Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart, I have learned only very recently, is a British comedian, not just my beloved Chummy on Call the Midwife. I had no idea. And I've forgotten now how I came across this book, but there it was available on audible, so on I listened. It is hilarious (or hil-air, as Hart might say). She talks very little about her career, but rather about life in general, and the theme is all those little things that happen to people but that no one ever tells you how to deal with (think, oh, giant show more piece of toilet paper following you out of the restroom as it's attached to your shoe, that sort of thing). Hart has a very upper-middle-class sort of received British accent, and she uses it to great effect in the comedy here. The book is so funny, both in its content and in its presentation, that I spent the thing laughing out loud. People behind me at traffic lights (I was listening in the car, mostly) probably thought I was having some sort of fit. Nestled in among all the jolity are some nice little nuggets of wisdom and encouragement as well. Highly recommended, but do get the audio. I think you'd be missing half the fun if you read it. show less

Best for:
People looking for a gentle, sweet, memoir with some nice little life lessons and a few chuckles.

In a nutshell:
Actress and comedian Hart shares stories and lessons of her life through the mechanism of talking to her younger self.

Worth quoting:
N/A (Audiobook)

Why I chose it:
Hart always struck me as a kind and fun woman. Plus, as a fellow very tall woman, I appreciate that she’s been able to make a career in film and television.

Review:
I first became aware of Hart when she played in show more Spy with Melissa McCarthy. She made me laugh a lot, and I was surprised when she showed up in Call the Midwife, which I started watching from the beginning after I moved to the UK. When this book showed up as a suggestion in Audible, I figured I’d check it out.

I listened to this in two parts, with a two month break in between, so I’m afraid my recall of the first half is a bit limited. However I can speak to the overall feel of this book, and it’s that of drinking a hot chocolate while cuddled up on the couch on a Sunday afternoon. It’s not offensive (save for some outdated language that I’d imagine she would have revised were she writing this today) - it’s just sweet. It’s encouraging and supportive, and also self-deprecating in a way that feels authentic.

The rhetorical device Hart employs (which works quite well in audio form) is that she’s sharing tips and stories with her 18-year-old self, while talking to us, the reader. She is 38 at the time of writing this, and has some suggestions. It’s a simple concept, but at times it’s a bit deep, as she captures well the assumptions our younger selves make and how that doesn’t often match reality. And that isn’t sad or anything, it’s just … different. It’s most stark when ‘Little M’ (e.g. 18-year-old Miranda) make some assumptions that author Miranda is married and has children. Which she isn’t and doesn’t. And that’s not a bad thing for older Miranda, but it doesn’t fit what Little M expects.

It got me thinking about what those of us who are creeping closer to middle age would say to our younger selves. What expectations did we have? What dreams did we let go of because it made sense to, or our interests changes? Conversely, which dreams did we let go of that we could perhaps pick up again? What’s changed? What mortifying or hilarious events in our youth do we view differently now, with some time, space, and a bit more wisdom? I’m not sure Hart imagined her book would invoke such thoughts, but maybe she did. If so, job well done!

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
N/A (Audiobook) show less

I saw Miranda Hart on The Graham Norton Show and thought she was quite funny. So, her humorous essays seemed the right thing for long car drives. Unfortunately, the humor in this book fell flat with me. The occasional smile wasn't enough to compensate for the long intervals of utterly over-the-top silliness. It was exacerbated by the fact that I was listening to the audiobook version. The premise is Miranda talking to her eighteen-year-old self, and the shrill, drama-queen voice she chose show more for her younger version absolutely grated on my nerves. Much as I hate DNFs, I gave up at about 60% of the way through. show less

I really wanted to like this book more, I love Miranda Hart on TV. It started out so well, lots of punchy anecdotes. But that was it and nothing really developed. It was a total shame as you could hear the "voice" well but the direction was not really there. Good fun but definitely a "dip-in/dip-out" book which took a lot longer to finish than I expected. I also felt as someone not raised in England it was difficult to relate to some of the references which were left totally unexplained (on show more the other hand being a tall 39 year old woman a lot of the references were very very familiar). If you don't have a "hook" into this one I think it might be hard going. I would be careful to recommend it to those who are already fans. show less