Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between)

More like Reading As Fast As I Can, amirite?! Fresh off the emotional lows and highs of A Year in the Life, this book was the perfect capstone to a second immersion in Stars Hollow.

Lauren Graham is smart and funny and disarming, and the words on the page leapt into my ears as though being read aloud by Lorelai Gilmore. I tore through this book in what seemed like a matter of minutes, enjoying every bit of it.

I've seen this billed as "essays" but the firm didn't strike me as much different from a regular celebrity memoir: some stories about her childhood, her training, her early acting successes and failures, a few lessons learned along the way.

I could have done with a few fewer diet jokes; they seemed a little forced. But other than show more that, it felt like an authentic look at the memories and foibles of the woman who is the closest thing we'll ever have to a real-life Lorelai Gilmore, quirks and fast-talking dated pop-culture references and all. show less

Having been a fan of the Gilmore Girls TV series for such a long time, this book was a real treat for me. It could have tooootally been an account of the life and times of Lorelai Gilmore.

There were tonnes of humorous and cringe-worthy situations in it, along with plenty of thoughtful advice to be found, generally delivered by Lauren's Old Lady Jackson persona. And we of course, can't forget the hilarious amount of procrastination needed to write a book. In general, and in particular. Now that is very relatable...

Score: 3.3 / 5 stars

I enjoyed listening to this audio book immensely, and could point out numerous scenes and quotes that still cause me hearty laughter. I loved the fact that it was Lauren Graham narrating the book, which gave show more everything an even funnier twist.

Then again, I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan, who must've (RE)watched the series at least 10 times over, so any excuse to immerse myself in the TV series' universe is an good acceptable one. show less

Talking as Fast as I Can has been on my Wish To Read list (high-priority TBR) since November 2016, when it was first published. For whatever reason (#momlife), I never got around to reading it and you know what? I’m kinda glad. Just last month, Talking as Fast as I Can along with a bonus chapter was newly published. Time to pounce!

Please, allow me to start off sharing something… I can be a pretty big fan of memoirs, but only when done right. They need to feel authentic, honest, and extra points for candid. Considering I am already a fan of Lauren Graham’s on-screen work, I had some pretty big hopes for her own personal written work. Between my hopes and other people’s feedback, I ended up setting the bar pretty high on this show more read. I must say, I dove in to Talking as Fast as I Can with some pretty big expectations. So unfair, right?

Well, here’s the deal… You know how you know when a book is good? You know a book is a solid choice when you set your alarm 2 hours early, waking yourself on a weekend before the rest of your house is stirring, just so you can grab some quiet time to be with that book and a coffee. Yes, I did that. That is how much I loved Talking as Fast as I Can. Seriously folks, this book is fabulous. I needed some quiet, alone time with my book.

What made Talking as Fast as I Can so darn great?

Every so often I find myself pressing post-its on the pages of a book because a certain passage feels special or causes me to connect or offers valuable advice or is just so thought provoking that I need to share with a friend. I can’t tell you how many colorful post-its I peppered through these pages and how many emails I sent with quotes and how many times I ran out of the room, book in hand, because I read something so funny or so real or so important that I wanted needed to share with someone else.

Obviously, I expected Talking as Fast as I Can to make me laugh and yes, I laughed! But, I did not expect to really have any big take-aways. Even still, Lauren Graham generously shared her personal wisdom from her own experiences and a special letter from a certain Old Lady Jackson that is just… well, you need to read it for yourself. It’s valuable stuff.

Talking as Fast as I Can is a fast, fun, and gratifying read. I could hear Lauren Graham’s voice in every word. I loved reading about her start in theatre and how she handles the scene. I loved reading about her upbringing and experiences as a young(er!) person. And, of course, I loved reading her reflections and experiences on Gilmore Girls (then and now). Perhaps what I loved most, though, are those little nuggets of wisdom that were so delightfully sincere, yet so unexpected (the best gifts usually are).

I gave Talking as Fast as I Can 5/5 stars
★★★★★

Thank you LibraryThing and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Talking as Fast as I Can in exchange for my honest review. show less

It took me far too many years to get on the Gilmore Girls train, but once I finally did, boy did I become an instant fan for life. As such, I was extremely excited to read Lauren Graham’s new memoir, Talking as Fast as I can. I have also read Someday,Someday Maybe which was flawless.

There are so many (wonderful) things I want to say about her book that it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where to begin. Graham’s prose has an effortless, familiar feel to it. Like the soft voice of a friend over a casual cup of coffee. It’s obvious she’s a writer, and an extremely talented one at that.

One of the things I was worried about before I started reading was that it might only focus on her life as it related to Gilmore Girls. While that show more would have still been a thoroughly enjoyable read, fans (at least fans like me) read memoirs to learn about the real person and their real life. In learning about their lives, we feel as though we’ve left the world of fandom and entered the world of friendship. And Graham’s memoir delivers a perfect blend of personal and professional to us.

Talking as Fast as I can contains two large chapters where Graham recaps the actual filming experience of Gilmore Girls. The first, positioned near the beginning of the book, covers the original series, and the last, positioned near the end of the book, covers the revival. The remainder of the book follows Graham throughout her life from childhood to present. We learn a little about her family, about her upbringing and education, and, of course, about how she became the actress we love today. She’s witty, inspirational, and utterly entertaining.

But it’s more than just a simple sharing of random moments of her life. You can tell that each story, each chapter, each word has been chosen with care and caution. It’s neither too short nor too long; it is just perfect. I have to say after this all I really want to do is watch Parenthood and I just might do that. show less

Fans of the Gilmore Girls will enjoy spending a few hours getting to know Lauren Graham and seeing the show through her eyes. Lauren, who comes across a bit like the fast-talking Lorelei, is funny, cheeky, and introspective about her path in life. You won’t find any real scoop or less-than-flattering details about the show, and you do get the sense sometimes that Lauren is keeping us at arms length. However, it may just make you want to head back to Stars Hollow for another trip with old friends.

There are very few books that I believe should be listened to rather than read. This is one of them.

Lauren Graham brings such joy and fun to her own words and I’m so glad she read it herself. It feels like a giant story time with her, where she regales us with her beginnings in life and in acting and all about coming back to Stars Hollow. I got super emotional through the entire Year in the Life portion of the book and it was so interesting to see how quickly and strangely the whole thing came together, from the viewpoint of one of the main actors.

If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, or witty female memoirs, I recommend this!

At first, I wasn’t sure I could do this. I listened to it on audio and let’s just say, Lauren Graham is high energy and so unserious. I thought it was going to be overwhelmingly cringe, but I started loosening up and really began to enjoy Lauren, just like I had with her character Lorelai on Gilmore Girls, whom felt like too much in those initial episodes (I’ve always been a Rory lover myself) but she became just as beloved as the rest of the characters.

Lauren is actually very relatable- I also suffer from a terrible memory where things just seem like a blur or not there at all. And she’s still very down to earth for having the type of success she’s worked for. I want to watch Parenthood now!

Her writing is very light and fun, show more and the narration matches it completely. I think Lauren Graham should look into voice acting if she hasn’t already because I think she does a great job at getting emotion across through voice alone.

This was a pleasant experience! show less