Product Description

Dawn French is one of the greatest comedy actresses of our time, with a career that has spanned nearly three decades, encompassing a vast and brilliant array of characters. Loved for her irreverent humour, Dawn has achieved massive mainstream success while continuing to push boundaries and challenge stereotypes. Here she describes the journey that would eventually establish her as a perhaps unlikely, but nevertheless genuine, national treasure. Dawn began her career as part of the groundbreaking alternative comedy group, the Comic Strip, marking a radical departure from the more traditional comedy acts of the time. Later came the all-female Girls On Top, which teamed Dawn with Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax and Tracy Ullman and firmly established women in British comedy. As part of the wildly successful and much loved duo French and Saunders, Dawn helped create a repertoire of brilliantly observed characters, parodying popular culture and impersonating everything from "Madonna" and "Harry Potter" to "The Exorcist". Dawn's more recent role in the "Vicar of Dibley" showcased not only her talent but also her ability to take a controversial and topical issue and make it mainstream - and very funny. From her early years as an RAF child and her flat-sharing antics with Jennifer Saunders, to her outspoken views on sizism and her marriage to Lenny Henry, "Dear Fatty" will chronicle the extraordinary, hilarious rise of a complex, dynamic and unstoppable woman.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #411 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's become a cliché in Britain to call somebody in the entertainment field a national institution -- but that's exactly what Dawn French is. As both comedienne and actress (the latter in both comedy and straight parts), she has become one of the best loved entertainers in the country. Her range is not wide (unlike her dimensions -- and that's the sort of joke she’d crack), but she is utterly winning in everything he does. And that quality continues in Dear Fatty, a truly entertaining memoir of an event-packed life.

The form of the book is a series of letters by French, conjuring her transformation from a West Country RAF girl to a star of the cult alternative comedy group The Comic Strip. This was followed by the groundbreaking all-female Girls on Top (which did much to establish the position of women in British comedy), the astonishing success of the TV series French and Saunders (with French’s equally talented friend Jennifer Saunders) and the sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, where French’s wickedly sardonic touch keeps the tweeness of the basic situation -- female vicar in a rustic town -- at bay.

For French, early dreams of becoming a ballerina or an air hostess came to nothing, but the loss to the worlds of dance and aviation was a gain for TV audiences. All of that, of course, is covered in this frequently hilarious and often moving collection. We are invited into her most personal relationships with (among others) her mother and father, her husband (fellow comedian Lenny Henry), and, of course, her most important comedic ally, Jennifer Saunders. Everything French describes -- from the agonies of being a teenager to the death of her father -- and (of course) the way in which society defines her by her generous size -- is treated with a highly diverting insight. Fans of Dawn French's TV appearances will lap it up, but Dear Fatty has a lot more to offer, even to those only vaguely familiar with her. But is anyone in Britain only vaguely familiar with Dawn French? --Barry Forshaw

Review
'something of a revelation. Beacuse in among the the gags and photos of her bare bosom, there is intellectual rigour and real emotional intelligence ... heavens, she's a funny lady. I can't remember the last time a book made me laugh so much.' --Sunday Telegraph

Review
'a national treasure ... Loyal, self-deprecating and garrulous, French's story makes for entertaining reading ... this is an original book, and will delight her fans and, indeed anyone with a sense of humour'

Customer Reviews

Find out about the career AND the person...
Dawn French doesn't need any introduction - she is a well known comedy actress, loved by many, and is most well known for being half of French and Saunders, and as the wonderful Vicar of Dibley.

What surprised me about this autobiography is the fact that the focus isn't really on her career, and her fame. It's certainly a large part of the book, outlining her early days in the Comic Strip, the films she took part in, as well as her recent roles.

However, the fascinating aspect of this book is the way that Dawn shares her life growing up, the relationships she's had, her heartaches and her joys. She fiercely loves her family, her friends, and her colleagues, and that shines through. (However, she most certainly does not like Madonna! ;))

The book is written as a series of letters, to various people.. a large proportion of these are written to her father, and it's easy to understand why, as he had such an affect on her. One particular letter had me in tears, and I was so glad to see Dawn reaching a type of resolution by the end of the book.. which did make for a good place for it to finish.

Dawn's voice is obvious in the book, you can almost hear her speaking it in your mind.. in her own unique style. There are serious moments in the book, but the humour that you expect is always there. Who else would write a letter to her niece, talking about her life ahead of her.. including what it may be like to have a big bosom?!

For anyone who has enjoyed watching Dawn French over the years, I would highly recommend this autobiography, not only as a peek into her life, but also as a better understanding of the sort of person she is.

Very disappointing... a book that does not want to be an autobiography
I really like Dawn French and have been a fan of her for many years as a comedienne and actress. So it disappoints me to say that this book is very disappointing.

I think the core problem is illustrated in a passage where Dawn talks about her dislike of the cult of celebrity; she doesn't understand it, and doesn't want the attention of a celebrity. Fair enough... but what's an autobiography? It is, in its very essence, a big symbol of celebrity: a voyeuristic look into someone's life we only know through them being famous.

So the autobiography concept is completely undermined by French, and so she instead decides to tell her story in the form of letters to friends and family, both alive and deceased.

The trouble is French doesn't really talk about herself a lot. It's a lot of reminiscing about times in her past which quite frankly on the whole isn't very interesting. It's like sitting in a cinema listening to someone talking... like overhearing a conversation. And while memories are cherished by the person in question, they don't necessarily make good reading. If I talked about my late grandmother's love of quiz shows it means a lot to my family, but would you be interested to read about it?

With this flawed concept in place, it seems at times hard for French to maintain; she's constantly posing questions such as "Do you remember?" to try and keep the letter format intact, but only serving to reinforce the fact that we are overhearing a conversation.

Probably the biggest problem is that French doesn't really talk about much of substance. With autobiographies we want the nitty gritty of an event, and behind-the-scenes insight. And while some anecdotes are amusing, we sadly don't get many substantial stories. She talks about something her husband did, but does not talk about what it was or what happened in response. I think she alludes to him having an affair, but I don't know because she just avoids it - and this is exactly the time an autobiography should give great insight into a key event in someone's life.

There is only one story of substance, and that's the death of her father. But strangely this is marred by being stopped mid-story by a collection of photos of French japing around on set.

The book carries on in this vein, then in the latter half of the book just devolves into an Oscar acceptance speech with tediously gushing, over the top praise for family, friends and colleagues.

I think French is a kind, warm-hearted person and that comes across in this book. She is a genuinely lovely lady with a passion for her family and friends. For that I cannot criticise her.

But as a book with an RRP of £19, it really doesn't cut it.

Moving, funny, uplifting and sometimes surprising.
I really enjoyed this autobiography. I was expecting lots of the usual, 'woe is me, what a bad life I've had' diatribe that's usually found in autobiographies, but no. Dawn French is witty (obviously) but also self-effacing. She remains positive even when discussing the death of those closest to her.
The format of writing a collection of letters to loved ones also gave this a personal touch and a heart-felt warmth.
I'm no ardent Dawn French fan and I don't think you need to be to appreciate the humour and candid nature of her writing.