Wishful Drinking

The bestselling author of Postcards from the Edge comes clean (well, sort of) in her first-ever memoir, adapted from her one-woman Broadway hit show. Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of “Hollywood in-breeding,” come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen.
Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It’s an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty—Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher—homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.
Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it “drolly hysterical” and the Los Angeles Times called it a “Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes.” This is Carrie Fisher at her best—revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.
Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It’s an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty—Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher—homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.
Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it “drolly hysterical” and the Los Angeles Times called it a “Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes.” This is Carrie Fisher at her best—revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.
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Community Reviews
The book that pulled me out of my reading rut! I never realised how funny Carrie Fisher was and how much I would genuinely enjoy reading this. A few chapters after a bad day always put a smile on my face.
I'm in love with Carrie Fisher again, with a whole new intensity! Don't think twice before picking this one up. Carrie talks growing up with star parents, alcoholism, drug addiction, Star Wars, bipolar disorder, marriage and all of these with so much wit and sarcasm. I couldn't put this down until I was done and I laughed out loud at so many places. This was a very good window to her highly eventful life that she serves to us with lots of humour. Rest in peace, Carrie! ❤️
What a brave memoire. Fisher read this audiobook version of her book, so I almost felt like I was attending her show. Witty. Unflappably honest about her crazy life, it all felt a little like a heart to heart with a friend. I hope that her honesty about drug abuse and mental illness can help others to face their own demons and know that they are not alone.
3.5 stars :: I really enjoy Carrie Fisher, but after having listened to her for a couple hours straight, I find that I really enjoy her in small spurts. I felt very much like Liz Lemon in 30 Rock's "Rosemary's Baby" while listening to it. Love, Adore, Entertained by her...but can only handle her in small doses.
Enjoyed hearing about her family and growing up, but actually wished it was more in-depth. Maybe I need to read her other books to get that information? If I do, I'll be reading it in book form, not audio.
Enjoyed hearing about her family and growing up, but actually wished it was more in-depth. Maybe I need to read her other books to get that information? If I do, I'll be reading it in book form, not audio.
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