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Postcards from the Edge

(Suzanne Vale #1)

Carrie Fisher

3.59 · Rating details · 11,298 ratings · 1,029 reviews

Fisher beautifully brings readers the inside of Hollywood through a web of humor, drugs, relationships, Hollywood Party Terror, and much more. The plot centers on a 30-year-old actress named Suzanne Vale, and follows her challenges as she overcomes her drug addiction, gets back into the swing of things, and falls in love, sort of.

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Paperback, 226 pages

Published December 31st 2002 by Pocket (first published August 1st 1987)

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3.59 ·

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· 11,298 ratings · 1,029 reviews

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Feb 04, 2016 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: funny-haha, nutters, own-it-spent-my-food-money-on-it, memoir, or-just-watch-the-movie

Carrie Fisher died today and now the interwebs are exploding with billions of fangirls who never watched a Star Wars movie until the Manic Pixies told them they should. That sounds hateful, but I don't really ~~give a shit~~ mean it to be . (Confession: I'm not a ginormous Star Wars fan myself.) I am a huge Carrie Fisher fan, though, and it's mainly due to this book.

Postcards from the Edge is a semi-autobiographical story about Carrie after coming out of a stint in rehab. I read this book when I wa ...more

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Jan 21, 2017 Carol rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, humor, memoir, saw-the-movie, read-2017

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE is the semi-autobiographical novel based on the turbulent life of Carrie Fisher.

The first third of the story recounting 30 days of actress Suzanne Vale's life in rehab was pretty intense and nerve-racking reading (for me) and if you can get through lives and stories of drug dealers, addicts and rather disgusting Hollywood types in those pages, the rest of the novel will be a breeze.

While I loved the movie with its witty and sarcastic dark humor, the novel came across (for

...more

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Jan 21, 2018 Calista rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1985-1989, genre-comedy, genre-drama-tragedy, famous, series, series-unfinished, women, z-carrie-fisher

I enjoyed Carrie's first novel. It was witty and interesting. Suzanne is obviously based loosely on her life from other stories I have read of hers. I feel like this was one of the first behind the scenes of Hollywood. I'm sure there were things before this, but this was a big tell-all basically.

There was the rehab portion, the looking for love portion of the book and the part where she is trying to accept normal portion. I felt the dialogue was snappy, there were funny moments. I enjoy the stor ...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Matt rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobook

In her first piece of fiction, Fisher seeks to relay some sentiments through this quasi-biographical story. Suzanne Vale is an actress who has succumbed to the horrors of addiction and finds herself in a treatment facility. While there, she recounts some of her views on fellow addicts and the trials of life on the inside. Released back into her real world, Vale begins the slow process of re-establishing herself, securing a new agent while trying to return to the life she knows so well. However, In her first piece of fiction, Fisher seeks to relay some sentiments through this quasi-biographical story. Suzanne Vale is an actress who has succumbed to the horrors of addiction and finds herself in a treatment facility. While there, she recounts some of her views on fellow addicts and the trials of life on the inside. Released back into her real world, Vale begins the slow process of re-establishing herself, securing a new agent while trying to return to the life she knows so well. However, as seems to be the yoke of all those who have tasted fame, she finds herself in a form of purgatory, unsure where she fits in and how others will see her. By the end of this short piece, she has found a form of amorous connection, though it is unclear if it will be long-lasting. Truly a scattering of thoughts that tries to relate back to her own life, Fisher may have work her side-buns too tightly if this is supposed to be high quality writing.

I respect that everyone has their life and ideas that shape them. I also am sure that it is difficult to be a Hollywood actress and face the rigours of the bright lights and paparazzi on a daily basis. However, like all people, actors are people and have to face the everyday world. Fisher seeks, I think, to portray a form of herself in the Vale character, but it comes across more as a justification for acts and serves as a trivial and superficial approach to life. A few characters who were lacklustre and a plot... was there one? At times I was unsure what I was reading, wondering if this might be some form of monologue that sought to tell stories and anecdotes. This was not a story as much as it was a means to express herself without using her own name and experiences. If only to honour her recent passing, I will likely try the second Vale piece and see what comes of this, but I am certain to list RETURN TO SENDER on this particular postcard.

Thank you Madam Fisher for your insights. Perhaps stick to recounting stories about yourself and not using a straw man in the form of Suzanne Vale.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/ ...more

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Aug 18, 2007 Erin added it · review of another edition

ok.

you know that moment, at the party-you-didn't-want-to-come-to, filled with the important-people-from-work-who-don't-really-like-you, standing in the corner-of-the apartment-marked-specifically-for-losers-and-the-apartment-cat (who is now drunk and stuffed on mini shrimp popper appetizers)? the moment where you realize that you didn't wear the right shoes, your dress is being worn as a shirt by the most beautiful woman in the room, and everyone in the entire WORLD is staring at you when they a ok.

you know that moment, at the party-you-didn't-want-to-come-to, filled with the important-people-from-work-who-don't-really-like-you, standing in the corner-of-the apartment-marked-specifically-for-losers-and-the-apartment-cat (who is now drunk and stuffed on mini shrimp popper appetizers)? the moment where you realize that you didn't wear the right shoes, your dress is being worn as a shirt by the most beautiful woman in the room, and everyone in the entire WORLD is staring at you when they are not too busy rubbing elbows, sucking up, or have just plain finished judging everyone closest too them and have run out of material?

yeah, that moment.

i've never been addicted to cocaine, so i can't really review what i don't know. but let's be honest. it sounded... AWESOME. carrie fisher, i didn't think standing around being stoned in "the empire strikes back" was going to prepare you for anything later in life, because that's what they taught us in DARE. but apparently it prepared you to be super observant, hilariosly witty, and amazingly devious in your vary-ing writing styles (vary-ing? what? can my editor get on that spelling please? thnx)

i was amused throughout, an impressive feat because the only thing more boring than reading about people doing drugs, making bad decisions, having disgustingly casual sex, and laying around gorging themselves in self pity is watching it. (eg scorpio rising. the entire film).

anyway, back to that "moment". i was amused throughout because i spent most of "throughout" thinking, oh shit, i've done that. i've thought that. i've said that exact thing, out loud, in front of a bunch of people who probably shouldn't have heard it. no matter how different the characters are from you, their stream-of-concious honesty taps those inner demons we try so very hard to keep under wraps. judgemental, annoyed, impatient, self doubting, and insecure, we've all stood in the corner of the room with the drunk housepet and simultaneously worried about our hair while berating the host for her absyminal choice in cutlery. and we don't feel bad about it either.

maybe we DO need another therapy session for this, but hell, we like your writing, ms. fisher, and we don't intend to stop reading soon.

("we"? as in plural? as in when did this review jump from me to we? can i get an editor on that? thnx)

...more

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Dec 24, 2016 Jonathan rated it it was amazing

Motherfucking goddam shit. Rest in peace Carrie, you were wonderful

******

Get better soon Carrie, you wonderful nutbag. Am listening to Hearts and Bones and sending thoughts and strength and health in your direction.

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Feb 03, 2018 Rachel Aranda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, owned, library-rentals

This was Ms. Carrie Fisher's debut novel and it's a good one. It's honest, fun, and quite realistic of the struggles of being a recovering "pills addict" and famous actress who doesn't quite know what normal is but trying to find a sense of normalcy. Like everyone in the world, Suzanne has doubts about herself, her life choices, and career as a movie star and I understood and connected with that. I'm a worrier and Suzanne is a worrier too. The only thing I didn't quite like about the plot is how ...more

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Aug 01, 2016 Naksed rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs, humor, celebrities, audio-book

Sometimes I feel like I've got my nose pressed up against the window of a bakery, only I'm the bread.

