What do you think?
Rate this book
Advice from Strangers: Everything I know from people I don't know
'Hilarious and heartbreaking' Sara Pascoe
'Sheer bloody joy' Philippa Perry
Over the course of a year, comedian Rachel Parris asked members of her live audience for advice - and here's what she learned from a bunch of total strangers...
She takes those random nuggets of wisdom - 'Be kind', 'Never pass up the opportunity for a wee', 'When it doubt, wing it' - and explores them in ways that are entertaining and serious, hilarious and heart-breaking. Full of life guidance on how to deal with everything from tampons to Tories, from grief to gaslighting, this book might just change your life.
Funny, fiercely feminist and full of love, this book is a feast; devour it, then pass it to a friend.
'Original and wise. This is essential reading' Ellie Taylor
'Sheer bloody joy' Philippa Perry
Over the course of a year, comedian Rachel Parris asked members of her live audience for advice - and here's what she learned from a bunch of total strangers...
She takes those random nuggets of wisdom - 'Be kind', 'Never pass up the opportunity for a wee', 'When it doubt, wing it' - and explores them in ways that are entertaining and serious, hilarious and heart-breaking. Full of life guidance on how to deal with everything from tampons to Tories, from grief to gaslighting, this book might just change your life.
Funny, fiercely feminist and full of love, this book is a feast; devour it, then pass it to a friend.
'Original and wise. This is essential reading' Ellie Taylor
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 17, 2022
13 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 18, 2022
This is the book I didn't know I needed. Funny, thoughtful, comforting and rage inducing (at the world, not the book) all at once. I kept thinking I'd find a favourite chapter or piece advice, but in truth they are all what i needed to hear. Even when an idea didn't align with what I believe, it was genuine and thought provoking. Couldn't ask for more.
June 7, 2022
Loved listening to this audiobook. A collection of essays - social commentary, comedy, poetry, history, lists, science, music… An intelligent, funny and moving book.
June 1, 2024
I really did not like this book.
May 1, 2022
Superb book, really hope there will be more advice from strangers in the future!
May 19, 2024
Having attended one of the launch events at Cheltenham lit I was expecting something entertaining and comical. In reality it’s quite dull and I felt there was a lot of “poetic license” in interpreting the advice. Not for me
May 8, 2022
Rachel Parris is a comedian, actor and a brilliant musician. She was asked to go back and give a speech at the school she attended, but she felt unable to offer advice. The book stems from the fact that Rachel asked audience members from her tour to offer up advice in the form of a single sentence. This book had me laughing out loud in parts, but it is also quite touching and sad in places. I really enjoyed this book, as much as I enjoyed Rachel Parris' comedy and her contributions to the The Mash Report (and The Late Mash). Which is a lot!
June 28, 2022
I loved this so much I physically highlighted an actual book and for those who are going to kick off - it’s my book and I’ll scribble in it if I want to.
You know when you read a book and just want to go for a drink with the author because they have your exact sense of humour. Yeah, that. Hit me up, Rachel.
You know when you read a book and just want to go for a drink with the author because they have your exact sense of humour. Yeah, that. Hit me up, Rachel.
October 29, 2024
This book will stay with me for a long time. Fiercely feminist, heartbreakingly raw and hilarious in equal measures. I'm totally on board with the Les Miserables obsession and the hatred of wanky bullshit cat-calling!!!
June 30, 2022
A personal, witty and humane sharing of advice prompted by one of her tours from audience members, Rachel has wise useful words for the modern world from an eclectic range of topics ranging from the irreverent to the traumatic. Heartily recommended. In particular books like these are would be a useful place for the various douchebag blokes out there who willfully or not, choose not to 'understand women'.
March 13, 2022
In 2017 Rachel Parris did a show at the Edinburgh festival which later toured the UK about being asked to deliver a keynote speech at her old school. At the shows she asked audiences to write down a piece of advice and hand it in. The advice was interwoven into the show but Parris has kept many of them to include in this book. Each chapter is based around one of the notes. Advice From Strangers has some very helpful advice in it but manages to avoid the 'twee' side of inspirational. It's also heavily autobiographical and strikes a balance between heartbreak and utter joy. If you're a fan of Rachel Parris' solo shows this will definitely be a familiar comforting tone and it makes for an essential read whether you know her or not.
January 1, 2023
Advice From Strangers is an interestingly multimedia value-squeezing book. It started when Rachel Parris, musical comedian and star of The Mash Report, was asked to give the end of year speech at her old school.
