Wishful Drinking

This is definitely what I'd call a sketchy book. Sketchy because it is adapted from Fisher's one-woman show, flitting to and fro between various areas of her life and events in her past. Sketchy in that her ECT treatments have undoubtedly damaged her memory and therefore many of the details that might otherwise have been included in an autobiographical book have been lost. And sketchy in that in true bipolar style, her prose veers from insightful genius to a little incomprehensible and back again.

That being said, I really enjoyed it! I could almost hear Fisher recounting her anecdotes, deadpanning at every comic twist, offering up each tidbit of her life with a bittersweet kind of relish. I didn't really know anything about her other show more than that she played Princess Leia, grew up into the actress I'd seen in When Harry Met Sally and Undiscovered, and was severely manic depressive, so for me it was an interesting read. She covers everything from her alcoholism to her relationship with her beautiful but decidedly unconventional mother; from the trend in her family for multiple marriages to the inescapable legacy of the Star Wars movies. She is irreverent, self-deprecating and has a refreshing voice that simultaneously pays tribute to and breaks down the illusion of Hollywood glamour thrown up by her glittering background. I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of Shockaholic at the end of 2011! show less

I pretty much figure you're scratching your head and thinking, "This woman is a glutton for punishment, isn't she?" Yes. Yes I am. Particularly when it comes from the pens of women who have something to say about the human condition, mental problems, depression, anxiety, the shit people do to women, and any number of other things that make me want to punch someone on a regular basis. (Just FYI, I don't do it. I just want to do it. I'm terribly repressed.)

I wasn't really intending to read this one. Glinda had borrowed it from the library, and I know I can always do the same. But it was there last night when I finished Furiously Happy, and I thought "Gosh, I miss Carrie. I think I should read this one." There's part of me that wishes I show more hadn't. It's not that it's a bad book; on the contrary, it's a very good one. But while I knew she'd had problems with drugs and alcohol, I wasn't really familiar with her life. And yeah, that part of me that wishes I'd just moved on to something else spent the whole time I was reading thinking "I could have gone my whole life without knowing these things."

I'm not sure I've ever encountered a life so conflicted. One of the threads I've encountered so often in my reading this year is how angry so many women are, and Carrie Fisher was no exception. Her sardonic wit is appealing, but the biting portraits of her parents made me uneasy because they materially changed the image I had of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (not that I had much respect for him to begin with, but jeez...)

I ended up with more respect for Carrie than ever before, but a deeper sense of sadness that she's gone too soon, and as a result of her own emotional problems. I hate seeing her as a cautionary tale, but I can't help but feel that she might enjoy being thought of as a terrible warning.

I think I'm done reading about damaged women for a while. I've spent much of the day eating ice cream and wanting to punch people. show less

Carrie Fisher's memoir turns her one woman show into book format and as an audiobook was an utter delight. Whether she's recounting the entangled love lives of her daughter's and her daughter's boyfriend's grandparents to determine whether they're related, sharing tales from her struggles with substance abuse and bipolar disorder, or talking about how George Lucas owns her likeness, there's plenty to laugh about. A lovely way to spend a few hours with a brilliant personality we lost too soon.

If an incredibly short novel is a novella, is an incredibly thin memoir a memella?
Thin doesn’t describe “Wishful Drinking.” Carrie Fisher barely scratches the surface when it comes to giving readers true insights into her bipolar disorder, drug problems and alcohol abuse. She appears to be more focused on trying to elicit chuckles from her audience. She succeeds at this goal in many spots; she flops in other sections. Do we really need four Republican-bashing jokes on the same page? Trust me, I'm not politically offended. It just gets awfully old, awfully fast.
I wish Fisher had made a greater effort to take readers beneath the surface to better understand her multiple demons. I’m betting that there are some amazing lessons to be show more learned. True, she tries to serve up advice for those who are facing similar challenges. But she’s far more interested in telling tales about Liz Taylor, Paul Simon and other entertainment luminaries than she is delving into the complex world of personality disorders and substance abuse.
Still, Fisher’s book is quite entertaining in many spots. It certainly serves up some intriguing nuggets. Who knew that George W. Bush could pass gas on command? show less

Carrie Fisher brings her irreverent and sardonic sense of humor to her life as a celebrity and daughter of celebrities. Despite the title, this book is not a typical alcohol abuse memoir. It is a transcript of Fisher’s show of the same name. It relates humorous anecdotes about her life and her struggles with bipolar disorder and addictions. Though funny, it also conveys (between the lines) a fundamental unhappiness that permeated her life. It is short, witty, and clever. Once I started it, I got caught up in the monologue and read it in one sitting.

This book is not just autobiographical, but it's also based on her one-woman show. She discusses everything from her childhood with an absent father and a loving but somewhat unconventional relationship with her mother to how she's still trying to cope with the loss of her friend - who was sleeping in her bed when he died. She does it like she alway sdoes - with a lot of humor.

Carrie Fisher was such a wonderful person, impossible to forget... as if someone ever would want to do that. I've never felt so safe with an author before, a person I really do not know at all. She reminds me a lot of my great-grandmother in that way - you just know you'd be safe with them. Fisher is a real comfort in that way, but especially combined with her show more refusal to keep her mental health and struggles hidden.

To read Fisher's blunt honesty is refreshing and I know I will be coming back to this book over and over - it's a comfort and reassurance that no matter how bad it gets, it'll somehow be okay. Because, fuck it. show less

I'm not generally a fan of the celebrity memoir. They often seem more self-serving than anything else, but when a friend of mine left Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking at my house one day, I thought I'd at least give it a try. It's a fairly slim volume, and I was able to zip through it in an afternoon, and I'm actually glad that she forgot the book. What Carrie Fisher offers (as a written version of her one woman show of the same name) is a fairly frank, no holds barred look into her life as both the child of a celebrity couple (her parents are Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher) and then as a celebrity herself. She's straight forward about her drug and alcohol problems and talks freely about her mental problems as well. She tells both show more touching and frankly quite funny stories and writes with an ease that makes the book very readable. Probably my favorite section of the book is the "Hollywood Incest 101" chapter, where she tries to figure out whether her daughter is somehow related to Elizabeth Taylor's grandson, which ends up with her saying they are "related by scandal."

Wishful Drinking is a unique peek into a celebrity's life and the struggles they can have with their fame, and Carrie Fisher handles it all with a writing flare that makes this memoir one not to miss. Recommended! show less