29 Aug 2016

MRS FRY'S DIARY.

MRS FRY'S DIARY by STEPHEN FRY.

BACK COVER BLURB: Stephen Fry's secret wife speaks out at last...

Stephen Fry - actor, writer, raconteur and wit. Cerebral and sophisticated, a true Renaissance man.

Or is he?

Finally, his secret double life - the womanizing, the window-cleaning, the kebabs, the karaoke - is exclusively revealed by Edna, his devoted wife and mother of his five, six or possibly seven children. These diaries take us through a year in the life of an unwitting celebrity wife, and are rumoured to include: 

  • scandalous nocturnal shenanigans 
  • advice on childcare 
  • 101 things to do with a tin of Spam.

FIRST SENTENCE OF THE FIRST ENTRY { January: 1, Saturday}: Every January 1st is exactly the same- a cold grey afternoon, nothing on the telly and Stephen with his head down the toilet, belching the theme to Dr Zhivago.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: Please see *1 and *2 at the end of the post for two prime examples.

SOURCE: Ex-library stock bought for Mr T.

MY THOUGHTS: Written by Stephen Fry as in the humorist, writer, actor and tv host come 'national treasure' Stephen Fry?

Yes written by that Stephen Fry (for those of you who are familiar if you look close enough 'Mrs Edna Fry' is in fact a mock-up of his good self) .... or perhaps not. Rumours abound that it is in fact written by someone other than the comedian himself. Either way, what I considered a fun read (yes, I know, its written in diary format, not a format I usually enjoy) which is more than I can say for Mr T who thought it rather lame.

As with all books it all comes down to a matter of personal choice but with 'funny' books I think this is very often even more so the case. And I'm afraid if you don't enjoy puns or one liners than you might struggle with Mrs Fry's Diary. Then again, something Mr T normally enjoys (the one liners that is, he's not such a big fan of puns as I am) but I don't think I heard him laugh out loud once ... unlike myself.

As I said, not a big fan of the diary format but with many sharply observed, short entries (which incidentally worked better for me than the longer entries) I found myself if not exactly 'belly laughing' out loud than certainly giggling away on several occasions.

Yes, even giggling away to entries some have argued are rather juvenile or risque*1 or even allude to child*2/animal abuse but to me, umm, perhaps slightly juvenile (I'll give them that), were inoffensive and done in what I felt could be described as done in a manner typical of the old 'music hall' type albeit with a 'modern' edge. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having blackened these out for those even more easily offended than myself, to view simply drag cursor over. TT).

*1 January: 8, Saturday ...
Oh dear. Stephen smeared his you-know-what with superglue again last night. I'd love to tell someone about it but my lips are sealed.

*2 March: 7, Monday ...
We're really hoping the baby will start to walk today. If not, we'll have to drive all the way back to Tesco to get it.



11 comments:

Kelly said...

The name sounds familiar, but I can't place this actor. I do love puns and one-liners (and laughed at the ones you shared), but I'm not sure a whole book of them like this would appeal to me. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though. You needed something fun after a few bad ones.

Barbara said...

Hi Tracy, I didn’t think I fancied this at all but must admit to sniggering at both ‘memorable moments’ so maybe I would like it after all.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

I do like Stephen Fry and it's sad that the hubs didn't laugh. Glad you had a laugh or two. The first joke was funny... :D

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I do love Stephen Fry. Him and Hugh Laurie were a great pair. I want to read this one! I'm glad you thought it was rather funny overall.

Suko said...

Glad to hear about the giggles! This sounds like an amusing book, for the most part.

Melliane said...

I didn't know about it but it's nice to have a fun book like that. And I like diary format

Brian Joseph said...

From what I have seen and know about Fry he seems to be an interesting character. I know that he has engaged in some political and social commentary along with his humor.


Music Hall style comedy with a little update sounds like it could be funny.

Literary Feline said...

This sounds funny, although I'm not sure it's for me.

Yanting Gueh said...

I've heard of this actor and quite like his punny sense of humour!

Gina said...

Sounds like a hoot and considering the source, I'd say your review lends it an accurate and generous light. Thanks for the glimpse!

The Bookworm said...

Hmmm I don't know about this one. I'd have to be in the mood for it.