Insightful biography of a well-loved comedian who overcame huge challenges. Stephenson's affection and sympathy for her husband as a subject are warming. The book would be a more rewarding read were the writing style more fluid but this is a price worth paying for a perspective that no other biographer is likely to discover. ( )

This is a book about one of my very favourite comedians.

Back Cover Blurb:
Who is the real Billy Connolly? He's the man who needs no introduction, and yet he is the ultimate enigma. From a troubled and desperately poor childhood in the docklands of Glasgow he is now the intimate of household names the world over. But who is the man behind the myth? If anyone knows Billy Connolly better than himself, it's his wife, Pamela Stephenson.
In this extraordinary book, she combines the very personal with a frank objectivity that makes for a compellingly moving - yet hugely entertaining - biography. ( )

Billy was sexually abused form the age of eleven to fourteen by his father ( )

I was expecting this book to be really funny as I am a big fan of Billy Connolly however as it is written by his second wife, Pamela Stepenson there is less of the comical Billy and more history and facts. As his second wife I felt that there were also attempts to not 'step on anyone's toes' up until the timeframe of their relationship and I much more enjoyed the story from that point on as it was more personal. ( )

Being Scottish myself, Billy Connolly is one of my heroes. He started with nothing, having an abusive and poor childhood and he worked hard to become one of the world's most successful comedians and actors. He is best buddies with lots of Hollywood stars and his stand-up comedy shows are always sold out in hours. But many people only see the glitz and the success. They don't realise that before his now-famous appearance on Parkinson in the 1970's, his life was very hard and he almost didn't make it.

Billy's wife, Pamela, a former comedian who once appeared alongside comedians such as Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry, is now a clinical pyschologist so when the time came to write Billy's autobiography, Pamela Stephenson-Connolly was the best person to write it. Billy would reveal his darkest secrets to his wife and she would be able to write about it and also put her training as a pyschologist into practice to explain how and why things happened the way they did and how Billy's negative experiences as a child affected him in later life.

That's the theory anyway but after reading the book, I think that Pamela was the WRONG person to write the book, simply because as his wife, she can't be objective and impartial. As his wife, she naturally jumps to his defence. She reveals something bad that Billy did and then says something along the lines of "but don't think badly of him because it wasn't his fault". So the observations and comments are not entirely impartial and independent because as his wife, she naturally feels obligated to stick up for her husband.

But that doesn't take away the fact that this is still a very well-written book and I was shocked at some of the things Billy went through in his life. If you think you have or have had problems in life then read this book and you'll realise that your problems pale in comparison to Billy's. He was sexually abused by his father, abandoned by his mother, raised by an abusive aunt (who later became schizophrenic and ended up in a mental hospital) then as he grew up, he became an alcoholic with a side serving of drug addiction. His first marriage fell apart as his career as a banjo player, folk singer and comedian suddenly rocketed.

But as the saying goes, "what goes around comes around". By the end of the book, Billy has defeated his foes and overcome his demons. He is a highly successful comedian, actor and performer. He has some of the best known names in Hollywood on his telephone speed-dial. He has a beautiful wife and great kids. His addictions have been beaten. Meanwhile, all his former tormentors in his life have died and he can finally put the ghosts to rest and be happy.

What makes this book even better is that Pamela inserts snippets of songs, poems and jokes that Billy has made throughout his career. So we get to see the highlights of his 30 year performing career which made me laugh my insides out.

I would have given this book 5 stars if there was a bit more objectivity and impartiality in the writing. But still a great book for true fans of the "Big Yin". ( )