more like random stories about Carrie Fisher's childhood and life, as if she was just sitting down and talking with you. I mean, that could be the intention, too.
But her humor ... she almost always fell upon racist and homophobic (and even ableist) stereotypes. It was disappointing to say the least. She really couldn't let go of people she dated and married who """"""turned gay""""" (because of course, them learning they were gay had Everything to do with her, lol). I ended up suffering through this novel and basically wishing for it to end. I'm so glad it was a short read.
My opinion of her really soured. I just ... this whole thing was really awful, and I don't think I'll ever read anything by her again.
