This Much Is True

I enjoyed seeing Miriam Margolyes on the Graham Norton show, so I decided to read this book. It was everything I’d hoped for and more. Ms. Margolyes is not only a good actress, she is also a great teller of hilarious anecdotes from her past and present. I loved the fart story!

I am huge fan of the Graham Norton Show, which I consider to be the best and funniest talk show on television. (Thank you BBCAmerica.) Apart from the enjoyment I get from it, I learn about actors I never would have known well otherwise. Ms. Margolyes is a perfect example. When I first saw her of Norton’s show, I vaguely recognized her as Professor Sprout from the Harry Potter movies. After seeing her a few times, I discovered she is one of the funniest (and most profane) people on the planet. I wanted to know more about her. So, when she was plugging this, her memoir, and her last appearance, I had to read it.Though not what I would call a magnificent piece of writing, it accomplishes its task well enough. I learned much about Ms. Margolyes I never knew. Her life as a (somewhat spoiled, it seems to me) only child. Her start in the business, which initially often ran to lucrative voice-over work, likely because of her unconventional appearance. Still, her career grew in time. I began to realize that I’d seen her in things and not realized it: the nurse in Romeo + Juliet, an appearance in Merlin, etc. Of course, books like this always make me wish I had more access to British theater.Not surprisingly, there are some harsher stories. Ms. Margolyes is honest about her dislikes as well as her like. She has no love for the Monty Python boys, for example, who looked down their noses at female performers in her experience. No closeted homosexual despite her penchant for blowjobs, we also learn about her long-time relationship with Heather.In the end, though not uniformly interesting or particularly brilliantly written, I enjoyed this because it sounds like Ms. Margolyes, which is not always true of celebrity “autobiographies”. There is a good mix of stories from her personal life and stories from the business. And, unlike the impression given by many celebrities, she seems like someone who would be interesting to get to know, to have over to a dinner party. I was glad to get to know a little of her through this book.

This book is so much fun to read. I am an American who's never even been to the UK (someday I'll get there) but I watch a lot of British TV and movies so I was familiar with some (but not all) of the British actors she writes of. The stories were still entertaining and intriguing. She also covers her time in Hollywood and spills a little tea about American celebrities. Margoyles is open about her contradictions and hypocrisy but they still frustrate a bit. Why befriend Prince (now king) Charles after he and his mother were so vicious and horrible to Princess Diana? She covers everything from the Israeli/Palestine conflict to...I feel I'll be censored if I say. If you have seen her on the Graham Norton or any other chat show/talk show and you find her entertaining and delightful then you will most likely enjoy the book.

Miriam Margolyes is probably a lot quirkier than even her biggest fans realize. Quirky to a delightful extent but also surprisingly serious minded at times. Loved the entire book but one thing that bugged me a little is her obsession with being Jewish. Not in the religious sense, but in the cultural/historical sense. Of course the Holocaust was an enormous tragedy and worthy of lengthy comment; but she seems to think the general public is much more prejudiced against Jews than they are. She talks about introducing herself to strangers as being Jewish -- out of nowhere, just to see how people respond. And she interprets uncomfortable responses as people having a problem with Jews. That strikes me as ludicrous, because who wouldn't be surprised and uncomfortable being hit with that little tidbit upon shaking hands or something. Most people would just think "ok, so...?" and wonder where she was going with that or if they missed something. It's fine if being Jewish is a huge deal to her, but Jewish-ness isn't a big deal to most people. That said, this book is a must read. She's an amazing performer and an amazing friend.

For those that don't know , Marmite is a yeast spread that Kiwi's (and others) put on their toast and sandwiches. It's intensely flavoured and a little goes a long way. Pile it on too thickly or eat it too often and it can be , well, just a bit much. I was reminded of this when reading this autobiography. Here is a person whose personality is so strong and so outrageous , that ultimately it palls to read about it.There is no doubt that Miriam is an incredibly talented person and if you can get past the Marmite factor , you will probably enjoy this. It's well written , well paced ( the timeline's a bit all over the place , but it doesn't matter) and there are enough names that you HAVE heard of to make it interesting. You do come away feeling like you know her better which is a plus in my opinion. So many of these celebrity autobiographies seem to rely on the "and then I did this" and then I did that" format , which generally results in you feeling like you really haven't learnt anything about them.I often thought I would love to have her on my Ultimate dinner party guest list. I still would but perhaps just for dessert !

I first came to know of Miriam in THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW until I realized I have seen her in many movies (memorable as Mrs Mingot). The book is not for the faint of heart with the language and candor but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about such a well lived life. And unlike many memoirs, this really rang true. We didn't need a fly on the wall to get the juicy story. The amazing Miriam already provided it.

I enjoyed this book, being left breathless at the mountain of experiences presented! What a stellar career!I liked Miriam more and more as I read on, the combination of so much humour and then deeply serious thought was fascinating.Brought up in the Durham Dales, I was discomfited by her "potty mouth" and although I would dearly love to meet her, I fear I would gasp at her outrageousness!But it would be worth it!

I loved this book. Anyone who has more than 11,000 personal contacts on their phone and has an aversion to Twitter is obviously someone worth knowing. I would love to have known you personally, Miriam, and to have spent many fascinating hours over copious glasses of wine talking about life, love, sex, politics, aging and death. The conversation and laughter would have been endless. Such a joy to read - bravo!

Miriam’s book is very funny in places, laugh out loud moments, but reading about her life is very interesting and the naughty things she got up to, great read.

Great lady, says it like it is and doesn’t suffer fools. Absolutely amazing life story without trying to sell herself as something she isn’t. It’s a life lived ( so far and hopefully many more years) and to be proud of.

Alors que Miriam est une personne cimique, son livre montre sa recherche d'attention juvénile tout au long de sa vie à travers un comportement souvent vulgaire.

Miriam is a good entertainer and I had many laughs but her serious and sensitive side comes out as well, often in some comment or in between lines. That makes it a good read. Miriam is a passionate and compassionate woman and her energy radiates off the pages. Highly recommended.