Details from Audible:
This Much Is True
‘There’s never been a memoir so packed with eye-popping, hilarious and candid stories’ DAILY MAIL
Written by
Narrated by
About this listen
From Blackadder to Call the Midwife, from the Cadbury’s Caramel Rabbit to Harry Potter, Miriam Margolyes is the outspoken great aunt (after two sherries) we all wish we had — this is (at last) her extraordinary life story, and it’s well worth the wait.
‘There is no one on earth quite so wonderful’ STEPHEN FRY
Award-winning actor, creator of a myriad of memorable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, Miriam Margolyes is a national treasure.
Now, at last, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story. And it’s far richer and stranger than any part she’s played.
Find out how being conceived in an air-raid gave her curly hair; what pranks led to her being known as the naughtiest girl Oxford High School ever had; how she ended up posing nude for Augustus John aged 17, being sent to Coventry by Monty Python and the Goodies and swearing on University Challenge (she was the first woman to say F*** on TV). This book is packed with unforgettable stories from why Bob Monkhouse was the best (male) kiss she’s ever had to being told off by the Queen. With a cast list stretching from Scorsese to Streisand, Leonardo DiCaprio to Isaiah Berlin, This Much is True is as warm and honest, as full of life and surprises, as she is.
(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2021 Miriam Margolyes
Initial Thoughts:
I have been watching Miriam Margolyes on “The Graham Norton” show for years, and she is always hilarious. She mentioned this book, but I forgot about it and only recently decided to give it a listen. As readers of this blog know, I do love it when an author reads their own book, so I used my credit and got this on Audible.
Main Points:
I think it shows how much I enjoy British TV that I had completely forgotten that she was Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movies, honestly I had forgotten about most TV, movies and plays she’s done but that’s what books are for to help you learn something and, if they have humour, give you some great laughts, this book does both of these things in spades. Miriam has a lovely speaking voice, and I thought she did a great job here with her vocal performance. I also must say it was an odd experience to have an 80-year-old lesbian talk about oral sex (and how much she enjoyed it), but I must say I liked that too.
While there are some salacious stories here, a couple of which I knew from her telling them on the Graham Norton Show, they are certainly not the focus of the book. This is her memoir, and she has led an exciting and fascinating life. For example, I think it’s wonderful she is so honest about her views on Israel and Palestine; many Jews would not be so critical of what happens in the Gaza Strip, but Miriam is an exceptional person who is. She is also quite critical of Trump, Boris Johnson, and the current state of Australia (two of those I agree with; Australia, I’ve never been to, so I couldn’t say for sure). Miriam is also very honest about actors/producers/directors/executives she has met and talks about who is nice and who are assholes, I’ve always enjoyed celebrity gossip and quite enjoyed those parts as well.
She is also quite honest about her struggles, vulnerabilities, and mistakes in life; her blunders with Queen Elizabeth II, in particular, were both funny and fascinating to hear about. Miriam tells the story of her life with such incredible detail (though there are parts where she admits she can’t remember something) that it makes the book all the more enjoyable to listen to and leads to some amazing moments and chapters. I also quite liked that she is very critical of not only the British government but also Britain’s history of conquest, the sun never set on the British Empire for a time, and she pulls no punches about how that was accomplished.
Final Thoughts:
This was an excellent book, and I will certainly listen to her other non-fiction ones. Miriam is truly a legend not only in British entertainment but in the world itself. Someone who loves her friends and is honest almost to a fault is quite rare indeed. She’s a wonderful example of a senior who hasn’t developed outdated/incorrect/racist ideas under the guise of not wanting change, and I admire her for that. The world is always changing, and you must do your best to keep up, but most importantly, you need to be kind and accepting of the new people you meet. Her lessons on what it means to get older were insightful, and I hope I can be as open-minded as Miriam when I reach 80. I give this a very strong 9 out of 10 and would strongly recommend it to anyone who can handle adult material. There are some graphic descriptions of sex, some coarse language and some dark subject matter, including a description of her visit to Auschwitz and interactions with Jewish people who survived the death camps in the 50s and 60s. Certainly not for kids, ages 18+. I hope Miriam continues to be her wonderful self, and I look forward to learning more about her.