Customer Rating:  
Summary: Could have been so much more interesting
Comment: Even as a non-Englishman (I'm Dutch) I was well-acquainted with the talk show Parkinson. I watched it whenever I had a chance to catch it and I admired the way Michael Parkinson was able to get interesting stories out of (almost) every one of his guests. That, combined with positive reviews of this book convinced me to buy it. Boy, was I wrong...
Unlike one of the other reviewers I was not hoping for gossip, but I would have liked some more details about the assorted guests on the show, especially the Hollywood stars from the days of old. He does tell us something about them, but not very much. Instead he just goes on and on about bloody cricket, which I couldn't care less about.
If you like Michael Parkinson: watch the shows, don't read this book!
Customer Rating:
Summary: this book is so so
Comment: Parky is familiar to almost everybody, and especially on X Factor you can see him a lot, but his this book: My Autobiography, is not so interesting. I couldnt wait to grab one from the book shelf, but once I've read it for some pages, I found it disappoiting, coz it didnt tell much about himself and his story on television, which could interest people more, especially women.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Parky the Master
Comment: I have been a fan of Parky for over 30 years. I had the privelege of hearing him being interviewed at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, in conjunction with promoting his book. He held the audience enthralled as he regaled us with tales from his most varied and interesting life and career.
I could not wait to read my signed copy; It is a good read, however, was practically verbatim with his interview. I then watched him being interviewed by Mark Lawson on television, again, same old same old. I suppose I was disappointed that The Master does indeed possibly use a script.
I would agree with one of the other reviewers, a tad too much cricket, but all round, a heartwarming account by an unassuming,
gentleman.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointed and upset
Comment: I couldn't wait to grab this book from the shelf because I have always loved Parky and have grown up watching him on the telly for the past 30 years.
However, I was disappointed with this autobiography because he wrote far too much about cricket and football which, as a woman, doesn't interest me at all. Also, his chat show 'revelations' were nothing of the sort - we've heard it all before!
Above all, there was a very distressing event which he, graphically, describes as having had in Africa when he briefly had a go at being a war correspondent. Frankly, I can't get the incident out of my head and, as a result, I will not be giving this book to my mother for Christmas! It's far too upsetting.
To my mind, this book will, probably, be bought and read by women rather than men. To that end, I wish our dearest Parky had realised that we were looking for light-heartedness and gossip rather than torture and sport before he published it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: sweetly timed shot to the boundary - excellent
Comment: To Parky I say, thanks for this timely autobiography, and many 'thanks for the memories' from the last 30 years. I enjoyed the book very much. It came across as very honest and entertaining.
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