Martha

Wow... not really that funny at all. I suppose there were a few smiles, but the people that have claimed 'rolling with laughter' in their reviews must have rolled something else before listening to this book. It is a three hour journey into things Carrie Fisher thinks are funny because people have told her they are... which if a former movie star looked you in the eye and asked you "was that a funny story?" you would of course laugh and say, "Oh Yes... Hilarious! You should write a book!"

I was hoping this book would have some humorous wisdom about growing up in Hollywood and growing up in general. I only found it painfully narcissistic and not relevant to anyone living "in the real world." She tries to make a joke out of the saying, "in the real world" as opposed to the world she lives in. Well, it is true, her world surely doesn't seem all that Real to me, and unfortunately, not funny either. At one point she describes trying to have sex with a lifesize likeness of herself, only to end with the punchline: "I couldn't - the doll is heterosexual and my penis has been revoked until the end of the financial crisis." (WTF?)

So, I gave it two stars because I admire the risks she takes in being that honest about her childhood and recovery, and because I did smile a few times. AND it's only three hours - not a huge investment of time and energy. Also, I like the fact that she is not blaming her parents outright for her dysfunction. A pleasant surprise - almost enough to get a third star... but not quite.

The book is cute... and acute - the way words and phrases are repeated is a literary devise of some form I suppose, but it gets a bit tiresome. I almost ditched the book after the first hour due to the monotone narration and repetitive dialog. I kept listening and it turned out to be an entertaining book in the end. The characters gain depth as the book progresses, which I wasn't sure would happen. It does make you think about what things have "value" in your life. As expected, the low IQ of the main character does not mean he has low "life wisdom." A sort of "out of the mouth's of babes" book.

I read the book Uglies and am now listening to Pretty's. I enjoy the concept of the books in spite of their clumsy teenager angst. I find the writing to be a bit immature. I don't mean this in a negative way, just in a "not that polished" kind of way. There are some very interesting concepts presented that I thought could be expanded upon. I know it is written for teens, but am always disappointed when junior fiction books read as if their audience is a bit dense. That aside, I do like the author's idea of what our world progresses into and the way those generations look back to our time.

The real reason for the low three star rating is the narration. I find the nasally voice extremely grating. I don't even know if I can finish listening to this book. I may have to go back to reading Prettys and Specials. The characters all sound completely brain dead - even the one's who aren't supposed to be. I can't decide if it would be better with a different narrator, or it's just the way the books are written that give it a very "patronizing" feeling.

Summary: Book 4 stars, Narration 2 stars.

I agree with several of the other reviews here. The subtly and elegance of the writing was masterful. I have not seen the movie and from what I've heard, think I'll just leave it that way. I came away with such vivid pictures of these characters I would hate to spoil it, like toothpaste after orange juice. The progression of the main characters from independent interesting women into their tangle of dependancy was so smooth you hardly felt it happening. I made me really look at the more subtle aspects of who we lean on in our lives and why.
I also agree that the narration was perfect for the book. I really enjoyed the entire package.