The Fry Chronicles

Jan 05, 2012 Addie Lansdown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a quick read as I love Stephen Fry and have been curious about his career. His writing is lyrical, captivating and a linguistic joy to read, he has a seemingly effortless ability to conjure whirling syntax and employ endless alliterations and double rhyme scheme. The downfalls of this work were an inexcusable amount of repetition, self deprecation to the point of farce and mindless name dropping which did tend to disconnect the reader. It also would have served well to be much shorter....more

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Mar 03, 2012 Jinny Chung rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a Fryophile. The first half of this is perfect! --Until he begins to mercilessly name-drop (moar liek name-bomb). A note to Stephen: we don't care about them. We care about YOU.

“I am sure that I am right in locating my first addiction here. Sugar Puffs were the starting link in a chain that would shackle me for most of my life. To begin with, as you might imagine, they were a breakfast habit. But soon I was snacking on them at any time of day until my mother began to sigh at the number of p...more I am a Fryophile. The first half of this is perfect! --Until he begins to mercilessly name-drop (moar liek name-bomb). A note to Stephen: we don't care about them. We care about YOU.

“I am sure that I am right in locating my first addiction here. Sugar Puffs were the starting link in a chain that would shackle me for most of my life. To begin with, as you might imagine, they were a breakfast habit. But soon I was snacking on them at any time of day until my mother began to sigh at the number of packets she was forced to buy. I would eat the sweet pellets loose from the box. One after the other, without stopping, into the mouth they would go. I was like an American at the cinema with popcorn: eyes glazed, hand rising and falling pack-to-mouth, pack-to-mouth, pack-to-mouth like a machine.
“ ‘Eyes glazed’. Is that important? A child at the breast or bottle has that look. There is a sexual element to such unfocused fixity. Until I was about eight or nine I sucked the first two fingers of my left hand. Almost all the time. While twiddling the hair on the crown of my head with the fingers of the right hand. And always with that glazed, faraway look, with parted lips and laboured breath. Was I giving myself the breast treat that I had been denied? These are dark waters, Watson.
“Cereal-packet lists of ingredients and serving suggestions were my literature; thiamine, riboflavin and niacin my mysterious invisible friends. Sold by weight not volume. Contents may have settled during transport. Insert finger under flap and move from side to side. They’re Gr-r-r-r-r-r-r-eat! We like Ricicles, they’re twicicles as nicicles. And so they were. In fact, as I liked to say, they were thricicles as nicicles. Certainly much nicicler than their staid, unsweetened parent, Rice Krispies…”

.

"All you need know is that I, my 128 kilobyte Macintosh, Imagewriter bitmap printer and small collection of floppy disks were all very, very happy together. What possible need could I have for sex or human relationships when I had this?"

.

"Alan Bennett was out in the street, attaching bicycle clips to his trousers.
" 'Are you going to join us for spaghetti?' I asked him.
" 'Yes, do!' said the boys.
" 'Oh no,' said Alan, in slightly shocked tones, as if we were inviting him to a naked orgy in an opium den. 'I shall cycle home and have a poached egg.' "

.

"Although we were not really well known and certainly like as famous as Harry and Ben were becoming, there was a sizeable enough demand for us in college and university towns, it seemed, and a tour was arranged. We wrote and stared out of the window and paced up and down and bought Big Macs and looked out of the window and went for walks and tore at our hair and swore and watched television and bought more Big Macs and swore again and wrote and screamed with horror as the clock showed that another day was over and we looked at what we had written and groaned and agreed to meet again first thing next day whosever turn it was agreeing to arrive with some coffee and Big Macs."
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Nov 02, 2011 moshimoshineko rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Didn't finish and had no desire to. I enjoyed Fry's previous volume of autobiography - Moab My Washpot - although I appreciate that this book was more of a delving into his adult years, it just wasn't anywhere near as entertaining. I was gripped during his narration of his time at Cambridge and was incredibly thrilled by the first appearances of Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie and a bunch of other famous names, however I lost interest the minute he became a professional - name dropping is fine and...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Minna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who enjoy reading (auto)biographies, Fry&Laurie-fans

Shelves: biography, owned

I read Moab is My Washpot and found it interesting, so I thought I'd really like this one. I was wrong. I'm not at all sure if I liked or even enjoyed this book. I wanted to because I really like Stephen Fry, but it was at times painful to read.

Firstly, autobiographies are morally tricky for me to read. I always as if I'm opening up another person's secret diary and I can't help but to shudder and feel ashamed for reading it. I really like Fry, but some things I didn't want to know. And it's no...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Katrin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eagerly awaited (by me): Volume 2 of Mr Fry's autobiography, this time it's about his years at Cambridge University and his first years of success as an actor and writer, up to "Blackadder". I liked the book because I like Stephen Fry, and because we seem to have a few character traits in common, namely, an addiction to sweets (described here at length) and an inclination towards writing texts that are way too long and too elaborate ... as is this book! I can understand everyone who says "My God...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, non-fiction

At first I thought I was going to adore this biography. The opening chapter started with a caveat that is extremely close to my heart "in every particular I fail Strunk's Elements of Style or any other manual of 'good writing'. If a thing can be said in ten words, I may be relied upon to take a hundred to say it... I love words and whilst I am fond of the condensed and economical use of them in poetry, in song lyrics, in Twitter, in good journalism and smart advertising, I love the luxuriant pro...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Robin Ganderton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-bio

"Hullo. Most awfully sorry to bother you and all that, but I'm Stephen Fry and I thought that just possibly - if you are most unutterably consumed with tedium and are simply the most heinous glutton for punishment - you might like to read my second memoir, the story of a liar, a fraud, and a fake. And a national treasure, apparently. But I'm not too sure about that last one at all."

