More Fool Me

De: Stephen Fry

Narrado por: Stephen Fry

Brought to you by Penguin

Following on from his hugely successful first book, The Fry Chronicles, comes the second chapter in Stephen Fry's life. This unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of More Fool Me is read by Stephen Fry himself.

'Oh dear I am an arse. I expect there'll be what I believe is called an "intervention" soon. I keep picturing it. All my friends bearing down on me and me denying everything until my pockets are emptied. Oh the shame'

In his early thirties, Stephen Fry - writer, comedian, star of stage and screen - had, as they say, 'made it'. Much loved in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster, author of a critically acclaimed and bestselling first novel, The Liar, with a glamorous and glittering cast of friends, he had more work than was perhaps good for him.

What could possibly go wrong?

Then, as the 80s drew to a close, he discovered a most enjoyable way to burn the candle at both ends, and took to excess like a duck to breadcrumbs. Writing and recording by day, and haunting a never ending series of celebrity parties, drinking dens, and poker games by night, in a ludicrous and impressive act of bravado, he fooled all those except the very closest to him, some of whom were most enjoyably engaged in the same dance.

He was - to all intents and purposes - a high functioning addict. Blazing brightly and partying wildly as the 80s turned to the 90s, AIDS became an epidemic and politics turned really nasty, he was so busy, so distracted by the high life, that he could hardly see the inevitable, headlong tumble that must surely follow . . .

Containing raw, electric extracts from his diaries of the time, More Fool Me is a brilliant, eloquent account by a man driven to create and to entertain - revealing a side to him he has long kept hidden.

Stephen Fry is an award-winning comedian, actor, presenter and director. He rose to fame alongside Hugh Laurie in A Bit of Fry and Laurie (which he co-wrote with Laurie) and Jeeves and Wooster, and was unforgettable as Captain Melchett in Blackadder. He also presented Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, his groundbreaking documentary on bipolar disorder, to huge critical acclaim.

©2014 Stephen Fry (P)2014 Penguin Audio

An interesting life

Always a joy to listen to whatever the topic but when it's about a life as interesting as his - well...

Excellent

I read so many bad reviews I almost didn't read this book- so glad I did. I absolutely love Stephen Fry's command of English. Listening to this felt like having a chat with him, quite intimate.

Just skip the diary part

I read two last parts of Stephen Fry's autobiography, and I can't say that the beginning of this one is a repeating of Moab Is My Washpot or The Fry Chronicles. It is more like a view from the other side; it adds a new angle to the story.

What followed next made me laugh and sigh and feel emotionally involved in every way: it is everything that people love in Stephen Fry's books. The narrator is heartbreakingly sincere. The plot is filled with unexpected turns and combines both the lowest and the highest, descriptions of taking cocaine (very enlightening, by the way, for a non-addict) and meeting with the Prince of Wales.

And then the diary part starts. The excerpts of the actual diary of Fry take from 1/3 to 1/2 of the book (the last part), they seem OK in the beginning, but then you become more and more bored. It is not easy to explain why: the average day is far more than most of us experience. It is filled with events, dinners, clubs, high-society meetings, but it is just boring. It lacks internal thoughts and feelings that we value in diaries, and it is more like a plain description of events.

All in all, highly recommended, but be prepared for listening to (or skipping) somewhat tedious diary entries in the end.

Another compelling volume

If you could sum up More Fool Me in three words, what would they be?

Funny and Compelling, I have read all of Stephen Fry's Novels and this prior memoirs and this is a great addition.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stephen of Course!

Which character – as performed by Stephen Fry – was your favorite?

Well, of them this is a memoir

Any additional comments?

Read/ Listen to his novels first if you are going to as this book does contain spoilers

Couldn’t stop listening

Epic good fun! Stephen Fry’s audiobooks have been a blessing whilst commuting back and forth to work