This Much is True

LoveReading Says

Anyone who has ever seen Miriam Margolyes on The Graham Norton Show will know what an hilarious character she is. Priceless. Unashamedly open and honest. Often giving far too much information than is required or expected of someone in the public eye. And you can't help but love her for it.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this memoir. An adventure, sure. A lot of laughs along the way, of course. But it also comes with a cleverness, self deprecation and warmth that is utterly beguiling.

At 80 years old, Margolyes has a lot to cover, she's a veteran of the screen and stage.

Adored for many of her well known characters like Professor Sprout to Lady Whiteadder, she's also an international acclaimed voice artist. Remember Cadbury's Caramel Bunny, anyone?

This memoir tells of her fortress family and her impish childhood, her time at Cambridge and much much more. She was a very naughty schoolgirl and she grew up to be a mischevious adult too. We hear how she sold encyclopaedias door to door for a time before finally getting a job in radio to set her off on her life of broadcasting. We hear the stories of people she "felt groiny" about, how Bob Monkhouse gave her the best kiss she's ever had and how she mooned Warren Beatty. It's an impressive cast including John Cleese, Martin Scorcese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Barbra Streisand.

Margolyes has always wanted to stand out, be odd and be talked about. Well, she has definitely nailed that. She comments in the book, that "laughter is like love and then, like now, I can't get enough of it." Us too, Miriam. And we can't get enough of you either! As Stephen Fry says: "There is no one on earth quite so wonderful."

Deborah Maclaren

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