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Feb 24, 2011 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2011, non-fiction, lgbt-characters, memoirs-biographies-etc

I enjoyed this autobiography and although it is quite thick, I got through it pretty quickly. I've always liked Fry due to his openness about his past issues - particularly those concerning his adolescence and so 'Moab is My Washpot' would be a better read to learn more about that. However, this book documents his 'adulthood' and I found it very interesting. I wouldn't normally enjoy reading about someone's experiences going through university or reading about an acting career, but thanks to Fry...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Andrey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-best

Continuation of the greatest biography and as always to be continued !!!

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Jan 03, 2013 Sassy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

No one could read Stephen Fry other than Stephen Fry. There is just something quintessential - the use of so many exact, erudite, and sometimes obscure words would seem inappropriate coming from someone else’s lips, but from Stephen, exquisite.

Listening to this volume of his autobiography makes me fall in love with the English language all over again. For all its twists and turns, designed seemingly to irritate the uninitiated, it is like poetry when it spills out in Fry's ever so english a

...more

No one could read Stephen Fry other than Stephen Fry. There is just something quintessential - the use of so many exact, erudite, and sometimes obscure words would seem inappropriate coming from someone else’s lips, but from Stephen, exquisite.

Listening to this volume of his autobiography makes me fall in love with the English language all over again. For all its twists and turns, designed seemingly to irritate the uninitiated, it is like poetry when it spills out in Fry's ever so english accent.

We listened to this volume while driving to my Mother's for Christmas in late 2011, so it a bit of cheat to include this review in my 2012 list but there you have it. It was odd also to be listening to tales of Footlights while driving through the karri forests of south west Western Australia.

It took nothing away from my enjoyment of this story. Nor did the fact that I have next to nothing in common with Stephen Fry. His desire to join in could not be further from my own introverted notion of choosing not to be noticed most of the time. And yet here is something there, something in the vulnerability that he shares so freely that is intoxicating.

Stephen Fry would have to be one of those people you'd have at a dream dinner party, if only you thought for a moment you wouldn't bore him silly the whole time he was there.

There is a theme in my reading for 2012 (ok 2011 and 2012) in how the Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours rule applied. I have no doubt at all that despite his near genius IQ, Stephen Fry's true success comes from the sheer number of hours he has spent doing what he does best, entertaining others, with what appears to be a desperate desire to please others. And he succeeds tremendously.

That he is a flawed protagonist in his own stories is without doubt. But therein lies the magic of any good story.

I loved this book.

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May 13, 2013 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book.

I've just read a few of the Good Reads comments. It's funny how our experiences vary, isn't it? I didn't view the alleged name dropping in this book as "name-dropping". Rather, that's Stephen Fry's *life*. These people are his friends and colleagues. If this book was about me, it would be Jane Smith and Frances Jones... For Stephen Fry it's Emma Thomson and Hugh Laurie.

I love Stephen Fry's 'voice' which comes through so strongly in the book. It would be disappointing...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Stephen Doig rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To read Stephen Fry is an experience very much akin to hearing him speak. In fact, as I was reading about Fry's life and career it was easy to imagine his mellifluous tones and flawless enunciation in my mind.

The Fry Chronicles spans just eight years of Stephen's life, from the ages of twenty to twenty-eight, but covers a good deal of territory. It charts his early and highly promising comedic and theatrical experiences at Cambridge University in the early 1980's and onwards through to eventual...more To read Stephen Fry is an experience very much akin to hearing him speak. In fact, as I was reading about Fry's life and career it was easy to imagine his mellifluous tones and flawless enunciation in my mind.

The Fry Chronicles spans just eight years of Stephen's life, from the ages of twenty to twenty-eight, but covers a good deal of territory. It charts his early and highly promising comedic and theatrical experiences at Cambridge University in the early 1980's and onwards through to eventual television stardom in the latter part of the decade. Along the way we meet other talented friends and colleagues of Fry's such as Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson and of course Fry's lifelong chum and comedic partner Hugh Laurie. Amusing anecdotes and witty asides abound, although at times the writing does become rather 'name-droppy' - as a previous reviewer also noted. It's also possible that some readers may find Stephen's verbosity a touch overbearing, particularly those that are new to his writing.

