Celeb memoirs, Michael Cunningham, Elizabeth Fair – welcome to episode 125!
In the first half, Rachel and I discuss celebrity memoirs – do we read them? What do we count as a celebrity memoir? In the second half, we each chose one of the other’s favourite 2023 reads – Day by Michael Cunningham (one of my favourite reads from last year) and Landscape in Sunlight by Elizabeth Fair.
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The books and authors we mention in this episode are:
Convenience Store Woman by Suyaka Murata
Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton
At the Pines by Mollie Panter-Downes
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Max Beerbohm
Storm Bird by Mollie Panter-Downes
Katie Price
Peter Kay
John Gielgud
No Leading Lady by R.C. Sherriff
Virginia Woolf
Delicacy by Katy Wix
Sidesplitter by Phil Wang
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
What’s That Lady Doing? by Lou Sanders
Glutton by Ed Gamble
Spare by Prince Harry
The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Toxic by Sarah Ditum
Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton
Inferno by Catherine Cho
Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton
You’re a Brick, Angela! by Mary Cadogan
The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton
St Clare’s series by Enid Blyton
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham
The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham
Miss Read
Bramton Wick by Elizabeth Fair
Emma by Jane Austen
Barbara Pym
A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce
I am looking forward to hearing what you think of Dear Mrs. Bird. I didn’t read Lessons (it looked too romancy for my taste), but when I saw the TV series and was surprised that I had discounted it so quickly. I might go back and read it.
Lessons definitely isn’t romancey, so if that’s put you off then you don’t need to!
Another interesting discussion, thank you!
I am not generally drawn to celebrity memoirs (although I was more tempted to read Spare after listening to Rachel talk about that!). I agree with Simon’s point that celebrities seem to turn their hand to writing rather than painting or music whereas they should leave the writing to writers; I think the best memoirs are those written by writers.
Sadly, Day did not turn me into a Cunningham fan. Like Rachel, I found it disappointing and ‘earnest’. I thought the opening sections were promising and then I became increasingly annoyed and disinterested. It felt as if the author was trying too hard to be culturally relevant and the characters seemed rather hollow as a result.
I think I would like Landscape in Sunlight but was not able to get hold of copy to read. It was interesting to hear your different views of the multiplicity of characters. It’s a fine line sometimes between so many characters that it is confusing, and a book which creates a wonderful densely peopled other world.
I was rather surprised to hear the choice for next month’s read as I seem to remember Rachel did not like Mrs Bird? Maybe my middle age memory?! I have not been tempted by Lessons in Chemistry yet despite (or perhaps because of!) the rave reviews so I might listen to your two views first.
Sorry to hear you didn’t like Day, Sarah! I think Cunningham is an absolute marvel, but you’re in good company with Rachel.
Yes, she has indeed said she doesn’t liek Dear Mrs Bird – I think that will make for a fun conversation! Sometimes it’s more enjoyable to bash it out when we disagree (though I haven’t started it yet, so maybe I’ll agree with her.)
Thanks for another wonderful episode – I love the idea of your choosing from each other’s top ten and yes, hope you will do it every January!
I read the E. Fair this month and loved it, and am still planning to read Day as well. Will be very curious to hear your opinions next month. I happen to have read both and really disliked Lessons and somewhat disliked Mrs Bird. I do also remember Rachel saying she was disappointed with Mrs Bird too. I love hearing what you two think and I’m so glad you don’t hold back but share what you really do think!
Thank you Andrea! I’m already looking forward to our choices next January, tbh.
And yes, we are certainly honest – always feels slightly weirder when the authors are alive, but I don’t imagine either of them will ever find this podcast :D
Had to side with Rachel on this one. I was reading Day on a transatlantic flight and found the opening section fairly involving and the middle section a really powerful evocation of the shutdown period, especially given the horrific stories of the endless ambulance sirens in New York. But at the end of the day (or Day) the novel just didn’t go anyplace in particular. I did like the writing and thought it was interesting technically in a Woolfian way. (Did you all never read The Years?). I enjoy The Hours but never found it as brilliant as most people do. I’ve read all seven (thanks to Scott for tracking down and publishing The Marble Staircase) of the Elizabeth Fair novels and enjoy them, with maybe Seaview House and A Winter Away being my personal favorites. All seem a bit more acidic than Angela Thirkell and less on a par with Barbara Pym, but that’s just me. As always, though, a great episode of the podcast.
I’ve got Strong Female Character and I’ve read Sidesplitter and I note that I didn’t work on any of the celeb memoirs you mention. I do like to look for the ghostwriter being mentioned (though I don’t believe either of those or the Ed Gamble were ghosted) although I also know that sometimes they ask NOT to be mentioned!
I did read the Madness one – “Before we was we”, even though I’d transcribed it and it was an oral history so practically the same but beautifully interleaved and arranged, and it was VERY good.