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| 'Spectacles: A Memoir' by Sue Perkins (Penguin/Michael Joseph, 2015 |
There aren't many people who can be recognised through just a few brushstrokes. Alfred Hitchcock and Adolf Hitler are about the only ones I can think of, but the less said about that the better.Anyway, then you get to look inside the book and... wham! More specs than you can shake an optometrist at! Shame they didn't make this into wallpaper or fabric or something, I have a friend who would've loved it.
And just as you think it can't get any better, you arrive at the book itself!
In 'Spectacles', Ms Perkins takes us on an entertaining, whistle-stop journey through her life (or at least a version of her life - as the disclaimer says "Most of this book is true."). We get to know her potty but lovely family, the friends that inspired her and her partner-in-prime time Mel Giedroyc. (Wouldn't be surprised if the latter is brewing her own memoir in retaliation...) There are demanding dogs, car-related calamities and an unexpected encounter with Esther Rantzen, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at 'Maestro', 'World's Most Dangerous Roads' and, of course, 'The Great British Bake Off'.
This is a charming book, full of energy and humour, much like you hope the author herself to be. 'Spectacles' is heartwarming, heartfelt and at times heartbreaking, as the anecdotes make you laugh at life's absurdities and shed tears for its cruelties.
This book may be filed under non-fiction, but like all autobiographies it's a version of the truth told to us as a kind of collaborative lie. But unlike many celebrity memoirs, at least this one is self-aware and more about entertaining the reader than making the author look perfect.
'Spectacles' begins with Ms Perkins describing her wish to be a writer. I think her understanding of her audience shows that she is. I hope this is not her last book.
