Recommended autobiographies?

[graciemae]

My book group (well,four friends that enjoy eating , drinking, gossiping together - oh and discussing a book - once a month)want to read an autobiography this month and would love some recommendations - personally I need inspiration beyond the normal celeb pre-christmas offering, call me a book snob but billie/kerrie catona/any number of footballers 21 year old lives don't really appeal!

Any ideas would be welcomed, has to be a gripping read as one member is off to morroco for two weeks (I know, we're not talking to her) and it's to be her beach read!

.....oh, would also be helpful if it was out in paperback...sorry,being picky now!!

Sheila Hancock's memoirs about her life with John Thaw. My mother says it's one of the best reads she's had in a long time. The Two of Us it's called. Other than that, Love and War in the Appenines by Eric Newby, who's just sadly died. Wonderful story about his life as a prisoner of war and how he met his wife. Finally, Brian Keenan - An Evil Cradling - about his time as a hostage in Beirut.

next to you by gloria hunniford

thanks you two for these great suggestions, not sure if i could read the gloria hunniford - found caron keating's death so sad, don't think i could bear to read about it in detail, would cost me a fortune in kleenex

Like the idea of Brian Keenan - didn't Terry Waite write an auto as well?

Roberta Taylor - Too Many Mothers. Actor who plays Inspector Gold in The Bill relates her early life in London. Interesting and moving.

The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen. His childhood in Vietnam in the 70s/80s and eventual escape from the country. Definitely gripping.

Next to you, golria hunnifords book about her daughter is a wonderful and touching book, of the sharon osborn autobiography is worth a read.

Sheila Hocken - Emma and I
Blind woman describing life before and after having a guide dog.
An old book, but definitely worth a read

daughter of persia

My wicked wicked ways

wait for it

Errol Flyn!!!
great read!!!

Honestly...if you can get it still its a great read

his life was so fantastic,the hollywood moguls of the 1930shad to tone some of it down cos they thought some would think it unbelievable

before he got to usa he had been a
gold miner
slave trader
sheep shearer
and a grand son of the man that named the duck billed platypuss
and a great great grand son of Fletcher Christian

yes

marlon brando!!!

The moons a balloon by david niven
and Johns Peel's book

Terry Waite did do one bet it does drag a bit.

Richard E Grant and Boy George both interesting, Sharon Osbourne too. Just started Nicky Campbell's like it so far- very honest.

If you all love food then read Toast by Nigel Slater. It's in paperback will take only a couple of days to read and has lots of childhood memories of food that will ring a few bells.

What about the one by that bloke who grew up in the 70s. Andrew somebody?? Not famous really, he works in media. He kept a diary as a child. Would this not be interesting enough?

I enjoyed:
Clive James, Unreliable Memoirs
Frank Skinner, Frank Skinner
Howard Marks, Mr Nice
Richard E Grant With nails

lilliput - thanks for the reminder about toast, i've read it but the others haven't and as it's so quick we could maybe squeeze in two.

sophiewd - dh recommeded this too, was amazed as as far as I knew his literary interests didn't extend beyond the da vinci code and terry pratchett - see, said i was a book snob!

Have done richard e grant (as it were) and loved it, and Emma and I - i think that was the first auto i ever read, in my teens.

Cowmad - am loving the idea of Errol Flynn, a bit of swashbuckling escapism, i love books that take me off to another time and place and this sounds like it would definately do that.

Thanks all, am very new to mumsnet and thrilled that I've had so many responses, keep 'em coming

hooOOooleymama - just checked out this link, looks really interesting and could be a good one for debating. We like to choose books on subjects that we won't necessarily all agree on as it makes for a much more interesting conversation and this looks like a good one for that.

peter kay has one out-i think!

its been out for a while but sara payne is fantastic have read this so many time and it still makes me cry, or martin kemp (ok i just like looking at his picures) but again that is a very good read.

Slipstream, Elizabeth Jane Howard, is wonderful.
If you wanted to double up, this would go nicely with Experience by Martin Amis (family connection there as well): the only MA I've ever got on with.

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I've read most of the hostage ones - Waite, Anderson, Keenan, but I found the McCarthy one the best, especially the way he spoke about the difficulties he faced with his life in the public eye after he was freed.I think it's called 'Over the rainbow'.

Hmmmm, yes, martin could be worth a re-read!

we're all peter kay fans so we could read that and have a pk evening, serving garlic bread! but i suppose that defeats the object of trying to do something that could be in any way classed as stimulating and cultured...

can i add my own recommendation? michael j fox's Lucky Man is a great read, very interesting to learn about his parkinsons and how it was diagnosed, it's quite old now and do wish he'd do a follow up.