Unsure particularly what wisdom she had to pass on to hungry minds ready to step out into the world, she devised a simple premise for a show. She handed out blank slips of paper to audiences, they wrote a piece of advice that worked for them on the slips, she collected them, thought about them, discussed them, and gathered more.
Then a whole mess of Stuff happened. her success on The Mash Report also led her into severe experiences of online misogyny, including some vile stuff on incel boards. She met, fell in love with, and married fellow comedian Marcus Brigstocke. They slammed into lockdown and both their incomes more or less evaporated overnight - while she was also feeling her way into a merged family that included Brigstocke's children from a previous marriage.
They tried for a child of their own, and heartbreakingly, their first child died in utero. And ultimately, they had a son who was successfully born - all while the ongoing lockdowns were in place.
Advice From Strangers is a fairly broad spread of the advice that was given to Parris in her shows. She takes each one and either deals with it quickly, or in depth, bringing in her own experience to balance, validate, or discount the pithiness of the public's pocketfuls of wisdom.
It's an engaging book, both in the honesty Parris brings to the task of collecting useful "wisdom," and in the positive but balanced approach she takes to the nuggets of truth or nonsense suggested to her. She's furious, funny, concerned, open-minded, agonised and joyful by turns, depending on the advice and the period in her life she's describing.
She doesn't flinch from describing the trolling she's experienced, the nervous breakdown and mental health issues she went through, the horrendous experience of losing a child and then having to give birth to her, or the screaming, vomit-covered joy of having a son successfully next to her.
It's an affecting listen in places, but it's one that if you can, it's very much worth getting as an audio experience, because one of the joys of Parris' performances is exactly that - her performances, her vocal qualities. So you get more for your money with the audiobook version of Advice From Strangers than you would from the hard copy version - including the eventual song she wrote for the end of her school speech, which in the audio version comes sung, rather than as a poem on a page.
Advice From Strangers is fun, dramatic, powerful, bouncy, and fun again, and given the world as it is, there are far worse ways to spend a handful of hours than having Rachel Parris pass on some pearls of sometime-wisdom to you.
Unsure particularly what wisdom she had to pass on to hungry minds ready to step out into the world, she devised a simple premise for a show. She handed out blank slips of paper to audiences, they wrote a piece of advice that worked for them on the slips, she collected them, thought about them, discussed them, and gathered more.
Then a whole mess of Stuff happened. her success on The Mash Report also led her into severe experiences of online misogyny, including some vile stuff on incel boards. She met, fell in love with, and married fellow comedian Marcus Brigstocke. They slammed into lockdown and both their incomes more or less evaporated overnight - while she was also feeling her way into a merged family that included Brigstocke's children from a previous marriage.
They tried for a child of their own, and heartbreakingly, their first child died in utero. And ultimately, they had a son who was successfully born - all while the ongoing lockdowns were in place.
Advice From Strangers is a fairly broad spread of the advice that was given to Parris in her shows. She takes each one and either deals with it quickly, or in depth, bringing in her own experience to balance, validate, or discount the pithiness of the public's pocketfuls of wisdom.
It's an engaging book, both in the honesty Parris brings to the task of collecting useful "wisdom," and in the positive but balanced approach she takes to the nuggets of truth or nonsense suggested to her. She's furious, funny, concerned, open-minded, agonised and joyful by turns, depending on the advice and the period in her life she's describing.
She doesn't flinch from describing the trolling she's experienced, the nervous breakdown and mental health issues she went through, the horrendous experience of losing a child and then having to give birth to her, or the screaming, vomit-covered joy of having a son successfully next to her.
It's an affecting listen in places, but it's one that if you can, it's very much worth getting as an audio experience, because one of the joys of Parris' performances is exactly that - her performances, her vocal qualities. So you get more for your money with the audiobook version of Advice From Strangers than you would from the hard copy version - including the eventual song she wrote for the end of her school speech, which in the audio version comes sung, rather than as a poem on a page.
Advice From Strangers is fun, dramatic, powerful, bouncy, and fun again, and given the world as it is, there are far worse ways to spend a handful of hours than having Rachel Parris pass on some pearls of sometime-wisdom to you.
March 25, 2022
I love Rachel Parris. This book is raw and honest, funny, sad, and uplifting.
Listening to the audiobook felt like hanging out with your best friend.
I loved the content about mental health. Having been there myself, it is refreshing when people are honest about their experiences.
I also loved the chapter about respecting women. Yay for women supporting women!
Listening to the audiobook felt like hanging out with your best friend.