In Postcards from the Edge, Carrie Fisher writes a part-fiction, part-memoirs account about the highs and lows of life in Hollywood. And by that, I mean the highs of drug consumption followed by the lows of withdrawal during the inevitable stay in rehab.

It is truly fascinating to listen to the her voice spewing the most intricate, absurdist, intellectual and insightful witticisms, trying to cat ...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Maria rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I searched what became one of my favourite online bookstores for Carrie Fisher in the hope of finding a copy of Wishful Drinking. Instead, I found myself staring at a list of available titles that included Postcards from the Edge. And the question was, why not?

Postcards from the Edge mainly follows the story of an actress who found her way to a rehab clinic after losing – almost for good – her life to drugs. Suzanne has reached her thirties and, after her drug scandal, is having a hard time find ...more

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Jun 21, 2017 Stacey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

For someone who suffered from drug addiction and depression, Carrie Fisher was a force to be reckoned with when it came to being in touch with her feelings. She really puts them out there in the embodiment of Suzanne Vale, the novel's main character. Geez, she must have felt incredibly vulnerable doing so, too: both as a big celebrity presence and as a former addict. If anyone in Hollywood and America didn't know her story, they knew now.

And was she funny! There are some truly memorable lines h ...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Suzanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club

I'll give it a 3.5. Not great literature, but entertaining, even if certain parts went on a bit too long. Fisher's writing style was definitely funny. I did laugh out loud several times, and not that many books make me do that.

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Dec 21, 2016 debra rated it it was amazing

I know at the time I read this-I just loved it- and wouldn't stop reading parts of it to anyone who would let me. Don't know if it would be the same now-but at the time I thought it was just so funny and clever.

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Jan 18, 2017 Julie James rated it really liked it

Really enjoyed this one--lots of wry, witty lines made all the better by Carrie Fisher's great narration.

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Dec 20, 2015 Davita rated it did not like it

She's an excellent author, the subject matter just wasn't to my liking & I just couldn't get into it. I am interested in giving her other books a try, though.

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Feb 22, 2017 Liz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-to-screen, contemporary-realistic-fiction, library-books

So good. In the middle, I wondered how it was going to wrap up or touch back on how Suzanne progressed throughout the novel. Very well done.

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Jan 19, 2011 Elisabeth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies

This book only furthered my belief that Carrie Fisher is a genius. The book is NOTHING like the movie, except for a small part in the middle, but since Carrie also wrote the screenplay it is all good. A lot of what she says in this book rang oddly true to me which was a little confronting, but only made me love it more.

Negative parts? In the beginning when alex narrates the story, he was sooooo annoying, but then again, he was a cokehead and those are known for being annoying. So point well mad ...more

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Jun 18, 2016 Andi rated it it was ok

review to come...

EDIT:

So. Here is the deal, because there is not much to tell about this book because nothing seems to happen after the character gets out of rehab.

This book has no plot for 2/3rds. Sad, but true. I think Carrie Fisher is a great writer. She has a way of creating this characters that have a ton of flaws but are witty and real. I think Suzanne is her - this was her outlet, this was her way of writing out her feelings and not caring if a story came out of it.

Also, Alex... why were ...more

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Dec 10, 2008 Herb rated it did not like it

Shelves: celebrities, fiction, motion-picture-actors-and-actresses

What an awful book! Sheesh....nothing but an overly long series of ramblings (yes, dear hearts, I realize the protagonist is a recovering addict & addicts are supposedly prone to rambling sometimes), but I kept waiting for a point to be made until I realized the book had ended & that possibly there wasn't going to be one. Terrible.

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Jun 18, 2010 Wendy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

maybe it's just me, but i didn't care about this book at all. i had high hopes, which may have been the problem. i found the characters and dialogue forgettable, and the action was limited. not impressed.