Where The Fry Chronicles really excels is when Fry reveals his innermost feelings and thoughts about what actually makes him tick. As any good autobiography should be, much of it is an honest account (sometimes searingly so) of what it is like to be Mr. Fry on a daily basis. Fry is acutely aware of how he is seen by the public. He knows, for better or worse, that he seems like the sort of person who appears to sail through life effortlessly on privilege, charm, poise, and wit. We soon come to realize though, that for Fry, inwardly, it is a very very different story indeed. The author makes it perfectly clear that he is no stranger to recurring feelings of insecurity, addiction, self-loathing and despair. Several times throughout the book, Fry is at pains to point out that whatever success, status, fame or wealth he has attained - nice as these qualities may be – they do not insulate against unhappiness. After which, he is usually quick to apologize for his own perceived self-indulgence and preciousness.

One suspects the erudite and savvy Fry knows well what works for his audience. That we, in our heart of hearts, take some sort of odd comfort from the fact that even our heroes, brilliant as they may be, are only as human as the next person.(less)

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Feb 20, 2013 John Teehan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An absolutely engaging and charming memoir of Fry's experiences at Cambridge, his early BBC days, and his early theatre days. Along the way we're treated with reminiscences populated by the likes of Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson, Adrian Edmonson, Ben Elton, Paul Eddington, John Sessions, and a host of other names familiar to fans of Footlights alumni and British comedy.

In keeping with Fry's reputation as an intellectual, the writing is as intelligent as it is entertaining. There is...more

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Feb 12, 2013 T. Edmund rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I understand that this is the second biographical account of Mr Fry. Moab is my Washpot covered the first 20 years of his life and published in 1997. while I can understand the logic of producing a 'developing years' biography, then penning the rest later on I'm not sure why Fry has to go all The Hobbit on us with his life's tale.

Frustrations with the conclusion of this piece aside - what is it actually like?

Well to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure.

The book starts with an apology for being apol...more I understand that this is the second biographical account of Mr Fry. Moab is my Washpot covered the first 20 years of his life and published in 1997. while I can understand the logic of producing a 'developing years' biography, then penning the rest later on I'm not sure why Fry has to go all The Hobbit on us with his life's tale.

Frustrations with the conclusion of this piece aside - what is it actually like?

Well to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure.

The book starts with an apology for being apologetic, not a great start in my opinion. However Fry does deliver as promised, not a polished positive spin on himself, but a genuine expose. The problem is between Fry's predictable verbosity and florid prose I suspect he has succeeded in keeping much of who he is secret. Sure he candidly reveals many parts of his life, such as his reaction to fame (sometimes perceived fame) and his famous colleagues. However I often found myself wondering if Fry was skipping over much of what I thought biographies were about, namely the relationships in his life, and the moments those relationships changed.

Fry does discuss his entire platonic admiration of Hugh Laurie (House,) his envy and worship of Rowan Atkinson (Bean) and others such as Emma Thomson and Rik Mayall. But somehow I felt like much was missing. Perhaps as Fry begs mercy for, his life is indeed plain, or more likely he simply did not wish to delve too deeply into content which related to those closest to him.

I'm also none too sure how Fry chose his material for discussion, at times I felt bored by the long lists of names, and while his QI-esque forays into historical or factoid discussion were often enjoyable, they were just as equally dull and diminished the true interest of the piece (Fry himself) although as suspected above Fry may have intentionally been avoiding this subject.

If it sounds like I totally hated this book, this simply isn't the case. The Fry Chronicles are by no means a bad read - Fry's languid prose is such that the book is an ease to read from cover to cover. Fry's insights into the human and his own condition are often not only astute but at times heart-rendering. Despite being frustrated that this piece has a to be continued I am enthused enough to wait with baited breath for the next, and pickup his previous to delve into more Fry-insight... (less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Julian Schwarzenbach rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is very rare for me to be unable to finish a book, however, the Fry Chronicles was a book that irritated me so much that I had to give it up. It created such a poor impression on me that it has also significantly lowered my opinion of Stephen Fry.

I enjoyed watching QI and used to find Stephens monologues between sections entertaining, however, having read most of a book that just appears to be an extremely extended version of one of these monologues, I now find him irritating on screen as wel...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Elín Lóa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, read-in-english

I finished this audiobook on a 10 hours drive while returning home to the capital from the east fjords in Iceland. It was really nice to have Stephen Fry as my travel companion as I traveled alone and it was quite nice to listen to his story as the landscape whooshed by.

I have to admit that I pondered whether or not I should include audiobooks in my list of "read" books here on Goodreads. Because obviously, I didn't quite read it myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed the reading of it by Stephen Fry...more I finished this audiobook on a 10 hours drive while returning home to the capital from the east fjords in Iceland. It was really nice to have Stephen Fry as my travel companion as I traveled alone and it was quite nice to listen to his story as the landscape whooshed by.

I have to admit that I pondered whether or not I should include audiobooks in my list of "read" books here on Goodreads. Because obviously, I didn't quite read it myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed the reading of it by Stephen Fry himself. But I decided, that Goodreads is probably the best place to keep track of the audiobooks I listen to, and it is a book after all.

