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kaitlinmarks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
mads_reads_books's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism
caitiedundas's review against another edition
3.0
Mostly I just found it very sad. I think the book has been sensationalised by the leaked quotes and early sound bites, mostly about Harry’s penis, but the actual content is desperately sad. He comes across as a deeply traumatised, anxious man who is clearly haunted by a childhood and adolescence which sounds pretty grim despite the immense wealth and privilege. It’s very difficult not to empathise with him for his difficult experiences. I particularly enjoyed the first portion of the book, covering his childhood and early adolescence. It was interesting to get a look into this period and I felt he came across the most sincere in these parts. Not that his sincerity was something I really doubted later on in the book, but it was most pronounced early.
That being said, where I struggled to empathise was when it seemed like assertions were being made to try and ensure Harry came across as ‘a normal guy’. This is the worst in the second half of the book with passages dedicated to his supermarket routines, TK Max visits, etcetera. It seemed as though he was determined to come across as any old pleb, when it’s clear this simply isn’t the case, and this is something he does acknowledge in other areas of the book. In a passage near the end he recounts never having ordered an Amazon parcel, or held a house key, so he is clearly well aware of his unconventionally sheltered and elevated lifestyle, making the repeated attempts to situate himself as an ‘ordinary’ person all the more puzzling. Add to that the copious mentions of exclusive members club Soho House, plenty of occasions of friends with spare mansions, lots of monetary talk. The guy is clearly wealthy and privileged, and the book would be better for it if his honesty there was more consistent.
The writing was decent. Nothing I felt particularly blown away by but it was an enjoyable, fast paced read. The atmospheric descriptions, in particular, I thought were strong, and the themes which strung throughout the memoir and motifs which popped up repeatedly were used effectively (the flag, the biro, etc).
Not really a critique of the book as it is indeed reality but it was sad that the book ended on a rather negative note, with evidently little contact between Harry and his Royal family. It feels like quite an open ending, something I suspect is purposeful for another book.
Overall - a decent read! Despite being long it remained pretty fast paced and only took me a few days to read, with a fairly moderate amount of time dedicated to reading each day. Wouldn’t have spent the full price or indeed the current standard half price on it, but the nice it ends up in the charity shops it is absolutely worth a wee read!
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Medical content
erica_reads_everything's review against another edition
5.0
Was it so much more than that? Yes it was.
I have a whole new appreciation for Harry as a man, a soldier, and a father. I believe him and I am glad that he shared his truth. I hope that he continues to try to break the generational trauma created by his mother's death and the British media.
Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Antisemitism, and Pregnancy
jessiereads98's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Slavery, and Cultural appropriation