Blessings in Disguise

Guinness is a skilled writer. He weaves his tales and vignettes of "the great dead" simply, in an unpretentious tone and then, when you're not expecting it, slips in a wry, comical but wisely accurate observation that makes you pause and reflect and/or laugh.

His preface was particularly clever and enlightening, as was his lengthy chapter on his religious journey and his time in the Navy during WWII.

I found myself looking for events, moments, coincidences, that were the blessings in disguise referenced in the title. As I came to the end of the book I realized that it wasn't the moments that he was highlighting. It was the people that were the blessings in disguise. So, perhaps, it is with us.

A memoir covering the life and career of Alec Guinness up until roughly about 1980. If you have an interest in what it was like to be a jobbing actor in mid-century Britain, or in reading anecdotes about various different actors and directors—some still well-known today, others largely forgotten—this I think might be an engaging read for you. Guinness writes with great fluidity and meanders amiably from one topic to the next, eschewing chronological order, and my sense was that he must have been a great dinner party guest. There's too much performative humility in Blessings in Disguise, though, and too many other things (hints of a certain kind of very English snobbery, racism, misogyny) for me to think I would have liked the man show more had I ever met him. show less

This includes the beautiful story of Alec coming to terms with his faith, including the moment in Burgundy while he was filming Father Brown when a trusting young boy came alongside him, mistaking him for a priest. The boy prattled away, and then ran off through a hole in a hedge, and Alec writes: "Continuing my walk I reflected that a Church which could inspire such confidence in a child, making its priests, even when unknown, so easily approachable could not be as scheming and creepy as so often made out."

Enjoyable "light" read. Anecdotes from his relationships with friends, acquaintances, other actors (some who sound positively awful people but he seems to find positives in everyone!) and from his time in the navy during WW2. Many revealing glimpses into a time long gone. I liked it a lot; glad I already bought his follow up books to read.

An interesting life, well written.

Little of the advertised wit by a brilliant comic actor and lots of boeing details of his acquaintance or more with a lot of not very well known people plus some well=known ones. Big yawn for me, but I gave it e stars because someone I respect recommended it to me.