Jenna Fischer

A comforting, funny and energetic read, this is a must for fans of The Office (US). It's my favourite show of all time, and this book does a great job of taking a look back at the people who brought the show to life both in front and behind the cameras, whilst delivering stories about what it was like filming the nine seasons of the show, and what it would eventually mean to Jenna and Angela. Brilliant stuff. Loved it. It was hard to put down (that's what she said).

America's sweetheart, Jenna Fischer, takes us along with her on her journey from obscurity to the life of ... well, continued struggle and work in Hollywood. Although this book is primarily an instruction manual for young, aspiring actors, it is also chock full of interesting stories and fascinating glimpses into the (not so) glamorous life of a working actor.

I have absolutely no interest in being an actor, and doubly so now after Ms. Fischer's incredibly insightful and realistic account of show more her experience. This is not a puff piece - it provides an honest look and the trials and tribulations while providing advice, hope, and inspiration to those who are determined to continue down this career path. Ms. Fischer writes clearly and engagingly and I'm sure someone considering the acting profession will find it very helpful. show less

Best for:
Fans of either The Office TV show, or The Office Ladies podcast

In a nutshell:
Jenna ‘Pam’ Fischer and Angela ‘Angela’ Kinsey share stories of their time on The Office, which led to them becoming best friends.

Worth quoting:
N/A (audio book)

Why I chose it:
It was suggested by Audible and sounded fun

Review:
I didn’t watch The Office when it was on - I mean, I’m sure I saw episodes of it at the time but it wasn’t a show I regularly tuned in for. Some of it is just too cringe show more for me - my secondhand embarrassment is very easily set off - but some of it is really sweet. Once the show ended I watched it on streaming.

The book hits on exactly what I think any fan of a TV show wants. Behind the scenes gossip, interesting little nuggets about different famous episodes, deep dives into the main fictional relationships. This one also has the added bonus of learning about the real-life friendship of the two authors.

Unsurprisingly if you are familiar with these two actresses, the gossip is all kind and sweet. It sounds like everyone who worked on the show was just lovely. Really the only time there’s any tension is when discussing the fact that the show (I’m assuming the network, NBC) provided no maternity leave pay for Jenna Fischer, nor did they come up with ways to shoot around her leave, but they would accommodate other actors who had to be away when filming movies. Not cool, and I really appreciate that she spoke out about this, and the hardship of coming back to work five weeks post-partum because she needed the paycheck.

I’m not familiar with the podcast that Fischer and Kinsey started, similar to West Wing Weekly, but after listening to this book I’ll probably check it out.

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend (who loved The Office) show less

Just pure sweet entertainment for fans of The Office. It's fun on audio because Jenna and Angela are just chatting back and forth and sharing their favorite memories. It feels like a conversation with friends as they are both so down-to-earth and were in awe of things like the red carpet circuit. I really appreciated their honesty about becoming working moms on set as well.