The Fry Chronicles capture the years from the late teenage years and Stephen Fry in his twenties. What I liked about it is how sincere he is and honest about both his abilities and shortcomings. His descriptions of people and situations in his life are fantastically well written and you sometimes almost feel like you're included in the events. One of my favorite part of the books is probably his description of the writing method and struggle of his friend Douglas Adams. Stephen's description of the cooperation and his dear friendship with Hugh Laurie is also very well executed, and you can hear how important the relationship with Hugh is, and that it always felt like it was somehow destined that they would work together.

The only thing in this book that there could be less of is the name dropping. Though it serves it's purpose in many occasions and puts things in perspective regarding time and occurrences, it sometimes takes the attention from the important thing, the storytelling itself. And even though it's weirdly nice to hear a successful man as Stephen Fry tell us about his crippling fears, that make him somehow more approachable, there are a few times where they are repeated one time to many.

I'm looking forward listening to the next chapter in Stephen Fry's autobiography, and I say listening, because Stephen Fry is such a great story teller, and after experiencing this one on audiobook I can't imagine having to read the next one on my own. I might even take another 10 hours drive just to celebrate it's debut...(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Peter Kobryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The next instalment of Stephen Fry’s autobiography that covers the years from his teen years to his twenties by which time he had established himself as a talented and much in demand writer of comedy and prose both on the stage and television.

The one potential drawback with this book is one repeatedly identified by the author himself. He worries that his readers will find little sympathy and empathy for their author’s concerns and self esteem issues when he was and is so spectacularly successfu...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This memoir encompasses the life of the author beginning with his entry to Cabridge and continuing to the mid-1980’s. It deals mostly with his path to the entertainment business and his acquaintances with many famous British people. I admit I was unfamiliar with most of them, but the book was still compelling. Mr. Fry has a way with words, delighting in alliteration to an extreme, as though the words one uses to convey meaning are almost as important as the meaning itself. I found it delightful...more

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Jul 20, 2012 David Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you live in the UK it is highly likely that at some point you will have come across one our most treasured sons – Stephen Fry. Where do you start with him? Comedian, writer of fiction and non-fiction, quiz show host, blogger, radio, television, films, audio books, you’re probably starting to get the message that he does a lot. With such notable credits as Blackadder, Kingdom (2007-9), A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1987-95) on television and Wilde (1997), Gosford Park (2001) and V For Vendetta (200...more If you live in the UK it is highly likely that at some point you will have come across one our most treasured sons – Stephen Fry. Where do you start with him? Comedian, writer of fiction and non-fiction, quiz show host, blogger, radio, television, films, audio books, you’re probably starting to get the message that he does a lot. With such notable credits as Blackadder, Kingdom (2007-9), A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1987-95) on television and Wilde (1997), Gosford Park (2001) and V For Vendetta (2006) on the big screen, and his own Twitter account, you’ll have done well not to hear anything about him, but with The Fry Chronicles, a sequel of sorts to Moab is my Washpot (1997), we are given further insight into the life of one of the UK’s greatest ever entertainers.

While Moab is my Washpot focussed on the first 20 years of Stephen’s life, The Fry Chronicles looks at his time at Cambridge University which led to his first appearances on stage and later a career in comedy while dabbling in plenty of other pursuits including adverts and writing plays. The book ends in 1987 when Stephen has filmed the second series of Blackadder and he and best friend, Hugh Laurie, are beginning work on their sketch show, A Bit of Fry and Laurie. It might seem like a small period of time initially but at 400+ pages there is so much information here about Fry’s life, interposed with many memories that fall outside the book’s main timeframe.

I’d previously only read The Star’s Tennis Balls from Stephen’s collection of books so was eager to see how an autobiography would read. Unsurprisingly, it is witty, with a delightful use of the English language throwing in many words I’ve never come across, but the main strength is to be found in Fry’s honesty. I often smiled at his frequent apologies for speaking of his career, particularly when revealing he has little if any problems when it comes to money, yet felt the need to keep saying sorry to those of us that may have felt he was showing off. I wasn’t the least offended, Stephen, you’re worth every penny. The book is divided into four sections, the first dealing with Fry’s childhood addiction to sugar in whatever form it was manifest. His love of all things sugary impacted years later with his weight ballooning to over 20 stone, though a change of lifestyle has now seen Fry shed much of this. The second section focuses on another addiction and this one is even more serious – tobacco. In both cases Fry talks about the moments he decided it was time to give up on both addictions. How did he fare? It’s not for me to tell.

