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Semi-Detached by Griff Rhys Jones (view source)
Revision as of 08:52, 7 May 2018
, 08:52, 7 May 2018no edit summary
But in the end ''Semi-Detached'' lacked the exceptional story or insight to lift it above other examples of the genre. Like so many premature partial autobiographies, it stops just before fame intervenes - when it could have become more than another competent plod through childhood and adolescence.
If I want to read such stories, I'd rather turn to novels like Jonathan Coe's [[''The Rotters' Club]]'', or superior memoirs such as Blake Morrison's ''And When Did You Last See Your Father?'' They achieve the sort of depth and resonance to which this book aspires but which it rarely achieves.
If you enjoy showbusiness or theatrical memoirs of a slightly earlier generation, I'd recommend Alan Bennett's [[Untold Stories]], or [[The Year of the Jouncer]] by Simon Gray.