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2008 2009 Memoirs Richard and Judy Book Club

Fathers and Sons – Richard Madeley

I love Richard and Judy, as you’ve probably already guessed from the number of Richard and Judy books I’ve read! For those of you who don’t know, Richard and Judy are the UK equivalent of Oprah and have been on our screens for over 20 years now. I have been a fan ever since I was a child, and since the launch of their book club in 2006 I have read the majority of the books they’ve suggested.

Fathers and Sons is the true story of Richard’s family. Richard’s entertaining, chatty interview style transfers well to paper, and I connected well with all the people in the book. The book begins with the fascinating story of Richard’s Grandfather, who as a child woke one morning to discover that his parents had emigrated to Canada without him. The anecdotes were touching, at times almost unbelievable, and written with great skill and passion.

I found the more modern section of the book much less interesting, although this may be because I already knew most of it’s contents from being an avid viewer of their shows and from reading Richard and Judy: The Autobiography. Richard is clearly a skilled writer though, and I hope that he writes more books in the future.

Fathers and Sons is essential reading for all fans of Richard and Judy, but even if you aren’t a fan the first section about Richard’s Grandfather is fascinating.

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I have read very few memoirs, but am beginning to think that this needs to change.

Can you recommend some good ones for me to start with?

5 replies on “Fathers and Sons – Richard Madeley”

I absolutely love memoirs. My fascination with them started with Not without my Daughter and then Mayada by Jean S. Both beautiful and heartbreaking memoirs.
Few more I liked
A long way gone by Ishmael Beah
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Do they hear you when you cry
Wild Swans
A Child Called It

Honestly I could go on and on.

Some of the good ones I’ve heard about are
Running around with scissors
Angela’s Ashes

Never heard of Fathers and sons, have to look for it.

I wasn’t that sold on memoirs when I first started reading them but now I have read some really good ones.

The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth
The Middle Place, by Kelly Corrigan
An Exact Replica of A Figment of My Imagination, by Elizabeth McCracken

I second reading the Glass Castle. I had just started reading memoirs when I read that one and I think I didn’t know what to make of it at the time, but the early life of Jeannette Castle is amazing.

Violet – I loved Wild Swans and thought Angela’s Ashes was quite good. I haven’t read any of the others but my copy of My Father’s paradise arrived today! I think that will be a good start to my memoir reading.

Nicole – I haven’t heard of any of those – just shows my ignorance to this genre. I’ve added Glass Castle to my wishlist, so hopefully I’ll get a copy soon.

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