I loved the content about mental health. Having been there myself, it is refreshing when people are honest about their experiences.
I also loved the chapter about respecting women. Yay for women supporting women!
March 15, 2022
A funny, warm, angry and moving book from one of the UKs most talented comedians. Rachel takes on board advice from strangers and gives her own often highly personal take on it. I devoured this book in one sitting and was left feeling like Id had a warm hug.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
May 2, 2022
I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of this book, and could not wait to read it.
It's a joy to read, so much so that I didn't want it to end.
I laughed and cried with the author, and I felt that I had found in the book someone that understands the pain of loss in a similar way to myself (does that make sense?)
Each chapter revolves around a different piece of advice, and Rachel shares her insights into each one - sometimes in ways I hadn't thought of, but always with a sense of heart and a lighthearted candour.
I loved this book, and sincerely hope that there will be a book #2
It's a joy to read, so much so that I didn't want it to end.
I laughed and cried with the author, and I felt that I had found in the book someone that understands the pain of loss in a similar way to myself (does that make sense?)
Each chapter revolves around a different piece of advice, and Rachel shares her insights into each one - sometimes in ways I hadn't thought of, but always with a sense of heart and a lighthearted candour.
I loved this book, and sincerely hope that there will be a book #2
May 2, 2022
I planned all my holiday reading in advance and then I saw this book in the airport and I bought it. And it’s lovely. It’s poignant, it’s sad, it’s laugh out loud funny, it contains great advice relevant to all stages of life. And I totally recommend you read it. Probably better written for women but good all round and I totally recommend it. It was such a good book I was sad it was finished and slowed down my reading at the end so I still had some left the next day.
March 28, 2024
Read this on holiday and it was fine. Some of the insights I found thought provoking. A lot of the times I felt the joke-rambles fell flat for me (obviously just not my sense of humour). It felt a bit all over the place - a piece of advice would be given and it would be used to discuss a vaguely related subject. If that’s your sort of thing then definitely go for it. Bits I did enjoy were her reflections on grief and mental health.
December 8, 2022
Heartfelt and personal, with the perfect amount of humour and sincerity to make it feel like a good good chat with a great friend that you never want to end.
I liked Rachel Parris work prior to reading this, but now I admire her so much more. Tackling very difficult and not often talked about personal subjects and experience with tact, knowledge and kindness.
I liked Rachel Parris work prior to reading this, but now I admire her so much more. Tackling very difficult and not often talked about personal subjects and experience with tact, knowledge and kindness.
November 4, 2023
I loved loved loved this book.
It was funny, thoughtful, tender, and really informative. I learned so much (like not to brag about pockets in clothing as it is part of male priviledge. I had no idea women's clothing had "stupid fake pockets" as it was something i really took for granted.)
It was a superb read.
It was funny, thoughtful, tender, and really informative. I learned so much (like not to brag about pockets in clothing as it is part of male priviledge. I had no idea women's clothing had "stupid fake pockets" as it was something i really took for granted.)
It was a superb read.
November 1, 2022
This was an enjoyable romp through Parris' interpretations of advice solicited from audience members at her shows, interspersed with discussions around serious topics including miscarriage, mental health, and misogyny.
November 12, 2022
Thoughtful, insightful, honest, witty. It was impossible to put down. Literally. I read it over 2 evenings, and am now quite sleep deprived as a result. I shall have to choose something more boring to read next in order to fall asleep in a timely manner.
January 26, 2023
Not for me! I can just read the contents and get what each advice is about instead of reading her rambling on and on and then I still don’t k ow why is she talking about that is relating to the topic. And she is not funny.
April 1, 2023
I loved listening to this book. Clever, funny, sad, interesting, wise and wonderful. I enjoyed it all. Especially [spoiler alert] the song at the end and meeting new songs in chapter 11. My favourite book in ages x
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
I laughed, I cried. This was very moving and I love the concept of how the idea for this book came about! I also have an urge to go and see Austentatious at some point so let’s hope it continues shows
June 14, 2022
Funny, heart warming, beautifully written book. Gave all the emotions and resonated so much with me.
June 14, 2022
Amazing highly recommend! Absolutely in love with Rachel Parris
June 27, 2022
It's good, it's entertaining, I agree with everything she says. It just wasn't anything new..
July 12, 2022
A lovely idea but felt a bit over explained so I couldn't finish it.
September 17, 2022
Thought provoking, vulnerable, effortlessly funny and reassuring
October 9, 2023
Fabulous
March 10, 2024
Sweet and fun and warms the cockles!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews