Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Wishful Drinking
Book Review: A fun couple of hours in the company of Ms. Fisher
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a very quick read but enjoyable. Carrie Fisher may not have the best sobriety and she may not be someone I would hire to be a speaker had I an organization looking for a mental illness advocate (she advertises herself on the book jacket as a "sought after speaker") as she is a chronic relapser, but her prose is both witty and fun. A good albeit quick read.Book Review: A memoir from someone with little memory?
Summary: 1 Stars
I expected this book to have some insight into fisher's childhood, what led her down the path of alcoholism and shock-therapy treatment, and what those experiences were like for her. Instead, it's a short series of often not-funny disconnected one-liners. At the end of some paragraphs I expected a short-drum-roll, followed by "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week, ladies and gentleman". It appears to be, as some people have already noted, a transcript of her one-man show which does not translate at all well to paper.
Fisher reveals at the start of the book that the shock-therapy treatment left her with little memories and that the purpose of writing her book was an attempt to try and recapture some of them. Well, that's fine as a therapy exercise, but don't then try and pawn it off as a revealing autobiograpghy. It took me about 2-hours to finish this extremely short book and gained nothing from my experience. That's $20 and 2-hours of my life that I will never get back; don't waste your money or your time on this one.
Book Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
Fisher's writing is sharp and funny, making this book the ideal seasonal snack. This book had ROTFL.Book Review: Amazing!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lucid, brilliant, honest, exceptional storytelling that will make a "fan" out of you, even if you've never identified at all with being a fan of someone from Hollywood. I am now someone's fan. I just love Carrie Fisher.Book Review: An eye-opening look at Carrie Fisher's life
Summary: 4 Stars
Wishful Drinking is a no-holes-barred tell-all tale about growing up in a famous, totally dysfunctional home, authored by one of the funniest actresses in Hollywood.
Carrie Fisher, best known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in Star Wars, is the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. As she is fond of saying, she is the "...product of Hollywood inbreeding. When two celebrities mate, something like me is the result." Fisher recounts her early life with a loving, albeit celebrity mother who was often away filming a movie, and an absentee father who was more interested in his latest girlfriend. Fisher isn't shy about exposing her father's infidelities. When discussing how he left her mother for Elizabeth Taylor, the author describes her father rushing to Taylor's side as "He dried her eyes with his handkerchief, then he consoled her with flowers, and he ultimately consoled her with his..." (fill in the blank).
It is clear that the Fisher household was an unusual atmosphere in which to grow up, but the author makes no apologies and asks for no sympathy. Fisher is full of love and admiration for her mother while also pointing out Debbie Reynolds' eccentricities with quotes such as "...this from a woman who when asked for dating advice says, `For what age?'"
Fisher is quite open about her struggles with alcoholism, drugs and bipolar disorder, but this is not a dull, depressing look at the life of a rich celebrity as Fisher inserts plenty of humor into her telling of the events. "I mean, let's face it, my most creative achievement at that time was having unnecessary gum surgery just for the morphine. (I don't think you can use the word "just" and "morphine" anywhere near each other.)"
At 156 pages, with plenty of pictures throughout, and written in a conversational style reminiscent of Fisher's stage show, Wishful Drinking is a quick read. There are plenty of laughs as Fisher is at her best telling her life story. It would have been nice to tone down the overuse of four letter words and some of the references are a bit crude.
Quill says: Overall a fun, eye opening look at the life of Carrie Fisher.