Reviews

Over the Top and Back: The Autobiography by Tom Jones

teresadennis's review against another edition

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4.0

Extremely readable, the author really can spin a tale. I especially appreciated his self-awareness, which isn't the impression so many stars of Tom Jones' magnitude project.

sha71's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.0

Really interesting. Loved that he did not shy away to tell the truth. Even tho it made him look wrong. Honest and remarkable read.

jan2bratt's review against another edition

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4.0

Surprisingly good memoir by Sir Tom. I don't consider myself a fan so much as someone who has always enjoyed his music and over the top personality, but truly I could hardly put this book down. Reading about his humble beginnings and rise to become an international sensation, his encounters with other celebrities like Elvis (their bathroom scene is hilarious) and his eventual second rise to stardom as an elder, made for fascinating reading. I highly recommend if you enjoy celebrity memoirs.

rhonddalad's review against another edition

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2.0

An interesting read of how Tom Jones rose to fame and became "The Voice". Although interesting, I was expecting more for some reason. Also there were recurring typing errors which I found off-putting, hence why I gave the book a low rating.

rhony's review against another edition

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5.0

Very thorough history. Fun to read where all the myths and traditions that are Tom Jones came from. Surprised how normal and good guy he is.

netsreadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

paulieg's review

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5.0

"Tom Jones Live In Las Vegas At The Flamingo (1969)" is one of the very best live albums ever recorded, and I encourage anyone who wishes to poke fun at Sir Tom for "What's New, Pussycat?" to listen to that before saying another word. YES, this auto-bio would have had to consist of 300 completely blank pages for me to give it less than 5 stars, but I'm happy to report that this chatty, candid memoir is engaging enough to keep even a non-fan reading past bedtime. Some reviews have groused that the most important part of this story--the *ladies*--has been airbrushed from this memoir in deference to his longterm marriage, but I didn't mind that omission; I was more disappointed to not learn what it felt like to wake up as TOM JONES on a bright morning in, say, 1970: there's a photo in the book of Jones in a short robe and a full gold necklace, standing next to an Olympic-sized indoor pool THAT HE OWNED, and I would have loved a few paragraphs on what his daily routine and ruminations were at that time. Even without that information, this is a great tale of a singular life.
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