Author: Paula

Okay.  So a certain online bookseller apparently has the street date for Carrie Fisher‘s Wishful Drinking a wee bit early.  But I don’t care, as it has allowed me to get it and read it.

If you like snark, then this book is for you!

The interesting part about this book, compared to her other books, is that it is very blatantly autobiographical, as opposed to the psuedo-biographical nature of her fiction work.  And she just gets right down to it:  her family dysfunction, her brain’s dysfunction, the more interesting events in her life.

A bit disappointing to this Star Wars geek is the general lack of actual Star Wars stories.  She mentions getting the role and the oddness of being a collectible, but basically stays away from stories about the production or other behind-the-scenes tidbits.  But, then again, the way she describes her state of being at the time and episodes since then, one might have to forgive her.  She might not actually remember it!

In spite of that, this is a really intriguing look at mental illness and life in Hollywood.  And it’s nice to have some things cleared up that have been a bit obscured by tabloids and internet gossip.

And, when you get right down to it, it’s hilarious.  Her sarcastic wit and style of writing makes you feel like you’re right there having a conversation with her.  So the conversation rambles a bit.  And you come out understanding someone just a little better.

The pictures are enlightening and the captions even better  (Check out the tabloid headlines.  Brilliant!)  I laughed at least once a page.

Of note, this might not be the best book for those under high school age.  There is profanity.  There are some serious situations she has dealt with.  Parents might not be so thrilled with younger minds (and maybe not even high schoolers) reading it.

But if you do not fall into this age group, I’d highly recommend it.