10% off all books and free delivery over £50
Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks.

Mr Wilder and Me

"A truly engaging and lovely read that combines fact and fiction as it explores and combines a coming of age, and a waning star story."

View All Editions (2)

The selected edition of this book is not available to buy right now.
Add To Wishlist
Write A Review

LoveReading Says

LoveReading Says

This really is the most gorgeous read, it’s poignant, almost unassuming and gentle, yet capable of capturing and causing emotions to expand and explore. It’s 1977 and Calista joins a film set to act as interpreter for Hollywood director Billy Wilder. As Calista begins to experience the wider world, Wilder is aging and his influence is subsiding.

Two tales are on offer here, the coming of age and waning star stories entwine and flow as one. Some Like It Hot, directed by Wilder is one of my all-time favourite films, so I was intrigued by the premise of this blend of fact and fiction. Jonathan Coe delves into the life of this influential and talented director, the acknowledgements and sources establish his research and recognise the specific incidents and quotations from Wilder.

While the director is fascinating and absolutely compelling, it is Calista, as she remembers her past and looks to her future who allowed my thoughts to reach out and settle with new awareness. I really wasn’t expecting the last line, and it landed with exquisite delicacy and made me cry. I have quite fallen in love with Mr Wilder and Me, it sits as both a Liz Pick of the Month and LoveReading Star Book too. 

Liz Robinson
Reviewed by Liz Robinson
Liz has been an Editorial Expert writing reviews for LoveReading since 2014.
More reviews by Liz Robinson
Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month
Star Books

About Mr Wilder and Me

In the heady summer of 1977, a naive young woman called Calista sets out from Athens to venture into the wider world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. But the time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her for good.

Read the full description

Find This Book In

Primary Genre Modern and Contemporary Fiction
Other Genres:
Recommendations:

About

Press Reviews

Author

Collections Featuring This Book

You Might Also Like...

Where There Was Fire

John Manuel Arias

Hardback

In Stock

£15.29 £16.99

A Place Called Winter

Patrick Gale

Paperback

In Stock

£11.69 £12.99

Spilt Milk

Amanda Hodgkinson

Paperback

In Stock

£14.39 £15.99

In Times of Fading Light

Eugen Ruge

Paperback

Not Available

22 Britannia Road

Amanda Hodgkinson

Paperback

Print on Demand / Special Order

£14.39 £15.99

Under This Unbroken Sky

Shandi Mitchell

Paperback

Not Available

Frequently asked questions