memoir – N S Ford

Review of ‘Careless People’ by Sarah Wynn-Williams

nsford — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:39:00 +0000

Sarah Wynn-Williams talked her way into her dream job, working in international policy at Facebook. This award-winning book is about her time there, giving a brave and shocking insight to what goes on in the top levels of the company. I understand why she wanted to work there; it was obvious to her, if not to the managers, that Facebook was about to be a major revolution across the world, influencing politics in particular. Using her diplomatic skills, she wanted to help the company manage their responsibilities in an ethical way. It became clear that their decisions were causing a lot of damage and they did not seem to care. What I didn’t completely understand was why she stayed at Facebook for so long, once she discovered what kind of people she was working for and that she disagreed with the direction the company was going in. Perhaps she stayed that long to collect all the material for this book? She was sent into dangerous situations, in countries she couldn’t navigate, while pregnant. She was expected to work all hours. She organised meetings with heads of state, only for her bosses to be late, make faux pas, or not read the briefings. Her managers behaved inappropriately towards her and HR wouldn’t help. It was only when she became ill, that she says she considered leaving, but needed the health insurance.

I would have liked more about her early life. She’s from New Zealand and suffered a near-fatal shark attack aged 13. Aside from this chapter, the book focuses on her time at Facebook and not all of the content interested me, although I recognised its importance.

Published by Macmillan, 2025.

Review of ‘Size Zero’ by Victoire Dauxerre

nsford — Mon, 25 May 2026 08:19:00 +0000

This memoir exposes the dark side of being a high-fashion model. Victoire was 17 when she was scouted in France and was fast-tracked to the catwalks, instead of going to college. It was exciting at first, but she had to lose weight to fit the clothes. The thinner she became, on a diet of apples and laxatives, the more in demand she was by the top designers. After a relatively short time, she quit and was hospitalised. This book exposes the poor treatment of models and it bravely names particular people in the industry. I did have a few issues with it. The writing style is very simplistic and repetitive; she often describes people as ‘adorable’, which I know is a French thing, but it sounds weird in English. I found the attitude of her family to be puzzling, as they pressure her to continue modelling even when she has doubts, while at the same time they pressure her to eat more. I think there were missed opportunities for commentary on why there is a size zero culture in the first place, and she mentions wearing fur but doesn’t engage with the ethics of it. I couldn’t care less about designer and luxury brands, so I was uninterested in her enthusiasm for these. I do think it’s worth reading and would be particularly helpful for aspiring models or people who want a career in fashion, to give an insight into the dark side of the modelling world.

Written with Valérie Péronnet, translated from French by Andy Bliss. Published by William Collins, 2017.

Review of ‘Playing Under the Piano’ by Hugh Bonneville

nsford — Thu, 07 May 2026 08:36:00 +0000

An enjoyable memoir from famous British actor Hugh Bonneville, this book is subtitled From Downton to Darkest Peru. However, a good half of the book is about his stage career, notably with the National Theatre and RSC, which is interesting and well put-together, but might not be so fascinating for readers expecting it all to be about Downton Abbey and Paddington. The book has a lot of reflections on the process of acting and the actor’s life, with plenty of anecdotes – some funny, some hair-raising – and about his family too, specifically his father who had dementia, his mother who worked for the secret service and his brother who passed away suddenly. The book has a lot of personality to it (not always the case with memoirs, I’ve found) and although I read a paper copy rather than the audiobook, I could hear Hugh’s voice reading it in my head!

Some parts of the book that I really liked were memories of Maggie Smith, the set-up for the blood-spewing scene in Downton, meeting Michael Bond, and winging it on stage as a Roman soldier without having rehearsed. Not all of the book was especially riveting, as he tended to go into detail about plays that I don’t know, complaints about auditions, and stagecraft in general. It’s his story though and I appreciated that’s all interesting to him. There is a good selection of photos. While it’s not one of my top memoir reads, I liked it and would recommend it for anyone interested in acting and in Hugh’s career.

Published by Little, Brown, 2022.

