I loved this book! Brenda Blethyn writes about her childhood, as the youngest of nine children, to her marriages, and her successes as an actress. It is really entertaining.

People who love biographies. If you're a fan of Brenda Blethyn, it helps. But it's not a must.

Brenada's voice is warm and amusing. She is very entertaining.

Watch 'Vera' again. We need a new series of that!

Happy. Moved. Warm. Amused.

Brenda Blethyn is an English actress who has played many different roles in her life. She writes with warmth and humour.

It's funny and entertaining. It's interesting, as well.

Brenda Blethyn was born in Ramsgate, the youngest of nine children. Although she didn't very much in terms of money (her family had little money), it sounds as though her childhood was idyllic. It sounds like she had many happy times and remained close to all her siblings through their lives. In many ways, she reminded me of my Mum. She was the fifth child of ten, and her parents had little in terms of money. But her whole family remember their childhood as the happiest of times. So, maybe that is why I enjoyed this book so much. It made me think of Mum.

The reason I purchased this book was that I binge-watched every episode of "Vera" recently, and I loved that TV show, so when I saw this book, I had to read it. And I wasn't disappointed. Brenda Blethyn's narrative voice is warm and funny. I felt like she was sitting next to me, chatting as old friends about her life. Almost all of her memories have a touch of humour in them. She seems able to reflect on her own successes and disasters with honesty and humour. It's very refreshing to read a memoir of someone who had a happy childhood, and to whom nothing bad happened. It is refreshing to read a biography that isn't writing about the tough time the author has had to endure. (Not that that there is anything wrong with that. It's just, sometimes, a change is great.)

Something that really appealed to me was how humble she sounds. Like, she is very self-deprecating about certain things, but not in mean way. Rather, she acknowledges that she got it wrong, and she is okay with it.

From stories of her childhood, her marriages, and then her career; it is all very interesting. She never intended to become an actress, and, apparently, her family and friends were all surprised when she told them she was in a play. It seemed like a part of her still couldn't believe the career she'd had. I love that she won a Golden Globe for 'Secrets & Lies' and had Oscar nominations for 'Little Voice' and 'Secrets & Lies.' And, actually, something I loved her in was her guest role in 'Law & Order: SVU.' She was awesome in that episode, and I think she said won an Emmy for it.

Still, though, despite all the Hollywood glamour and glitz, she has made thirteen series of the detective show 'Vera.' I love it. She has a dry sense of humour in that show, and also you can see hints of a troubled past. That's what she is so good at: character studies. Whoever she is playing, she puts everything into. And still, she doesn't understand why people think she is so good. That's so endearing.

Here is something I discovered when reading the book: Brenda Blethyn has run three marathons! Like her acting career, she kind of agreed to run the London Marathon by mistake. Then. she realised she had to train. She actually had to run it.

I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone wanting a pick-me-up. It is a good tonic. And the stories are heartwarming. Great!

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Created May 14, 2024 at 7:18am • Submit your own review...