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May 29, 2012 Ashley rated it did not like it

Oh, Carrie Fisher.... Such a terrible book. It wasn't poorly written, just hard to care about any of the characters, the narrator in particular. Thankfully, it's a short read so you don't have to suffer for long.

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Jan 13, 2017 Janine Urban rated it did not like it

I picked this up to see what all the hype was about. I should have left it. It wasn't my cup of tea.

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Dec 20, 2010 Louize rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommended to Louize by: the movie

“Most people dream big, you dream small. It’s just whatever you haven’t got is what you want. It isn’t the life, it’s what you do with it. So, do something regular with your irregular life, rather than trying to get a regular one, ‘cause you’d just do something irregular with that.”

Driven by my fondness of the film adaptation, I grabbed this book from an on-sale bin from BookSale. I’m sure you’re all aware of the all-star cast movie; and of Meryl Streep and Shirley McLaine’s Golden Globe and Oscar’s nomination for this film. The film, itself, was ill-received and closely-scrutinized though.

The story revolved around Suzanne Vale, an actress and a rehab patient for drug addiction. While unlike the film, which was funny and catchy, the book was much sensible for me. It was focused on the subject of recovery from drug addiction, while the movie focused more on the constant friction between the over-bearing mother and her low-esteemed daughter.

The book was written in 5 parts. The prologue was written in postcards sent to her brother, friend and grandmother. It was followed by a self-narration in journal form, covering most of her stay and acquaintances in the rehabilitation center. Then, a dialogue/monologue with a producer (turned lover) followed. The 4th part was a third-person narrative of how Suzanne is struggling to put her life together, recovering her status as an actress, and as a person in need of a worthy relationship. Brought about by the heart-to-heart talk with her sententious grandmother, Suzanne found some semblance in her struggles and took hold of some normalcy in her life. In conclusion, the 5th part was a letter addressed to the doctor who pumped her stomach during her drug overdose, prior to her rehab.

Needless to say, the book was written in a very unusual style. It will either interest you more, or try your patience. Looking past that, the story and lesson applies to most of us, struggling through rehab or not, since we are all in this ever winding process of discovering and rediscovering our purpose in life. This is a vague story behind the question: When are we going to let go of what we want, and accept the things we should have?

“P.S. That night in the emergency room, do you recall if I threw up something I needed? Some small but trivial thing that belonged inside? I distinctly feel as though I’m missing something.
But then, I always have.”

...more

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Nov 02, 2008 Kasey rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: nope

Not really sure there was a plot in there....anywhere. I am planning to watch the movie. I'll bet it's nothing like the book.
And I was right! Watched the movie just yesterday & was amazed that the screenplay was written by the author & almost unrecognizable.
Not that it was any good either!

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Aug 07, 2012 Linda (Miss Greedybooks) marked it as to-read

Shelves: bio

do I have this? did I read it? Hmmm... I think I bought it because I liked the movie - check packed boxes someday.

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Jun 19, 2010 Kasia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Carrie Fisher's debut novel is a hoot. The language is very fluid, seeping straight into my imagination with ease; the scenes are sometimes hilarious and other times scary but masterfully written, very impressive for a first book! For those who know anything about Carrie Fisher, they will see that the book is semi-autobiographical; sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I loved the myriad of original analogies and wonderful sentences, the book might be small and a fast read but fun and meanin Carrie Fisher's debut novel is a hoot. The language is very fluid, seeping straight into my imagination with ease; the scenes are sometimes hilarious and other times scary but masterfully written, very impressive for a first book! For those who know anything about Carrie Fisher, they will see that the book is semi-autobiographical; sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I loved the myriad of original analogies and wonderful sentences, the book might be small and a fast read but fun and meaningful at the same time. At one time Carrie compares Suzanne's life to bread in a bakery with her nose stuck on the wrong side of the window, watching life pass by. Few passages really jolted me with wisdom and hilarious comparison to inanimate objects added certain amount of depth to the all ready semi serious book.

