Gene Wilder (1933–2016)

This is pretty much the kind of memoir you'd expect Gene Wilder to write. It starts off a little stiff and mannered, but it quickly picks up pace and steam and the prose is such that you can almost hear Wilder read it to you: quirky and wry and imperfect, acknowledging some of his imperfections but apparently entirely unaware of others. He comes across by turns kind and sincere and, at times, a bit of an asshole. (And I think he'd have described that as a fair cop.) Worth reading if you're show more at all interested in his career. show less

When I first started reading this book, I felt uncomfortable -- maybe even a little embarrassed. It was almost like eavesdropping on a therapy session. But then, after a few chapters, I realized something -- Gene Wilder was being totally honest. He was sharing what he really thought, giving his real opinion, and telling about things he did or said, regardless of whether they would be judged as good or bad by his readers.

Don't read this book expecting Gene to be funny. Watch his movies for show more that. This book is about his career, his life, his friends, relationships, the ups and downs of his career, his marriages....his real feelings, his real struggles with mental illness and life in general. Creative people often have the hardest time with "real'' life. It makes sense -- if you spend more time pretending to be other people than being yourself....how do you remember who you really are?

He shares about his self doubt, talks about his failed marriages, loving and losing Gilda Radner, his own struggle with cancer and finally finding love again with his present wife.

It was nice to have a peek at the real man behind the acting skills. I was a fan of Gene Wilder before I read this book -- I am an even bigger fan now.

Thank you for being candid and real, Gene. Your story was amazing.

My rating: 8/10
Ages: 18
Candid discussions of sex and adult situations show less

Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art
by Gene Wilder

I have always enjoyed the comedic humor of Gene Wilder but really didn't know anything about him except he was married to Radner ( who I also loved) at one time. This book takes the reader through his whole life. Childhood, school, family life, boarding school, bullies, love life, adulthood, professional life, love life, marriages. His grief, his happiness, what it felt like to be a Jew and bullied, his battle with cancer, show more watching Glenda's battle with cancer, and so much more.

I picked this up for a couple of bucks on Chirp and Wilder narrates it himself. It's so open and honest to the point of being shocking in spots. It's heartwarming and heartfelt as he lays his life open for all to see. I don't think I could be that brave. He wrote this when his cancer was in remission in 2005. He died in 2016 after battling three years of dementia. I looked this up after I finished the book. That made me cry. Such a brilliant and witty mind and it was crippled in the end. show less

I listened to this book on audio, narrated by the author. His reading was enjoyable to listen to. I knew him mainly from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and this was a more faceted portrait. He was much more poetic and sensitive than I would have imagined. Also a bit neurotic (less surprising). There were a couple of cringey moments when he lamented the lack of sex from his third wife (who had stage four cancer at the time), but otherwise it was an entertaining read.