Welcome to the FBOTU Book Club discussion of Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. Wishful Drinking is part Hollywood memoir, part addiction survival story and part medical journal. Something to keep in mind, though, is that it’s also a theatre piece. Carrie performed this story on stage. This is an important point to keep in mind, since I feel the book has a very immediate feel to it. She’s not just writing about her life as an exploratory musing of her thoughts; she’s trying to entertain an audience. When she addresses the reader, she’s essentially acting out her life for us.
From the introduction:
“All I’ve ever known is this sort of hot-house plant existence, and I could tell from watching how normal people lived—normal people as depicted by Hollywood and burned into our consciousness—I understood that my life was unusual.”
So, let’s get the ball rolling. Did you like the book? Did it work for you as a memoir? As a theatre piece? Did you walk away feeling you knew the author better? Did the author successfully convey her story, and to some purpose? Did you have any favorite (or least favorite) parts of the book?
I really enjoyed the book. I’ve always enjoyed Carrie Fisher anyway. You can tell she’s truly intelligent and genuinely funny. She’s got a sense of humor a lot like myself, laced with sarcasm. The book was a little light for me though. I guess I expected it to go into her life a little more in depth. Telling more stories about her work on Star Wars and what not. My favorite part was the story about her brother shooting himself and how her mother had her hide their other guns and flush her brothers drugs, heh. I also loved how she described her mother and what it was like to grow up in that situation. I think it probably works better as a stage show, the same way Margaret Cho’s I’m The One That I Want works better as a stage show for me.
I know what you mean. It is light. I’d love to get a really weighty day-by-day memoir from her, but I think that’s unlikely at this point. One of the more troubling (and humanizing) themes in the book is her loss of memory. Because of the ECT and the drugs, she openly admits she’s lost parts of her memory that she’ll never get back. It’s sobering, when you think that so much of who we are is based on our memories, and in losing them, we lose our identity. I can’t imagine being handed a Princess Leia doll and being told, “This is who you are.” Wild.
I enjoyed the book a lot and laughed out loud a few times. I have enjoyed Carrie Fisher as a actress and as a author. I find her to be funny and witty. She is a very intelligent and a smart woman. I especially loved the cover to the book. FUNNY! One thing I wish about the book is that it should have been a bit longer. It was an easy read and learned more about her life and drug use. I also liked how she cooks and no one in the family does. When she talks about her mother it is very funny. There are two parts of the book that are my favorite. First, when is talking about how her father left her and her mother and how he comforted Liz Taylor first with his hugs and then with his penis. I luaghed out loud when I read that and shared it with one of my coworkers and we laughed about it together. Second, was at the end of the book and she remembers the quote from Star Wars and this is why she started taking acid. That’s the only thing she remembers about the book. I have recommended it to a few of my friends to read. If she ever comes to Tucson, AZ on tour for the book and one woman show, I want to see it. I even picked up her last novel - The Best Awful. I never read it. So I’m going to read it next.
LOVED LOVED LOVED it… I’m at work now, but I highlihted at least 3 dozen lines that made me guffaw out loud! I loved the story about her brother shooting himself in the leg. Loved the whole Paul Simon chat, LOVED the diagram of all of the ways that Bille and Tigh could be related! SO FUNNY! She’s doing the one woman show in Seattle in April! I think Larry and I are going to make a trip up there to see it.
I would agree with you on the book. There were a lot of great moments and funny tales in the book. Another funny moment was the family tree and when she talked about her brother shooting his leg and Debbie having to have Carrie help her with hiding the gun and the getting rid of the drugs.
I loved the book. I felt like she was actually talking to me the whole time. I really wish it had been longer, though. She was so biting and witty in some of her commentaries that I just wanted them to go on and on. My thoughts are really coherent right now, but I would love to discuss this in the podcast.
I constantly pictured Carrie onstage performing this piece as I read it. Because it was meant as theatre, I was able to get past the fact that as a memoir I was left wanting much more. I bought the book after work one day, and had nearly read it all on the bus by the time I was home. It was one of the most entertaining works of non-fiction that I’ve encountered recently, and I read a fucking lot of books.
My favorite part was picturing Cary Grant calling to talk to Carrie about her drug addiction. WTF? I love Debbie, she’s a kook. OH, and buying vibrators for Carrie and her grandmother for Christmas was hilarious!
