“I have noticed again and again that when things are really black and one feels that they can’t possibly get any worse – they often do,”
I picked this book up on Kindle because I wanted to read a book from every category – ah, the hobbies of a bookworm – and this was under ‘film’. I’ve always been aware of David Niven’s legacy and have seen a few of his films, so I looked forward to reading this. However, I quickly realized that I was more familiar with his cinematic persona than him as an actor himself.
From the get go, it feels like this book was very colloquially written. You can’t help but feel pulled along as you follow his life, from his days at boarding school to his time in the army, to his acting career and beyond. It feels like you’re listening to the ramblings of a friend in a local pub, which is quite quirky and fun but might not be the narrative style for everyone.
The humour is very dry and sardonic, in such a British way that I can’t help but imagine that a lot of this book came from many anecdotes told in social situations. I must admit that I definitely did chuckle aloud a bit, but not enough that would make me want to reach for the book again.
He was evidently quite an observant person but a lot of the name dropping didn’t really feel relevant and mentions of horse racing and polo weren’t really interesting. I found his authorial interludes about his life really fascinating because he goes into detail about themes such as masculinity, sexuality, war and his film career, among other things.
This was definitely a book that had me changing my perceptions constantly while reading it. While it was certainly a diverting read, I don’t think I’d be rushing to read the other books in the series – he wrote more than one memoir.
MY RATING: *** / *****
Every Book Is Beautiful 