Absolutely Fabulous

I was at first a touch disappointed that Dawn was not reading this herself however, having now heard it I understand why she said that it would be difficult for her to read without 'getting a bit tearful'. Lisa Tarbuck does an excellent job - so no problems there.
The book is very open and appears honest with lots of insights to Dawn's family, friends and past influences. Her letters to her late Father moved n]me to tears as they reminded me of the things that I should have liked to have said to my Dad when he was alive. It tugs at every emotion yet remains light and amusing - a good listen, I was sad when it finished I felt I was losing touch with a friend.

22 people found this helpful

Brilliant

A great audiobook alround.

Anyone who feels they are missing out with missing Dawn French's own voice should be satisfied with Lisa Tarbuck's reading.

Honest, heart-felt and compassionate all the way through - a real insight to her life so far.

I am not an avid fan but enjoyed this greatly.

Would happily recommend to anyone who don't mind laughing out loud or feeling the odd lump to the throat. Be warned - this book is very capable of doing both!

14 people found this helpful

Excellent listening

I really enjoyed this. No violence (but some sexy bits) and it just made me laugh. A relaxing and entertaining read.

10 people found this helpful

Disappointingly lacking in story and detail

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No I would not recommend this book. I love Dawn French's wonderful vivacity and love of life but the book is an almost endless sequence of gushing eulogies to her friends and family and sadly lacks much of the actual cut and thrust of her life. Far too much time is spent on her childhood memories with a brief nod to the later more interesting (to me) part of life in which she worked with so many actors and comedians that I'd like to hear more about.

What was most disappointing about Dawn French’s story?

Really that you don't hear the actual story of how her life as a comedienne panned out - it is mostly what leads up to that happening and lots of descriptions of people she loves being utterly wonderful and interesting. By the end I felt almost depressed at how she appears to live in an alternate universe to one I know - where everyone is fascinating, accomplished, intelligent and full of fabulous qualities. Certainly as a testimony to those who she loves it is moving but as a memoir and story of a really interesting life it disappoints.

Which character – as performed by Liza Tarbuck – was your favourite?

She simply reads as narrator - it is not a series of characters - she reads pretty well but I did rather miss Dawn French's particular intonation and try to imagine some of the words in her distinctive style. Liza Tarbuck is a good performer but cannot make up for the lack of real drama and interest in the way this book is composed. It does have some charm to it however and she conveys that.

Did Dear Fatty inspire you to do anything?

Actually it did - it did inspire me to get out and play more as above all Dawn French's life seems to have been one in which play has been her work and her leisure - she is so overwhelmingly positive and whilst that makes it a slightly irritating listen at times, I could not help but be infected by her absolute love and appreciation of her own experiences - that was inspiring - to hear how someone could quite simply make the most of and truly enjoy life by playing at every opportunity and not seeming to take it all too seriously. It also inspired me to be a little more expressive in appreciation of those I love - her family's encouragement and absolute love and support is what has provided her with a deep inner security that has meant she has seemingly effortlessly achieved success and recognition - as a testimony to the power of such an upbringing it works.

Any additional comments?

It seems churlish to write a critical review about someone's life story - I would have liked more of the life and less of the gush but you certainly do see what a remarkable and warm person Dawn French really is so I came away with more respect for her as a person but not much desire to read or listen to more of her writing. I lover her performances, her personality and her presence and I would have loved to hear more about her experiences in the world of comedy. If she chooses to write more about that and less about telling friends and family how wonderful they are then I would be interested. But it does give an insight into her success - she just makes the most of everything. As a treatise for the power of not being perfect and of positivity making a life work this demonstrates that more than any self help book. Disappointing story but inspiring woman.

5 people found this helpful

Nice story, but not a great book

This is an honest and heart warming account of such events in her life as Dawn French wants to share. The book is in the form of letters to various important people in her life and this turns out to be a nice way to shape and drive the narrative forward. She's very honest, and there are some difficult subject, so she has been very brave.

My main problem with the book is the writing style. Often a word is repeated in a sentence, something that you might not notice so much when reading, but it really jars in an audiobook. She also uses the same descriptive and effusive phrases over and over again, fine when you're talking, not when you're writing. But the style is very chatty, so maybe others won't be so picky! The only other thing that slightly irked was the way that everyone she's ever met is so wonderful, special, loved etc.

Overall I enjoyed it, but based on the writing, I wouldn't read or listen to her novel.

5 people found this helpful

Great Book

Not sure what I was going to get from this book, a bit of French and Saunders or just one of those usual autobiographies that most famous people write.
Well, our Dawn delivers an impeccable book, that is emotionally charged in all areas of her life.
The icing on the cake for me was hearing her own account as the pages of her life unfolded.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to it thanks Dawn

1 person found this helpful

Great listen will listen again full of feeling

Dear Fatty

What a fab book .This is a laugh a minute and narrated so well that you almost forget its not Dawn reading it herself Lisa Tarbuck does such a good job , this is one book I will never tire of listening to again and again but has left me wanting more ?come on get writing you know you want to :0)

1 person found this helpful

A lucky first audio book!

This was my first ever audio book and what a corker! I found her 'letters' extremely endearing, often funny, sometimes sad, yet sentimental. I was really surprised at the 'realness' of Dawn's recollections. There was no sugar-coating and wasn't a hint of exaggeration for comedic effect. The stories were just genuinely engrossing to listen to. Such beautiful story-telling. I've much respect for Dawn French having listened to this. What a woman :)

1 person found this helpful

Dear Fattie

I downloaded this audiobook on a whim. The title grabbed me - and I half expected it to be a book about 'coming to terms' with weight issues.
Not a bit of it! This is a candid, interesting and brave book, written in the form of letters, mostly to her father. It's full of insight and very interesting. At times it made me cry, and I'm not surprised that Dawn French was unable to read it herself.
I thoroughly recommend it.

1 person found this helpful

Well Read But Quite Dull

Liza tarbuck does a brilliant job of reading this book - in fact I dread to think how dull this book would be if someone else had read it. The book has an unusual style in that it is written as letters to various people in Dawn French's life - this probably works very well in the written form but I quickly became irritated by hearing 'Dear...' again and again.

I'll admitt to skipping chunks of this book (something I rarely do) because I was bored but this made things harder as the book is not chronological so I missed out on some stories. This is not a bad book but it is quite tedious in places and I'm at a loss to find the parts that have other listeners laughing out loud.

2 people found this helpful