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Old 01-18-2011, 11:24 PM   #7903
gmw
cacoethes scribendi
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I just finished "The Fry Chronicles" an autobiography by Stephen Fry.

I'm not much of a biography reader but thought Stephen Fry a worthy exception. I was disappointed to see just how small a section of his life this book covered (I had not bothered check). It picks up from "Moab is my Washpot" (which I have not read, but he filled in enough for it not to matter) and runs for just eight years - from just before his arrival at Cambridge, though his gradual increase in fame and prosperity, to just before making the series "A bit of Fry and Laurie".

The book is cited as being hilarious, but I can't say that I found it that. Fry writes well and I found the book flowed easily, although he sometimes gets carried away with showing how clever he can be with words, particularly in the earlier parts. Possibly I would have found it more entertaining if I had a bigger interest in the entertainment industry (especially in the UK), but as it was there were sections that had me feeling left-out. Probably the biggest complaint I have is that it opens with "I really must stop saying sorry" but he continues to apologise to his readers throughout, even apologising for apologising. Was that meant to be funny? I didn't find it so.

All up? It was okay, but not much more than that. The book hasn't really changed my view of Stephen Fry much either way, which is perhaps a good thing, but I don't really feel much the wiser either.
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