The autobiography moves onto Fry’s time at Cambridge University. Having previously spent some time in prison, this was a fresh start and I found it amusing that such an undoubtedly intelligent man lived in fear of being found out he wasn’t clever and subsequently booted out of the university. Fry’s attendance at lectures was not good to say the least but his ingenuity in facing coursework and exams was simply amazing. Fry had a basic argument in mind that he could chop and change in his mind to suit just about any question under that particular subject. For example he may have had a general argument about a play by Shakespeare but when faced with a tough exam question Fry could just use the same material each time, rephrasing it in such a way that it answered the question perfectly. His high marks and cunning in applying himself to the many essays and exams meant he could ignore lectures and focus on the theatre which became his primary interest. A play, Latin! (1980) was a great success for Fry and highlighted his writing credentials. This part of the book also deals with Fry’s early sexual relationships and his friendships with some familiar names such as Emma Thompson and, of course, Hugh Laurie, who was a brilliant athlete and part of the rowing team. Hearing mention of familiar names on the comedy circuit in their early days was really interesting. Fry’s reservations about seeing a young comedian named Rowan Atkinson live one day and emerging from the show in agony from laughing made me smile. His appraisals of Emma Thompson and, in particular, Hugh Laurie, were also moving to read. The third section ends with Fry’s work on The Cellar Tapes, a series of sketches that included Hugh and Emma, winning a Perrier Award in 1981 and setting the trio on the road to stardom.

The final section is all about Stephen’s early career and even then his versatility was incredible. As well as working on The Crystal Cube (1983), Alfresco (1983-4), Saturday Live (1985-7), Fry also worked on a revised script for 1930s musical, Me and My Girl, which not only reached the West End but Broadway as well. Fry’s early career saw him encounter the likes of Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, Robbie Coltrane, Douglas Adams, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse (very interesting background story as well), Alan Bennett, Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis and many more. I won’t deny that with Blackadder being my favourite comedy series of all time I was fascinated to hear Stephen’s account of work on that second series, in my opinion the best of the lot. For such a great performance as Lord Melchett, Fry plays down his contribution instead citing the honour and privilege he had of working with the likes of Tim McInnery, Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, Hugh Laurie and Rik Mayall. His greatest appraisal which I thoroughly approved of was for Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder who was simply outstanding as Edmund (that’s mine and Stephen’s opinion by the way.) The book ended on something of a cliffhanger with Blackadder II not yet aired and Stephen and Hugh working on A Bit of Fry and Laurie.

The Fry Chronicles has a series of quality photos to accompany Fry’s writing. It’s always frightening looking back on pictures of ourselves when we were younger and even more so seeing a young Stephen Fry particularly one snap where his hair is very long indeed. Unsurprisingly, this photo is accompanied by a less than flattering caption. Other photos include many of the actors and actresses Stephen has worked with over the years, as well as family photos as well, which are always interesting to see celebrities in their home environment. I can’t really think of any complaints with The Fry Chronicles other than I hope Stephen releases the next instalment of his autobiography sooner than he did with this one. There is a hint that a new book will appear one day but how long we’ll have to wait is difficult to say especially given how busy Stephen Fry is.

For fans of Stephen Fry this is an absolute must. Accounts of his time at Cambridge are great reading while his early forays into comedy and his reservations given the undoubted talents of his comedic contemporaries make Fry all the more likable. There is no arrogance in the writing or about his achievements. Everything is just complete honesty which makes for a refreshing read. Those who know little of Fry or his work will find an interesting autobiography. In short: this is not to be missed.
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Apr 23, 2012 Alan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anglophiles and suchlike folk

Recommended to Alan by: A passing fancy

People who are professionally funny often have very serious histories, and Stephen Fry is no exception. I hope I don't have to rehearse in too much detail here all of the funny business with which Fry has been associated—Blackadder, The Young Ones and A Bit of Fry and Laurie being three well-known titles that show up in these particular pages.

And more, of course—although most of Fry's better-known work actually comes after the mere slice through the 1980s that this volume covers, during his year...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Amrita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I came upon this book at a most trying time in my life. Finally getting a job after looking for 10 months; leading 2 sleep-deprived, self-doubting and stressed two weeks behind it; and finally quitting it. Reading about Fry's Cambridge days whenever I could get around to it was terribly, terribly tempting and escapist. As I quit my job, I reached the start of Fry's career and his progressive progress(ha, wouldn't Fry love it) at it. I wouldn't be bold enough to say that my life and my self resem...more

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Apr 08, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Picking up where he left off with Moab is my Washpot Fry continues his story in this often comedic and sometimes skewed take on his life and loves. One of the many aspects of his eclectic life is acting and some of his early experience was with another of the great twentieth-century playwrights, Simon Gray. Apparently the friendship between Gray and Harold Pinter was volatile and Fry shares his experience of this volatility with the following episode from the late 80s:
“I remember once John (Se...more Picking up where he left off with Moab is my Washpot Fry continues his story in this often comedic and sometimes skewed take on his life and loves. One of the many aspects of his eclectic life is acting and some of his early experience was with another of the great twentieth-century playwrights, Simon Gray. Apparently the friendship between Gray and Harold Pinter was volatile and Fry shares his experience of this volatility with the following episode from the late 80s:
“I remember once John (Sessions) and I were sitting in the back of the brassarie of the Groucho Club. Harold, his wife, Lady Antonia, Beryl and Simon had a corner table. Suddenly Harold's booming voice burst out. 'If you are capable of saying such a thing as that, Simon Gray, it is perfectly clear that there is no further basis for our friendship. We are leaving.' . . . He turned and barked across the room, 'Antonia!'
Lady Magnesia Fridge-Freezer, as Richard Ingrams liked to call her, jerked herself awake (her defence against the madness of Harold's tantrums was always to fall asleep. She would do this in the middle of a meal or sentence, a kind of traumatic symplegia, a condition known only to cats in P. G. Wodehouse, but which I think refers to what we would now call narcolepsy) and softly gathered up her coat. By this time the whole back brasserie was watching the scene unfold and greatly enjoying the embarrassed lacunae, charged glances and menacing exchanges that one associates with the authentically Pinteresque. Antonia smiled seraphically at the Grays and went to join her husband. As she passed our table she stopped and gathered the loose wool at the should of my pullover.
'Oh, what a lovely jumper,' she sighed, fingering it for a second.
'Antonia!'
And she drifted away. I can almost bring myself to believe that the room burst into applause, but I think that would be an instance of the wish being father of the thought.” (pp 46-47)
There are many, many more episodes like this, all of them laugh out loud humorous, in Fry's delightful second installment in his memoirs. I can't wait for the next volume!(less)

