susiem11's review against another edition
3.0
An well-written history and look at the life of Ian McKellen made slightly less enjoyable by the element of hero-worship that seems to pervade the text. While some attempts are present to temper that idea, they seem half-hearted. In general, a good book with some mild annoyances.
ianbanks's review against another edition
3.0
This is not as erudite a biography as it should have been. It’s peppered with literary and filmic references but it always remembers too early that it wants to appeal to a broad audience and so doesn’t go as deeply into its subject as it could. The author, an old friend and colleague of McKellen is in as gifted and awkward a position as any biographer could possibly dream, but sometimes reads as though he doesn’t want to offend his old chum. Which is great, frankly, but it does mean that the aforementioned depth is sometimes jarringly missed.
It’s filled to the brim with anecdotes and lore, of course, but the drives of the subject are infuriatingly sparse: the death of his mother at an early age is referenced a lot, as is the coolness of his paternal relationship. But these are often referred to as a motivator at the expense of other factors. And there are other issues, as well: O’Connor frequently refers to Kenneth Branagh (despite Branagh not having a lengthy working history with McKellen) and quotes a gag about McKellen’s egotism from Branagh’s own autobio and then proceeds to refute it as completely as anything. However, later in the book, we get repeated references to McKellen’s intense desire for an Oscar. It’s inconsistencies like this that make this a frustrating read.
However, it is a pleasure to read about McKellen’s relationships with other actors and how they have borne creative fruit. The authors knowledge of acting history makes a lot of information come across as a lot less arcane than in the hands of a more starstruck writer and it is a fun, fast read that delivers a lot of information, though not as probingly as a reader might want. I also wouldn’t have minded the addition of a bibliography, just quietly.
It’s filled to the brim with anecdotes and lore, of course, but the drives of the subject are infuriatingly sparse: the death of his mother at an early age is referenced a lot, as is the coolness of his paternal relationship. But these are often referred to as a motivator at the expense of other factors. And there are other issues, as well: O’Connor frequently refers to Kenneth Branagh (despite Branagh not having a lengthy working history with McKellen) and quotes a gag about McKellen’s egotism from Branagh’s own autobio and then proceeds to refute it as completely as anything. However, later in the book, we get repeated references to McKellen’s intense desire for an Oscar. It’s inconsistencies like this that make this a frustrating read.
However, it is a pleasure to read about McKellen’s relationships with other actors and how they have borne creative fruit. The authors knowledge of acting history makes a lot of information come across as a lot less arcane than in the hands of a more starstruck writer and it is a fun, fast read that delivers a lot of information, though not as probingly as a reader might want. I also wouldn’t have minded the addition of a bibliography, just quietly.
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