Fotografía de autor

Bryony Gordon

Autor de Mad Girl

8 Obras 201 Miembros 7 Reseñas

Obras de Bryony Gordon

Etiquetado

Conocimiento común

Género
female

Miembros

Reseñas

The writing style makes this an easy and funny read. I enjoyed it and what Bryony has been through is quite shocking. She seems self aware of the tropes that surround writing about mental illness but unfortunately her story fits them all, so while this was an interesting insight into the life of someone with OCD, it's isn't a new one.

We begin by hearing about how she's not one of those crazy people with a messed up childhood. No, she's perfectly normal thank you very much. Then bam, mental illness strikes out of the blue. I felt this stigmatised people who have been through trauma which caused mental illness, and tried to paint a picture of mental illness that appeals to the masses. That tells me this book wasn't really for me.

The support she gets from her family is astounding and this is not something a lot of people with mental illness can count on. Her mother realising what is going on, taking her to the doctor, helping her insist on being seen immediately is almost too good to be true. Then being able to see a therapist almost immediately is a privilege available to only a few.

While Bryony acknowledges some the privilege she has, unfortunately she hasn't had the experience to be able to shed much light on how shocking mental health treatment in this country actually is. I'm tired of reading rich and privileged people's experiences of mental health.
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zacchaeus | otra reseña | Dec 26, 2020 |
An eye-opening confession.

Bryony Gordon is on a mission; she is determined to get mental health issues out into the open so they can be discussed and accepted. Having suffered with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) for many years, along with the other conditions it has caused, Bryony recognises that the default position is to brush such issues under the carpet where they breed and fester. She believes that bringing them out into the open will allow people to receive treatment before things go seriously downhill.
Bryony Gordon is a popular columnist for Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, which enables her to get her book recognised where a lesser name, with the same problems, might struggle.

She admits that even she has hidden her problems wherever possible. Developing OCD at the age of 12, she went on to suffer from Bulimia, Alopecia, Depression, Alcoholism and drug dependency - yet her first book, The Wrong Knickers, made no mention of these issues. Now in her thirties, married with a young daughter, she has written a revealing memoir that she hopes will help other sufferers to recognise and treat their conditions.

For me, there were some eye-openers, particularly that OCD could be quite so debilitating. Not just a matter of double checking that the house is locked, but repeating mantras to protect her family and even bringing the iron to work in her handbag to be sure it wasn't still on.
The episodes of heavy drinking were upsetting to read, but the way she fell so easily into drug dependency was frankly shocking. Now as a young mum she must be worried that her daughter doesn't go the same way.

The book is typically self depreciating, written in a very British style, with humour and honesty. I think this is its niche market. Our book group are not all British and it wasn't as well received as its Amazon star ratings might suggest. The author is coming to our Literary Festival in March and it will be interesting to see how she is received.
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DubaiReader | otra reseña | Feb 1, 2017 |
Went to see the author at an event at Hay on Wye Festival and loved the whole premise of the book - Bryony sold the book in the session with great ease.
Refreshing to have a humourous, poignant 'not so happily ever after' story of a girl in her twenties - revealing that even after a shocking decade that you can still get it together and be 'normal' (whatever that is..)
Several laugh out loud moments and many that are cringe worthy that I am sure most people can relate to but not admit in public - A black and white confession of a not so rosy social life of a single girl. My only criticism is possibly that Bryony was a little harsh on herself in places for her actions - should have given herself a little break from self loathing and embraced the trashy :)
A brave, refreshing memoir and one that the book world (and me!) were crying out for.
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SineadB | 2 reseñas más. | Dec 7, 2015 |
The Wrong Knickers first came to my attention on Twitter, as my evening is morning in the UK and hence my feed is full of bookish thoughts from there. I didn’t know that Bryony Gordon was a well-known journalist in the UK, I just thought she’d written a memoir of her twenties. I didn’t know what she was up to nowadays. That didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this audiobook at all, I think it probably added to it as I didn’t think Bryony’s crazy days were ever going to end!

Growing up, Bryony dreamed of being the highly cool person in her twenties that we’ve all thought we were going to be. How many of us actually made it to the cool job, awesome flat and fantastic boyfriend? Bryony’s twenties were much closer to what we could all relate to – the dodgy one room studio in the even dodgier area, the awful boyfriends and the drunken nights out. I felt a kind of empathy with Bryony, she had that life that everyone did but nobody ever dared to admit. She dropped out of college, getting a job as a dogsbody on a newspaper that eventually led to greater things. She had nights where she didn’t recall where she went or how she ended up at the place she awoke. She had crazy times with friends. There were drugs involved. There was a payday lender. There were all the things you thought nobody else did, but Bryony did it all.

What was best though was that Bryony made no excuses. Sure, she screwed up royally many times but she never tried to duck for cover. To use an Aussie phrase, she copped it sweet (took it on the chin). She survived her twenties and turned out quite normal by all accounts but with a number of cringe worthy and hilarious tales to tell. Getting given the wrong knickers by a one night stand? Check. Throwing the mother of all parties in a one room flat? Check. Meeting a work colleague at the STD clinic? Yep. Giving a sympathy pash? Done.

Although Bryony’s life seemed to be teetering on the edge of no return at times, never did it seem like she’d lost control. Perhaps it was the way the story was written or perhaps it was that Bryony herself knew that this period was only temporary: that love and stability would soon be found and she’d settle on to the straight and narrow. The beginning of her more ‘adult’ life chronicled in the book was a little less exciting to hear about, but I felt glad for Bryony and that she’d survived her various horrors. Her writing style was easy to listen to (Sophie Bleasdale was a wonderful narrator, with just the right hint of embarrassment in her voice at times) and very friendly, like a good mate. She tells the story warts and all, which made for a great fascination for me. I couldn’t wait to see what mess she’d land herself in next. There have been comparisons to Bridget Jones’ Diary, but I think that this is different – this is somebody’s real life we’re talking about, not insta-messaging Hugh Grant in the office. It’s that little bit more can’t look away from by knowing that it’s real. But, if you are a fan of Bridget or the Sex and the City girls, or just enjoy a good confessional involving outlandish deeds…you certainly won’t be disappointed by Bryony’s story.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
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1 vota
Denunciada
birdsam0610 | 2 reseñas más. | Aug 30, 2015 |

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Estadísticas

Obras
8
Miembros
201
Popularidad
#109,507
Valoración
½ 3.7
Reseñas
7
ISBNs
21

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