Comments (25)

Community comments are the opinions of contributing users. These comments do not represent the opinions of Fraser Valley Regional Library.
What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 25 items
Jul 16, 2023ushi rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the autobiographical parts of his early years - the many moves and schooling; how a legal career was rejected for a life rubbing shoulders with many actors whose comedic success is legendary. I was less interested in his…
Jan 21, 2023dissymissylessy rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
"...william joyce, the infamous 'lord haw-haw', who was hanged as a traitor in 1944 by the british for making nazi propaganda radio broadcasts to britain during the war." well, john, being of irish descent, maybe he opposed the english…
Jan 25, 2020N13m4nd rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
So Anyway is a light autobiography by one of the members of Monty Python. The legendary comedy troop itself only appears briefly toward the end, as Cleese seems to assume (correctly) that this aspect of his adventures has been extensively…
Jul 04, 2019MCush rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Incredibly boring. I thought I was in for a treat when I saw John Cleese’s Book on the Shelf. I loved Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda. I was hoping to hear all the stories that went on while he was making these…
Apr 03, 2019Coffee77Monkey rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I had to take my glasses off 3 times I was laughing so hard :D
Mar 19, 2018patcarstensen rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A surprisingly gentle and genial account that manages to smuggle in quite a bit of insight into the nature of creativity and humor.
Jun 02, 2017jbjrloewen2 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A mixed bag to be sure. I found the early parts more entertaining because he had to recall the past from punctuated memories. This left room for more subjective story telling. As events unfolded in his career, the details of who he…
Jan 12, 2017coralsky rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I had high hopes for this book. Terrible. The first half of the book could have been condensed into about 10 pages. I really do not care what classes he took at Cambridge while studying to be a lawyer nor what he had for lunch on a…
Sep 16, 2016
It was a good book. But after almost 400 pages, he took us to 1969. So there may be a few more books to come to cover the last 45 years?
Mar 19, 2016wmf213 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The book is basically a memoir of the author's life up to 1969, and the beginnings of Monty Python's Flying Circus. It's filled with wonderful insights and commentary on middle class life in his corner of Britain during the 1950's and 60's…
Mar 18, 2016green_alligator_1784 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
If you want to know what John Cleese's life was like before, during and after Monty Python than I highly recommend this book. It's not a very quick read but one can really get into it. It has a a lot of Monty Python humour and is, in my…
Radharc
Feb 25, 2016Radharc rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I can see why some reviewers didn't care for the book, probably expecting it to be chock full of Pythonesque humor. Instead, we readers are treated to a very honest account of Cleese's youth and a rather detailed account of how he got his…
Jul 27, 2015Kathu rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Having read the mixed reviews, I wasn't sure what to expect. I enjoyed the whole book and didn't want to skip anything lest I miss any funny bits. I found myself chuckling out loud a number of times and couldn't resists reading a few…
Jun 18, 2015FrankMpls rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
And now for something completely different. His memoir is fun ! If you love The Pythons then this book will entertain you
Jun 15, 2015ljh_4 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Very entertaining with a lot of interesting insights into his crafts.
May 13, 2015occy rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I was very disappointed in this book especially as I was really looking forward to reading it after listening to him being interviewed on TV. In actual fact I only read about 1/2 of it and threw in the towel. It was boring to the point I…
NeoRauch
Apr 29, 2015NeoRauch rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable read- Cleese concentrates on much of his life prior to Monty Python & Fawlty Towers ( I think there'll be another book with these projects in it ). One of the more pleasurable aspects of the book was reading the opinions of…
Apr 23, 2015llongpine rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This is a generally boring book sprinkled with interesting bits here and there. I did not find this book humerous at all, which was very disappointing since I enjoy Cleese's acting so much. It was a big let-down.
Feb 22, 2015
I love John Cleese's sense of humour and the only thing more fun than reading this book would be listening to Cleese read it aloud (I could actually hear him doing so a lot of the time I was reading, but I never shushed him). I've just…
Jan 21, 2015Roundcat rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I read this expecting to find out what makes John Cleese tick. I think he did learn something from therapy; although, in recounting his life, I think some of it is a bit exaggerated for effect. I was enlightened by his musings on what is…
lgsc
Jan 11, 2015lgsc rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
BORING John Cleese is a very funny comedy writer but a terrible writer about "HIMSELF" I begrudgingly finished the book. It was very disappointing. I had expected much better. He could have told his story in about 120 pages that…
Dec 17, 2014Dtrasler rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It's no surprise to find that Cleese's autobiography is funny, but it's amazing to read of the stellar collection of British talent he rubbed shoulders with throughout his early years in comedy.
Dec 10, 2014Wanczura rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Don't be fooled by people who can't appreciate Cleese's humour and personal reflections on his life. A very enjoyable and funny read. I can't wait for the final 2 volumes. Sure, his mother's idosyncrasies are a running joke, but not…
alexica
Nov 18, 2014alexica rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
If you like books by whiney 75 year old males who are still blaming every mistake they ever made on their mother, this book is for you. In his eyes, she is undoubtedly responsible for even his third wife, about whom he is vicious and…
Nov 14, 2014
Featured on the "Daily Show with John Stewart"