• Dear Fatty

  • By: Dawn French
  • Narrated by: Liza Tarbuck
  • Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (365 ratings)

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Dear Fatty  By  cover art

Dear Fatty

By: Dawn French
Narrated by: Liza Tarbuck
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Publisher's summary

Dear Fatty is read by Liza Tarbuck at the request of the author. With an introduction from Dawn French.

With a sharp eye for comic detail and a wicked ear for the absurdities of life, Dawn French shows just how an RAF girl from the west country with dreams of becoming a ballerina/bridesmaid/thief rose to become one of the best-loved comedy actresses of our time.

Here Dawn French invites us into her most personal relationships with, among others, her mum and dad, her husband, her daughter and her friend Jennifer.

Dawn reveals the people, experiences and obsessions that have influenced her and that helped shape her comedy creations - including dogs, grandmas, teenage angst, school, stealing and David Cassidy. She is as open about her fears and sorrows as she is about her delights and joys, and for the first time shares the experience of losing her beloved dad and later finding a tip-topmost chap in Lenny Henry.

From raging about class and celebrity to describing the highs and lows of motherhood and friendship, Dear Fatty reveals the surprising life behind the smile.

©2008 Dawn French (P)2008 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Something of a revelation. Because in among the the gags and photos of her bare bosom, there is intellectual rigour and real emotional intelligence ... heavens, she's a funny lady. I can't remember the last time a book made me laugh so much."( Sunday Telegraph)
"A national treasure ... Loyal, self-deprecating and garrulous ¿ this is an original book, and will delight her fans and, indeed anyone with a sense of humour."( Mail on Sunday)
"Self-deprecating yet never self-pitying, irreverent yet never truly cynical, she comes across as a woman genuinely at ease with herself ... French is engaging company, and at her best she writes about heartbreak and elation with such grace that her book is impossible to dislike." ( Boston Standard)

What listeners say about Dear Fatty

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

If you like Dawn French - You will love this book!

I love to read or listen to auto-biographies and biographies but usually prefer auto-bios (unless historical figures, of course, and I still like the biographer to use as much of the figures own writing, etc.). As a fan of Dawn French, British humor, Absoluteley Fabulous and the Vicar of Dibley - I suspected I would like this book but really knew nothing about Dawn French other than the TV shows (how she started, her family, her association with Jennifer Saunders, etc.) I learned all about those things and more. What made this particularly interesting is the format she wrote this in. Each chapter/section was a letter to various people - her deceased dad, her husband, daughter, friends, etc. She creatively used the letter to explain her relationships, thoughts, advice - you name it. It was so interesting - funny and sad in parts - touching and honest throughout. The only negative part (and it isn't really negative) is that she sometimes refers to stars, star scandals and other matters that are apparently well known in England (but not in USA - Well, she does live in England and this was undoubtedly primarily targeted for the Britich reader.) All that said, great listen. While she did not read it, the person who did read it sounded just like her. If you didn't know it was her - you'd swear it was. Just listening to her letter to her father in relation to his death (by suicide) is a lesson on forgiveness and love and worth the price of admission. Thanks for bringing this to us Audible.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Classic Dawn...

What a laugh out loud book. Beautifully narrated, at times I thought it was Dawn herself reading to me. I could feel her pain, disappointment and joy. I really recommend this book to anyone that's a Dawn French fan. Thank you for a lovely book, hope to read more of your books....

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This made me laugh and cry aloud on the subway...

A lovely book that brought me to tears from laughter and then from sadness. Her letters are very personal, fun, and beautiful. I loved it.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you, Dawn!!!

Dawn French covers many, many topics as she writes letters to friends, family and the dearly departed. Her correspondence to them creates a memoir that is vivid, funny and insightful. Wish she would have narrated, but understood why she didn't. Liza does a good job with it though. Highly recommended, especially if you are in need of some humor.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

very light

I unfortunately listened to this after Stephen Frys autobiography and it was like listening to Noddy after listening to War and Peace. I found it a disappointment and to have it narrated by someone other than herself was an added disappointment.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved the format of writing letters to people

loved how she wrote to those who shaped her life. Made her more real to me

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I wish Dawn had narrated it but I understand...

I loved hearing Dawn talk about her life. I cried at work listening to some parts and also laughed a lot. I forgot that she wasn't narrating often. She chose an interesting way to write this book; through letters to her loved ones. I would recommend this to any fan of Dawn French's.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

Would you try another book from Dawn French and/or Liza Tarbuck?

No, I didn't find this book very interesting.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I found the content boring

Have you listened to any of Liza Tarbuck’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No this was the first one

Could you see Dear Fatty being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Fascinating Life

Where does Dear Fatty rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a great listen, I have followed Dawn French since French & Saunders.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dawn, this is the story of her, and what an interesting journey she has had.

What about Liza Tarbuck’s performance did you like?

She was fine but I would have preferred to have Dawn read it, but because of the personal nature of this book, she felt she could not do it without breaking down.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I might later on.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book immensely and I hope she writes another one to bring us up to speed.
She is now divorced from Lenny and it would be great to see how she is doing now.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Thought it was diet assistance

Really boring. Could not figure out what she was yammering in about. Glad it was free

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