Upfront and Personal: The Autobiography by Coleen Nolan
| Upfront and Personal: The Autobiography by Coleen Nolan | |
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| Category: Autobiography | |
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Reviewer: Karen Inskip-Hayward
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| Summary: A great read, entertaining and informative. Definitely recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 320 | Date: April 2009 |
| Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson | |
| ISBN: 978-0283070884 | |
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As a child, I was a huge fan of the Nolan Sisters. When I'm in the Mood for Dancing hit the charts in 1979, I was ten years old. Bernie was my favourite Nolan at the time and in recent years, I have enjoyed watching her acting in shows like The Bill.
But in the last few years, Coleen has become my favourite. I love watching Loose Women and thought she did brilliantly in Dancing on Ice. I think she's a great mum too and can relate to a lot of what she talks about, when she is chatting about her kids on TV. So when I heard she had an autobiography coming out, I pre-ordered it from Amazon UK.
It covers the major events of her life – her childhood, her career in the Nolans, her marriage to Shane Richie, her kids, This Morning, Loose Women, her marriage to Ray and Dancing on Ice. It is written in a lovely style, which is easy to read and you can hear Coleen's voice coming through the written words.
I read a lot of autobiographies and really enjoy them, but this is one of the best I have read. It only took me a couple of days to read, as I got so into it that I didn't want to put it down. At one stage, I was cooking tea, stirring the food with one hand and holding the book open with the other!
It is honest, engaging, warm and fascinating. She seems very fair in her assessment of people and usually has something good to say about everyone. You won't find her having a go at a long list of celebrities. Even her ex-husband Shane Richie gets a pretty balanced portrayal. While she does write in detail about his affair, she is also honest about her faults and the mistakes she made in the relationship.
I loved the chapter about her and Ray's wedding. You can tell how thrilled she was as the enthusiasm comes through and it is moving to read. I felt incredibly happy for her, that she has found such a lovely bloke and they both had such a wonderful wedding day.
There were quite a few things I discovered about the Nolan family, which I was previously unaware of. Anne was abused by their father (and has written a book about this called Anne's Song) and that is discussed in Coleen's book, as is their mum's battle with Alzheimer's and a family argument which means that even these days, Coleen does not talk to two of her sisters. I thought this was very sad, but Coleen writes about it beautifully and there is no evidence of the 'poor me' here.
This book has everything really. I learned a lot of new information about Coleen and her family and I felt I really got an insight into Coleen's life and emotions. It's a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of her or her family.
If this book appeals then we think you might also enjoy Girls' Night In by Loose Women.
Upfront and Personal: The Autobiography by Coleen Nolan is in the Top Ten Books For Your Girlfriend.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Upfront and Personal: The Autobiography by Coleen Nolan at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Upfront and Personal: The Autobiography by Coleen Nolan at Amazon.com.
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