Spectacles

I love Sue Perkins (I know, she is both too young for me and gay). Here humor is edgy, but generates a lot of good laughs. I first met her work watching her travel documentaries on the Mekong and the Ganges aired on PBS (not yet available on DVD in the U.S.). Her work was perceptive, ironic and occasionally quite humorous. My favorite line comes from Banares where she visited a row of naked holy men and made the comment that on of them had "the most enormous testicles she'd ever seen". This work is a bio of her struggles in life and in show business. It isn't quite as good as the travel works, but is still worth a read. The chief defect is that it is set in England and uses vocabulary that isn't familiar to the intentional reader and therefore loses some of the meaning.

Sue Perkins is an exceptional entertainer - I looked forward to being entertained by her wit and wisdom, in this book. But it fell short of her very high standard - which we have become accustomed to, on the television. But I give her due credit for sharing the parts of her life which she may have had difficulty in sharing with the reader. All the way through the book you feel that there is something being held back. Was this just her writing style or has she built a wall - which she will never break through ?

Sue is as funny and charming in this book as she is on Bake Off. I found myself periodically crying from laughing so hard.

I liked THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF show and wondered if (hoped) the humor-hosts might be lesbians. Turns out one of them is (well, bi is close enough in my book) and had an autobiography. So I got it (and Mary Berry's as well). It was interesting to read about someone with completely different life experiences than myself. I finished it, but I neither recommend for or against it. I did cry once (letter to the dog) and I did laugh out loud once (a joke on the baking show). Kudos for the cover art.

Sue Perkins has great comedic wit and this book gives background to her upbringing and what she did before the Great British Bake Off. I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed her and Mel as the hosts of GBBO. Very enjoyable and fast, funny read.

EXCELLENT. Just when I thought Sue Perkins couldn’t be more brilliant. She is one of a kind — truly a master of storytelling and the English language. I can’t believe it was 400 pages. It’s such a page turner that it goes by quickly. BRAVO Sue. I love you forever

If you're a fan of Sue Perkins or looking for a read with laugh-out-loud moments, I'd encourage you to buy this book. It flows easily, as though Sue is reading it to you herself. While humor is her natural go-to, there is a depth of emotion that I suspect was difficult for her to include, which she explains with a tour of her family and experiences. All-in-all a fantastic read from an educated and hilarious entertainer!

I loved this book. My husband kept coming on the deck to ask me why I was laughing? It was hysterical! Great travel fiction!🤩 I’ve bought another copy for a friend.

This is quite simply the funniest book I have ever read. Entertaining, honest and moving from beginning to end. I especially loved Sue's relaying of a bout of extreme road rage - we've all been there. Many laughs and the occasional tear as well.

Let me begin with honestly: I have not yet finished this book. I picked it up and put it down many times, and then just got... distracted away from it. Which isn't the best sign, quite frankly.It isn't terrible. Sue's voice rings clearly, and rings true. But! (And this is the big one). I was hoping for a more reflective side of Sue--something on par with her First Love series, which I found really interesting and emotionally compelling. Spectacles has all the classic Sue Perkins self-deprecation, so I don't think longtime fans will be exactly disappointed. But it very much feels like she's directed the narrative to display her comedy rather than her history. Like it's been carefully sculpted into a thing to be presented. And I think she's missed a trick in this, and that it's all a bit of a shame!

thanks

Funny, sad, extremely well written, I really enjoyed it. Couldn't put it down. From start to finish in 48 hours. I did stop to sleep and eat, otherwise it probably would have been finished sooner.

❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