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Jan 16, 2012 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

As far as an autobiography of Stephen Fry is concerned Moab is My Washpot (which is about his life before he became famous) had really quite surprised me, I don't pretend to know a lot about Stephen Fry. Just that I love watching him on television and think he is generally pretty awesome. Having read the first autobiography I had less expectations of this one in a way, I didn't expect it to be at all predictable because in the first book his life seemed to differ so much from what was suggested...more As far as an autobiography of Stephen Fry is concerned Moab is My Washpot (which is about his life before he became famous) had really quite surprised me, I don't pretend to know a lot about Stephen Fry. Just that I love watching him on television and think he is generally pretty awesome. Having read the first autobiography I had less expectations of this one in a way, I didn't expect it to be at all predictable because in the first book his life seemed to differ so much from what was suggested by his television persona.

In terms of what I would expect from Fry this was a little more what I had expected than the first book. You could certainly see parts of who he seems to be now coming out. In some ways it seemed a little self-obsessed (but can one really write an autobiography without it being a little self-obsessed?). I never really got the idea that he was elevating himself, if anything he was quite humble and even at times would tell himself off for being a little self-obsessed (which never seemed like he was pretending, more like he couldn't understand why people would be interested). All the way through there was a certain level of disbelief that he had become famous. It was obvious he didn't feel he deserved it, and from what he said in his more present voice he seemed still not to quite believe how lucky he has been. In a way this was the element of the book which most surprised me.

On adding this book to goodreads I had a quick flick through the (spoiler free) reviews (it's something I often do, just reading the first few lines of each review to get a general picture of how people found the book). I happened to catch sight of a review which suggested that the book was a bit to name-droppy (and no that isn't a real word, I don't care). This did cause me a bit of worry. I'm not one of those people who is really into celebrity culture (I think I am right in saying that this is the one celebrity biography I have read). However I don't think I needed to be worried. There were maybe a few name-drops that were unnecessary but most of the time he mentioned people who were friends or who he had worked with, I don't think you can really write a whole autobiography without mentioning any friends or colleges.

The descriptions of Fry's time at Cambridge were more interesting than I had expected too although not as interesting as wen the 'fame thing' started.

At time it had me laughing out loud but in general I wouldn't describe it as a comic book- still it was almost worth reading just for Hugh Laurie's reaction to Fry buying his first Apple Mac.

Only real problem I had with it is that the way it ended made it very obvious that Fry intended to write another autobiography. Which almost forces you to read it. I mean his life isn't over so I suppose another biography would be expected but I would like to feel I have more choice.

Oh and one more thing, there were a few points where I thought the Kindle edition might be different to the paperback. Just things which seemed to suggest you were on an e-reader. Does anyone know if there are any differences?(less)

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Sep 26, 2011 Sylvie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like Stephen Fry. I like his work, and I feel that he comes across as someone who genuinely loves what he does, and that he's doing his best to make speech an art form. I can, however, understand why the majority of people feel he's overexposed and perhaps shameless in the sheer amount of work he agrees to appear in. "The Fry Chronicles" sheds light on this compulsion, and frames it as rigorous workaholism.

I enjoyed much of the book, and particularly enjoyed how closely his writing style corr...more I like Stephen Fry. I like his work, and I feel that he comes across as someone who genuinely loves what he does, and that he's doing his best to make speech an art form. I can, however, understand why the majority of people feel he's overexposed and perhaps shameless in the sheer amount of work he agrees to appear in. "The Fry Chronicles" sheds light on this compulsion, and frames it as rigorous workaholism.

I enjoyed much of the book, and particularly enjoyed how closely his writing style correlates to his media presence. Rather than being cloying, his continual apologies for - well, just about everything - made me sympathise with a man who seems to find it impossible to forego excusing every feeling or action he fears is shameful. I believe that one of the key elements of British comedy is embarrassment, and perhaps this acuteness of shame explains why Fry has been such an effective comedy writer. Perhaps due to being an Oxbridge reject, I found his waxing lyrical about Cambridge rather sickly, as was his insistence on describing every single one of his famous acquaintances as lovely and wonderful. He does pick up on this, and realises how insufferable such descriptions are, but still insists on worshipfully kneeling at the altars of these various persons. Frankly, such passages worried me, as it rather gave one the impression of Fry being terribly insecure in these friendships, and such fawning was required to maintain good relations. This is perhaps an extreme conclusion to draw, but one I drew, nevertheless.

