Dear Me

The only thing better than reading this book is listening to it. Unfortunately there is only an abridged version of it available. He has fabulous stories and is a great writer. I loved the book.

Suggested to me by a fellow blogger, Dear Me by Peter Ustinov is an autobiography of the actor/screenwriter/playwright. I'm not a big film fan, and I can't say I've seen any of his acting roles or stories. But as an avid reader, I greatly enjoyed his way with words. The book takes you from his birth through 1977 when it was penned. The writing style is unique, in that he's carrying on a conversation with his internal self, or ego. The ego interjects at the end of most chapters (or at the start in some cases) and attempts to draw Ustinov out when it comes to some of his motives and thought processes. The writing is funny and sharp, as he has a great sense of irony and sarcasm. While not a encyclopedia of his life, it does dwell on many of the life episodes (like the Army) that turned him into what he became. If you're a fan of Ustinov, then you'll likely enjoy the book a great deal. Even if you're Ustinov-ignorant like me, it's worth the time to watch how an accomplished writer can spin a tale...

This book, I thought, gave a facinatingly human view of life in pre-WW2 Britian and Europe from a unique, sometimes priviledged, sometimes eccentric "under the stairs" vantage point. Mr. Ustinov presents the European view of history as something that is much closer, breathing the same air, than as we Americans experience it. The book is like a good conversation, albeit with himself, that creates the atmosphere of life as it was lived then in his arena through which trapesed a facinatiing assortment of people. His wit is fast, philosophical, thought provocating and amusing. Mr. Ustinov has a profound sense of the absurd and a wonderful talent for verbally stetching the human nature. Far from a snob, he delights in all the characters he comes across knowing that like a good play, they all contribute to the whole.

I owned a copy of this book years ago, it has been lost to me in a series of moves. I remember, however, so many quotes that have held up through the years. Most notably; "Your friends are not always the people you like best, more likely they are the people that got there first." Don't know what the previous reviewer is talking about, that alone made the book worth redaing, I know it has stood me in good stead!