{FREE} David Mitchell: Back Story
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DAVID MITCHELL: BACK STORY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK David Mitchell | 336 pages | 23 May 2013 | HarperCollins Publishers | 9780007351749 | English | London, United Kingdom David Mitchell (comedian) - Wikipedia David Mitchell. Why do the asterisks in that sentence make it ok? Reviews Review Policy. Published on. Flowing text. Best for. Web, Tablet, Phone, eReader. Content protection. Learn more. Flag as inappropriate. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are. Please follow the detailed Help center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders. Start your review of Back Story. Oct 22, Jane rated it it was amazing. It helps that I really like David Mitchell, he makes me laugh a lot, and this book is making me like him more. It's pretty much a book about nothing - sort of going for a walk and getting diverted with rambling anecdotes about childhood and random opinions. I quite like descriptions of walks I enjoy Clare Balding Goes For A Walk on radio 4, for example , and his diversions are pretty much his panel show persona, so for me it works. Will go back to War and Peace after this. If you like David Mitchell, you will like this, and if you don't like David Mitchell you won't read it anyway. View 1 comment. Jan 06, Claire rated it liked it. I'm not a big fan of autobiographies, but I am a big fan of David Mitchell; these facts seem to have averaged out into a 3 star rating. As I read, it was David Mitchell's voice telling me the anecdotes in my head. This was a really positive thing about the book; he didn't write with pretension, rather he wrote as himself. It felt like an honest memoir which made it instantly likeable and interesting. I guess for me, the first half was disappointing. I got the impression that David Mitchell had a f I'm not a big fan of autobiographies, but I am a big fan of David Mitchell; these facts seem to have averaged out into a 3 star rating. I got the impression that David Mitchell had a fairly normal, if affluent, childhood. It just wasn't particularly interesting to read but that might be due to a general disinterest in autobiographies. I powered through there were a few laughs and was glad to have done so. I did enjoy reading about the Cambridge days and was interested in the years he spent trying to break into comedy. As a Victoria Coren fan, the ending made me very happy! A few minor grumbles: Mitchell seemed to have a bit of a defensive attitude about certain parts of his life. If you're from quite a comfortable background, there's not shame in being honest about that. The "yes-I-went-to-private-school-but-it's-much-more-expensive-these-days-so-I- probably-wouldn't-have-gone-if-it-were-now" argument is just a bit unnecessary I think; just say it as it was. Also, he made a comment about A Levels now being easier than when he did his - to anyone who holds this view, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. All in all, it was an enjoyable and easy read that I would recommend if you're a fan of DM. View 2 comments. Jan 08, Diane rated it really liked it Shelves: memoir , british-comedians. I laughed out loud several times throughout my reading. David Mitchell is hilarious, whether in print or on my TV screen and I'm glad to have read his memoir. He's still pretty young so I imagine he'll write another one eventually. I thought the mushy chapter about falling in love and getting married was a little bit strange as it didn't really fit in with his persona throughout all the rest of the book, but it still made me tear up and feel very happy for him. I would definitely recommend this b I laughed out loud several times throughout my reading. I would definitely recommend this book to any other David Mitchell fans. Which is why, when finding myself feeling rather down, I chose to read his autobiography. But he has gone on to be a successful comedy writer and actor, and Back Story charts how that came about. Feb 14, Guna rated it really liked it. I really love David Mitchell, the comedian I am partial to David Mitchell, the novelist, as well, but that's another story , although I discovered this brilliant man rather recently and I can't seem to get enough of him, so I was hoping that his memoir would resemble his comical persona. And it did - it grabbed me from the very first page I counted that I laughed out loud five times while reading this particular page. It wasn't a piss-myself-from-laughing kind of book for me although David, I really love David Mitchell, the comedian I am partial to David Mitchell, the novelist, as well, but that's another story , although I discovered this brilliant man rather recently and I can't seem to get enough of him, so I was hoping that his memoir would resemble his comical persona. It wasn't a piss-myself-from-laughing kind of book for me although David, or so he claims, has been known to make at least one person do that , but it was very amusing and entertaining, so this aspect was not lost on paper, and his fantastic ironic sense of humour was there to everyone's pleasure. Back Story was, of course, personal it is a memoir after all , but not in a very sentimental and obnoxious way that would be off-putting; on the contrary, I was rooting for him the whole time, and his getting the happy ending which he oh so deserved restored my faith in humanity, so to say. I was relieved, though, that there was no mention of a bucket named Stephen Tatlock, so hopefully he really lied about that on Would I Lie to You? This is also an educational book, for example, for people who want to learn the proper smoking technique remember, it's sucking, not just breathing , and let's not forget it being a tourist AND a weight-loss guide. So three for the price of one - not a bad deal at all. The chapters about Cambridge came as a big surprise, as I could never have imagined that it was possible to get a degree from this university without doing any actual studying. Well, that is just great to hear, thank you for enlightening us, David. One last thing: if you're not British like me , most of the names of people and culture-specific items or TV shows Mitchell mentions won't probably mean anything to you, but that is a thing one has to be aware of and just deal with - it in no way spoiled this wonderful experience for me. View all 5 comments. Nov 22, Simon Howard rated it liked it. The structure of this book is slightly novel, in that it follows Mitchell on a walk around London, with reminisces and comic riffs inspired by things he sees along the way. That said, I like David Mitchell, so I enjoyed the book. And I found the last chapter, in which Mitchell discusses his relationship with Victoria Coren, genuinely heartwarming. Others have described it as overly syrupy, but I disagree - I thought it was lovely. Mitchell comes across as a thoroughly likeable guy, and this is a highly readable but equally forgettable walk through a life that has been lived without all that much trauma, distress or heartache. All I can say is that I enjoyed it. This is also coincidentally my first voluntary book review, so this is a time for many new experiences. David Mitchell takes us for a walk around different parts of London while we get a glimpse of his childhood, university years and rise to fame. We learn about his family, friendships, love life, career and how traumatizing it really is to cook a living lobster. The book includes an alarming rate of references to WWII, but I thought it elevated the book and gave it more pizzazz. I have many things in common with David. The awkwardness while shopping for pants, timidness, the distaste for lobsters, the postponement of school work and a longing for an occasional scream. It is alarming how much I have in common with a man in his thirties, but I think that says more about me than David. Anyways, this book is funny. I enjoyed it. Audible's relatively spotty collection has led to me buying a few titles that I would never ever otherwise consume. A celebrity memoir? Who am I? David Mitchell is a likeable, middle-class, small c conservative British comedian. I enjoyed his book, in no small part because it's read by the author and I find his voice reassuring I usually find middle class British accents reassuring, a fact that I find strangely disconcerting. Mitchell grows up the eldest son of two former hoteliers turne Audible's relatively spotty collection has led to me buying a few titles that I would never ever otherwise consume. Mitchell grows up the eldest son of two former hoteliers turned polytech lecturers, goes to a small independent school, is accepted to Cambridge, joins footlights, puts in some hard work and becomes a moderately successful and well know comedian. That's the story. It's not very interesting.