Confessions of a Conjuror

By: Derren Brown

Narrated by: Derren Brown

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Confessions of a Conjuror, Derren Brown invites you on a whimsical journey through his unusual mind. Structured around the various stages of a conjuring trick, performed by his younger self in a crowded restaurant, Derren's endlessly engaging narrative takes you from the history of magic, to speculations on the manufacturing of Monster Munch and the correct way to poach an egg, via discussions about psychology, what he hums while cleaning his teeth and the social niceties surrounding Parmesan cheese.

Hugely revealing, hilarious and unlike anything you’ve read before, Confessions of a Conjuror is a refreshing alternative to autobiography that will charm and delight you.

©2010 Objective (P)2010 Random House Audio

Expected a little bit more to be honest

I love Derren Brown and was hoping for a bit more from the book. It is written in quite a clever way with one main "story" and then a lot of tangents I just feel like he was holding back a little bit. Nevertheless I enjoyed the book and would still recommend it.

Don’t clap at the end!

If you find yourself wanting to laugh and clap at the end, he got you ;)
A book to be heard, rather than read, as this strange version of an autobiography, is best presented by the author, whom happens to know his way with rhetoric :)

A great book

I just loved it, if you are looking for a great story, from a great person, buy it immediatly.

Derren Brown is the best there is at being him

What made the experience of listening to Confessions of a Conjuror the most enjoyable?

The fact that it is the author who reads the story. And how much he gives. He is completely naked and shows all his awkwardness and strangeness in this great book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

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

I have not, but I will soon.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, it made me laugh at a few points. Derren's humor is subtle, and it's not often you laugh out loud. But I still did a few times.

Any additional comments?

This book is not for everyone. It's for those of us who love Derren Browns performances and his quirkiness. Because he is quite quirky. But then again, so are most of us.

Smiled the whole way through

if you like Derren you will like this book.
it is witty and enjoyable.
Smiled the whole way through this book.
he is a great narrator and delivery of the book was really well done.

Witty

This is an interesting book - a more like (low-key) stand-up comedy than an auto-biography. While the seminal moments in Derren's life that lead him to magic are covered, they are not the central focus of his book. It is more a collection of memories, related by tenuous segues, with a little bit of conjuring theory thrown in. I found his vivid descriptions of childhood memories particularly good - maybe because we are approximately the same age and I could relate a lot to what he said.
The language and phrasing used are witty, without quite crossing the line into overwrought, and are a pleasure to listen to. Audio book listens are additionally rewarded by the fact the the author is also the narrator. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud funny bits, and I would recommend this to fans, as well as people who have only a passing interest in his actual shows.

He's really a nice guy

An interesting take on the standard celeb autobiography in which Derren uses a detailed description of a card trick performed some years ago as the narrative thread, and drifting off at tangents as he is reminded of incidents from his early life, prompted to create random lists, chooses to name-drop (just a little!) and espouses his philosophies on life and its general lack of kindnesses.
The sense with which I came away from this book was that Derren didn't seem to like himself at all until comparatively recently. His almost overwhelming self-criticism is evident from the first minutes of the recording and there is very little of the dark, sexy persona created for his earlier TV shows. Several of the childhood memories do not show him in a good light at all and I will admit to cruelly sniggering at his embarrassment re Hugh Grant. Sorry, Derren!
This is a revealing autobiography but it is not laid out easily so some work is required from the listener. I thought it was the more rewarding for this, and am surprised to read other reviewers expressing disappointment.

A real surprise

I bought this without reading any reviews and really enjoyed it. I loved the way the way the narrative moved from early life (surprisingly candid), current times and the detailed description of the card trick. It is not an autobiography in the traditional I was born >>> now I am here variety and I enjoyed it all the more for that. Surprisingly funny as well. Recommended.

Don't assume

I'm unsure how to describe this book, it isn't a biography really, and i think some people have been unfair in some reviews because of this. But I still find it fascinating and very well written, if a little disjointed, but I find this unstructured style charming, it jumps from subject to subject, just like a stream of conscious (abit beckett). It's funny, has interesting stories and some good advice throw in. Worth a listen too.

Absolute magic

Ah, what can I say about Derren Brown? Sharp-suited magic man? Pointy-beareded mind meddler? Both are true, but for me, Derren is simply this - a grand master of foolery, lovely with it, and very, very funny. Confessions Of A Conjuror is at once wonderful and insightful, utterly bonkers, entirely bemusing and totally entertaining. Derren lets us inside his mind, and here he reads his own work, so it really is like he's having an enthralling - if wacky - conversation with you. I challenge you to listen to this without guffawing out loud (I did within seconds). Put simply, there is much more to Mr Brown than the personna you see on the television or at your local theatre. Well worth an audible point.

Confused!

I have been listening to this book for the last hour and waiting for something to happen, but I have been so far left feeling a bit cheated. The book is what it says it is(so far) a look at Derren?s working life, from when he started as a table conjuror in Bristol. But there is no set pattern to this book and I have found that it jumps from one subject to another very quickly, this has left me confused.
I am a big fan of Derren?s work and have all of his other work on book, so I was looking forward to more of an understanding of him the person, but all I appear to know is when not to do a magic trick in a restaurant.
Good Title because it explains what this book is, but not much else, sorry Derren

Not what I expected (but very good)

I laughed out loud to the ending of this audiobook, and if you listen to it, you should do too.

As my first audiobook experience, Derren Brown provided an enjoyable experience for me through his usual charismatic speech, but also threw in details which allowed me to see a slightly more vunerable side to him - for example his love of particular pens and that he bought two sets (one for indoors, one for outings) due to his unfortunate habit of losing them. Eccentric details and explanations of his behaviour added to my current knowledge of his charming brand which I, as many do, already admire.

Whilst it won't teach you any mind control tricks or similar, it will provide some further background about his particular characteristics and thinking, which you may enjoy if you are a fan.

Right Now

What a fantastic enjoyable book, 5 out of 5, 10 out of 10, 23 out of 23.
A truly honest wonderful listen that is beautifully written and narrated.I enjoyed hearing and heard every detail.Uplifting and light.I feel moved.
This of course is just my opinion and like so many others, always overated.
I do wonder when he will stop being a Clown? The Rascal.

The Trick is...

I haven't finished this book yet but I love it. Like the films and books I enjoy it doesn't move in a predictable straight line but uses the device of a card trick, performed in a Bristol restaurant, as the central thread from which to launch off at various tangents. It is candid and self-deprecating but intelligently written and well read by Derren himself. It has often made me laugh out loud and has delivered some very well thought out, rational opinions on life. What it doesn't give is the story of a career but then I neither wanted nor expected that.

This is one of the most boring books

I tried to listen but found this book both boring in content and clearly padded out with minutea to cover lack of interest and actual relevance

Disappointing. More like Ramblings Of A Conjurer

I love Derrek Brown's magic but i just couldn't stick with this and had to skip most of it. there are interesting sections but most of the time it's just Derrek rambling on about uninteresting thoughts for not real reason or effect.