6/15/2015

The Book of Joan




When Joan Rivers passed away I remember feeling so gutted. She was always one of my favourite comedians and I had always admired her work and how she made the red carpet circuit during awards season so much more fun and lively. She was the host of Fashion Police, one of my Saturday night rituals for a very long time. I loved her dark, honest humour and her ability to say what we at one point or another were all thinking. She was a legend. After her passing, her daughter Melissa Rivers was approached to write a book and the result was released last month to coincide with Mother's Day in the US. I was lucky enough to be sent a copy for review so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it...

The Book of Joan* is a collection of memories and anecdotes about Joan, as told by the woman who knew her best. It's broken up into mini-essays on everything from Joan's frugalness with money to her speech at Melissa's graduation. That speech is included in full actually and is really freakin' good. I also enjoyed the story about how Joan would hide money everywhere and how she never dressed down for anything. Grandson's football game? Joan would just turn up in full hair and makeup. Fabulous. I would've liked to have seen more anecdotes about Fashion Police but this book does offer up so many behind-the-scenes insights into the comic legend that it more than makes up for it.

This book as expected was hilarious. I had moments where I'd put the book down to find someone to share particular snippets with or to text someone about it. Melissa is such a gifted writer and while the book is candid, it never feels melancholic. If you're a fan of Joan Rivers or just wanting an entertaining, uplifting memoir to read, you're bound to like this one. 


-Have you read The Book of Joan? What did you think of it?

*PR Sample

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