Wednesday 27 July 2011

AUTOBIOGRAPHY REVIEW: Can't Stand Up For Sitting Down - Jo Brand

Release Date: 14/04/11

SYNOPSIS:

The Stand-Up while Sitting Down Years...Jo Brand tells the story of how she crawled to fame and fortune, managed to persuade someone to marry her and had some children at an age when she should have been in a bath chair on the seafront. In this second volume of her memoirs, Jo recounts wild times on the comedy circuit, the attempts to tart her up for the TV screen, running the marathon, rally driving, her numerous, occasionally extremely inebriated, Edinburgh festival appearances, her 'acting' career, and much, much more. Jo Brand is one of our best-loved comedians, according to a quote she made up. This memoir is full of hard-won wisdom, hilarity and her views on life, laughs, friendships and all the good and bad things in the world. If she was Prime Minister, the country would be in even more of a mess than it is.


REVIEW:

The life of a comedian is one that is usually touched by a lot of sadness that few ever hear about as they’re expected to be funny all of the time so when I embark on an autobiography of one I hope that its going to have some humour within as well as presenting their life in an interesting way.

Having missed Jo’s original Look Back in Hunger title, I was definitely interested in this one that dealt more with the comedic aspects as well as how it impacted her life as I’ve loved her humour for years. Its fascinating, it is wonderfully written and it’s Jo’s warm self-depreciating sarcasm that brings this to the fore in a wonderfully upbeat title. Add to this her own special journey through some life changing moments and it’s a book that I not only enjoyed but one I look forward to reading again, especially after I’ve picked up the first title so that I can get the full flavour of this larger than life remarkable woman.

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