Wishful Drinking
by Carrie Fisher
It was a broken book headed for the recycle bin at the library bookstore, but I figured it had one more read in it…
This short little memoir was hilarious, even though it doesn’t seem like it should be since it is full of family disfunction, drug addiction, mental illness and electric shock therapy. Basically she says “If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” (pg 17) I guess she has had a one woman show which is basically the contents of this book which she claims started out as a “singles ad – a really, really detailed personals ad…” (pg 149). Chelsea Handler is doing something like this too. I read one of her books about her insane sex life. Funny.
If you are at all interested in Hollywood intrigue, she explains how her daughter and Elizabeth Taylor’s grandson might be related since they were dating at the time. She includes a marriage chart and everything, which I had to flip back to quite a few times! She also expounds on how being Princess Leia changed her life in many interesting ways. She definitely gets TMI from some of her fans, young male fans especially. She includes a few funny parts about filming the movies, such as, did you know why there is “no underwear in space according to George Lucas?” Find out what she wore under that white flowing dress. Ultimately, it is a fun read to laugh along with a woman who could just as easily be crying with all the crazy stuff that has happened in her life.
It is funny, a bit moving, interesting, though fairly surface about certain things and super short short. I read it an afternoon. I think I am going to have to check out her fiction. I haven’t read or seen Postcards from the Edge and I think I should! 3 stars.
OMG, this is amazing. The title gets me right away.
And Leia with her head on the table and a martini near her hand – hilarious. 🙂
Carrie has comedic pessimism down to a science.Very terse, pithy and full of gems. Thank goodness my book was also falling apart, I read it in the pool on a sunny warm so cal day. And since I was reading about alcoholism, the two beers were perfect!!
That sounds absolutely wonderful! 🙂
“If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” – Wow, excellent quote.
The book have a great title as well, I love a play on words. 🙂
If was fun. If you run across it, I recommend!
She’s had such an incredible life. It’s always interesting when we read about ‘stars’ to find that they’ve had to struggle with divorce and addiction and all the other things ‘normal’ people do. It’s almost as if we expect them to have ideal lives and are surprised when they don’t. This one is definitely on my ‘to read’ list!
Or crazy childhoods. We look and think, that looks like it must be an amazing, special life… You will enjoy it. 🙂
I never did read this, but you’ve made me feel as if I’ve missed out. I guess I have. Maybe there’s a copy in our library.
I saw her show and it was wonderful. Although since I’ve seen it, I don’t think I should read the book since the quotes above were in the play.
That makes sense, it would be a lot of deja vu!