Bookclub for Spare

[BornBlonde]

I know there are loads of threads, but thought it may be useful to set up a bookclub thread ahead of the release date fir those interested. I've ordered the audiobook as struggling to find time to read at the moment but love I can listen to an Audiobook while cooking etc

I don't think it is fair to judge Catherine on this incident. She had a brand new baby at home. She probably eas tired and stressed.

Meghan was probably tired and stressed.

The blame for the dresses need to be placed firmly where it belongs, Givenchy. Though, since the bridesmaids were all in different countries, that probably didn't help.

It is sad that this story ever was leaked to the press though. Which, I suppose, is the root of the entire problem and what Harry is pushing back against.

But would it be robust? What would be the margin of error? The bigger the sample, the more reliable the result. 1,700 to represent over 67,000,000 is small.

I can’t see the graph as I don’t have an account (and have no interest in creating one for this task). But from the figures you have presented one can see the very clear problem – how you define ‘young adult’.

That’s how Statistica divides the age groups. Take it up with them. 🤷‍♀️

By the way, I don’t have an account.

I'm 50% of the way through and found it fascinating so far - and not at all reflective of any of the press coverage.

Someone in crowd threw a grenade at him? It wasn't real, but I can't imagine how scary that was.

@Coucous do you really think that Harry screenshot real texts between Meghan and Kate and sold them to a newspaper? What?! You must have an extremely limited understanding of the law. Of course they are not real texts. The newspaper itself states that they aren’t real in the article they appear in. They are imaginings or ‘recreations’ of the text exchange.

A perfect example of how the press manipulates the thinking of people.

It's the Observer's 'Book of the Week' but the review is, shall we say, somewhat unsparing ...

www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/15/spare-by-prince-harry-review-dry-your-eyes-mate

Great review - thanks for the link.

Well I’ve started reading it in bits & bobs.

Honestly Harry is coming across as a spoilt petulant child, lacking in empathy, who has never been told No. The bit about the matron actually made me feel sick. I’m disabled & his words were vicious. Nasty little bully of a man.

He admits to lying about drug taking - and I really don’t know how anyone can give him a pass on what he says.

Im about a tenth of the way through. I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish it.

And the bit that got me the most was wanting a meeting after Prince Philip’s funeral. No way would I have been able to have such a meeting with an angry estranged relative after burying my dad. Harry just thinks about himself & no empathy towards his father at all.

I suspect Harry is a bully & the palace machinery did well hiding the real him for all those years.

MissMarple, I agree that, despite his apparently sincere charity work and wish to help others, he also has repeatedly bullied and mistreated others and got off the hook because his family have hidden it. There is another blind item (Blind Gossip, May 22nd 2021, titled She Is a Velociraptor) which seems to refer to Meghan and Harry, and confirm that the blind item I referenced earlier in the thread was about Harry. Of course, both could still be malicious slander, (I certainly think the bit about Meghan is probably wildly exaggerated) but if it had been true, I suspect the royal family would have covered up for him, just as they may be covering up for Andrew.

So we are now reduced to casting aspersions at them from Blind Gossip, at one point MN used to delete any posts quoting that bottom feeding site.

MN actually put out a post about it.

Over half way through now. Before reading didn’t really have a view on them or any of the royal family to be honest. Bought the book and reading it due to the hype. What has struck me is how William and Harry were never really “close” after Diana died and possibly even before. Also how the media just report and create stories they want people to read and believe. For example taking the number of people Harry killed while fighting in the war and turning it into a headline grabbing article when actually the number was taken out of context and none of what he actually says forms part of the story.
so much of our country is corrupt:media, royal family, government, time to get rid of them all.

so much of our country is corrupt:media, royal family, government, time to get rid of them all

Good luck with that 😀

Daisydoor12, the problem with that is, of course, you have one side of the tale.

Harry's comments about his number of kills was, to put it mildly, a bit stupid. Service personnel don't talk about how many people they've killed in the public domain in any context.

You seriously want to get rid of the RF, government, media on Harry's say so?

You can potentially get rid of the royal family, likely this government soon, but it’ll be replaced by another one. But getting rid of the media? You can support further regulation, but that should be balanced with ensuring the freedom of the media to investigate and report on the corruption of which you complain. Else, we’ll be like China, Russia, Iran etc.

Some things that are now openly alleged or proved (Spacey, Weinstein, Lord Mountbatten) were once published in gossip magazines. It doesn't prove anything, of course, but having read Spare, I stand by my opinion that Prince Harry seems to have a track record, not unlike Charles, of mistreating people lower in the hierarchy, despite his own experiences of being mistreated. There are some other tabloid articles from his younger days, of course possibly exaggerated or made up, that allege that Harry mistreated women. I was disappointed with Gloria Steinem when she praised his 'feminism' and commitment to social justice - even if this isn't true, he still supports the monarchy and claims it gives us myriad benefits for little cost, and his new progressive persona seems a bit forced and more to appeal to Meghan than out of genuine feeling.
nypost.com/2002/01/14/hell-raiser-harry-lured-girls-to-estate-for-booze-dope-fests/
ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/13221581.html?page=1

@beatrice14 how would you even know if it’s genuine feelings or not? We hardly know the person, let alone be able to judge feelings. On the face of it, he seems genuine to me. Regarding mistreating women, gosh, that’s a bit of a statement. I haven’t read anything of the sort, though I’m not a RF fan and I don’t read trash (ok, I do check the Dauly Mail).

Number 1 of the Times New York Best Sellers list.

@onlylarkin And in the Guinness Book of World Records as fastest growing nonfiction selling book since records began

(Cue posters calling it fiction not nonfiction, and saying even those who dislike the couple bought the book!)

The number of books sold is factual.
What that number indicates will always be open to interpretation. Does it indicate a backing for Harry? Does it simply indicate an international fascination for the RF? Does it indicate how strong schadenfreude is? After all people rubberneck accidents and went to public hangings.
Everyone with an opinion can spin the numbers.

I'm sure people who dislike them bought the book - people like to read about all sorts of people and things they find unpleasant tbf. Plus royal gossip always sells.

I agree.
Who knows.
I am only reflecting threads on here with the sort of comments like ... I wouldn't spend 50p on that book.... I'll pick it up in the charity shop... I wouldn't give those two (choose your own insult) a penny of my money, etc etc.