Finally, I am undecided as to whether the ending Fry chooses is effective or a cocktease. At the beginning he chronicles his childhood addiction to sugar, and this sadly comes full circle when right at the end of his autobiography he mentions, so quick it feels like a punch, his first foray in taking cocaine, hinting that this will become a fearsome habit. Then, perhaps a little artlessly, he hints that elaboration of this habit will emerge in a future volume. I appreciate the cyclical presentation of his various addictions, but felt that the hint of cocaine addiction was such a small sliver that it was difficult to feel compassion. It seemed like a detail thrown in to create the illusion, rather than actuality, of cycles of addiction, which in turn presents itself as artificial, too clean to be considered real life. It is perhaps enough that prior to this (brief) passage Fry presents himself as happy: enjoying the material rewards of his emerging celebrity, comfortable, perhaps not too bothered about the ethics of earning so much. If Fry's drug problem was held off entirely until the next instalment, then it is more of a vicious (though perhaps inevitable) surprise. As such, the reader will approach the future instalment with a sense of foreboding.

(... then again, who the hell am I to offer criticism of how someone presents their life? The veracity of the account can only be attested to by the one who lives it, and literary conventions inevitably mould (but ultimately do not decide) the shape of these narratives.)(less)

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Sep 20, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall, I found the book a rollicking good ride and a fascinating insight into life, as a university student, in England, at an Oxbridge institution, as a young gay man (they listened to Wagner in their spare time, for goodness sake! they played chess, and put on intellectual plays, and talked about literary works of whose author’s names I can’t even pronounce!).

Also, the way that Stephen Fry writes makes me want to be a better writer too. His love of language is infectious, his unique way of e...more Overall, I found the book a rollicking good ride and a fascinating insight into life, as a university student, in England, at an Oxbridge institution, as a young gay man (they listened to Wagner in their spare time, for goodness sake! they played chess, and put on intellectual plays, and talked about literary works of whose author’s names I can’t even pronounce!).

Also, the way that Stephen Fry writes makes me want to be a better writer too. His love of language is infectious, his unique way of expressing himself second to none. The knowledge, self-awareness, wisdom and maturity which he now brings as a 50-something-year-old contains lessons for us all.

I found the book, at times, to be painfully, almost uncomfortably quirm-in-your-seat honest. Fry describes how, from an early age, he was addicted, absolutely addicted, no joke, to sugar. It might sound like something stupid and dumb, but he really, really had a problem! And it’s the last thing you would expect someone as funny and well-known as he to be describing how he stole money from the other boys in his school, lied, cheated and even broke into the school pantry every night just to get his sugar hit. How he was expelled from numerous schools for his truancy and thieving. And ended up in prison. YET somehow, after he got out of prison, he managed to excel in his last year of high school and be awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge University! WTH, right? Must all come down to his unbeatable personal charm. :p

Most of all, though, I appreciate this book for the insight it brings into another person’s mind. Forget the fact that he’s Stephen Fry. That he’s 54, English, 1.9m tall, famous. Forget all of that. At the end of the day, he’s just another human being, another one of us, who, despite the outward success, struggles constantly with inward feelings of inadequacy and regret. Something which Fry does not tire of reminding the reader, by the way – throughout the book he dwells on his feelings of insecurity and not being good enough quite a lot. Which, he acknowledges, is surprising, given that everyone thinks he is a smug, self-assured, ‘Establishment’ dickhead. Haha.

So, yes, I enjoyed ‘The Fry Chronicles’ quite a lot, but maybe not as much as Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Kitchen Confidential’ – now that is one kick-arse autobiography to be reckoned with! Still, each author is a different person, and to Stephen Fry I commend him for his unflinching honesty, thoughtful reflections and ever-funny, self-deprecating style of humour.

4/5 stars!(less)

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Sep 12, 2011 Daniel Cann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

‘Moab is My Washpot’ covered the first twenty years of Stephen Fry’s life, following on from that is ‘The Fry Chronicles’ which explores the next ten. We find him at ‘Cambridge (University) on probation and a convicted fraudster and thief, an addict, liar, fantasist and failed suicide, convinced that at any moment he would be found out and flung away.’

As Fry enthusiasts know Cambridge became a huge turning point for the celebrity we better know from ‘Blackadder’, ‘Jeeves & Wooster’, ‘A Bit o...more ‘Moab is My Washpot’ covered the first twenty years of Stephen Fry’s life, following on from that is ‘The Fry Chronicles’ which explores the next ten. We find him at ‘Cambridge (University) on probation and a convicted fraudster and thief, an addict, liar, fantasist and failed suicide, convinced that at any moment he would be found out and flung away.’