After an overdose, Suzanne Vale, the well known actress, finds herself in a strange place - rehab. She fells like a cliché, an unhappy actress in rehab, what a shocker. A place where TV shows such as Outer Limits are treated as perfectly normal reality, she manages to make some new friendships even though many people seem crazy to her, she of course full of internal conflict knows deep down that she belongs there as well, but wouldn't want to be back, so she needs to find her balance and stop any self abuse that she somehow managed to pull on herself, basically she needs to learn to live her life without using drugs to solve any of her problems. On her quest to normalcy she meets just about anything but that, stuck in a place with people who are stranger than the craziest cookoos, whose addictions are perfectly portrayed (just read about the typical day of self denial that Alex leads - wow) and she manages to stay out of trouble enough to be let out into the real world. Once free she starts a new project but is quickly taken down from her euphoric state by complaints from the director, being told she needs to have more fun with her character, something she has a hard time after dealing with her hard times in rehab. Slowly Suzanne realizes that her life is a marathon, not a quick sprint to the finish line, she needs to take it one step at a time and enjoy each day, especially since life glides through time so fast. ...more

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Dec 28, 2016 C. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: riedel-titles-2017

I picked-up “Postcards From The Edge” over a decade ago, a highly-regarded literary oeuvre and film. My cinematic cover erroneously suggests the tale of an inadvertently-upstaging famous Mother, which I thought that the story was. However, just one week ago: our world lost Carrie Fisher. I was content to hear-out any story she weaved. I am a “Star Wars” fan but respect her as an acclaimed authoress too, whom I looked forward to experiencing. She was always a riot in interviews, like the one with ...more

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Aug 04, 2009 Greta rated it it was ok

Carrie Fisher is a trip, excuse the pun as it echoes of the first section of this novel, and I'm super glad that I've now read this and have experienced the easy, authentic, fiesty voice and the simultaneous criticality and sensitivity with which she, in and through her characters, sees and communicates the world.

two quotations that stood out to me in this series of postcards and snapshots of sorts...

regarding intimate relationships; something to consider:

"My route to intimacy is routine. I est ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Kyla rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, books-i-own, 2017-reading-challenge

Everything after the first chapter could have been complete and total crap, and I'd still give this book 5 stars. Carrie Fisher's ability to allow someone who has never struggled with addition to understand the mindset and thought processes of an addict is unmatched. There's not one ounce of judgement or rebuke in this book, just a fascinating novel full of Fisher's singular wit and humour.

I enjoy the story and love the characters; but, as always, it's the writing that blows me away. This book c ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Evelina Liliequist rated it liked it · review of another edition

Jag har sedan barnsben varit ett fan av Carrie Fisher, då för hennes rolltolkning av prinsessan Leia i Star Wars. Efter hennes tragiska bortgång nyligen ville jag lära känna Fisher som författare, vem skulle jag möta där? Efter vad jag har förstått baseras Vykort från drömfabriken delvis på egna erfarenheter eller bär iaf drag från Fishers eget liv.
Jag vet inte exakt vad jag hade väntat mig men Vykort kändes lite som att läsa en dramakomedi från 80-talet, rappa replikutväxlingar, scener där en ...more

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Apr 02, 2017 Callum McAllister rated it really liked it · review of another edition

On the back of this book there's a quote which reads "It makes Moby Dick seem like a big, fat, dumb book."

I mean, any competently executed, charmingly written, understated novel will make Moby Dick look big, fat and dumb--but this one doubly so. It has all the sense of urgency-in-writing that the best American novels (and the best Mountain Goats' songs) have, and a confidence in style and voice that usually comes further down the line in a writing career.

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About Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher

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Carrie Fisher was an American actress, screenwriter and author, most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Fisher was the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. She had one daughter, Billie Lourd (b. 1992).

Her final film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 15, 2017 and is dedicated to her.