Review of ‘Fall to Pieces’ by Mary Forsberg Weiland with Larkin Warren

nsford — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:59:00 +0000

A powerful and heartbreaking read, this memoir of bipolar disorder and drug addiction is by Mary Forsberg, who was married to Scott Weiland (frontman of rock bands Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver). Mary had a turbulent upbringing, with a fractured family, often moving house and having little money. In her teens, she became a model and started to enjoy her life, which is when she first met Scott in the early 90s. He was a driver for her bookings while he and his band tried to break through. She somehow knew they would marry, but it didn’t happen until much later. By that time, he had already got into a lot of trouble with the band and his personal life due to his addictions. Scott and Mary were both bipolar and often in rehab. Mary was eventually able to get clean and sober, after a crisis in which she was finally diagnosed and given the right treatment. With the support of her friends, family, doctors and the love of her two children, things were looking brighter for her. Not so for Scott; the book ends with their divorce and the reunion of Stone Temple Pilots. It was published in 2009, so it’s sad to read now, knowing what came after. Scott’s own memoir was published in 2011, but in 2013 he was fired from the band, and he died in 2015, aged 48.

I was wary of reading the book, when it appeared in my recommendations. I knew it was going to be dark and heavy, despite some lighter anecdotes and a much-needed sense of humour. It includes graphic descriptions of drug use, plus references to self-harm and a lot of emotional distress. However, I’m glad I read it because it gives an informed perspective on the psychology of addiction and an understanding of bipolar disorder. Importantly, it does not glamorise the rock star lifestyle with its easy access to substances and is remarkably respectful to Scott despite everything. I can’t find much about what Mary is doing these days but I hope she continues to be well. A cynical reader might say that without the name Weiland attached to the book, it could be any tragic tale of addiction and mental illness. Not to trivialise it, but there are so many, and not all are about rock stars. True, the main reason anyone would read it is for their interest in Scott; but I really admired her determination to have a separate identity, to get sober and be there for her kids. There is a section of photographs, not always flattering, which show the reality of Mary’s life. It may not be the best-written memoir I’ve ever read, but it’s one of the most compelling and honest, and I’d definitely recommend it, if you can cope with reading about the themes discussed in this review.

Published by HarperCollins, 2009.

Review of ‘This is the Door: Notes from a Body in Pain’ by Darcey Steinke

nsford — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:30:00 +0000

This book is many things: feminist, anatomical, spiritual, literary, philosophical, memoir. I almost didn’t read it, because the themes are very heavy. It’s about pain. However, it turned out to be a thought-provoking, carefully written, rather profound read. The author explores the experiences of herself, family, friends and well-known figures (including Frida Kahlo, Kurt Cobain, Simone Weil, Franz Kafka and Nietzsche) to consider pain and suffering. It’s quite a short book with a lot packed in. As the daughter of a minister, she is particularly interested in religious attitudes to pain. She describes her journey to Lourdes to witness people’s faith in the healing water. Sometimes she acknowledges that the content of the book gets a bit ‘New Age’ but I think the point is that all beliefs are valid if they help us to try and make sense of pain. It’s not the sort of book that provides answers, but many viewpoints and sources are included. She also discusses biased views of pain according to the gender and race of the sufferers, which is an important topic. The only criticisms of the book I have are that for a well-known literary author and lecturer, it has a surprising amount of typos; and that the section about Cobain could have been more detailed, as she met and interviewed him.

If you think the book sounds interesting but are not sure if it will be too much, I encourage you to read it.

Published by Canongate, 2026.

Review of ‘Vagabond’ by Tim Curry

nsford — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:35:00 +0000

This is an admirable memoir from iconic actor Tim Curry. There are quite a few impressive things about it. Firstly, he focuses the narrative mainly on his professional career, with some family history. Secondly, he doesn’t name-drop other famous people for the sake of it, only mentioning them when they significantly relate to his story. Thirdly, he tells his story with a dry wit and humility, while recognising his talents. Fourthly, it showcases his love of language and is well-written as expected. Lastly, but possibly the most importantly, Tim put his thoughts together for this memoir having suffered from a stroke in 2012, which has affected his mobility and short-term memory. It took him some time to be able to speak again. He writes of his family with sadness; his father suffered a stroke and died soon afterwards, when Tim was a schoolboy. Tim’s older sister Judy was only in her fifties when she passed away and they had a strained relationship with their mother, who seemed cold and not very supportive. Tim’s real family, then, are his good friends, most of whom seem to be named Peter!