I saw Carrie on The Bonnie Hunt Show sometime a couple weeks ago when I was at the gym and I enjoyed seeing her. She’s got such presence that you want her to be your best friend. You’re somewhat shattered but very loyal best friend.
I wasn’t thrown off by the fact that she didn’t discuss her Star Wars days too deeply, as I’m not a huge Star Wars fan. (Covers head.) I can’t help it! Geez. However, I love me some Carrie action! I remember being very confused when I watched Return of the Jedi for the first time as a kid…... I couldn’t decide if I wanted to screw the girl in the gold bikini or be the girl in the gold bikini…....but I digress.
“Wishful Drinking” was an amazing read and I’ve been recommending it to everyone I know. I’m actually going to re-read it tonight and get some more insight, because I read it pretty soon after the book club was announced and it didn’t take me nearly as long to read as I thought…...obviously!
I’m in the middle of reading it, so am not completely done with it, but already love love love it! My favorite quote in the book is in the first paragraph of chapter 1. “If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” That is an amazing revelation that is something to strive to live by…. i cannot wait to finish reading!
Her characterization of Debbie Reynolds is a scream, and yet it’s still relatable. I love the running gag of “Then she did what any mother would do…” followed by “...she called Ava Gardner” or “...she called Cary Grant” or “...she took me out of school to be in her show.” Carrie is aware that while not any mother can call a movie star for help or advice, all mothers do things that embarrass their kids.
Later in the book, she talks about her mother’s revelation that she (Debbie) was kidnapped as a child. I remember watching the episode of Conversations from the Edge where Debbie did that. That was the episode where Debbie had prepared a list of questions for Carrie to ask her. Carrie kept pulling out the list and Debbie was mortified that Carrie wasn’t playing along with the illusion. My favorite was, “Debbie, why do you continue to work so hard?” It was a scream.
Changing course here for a minute, what did you all think of Carrie’s ex-husband Bryan Lourd and his assertion that her addiction to codeine turned him gay? Carrie writes: “Turning people gay is kind of a superpower of mine. It’s not called upon a lot, but when it is, I pick up my little pink phone, I put on my rainbow-colored cape, and I’m there like a shot! You know, I was probably turning people gay for a long, long, long time without even knowing it. Because I took a lot of codeine—and I traveled. So there are probably pockets of homosexual communities all over the world started by me. You may have seen some of my handiwork.”
I can’t imagine any gay guy making that claim, but I guess if you’re trying to place the blame for your own dishonesty on someone else, you might as well blame the drugs. I guess he could have said it in jest, long after the fact. She doesn’t really specify in what context he said that.
I would think that the men in Carrie’s life are under a different set of rules than most. She seems like she would just have some kind of charisma about her. I think the the claim about codeine is her implying that she doesn’t remember all the men she turned gay because she was under the influence of something.
I agree with you about the conservation piece between Carrie and Debbie - so funny. I wasn’t what I made of the her account that her drug use turned her second husband gay. I think he was before and she was telling a funny story about how she is the gay superhero that can turn straight men gay. Overall, very enjoyable and funny author and great book.
I’m referring to the passage (on page 109) where she talks about her break-up with Paul Simon and her marriage to Bryan Lourd:
“Actually, he told me later that I had turned him gay…by taking codeine again. And I said, ‘You know, I never read that warning on the label.’ I thought it said heavy machinery, not homosexuality—turns out I could have been driving those tractors all along!”
I would just like to know the context and how much later it actually was. Was he kidding? Or did he really believe what he was saying? If he was kidding, it makes for a funnier story. If he was serious, then I think it’s kind of a jerky thing to say to someone.
I see what you are saying. I had to go back and reread the passage when she mentioned the gay change in her husband. I’m really not sure what she meant by it. I would think he was joking and having fun with her. I hope the comment is a funny one.
Just wanted to thank everyone who participated in the discussion! It’s not over, so if you have more to add, or think of anything else you’d like to mention, please do.
A new Book Club selection will be announced at the beginning of February, so stay tuned!
And as promised, check your PM boxes for a little thank you from FBOTU and Book Buddy Marc. WARNING: You may not want to open the photo at work or in the presence of others.
