Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

CBR Facebook Page. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Instagram. The CBR Tumblr CBR on Goodreads
  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started
    • FAQ
    • CBR Book Club
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Fan Mail
    • AlabamaPink’s Book Reviews
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • CBR Merchandise
    • How You Can Donate
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • Contact
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Follow Us

“I’m afraid that if I stop writing I’ll stop thinking and start feeling.”

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

February 8, 2017 by faintingviolet 2 Comments

It is hard to know how to review this book. I had planned to read this before Ms. Fisher passed away, but following her death it seemed somehow imperative to read it as soon as I could muster my strength to do so. It was time to say goodbye to Carrie, and to the character that defined her career.

However, the very structure of this book limits its possible impact; it exists at all because Fisher discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the original Star Wars. The first third of the book is an introduction to the juggernaut that is Star Wars, the middle is excerpts from Fisher’s diary – specifically the portions about her relationship with Harrison Ford, and the final section is her reckoning with the 40 year effects of Star Wars on her life, and how she is forever linked to Princess Leia, a character who looks quite a bit like her.

The passion of youth is in here, but also the love of wordplay. Fisher was a talented writer, which is never up for debate, but somehow I was left wanting more from the book than she was willing to give us about Leia, and that seems to be by design. Fisher always kept more of herself to herself and most of what the book covers she discussed previously in the interviews leading up to The Force Awakens.

She shares some of her thoughts and memories about the auditions, filming and subsequent fame of the original Star Wars, and it was certainly enjoyable to spend some time with her reminiscing about the experience. However, I was left with the feeling that she was still very carefully curating what she shared of the experience, keeping some things (even after admitting to the Carrison affair) to herself. To which I say, good for her. But maybe not good for the book.

Fisher was also blunt about what she termed “lap dances” the autograph signing events, which she attended later in her career to help with some cash flow issues. On one hand, I grasped entirely her point and have always felt strangely about the expectation of fans that actors/musicians/artists should be put in that position and be expected to enjoy it (says the introvert), but I didn’t like at all how she formulated the chapters. Fisher was one of the all-time best script doctors, and these chapters read more like script treatments than book chapters, and that made it hard for me to focus on the beauty of her word choice and phrasings.

As ArchaeoKelly said, “I am so very grateful to her for being my Princess Leia and my General Organa, and my grown-up Carrie Fisher, with all her issues.  She has been so brutally honest.  She is a warrior”. Thank you Carrie, for one more book before you left us.

Related

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Non-Fiction Tagged With: #memoir, carrie fisher, faintingviolet, journals, star wars, the princess diarist

Share the post "“I’m afraid that if I stop writing I’ll stop thinking and start feeling.”"

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • E-mail
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
2/8/2017 faintingviolet's CBR9 Review No:8 |
Rating:
| Tags: #memoir, carrie fisher, faintingviolet, journals, star wars, the princess diarist | Category: Biography/Memoir, Non-Fiction | 2 Comments

faintingviolet

A lady reader and caffeine addict who consumes all sorts of books, some just more frequently than others. I believe in community, and the beauty that comes from a common goal of reading, sharing, talking, and saying Fuck You to cancer.

CBR11 participantCBR11 CommentsCBR10 participantCBR  9CBR 8CBR 7CBR 6CBR 5CBR 4

Recent Reviews:

  • “That’s because pizza is a precious natural resource. It can heal tiredness, bad mood, falling morale, and a fading will to live. Pizza realigns the heart chakras.”
  • “who hurt you once before, so far beyond repair”
  • I only write long Rowling reviews
  • View all reviews by faintingviolet»

Related

Comments

  1. narfna says

    February 8, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    🙁

    Reply
  2. denesteak says

    February 8, 2017 at 11:58 pm

    God, that header quote. So good and so true.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to denesteak Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Search This Site

Recent Comments

  • Danar the Barbarian on Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Eat But Were Afraid to CookIt's so good! Head up to H-Mart to get your supplies, and get cooking! :)
  • emmalita on Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Eat But Were Afraid to CookI have this cookbook, but haven't had an opportunity to cook from it yet.
  • Caitlin_D on “But how can I send my heart to him when he’s just said, in no uncertain terms, that he doesn’t speak its language?”Thanks guys! I'm really enjoying it and a lot of people listen to audio-books while they work so once I get a better handle on...
  • teresaelectro on Quick Questions with a Cannonballer: Bothari43This was so lovely! And I agree, all the chocolate. :)
  • emmalita on Take That Nuss Rewman, Ph.D., J.D.Their theory, which I tend to agree with, is that our disorder tends to fall into a logical pattern so that the things we use...
See More Recent Comments »

Support CBR

Give Today. Cannonball Read donates all profits from the site to the American Cancer Society. Help us fight cancer!
Donate Today »

Review Genres

  • Biography/Memoir
  • Book Club
  • Children's
  • Comedy/Humor
  • Cooking/Food
  • Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Graphic Novel/Comic
  • Health
  • History
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • News from MsWas
  • Non-Fiction
  • Poetry
  • Religion
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Short Stories
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports
  • Suspense
  • Uncategorized
  • Western
  • Young Adult

Book Ratings


a favorite


a great book


a good book


an ok book


a book
you didn't like

Need Help?

Visit our FAQs to find out how to add stars, select genres, and more. Drop us a line if you can't find your answer.

Shop on Amazon and Support CBR

One of CBR11's #CannonBookClubs will be about Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett to coincide with the BBC Miniseries.
Buy it on Amazon today, get a head start, and help us stick it to cancer, one book at a time!

© 2019 Cannonball Read | Log in