Tim discusses how he got certain roles in theatre, film and voicework, with plenty of reflection on how he played the roles and giving credit to the directors, costumiers, actors, animators and others who made the features a success. He doesn’t discuss everything he has been involved with (there’s a list at the end, if you need it), but focuses on the most popular productions, and indeed the ones he wants to talk about. He recognises how important and meaningful the characters he played are to various audiences, but reminds us that just because he inhabited those characters, it doesn’t mean that he is like them. He also talks about his music career and his love of gardening. He could doubtless tell a lot more stories, but it’s his book and I respect that.

Published by Penguin, 2025.

Review of ‘The Heart-Shaped Tin’ by Bee Wilson

nsford — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:10:00 +0000

What do your kitchen items mean to you? This book is a brilliant blend of memoir, anthropology, food writing and social history. It was a lot more interesting than it sounded from the blurb. The premise is that soon after Bee Wilson’s husband left, the heart-shaped tin, in which she’d baked their wedding cake, suddenly fell to the floor. This got her thinking about how and why we attach meanings to kitchen items, whether their significance can change, and how different cultures attach importance to things.

The book includes themes such as grief, hoarding, gifting, social status and memory. The chapters switched between her own reflections, those of her friends, the stories of people from the past, and the slightly academic bits from researchers. I have to admit that some were more fascinating than others. The chapters on paper cups and corkscrews, for example, did not really interest me. The chapters on Merry Mushrooms and Agas, for example, were very good. At the end, we are back to the heart-shaped tin, which stands for so much more than its original intention. The book is so well-written and I would definitely consider reading more from this author.

Published by Fourth Estate, 2025.

Review of ‘The Bookshop Woman’ by Nanako Hanada

nsford — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:56:00 +0000

While reading this book, I had to remind myself that it was a memoir, not fiction, because it felt like one of those quirky, brief novels which the Japanese seem to do well! Nanako, the manager of a chain bookstore called The Village Vanguard, has come to a crossroads in her life. She’s enjoyed her years working as a bookseller, but the shop has changed. Moreover, she has left her husband, but the two of them haven’t quite decided to separate for good. When she signs up to a site called PerfectStranger, where people can meet up for scheduled chats, her unique point is that she promises to recommend a book to everyone she meets. After a learning curve, she meets some interesting friends and loves the challenge of recommending books. There is some commentary on men who join the site who are only after one thing. In the early days in particular, she met some who seemed nice but their behaviour became cringeworthy. Most of her meet-ups, however, went well and she acquired a huge social network.

I would have liked more background on Nanako as she seemed a bit mysterious. She loved bookshops, she liked alternative culture and going to restaurants in Tokyo, but that was about all I knew. There is a list of the books she recommended, but sadly it’s not much use if you don’t read Japanese, as the majority of them aren’t available in English. The events in the book happened several years ago and the social media references already seem outdated, such is the pace of technology. However, I’d recommend it; books about books are always interesting to book lovers!

First published in 2018. English translation by Cat Anderson published by Brazen (part of Octopus, Hachette), 2024.

