Rupert Everett's memoir, Vanished Years, is our May Non-Fiction Book of the Month

[TillyBookClub]

Our Non-Fiction Book of the Month, VANISHED YEARS, is written by a famous actor but is in no way comparable to the average celebrity memoir. A darkly comic collection of snapshots from Rupert Everett's tumultuous life, the book is like a throwback to the age of Evelyn Waugh or David Niven. Everett's writing is exactly how you imagine his company: urbane, seductive, exuberant, rude, unedited. It is a colloquial, immediate voice, and he writes very well, deftly mixing superficial gossip and profound, reflective moments in the same sentence. Like his previous, highly-acclaimed bestseller, Red Carpet and Other Banana Skins, the book is stuffed with anecdotes that skewer the fashion/showbiz worlds with droll wit. His escape from Alan Sugar and the Apprentice team is franticly funny. There are plenty of debauched parties, lurid clubs and famous faces behaving badly. But this time Everett is more thoughtful about the past, how we remember our lives and those who played a starring role. There are moving chapters on the deaths of Natasha Richardson and Isabella Blow, and a poignant trip to Lourdes. As the Guardian put it, it is 'a tragical, comical, ironical Broadway-hit-show of a life', told with great panache and fearlessness.

Little Brown have 50 copies to give to Mumsnetters - to claim yours please go to the book of the month page. We'll post here when all the copies have gone. If you're not lucky enough to bag one of the free books, you can always get your paperback or Kindle version here.

Once you've got your copy, please come and discuss the book here throughout the month - looking forward to seeing what you all think...

[fedupwithdeployment]

Just gone to the book of the month page....can't see what to do!

[nelsonscolumn]

I can't see it on the page either.

[johnworf]

Scratches head and looks at the map again....

[RachelMumsnet]

Apologies - here's the link to the book of the month page:

Vanished Years by Rupert Everett

To apply for one of the fifty free copies, fill in the form at the bottom of the page before the end of Friday 17th May. We'll contact all those who have been allocated copies as soon as we hear from Faber that the books have been distributed.

[Willemdefoeismine]

Once had the pleasure of meeting Mr Everett in his beauteous youth - he was gorgeous! He also spins a very amusing yarn!

[OrWellyAnn]

Woo hoo! Done!

[fedupwithdeployment]

Hurrah! He may be very gay, but he is still very pleasant eye candy. Hugely talented actor - I wish I had seen him doing the Oscar Wilde play recently. I also enjoyed seeing him on telly talking about the Bosphorus a couple of years ago...Istanbul looked amazing, and he almost outshone it (even though he was about 50 at the time).

[WillColbert]

Looking forward to reading this - loved 'Red Carpet'.

[Londonseye]

He is a bit funny this one. He doesn't thing gay people make good parents, and as one of them, it's an odd statement from a gay man. I would be interested to see if he elaborates on his reasons.

[donnie]

I saw him and Kenneth Branagh back in about 1982 in the original stage version of 'Another Country' -wow he was so achingly beautiful to look at. Perfect in the role. I was a moody young teenager with a head full of gay rights, soft cell and Brideshead Revisited.....my friend and I got his autograph outside later on!

[gazzalw]

I think he's a mass of contradictions - remember he went to Ampleforth and brought up a Catholic and very upper middle class too..... Not sure he would say he was a "right on" gay man - he is a product of his class, his religious upbringing and possibly his era too....

Very, very funny though and a hoot with all his stories ...

DW seems to have had a major crush on him as a late teen - even I can appreciate his beauty in Another Country - pity he was such a primadonna then though...

[gazzalw]

I'm not sure what he would bring to Mumsnet but he would be a fab 'guest' don't you think MNHQ -

[KarlosKKrinkelbeim]

The book is very good. He is a very good writer and in frankly phenomenal nick for a man in his 50s who has not exactly stinted himself when it comes to life's pleasures.
There is a funny line in it about Richard Curtis being to Blair's Britain what Leni Riefenstahl was to Hitler's Germany. Oh how I laughed.

[KarlosKKrinkelbeim]

And yes, we should definitely have him as a guest on MN.

[Corygal]

His other two books are BLINDINGLY GOOD. I'd be dying to read it and rant accordingly - can't wait to see if this one matches up.

[MasterOfTheYoniverse]

Dont understand what brings this self centered person to mumsnet.
He admitedly thinks children are a waste of space and not only for gay couples.

Met him on a couple of occasions about 10 years ago as we were practically neighbors. He did not seem like a pleasant person to be around in RL. He would sneer and move away from the children whenever in the lift.
Don't know why but this has stayed with me and have a visceral repulsion for the man despite the fact i do find his aging diva act quite endearing.

[MasterOfTheYoniverse]

Re: the issue with gay parenting, i saw him on hardtalk following the release of the book a few weeks ago.

If i remember correctly, he did not really say that gay parents make for rubbish parenting. Well, he did but then baktracked when pulled on it.

He insisted on the fact that considering the lifestyle choices of most gay couples, he does not understand why they would want to be parents.
Clearly he was talking about himself and his small coterie of trendy friends which he also eventually admitted.

[gazzalw]

Maybe he wouldn't appeal to Mumsnetters as parents but as flouncy, opinionated divas (only joking....)

[feeltheforce]

He is such a good writer. Love him.

[hackmum]

I've read Vanished Years - enjoyed it but not as much as Red Carpets, which is screamingly funny. No idea what he's like as a person but he's a brilliant writer.

[hackmum]

Oh, Karlos - I just saw your comment about his line about Richard Curtis. That really made me chuckle too. Have been quoting it to people ever since.

[RachelMumsnet]

@gazzalw

I'm not sure what he would bring to Mumsnet but he would be a fab 'guest' don't you think MNHQ -

We have tried - believe me, but he's evidently v busy treading the boards. We'll pass on the message that you want him to join us though

[gazzalw]

As I said, he'd be right at home amongst a group of outspoken, flouncy, flirtatious divas - (ducks for cover).

Maybe he thinks he will be 'slaughtered' for his views - I think there'd be lots of serious flirting going on from some quarters

[TheConstantLurker]

I've signed up for a copy even though the deadline has past. Fingers crossed.
I read his first bit of autobiography and found it very entertaining but came away feeling rather melancholy as there were very few references to meaningful relationships. People who he had been having relationships with for years were written off in single sentences with no sign of any emotion.