As Fry enthusiasts know Cambridge became a huge turning point for the celebrity we better know from ‘Blackadder’, ‘Jeeves & Wooster’, ‘A Bit of Fry and Laurie’, ‘QI’, ‘Last Chance to See’ and countless other documentaries and programmes for television and radio as well as his film work. This intriguing second volume covers his formative years where he pursues acting with the Cambridge Footlights, trying his hand as a playwright, appearing at the Edinburgh Festival and taking his first tentative steps into television, radio, journalism, theatre and film.

Fry manages to keep this a compelling and humorous account of a young man finally finding his true calling. Yes he does mention fellow entertainers and actors: Step forward and take a bow Hugh Laurie (Fry’s comedy partner) and Emma Thompson, but it would be impossible to write about his early days without them.

What I really enjoyed and what should please other fans of our ‘National Treasure’ was learning about Fry’s other interests and passions: Cars, credit cards and computers (he confesses his love of computer technology since they first became available). There are also plenty of witty observations and in true Fry style searing modesty and self-deprecation. He has to be the first auto-biographer to debunk himself!

It is clear reading this that he has packed an awful lot into the decade which ‘The Fry Chronicles’ documents and fans will love stories such as the one where he and Ben Elton visited the exclusive ‘Carlton Club’ at the height of Thatcherism or the time he discovered that two of the decorators working on his house were none other than Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson before they hit the big time.

Once again Fry manages to amuse, inform and entertain and I am certain that we can expect a third volume of his life in the future. (less)

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Jul 29, 2011 Jules rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography, contemporary-figures, cultural-icons, humour, memoir, english-nostalgia

I’ve looked forward to reading this book for some time and quite enjoyed it. I’m not particularly a ‘Fry’ fan unlike many of my friends and colleagues but thought I would appreciate a little Fry wisdom and light humour – to some extent this was provided.
This book is great for any lover of language as Fry is quite masterful at being able to express himself clearly and aptly. I wonder though if, at times, he tries to overplay his language skills and also if his justifications can be a little patro...more

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May 09, 2011 Laura Fudge rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This took longer than I thought, partly as I have been very busy, but partly because I have a bit of a thing about Autobiographies. I can’t get into them. I find them boring and usually not very well written, and the few good ones I have read, I still find difficult. I think it’s because they tend to be a series of anecdotes, and these don’t grab me and my attention in the same way a good plotline will.

This book was a little different though, it was well written, and I read most of it with Steph...more This took longer than I thought, partly as I have been very busy, but partly because I have a bit of a thing about Autobiographies. I can’t get into them. I find them boring and usually not very well written, and the few good ones I have read, I still find difficult. I think it’s because they tend to be a series of anecdotes, and these don’t grab me and my attention in the same way a good plotline will.

This book was a little different though, it was well written, and I read most of it with Stephen Fry’s voice in my head. It was fantastic prose, and I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Stephen Fry, and because of this I read it quite lazily, as I wanted to linger in the lovely words. I still had a bit of an issue in that I found it difficult to put down, until I got to the end of an anecdote, and then I could quite easily come back to the book later. It was very interesting, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, but it was easy to just dip into it.

It is not a book chronicling Stephen Fry’s life, it is a series of stories from his mid teens to his late twenties. However, it didn’t feel like Volume 2 of Stephen’s life, it felt like a nice little collection of stories from his youth. He is modest and apologetic, and talks a lot about his faults and neuroses, but not in a “woe is me, my life is difficult” way, more as a way of trying to explain some of his behaviour.

The anecdotes don’t have that sickly celeb feel too them either, despite the many stories of himself and his colleagues (all famous people too) it was quite gracious. It is interesting the way he describes himself, as this shy, scared, depressed man with no self esteem who is “chronically overmastered as a sense of failure, underachievement…” when most of us see him as “English. Tweedy. Pukka. Confident. Establishment. Self Assured. In charge.” He is very honest about this, and his fantastic life, but how worried he is that he’s not good enough. He is also very careful not to tell stories on his friends and people he has worked with, making this a book very much about him, not dishing dirt on other celebrities.

All in all, a very good book, especially considering that I do not usually like this genre. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Stephen Fry, in fact, I would recommend it to anyone.(less)

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Jan 10, 2011 Laurel Carmichael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm an absolute sucker for Stephen Fry. I think he is witty, intelligent and probably one of the wisest men on earth. Thus, I am willing to admit, I was biased towards this book from the outset.
Like it's predecessor, Stephen Fry's second autobiography is a rambling account of his views as much as his life. Fry himself admits, that when he could use 10 words, he uses a thousand, but I enjoy that. I love his exquisite use of vocabulary.
Detailing his Cambridge years and early comedy career, this bo...more

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Jan 09, 2011 John Braine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

A quote that's been regurgitated again and again this year is the most arrogant and smug thing I've read this year year, that Stephen Fry is "A stupid person’s idea of what an intelligent person looks like". I can't ever recall anyone regarding him with genius status. He's well learned and quite knowledgeable. Someone with a thirst for knowledge and a great memory. Yes, of course that doesn't equate to intelligence, but why be so arrogant about it?

There's a lot of Fry Haters out there. I guess...more

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