Film of the book: ‘Girl, Interrupted’ (1999)

nsford — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:00:23 +0000

This Oscar-winning film, starring Winona Ryder as the protagonist Susanna and Angelina Jolie as sociopath Lisa, is an adaptation of Susanna Kaysen’s bestselling memoir (1993). The memoir, which is somewhat thin in background details, is transformed into a story with a plot. I think it’s a very good film, although it diverges quite a lot from the source material, particularly towards the end, with some influence from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

The book, which I have only read once, explores the author’s experiences on a women’s mental health ward in a private hospital, after an affair with her tutor and a suicide attempt. She considers what ‘crazy’ actually is, her sense of belonging to a group of women (often describing their collective experiences) and what her diagnosis meant. The point of the novel, the way I interpreted it, is against locking away young women who are depressed and anxious because they’re trying to figure out their lives and identities. The boundaries were blurred, however, because of the double standards of men’s and women’s behaviour. All of this did come across in the film, but it was accomplished too neatly. They had to manufacture a crisis – Susanna and Lisa escaping together (they weren’t even best friends in the memoir), having a wild journey with hippies, visiting their ex-inmate Daisy (Brittany Murphy) with tragic results – as a turning point for Susanna to realise that her recovery was being harmed by Lisa’s influence. Lisa gets worse, while Susanna gets better by engaging with talking therapy (Dr Wick is not useless in this version) and writing her diary. The final confrontation is Lisa reading out the diary to the girls who thought Susanna was their friend. I felt this was all too much drama.

Susanna says that she left hospital because she got married, but of course that wouldn’t work in the film. In the book, even Lisa gets out of hospital, but in the film the last image of her shows her strapped to the bed, so we are left to wonder.

The acting, editing and music in this film are brilliant. It’s so well-done. I especially liked that Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bookends’ plays at the start. The main theme is ‘Downtown’ by Petula Clark. One additional detail I enjoyed was that Georgina, the roommate of Susanna, is a huge fan of the Oz books and is seen reading The Patchwork Girl of Oz. I’m not sure how significant that title is, but I thought of how in the film Return to Oz (1985), Dorothy is sent to a mental hospital. The hospital in Girl, Interrupted – Claymoore (McLean in the memoir) does not seem very well-run. For example, the girls are able to go for adventures, including a bowling alley, in random corners of the hospital without getting checked on throughout the night. Susanna persuades an orderly, John, to have a relationship with her. The character of Valerie, head nurse, was changed. In the book, she is a stoic, kind person with long fair hair. In the film, she’s played by a black actress (Whoopi Goldberg), leading Susanna to use racial insults when Valerie throws her in a bathtub (to wake Susanna out of a stupor). Valerie gives her real, unprofessional opinion of Susanna as spoiled and wasting her privilege by making herself go crazy. I wasn’t sure about this whole scene. Later they also have a hug. The film version of Valerie was too invested in her patients I think. Another difference I picked up on was that Lisa is a ‘junkie’ in the book and street drugs are discussed. In the film this is not really touched upon and they leave out the character of Torrey, who leaves the ward while afraid she will get back into drugs. A final difference is that Susanna finds out she is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, while still in the hospital – she gets to read her file (Lisa helps them all access their records) and the psychiatrist discusses it with her parents while she is there. In reality, she did not find out until years later.

I’m sure I could say more about the film of the book, but I’ve already said a lot. I have to admit I prefer the film, just because the memoir seems a bit patchy – perhaps reflecting the author’s memories and state of mind – and I liked that it was moulded into a story. The grey cat was adorable too.

Image attribution: The cover art can or could be obtained from IMP Awards or Columbia Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56678762

Review of ‘My Animals, and Other Animals’ by Bill Bailey

nsford — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:28:00 +0000

This very entertaining book by comedian Bill Bailey is packed with anecdotes about animals he has met. Many of these are animals he has looked after, while others are animals he has met in the wild. There are dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots, chameleons, snakes, giant snails, jaguars, monkeys, chickens, hissing cockroaches, weird glowing woodlice, and more!

I liked that the chapters are short and look back fondly at these memories, without anything too heavy or upsetting. Not only are the stories funny, or insightful (or both), we can also learn from them. For example, do not run after a dog, while holding a trifle (actually do not run with a trifle at all). If you take your parrot to the cinema, be prepared to cover for the parrot when it starts singing to the music.

This is an amusing, uplifting book for anyone who loves animals. I recommend the audiobook, which is read by the author.

Published by Quercus, 2024.