Product Description

Life the Lipman way is always unexpected, and the hilarious and witty way in which she recalls her adventures and misadventures has made her a bestselling author and national treasure. Past-it Notes is the ultimate Maureen Lipman collection, drawing on choice material from her six previous books (re-visited and re-worked) laced with a heady dose of extremely funny new autobiographical material. Past-it Notes is packed with beguiling showbiz anecdotes, wonderful stories, eccentric characters, bizarre situations and memorable encounters - recalled and recorded with gusto and relish, including affectionate recollections of her late husband, the playwright Jack Rosenthal, and of her mother and Muse, the inimitable Zelma. From entertaining the neighbours at the age of four with impressions of Alma Cogan to entertaining the nation on TV, from struggling with her laptop to film-roles and award-winning stage triumphs as diverse as The Pianist and Oklahoma - and not forgetting her iconic creation Beattie, star of thirty five British Telecom commercials - Maureen combines stories of her whirlwind professional life, and confessions of the chaos that often threatens to engulf her personal life, with a style and wit that is utterly and uniquely her own. 'Thank the Lord for Maureen Lipman...she is fast becoming a national treasure. She has a lightness of touch that glides over the poignant and the hilarious with elegance and gives voice to a generation that is increasingly and lamentably overlooked.' Sunday Express Born in Hull, actress Maureen Lipman has written six best-selling books, the most recent being Lip Reading. She has won numerous awards for her television and theatrical work including the Laurence Olivier and Variety Club of Great Britain Awards.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7342 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Customer Reviews

Whirlwind readable feast
I am a great fan of Maureen Lipman. It is ages since I read 1 or 2 books of her earlier books, which i thought were brilliant. I have just finished "past it notes" and would recommend it as a great night time read. I love the style and wit of the chapters, with some ab hilarious laugh out loud parts. The book took me on a whirlwind tour of her personal and professional life. I found out how much she thought of jack her husband too. It is a uniquely written and worded book. Am so glad I have the time to read again. I have recently read "pop goes the weasel" which was funny and interesting. Also, a brilliant book called "now then lad" about a rural bobby in yorkshire which is worth getting hold of.

Brilliant and very very funny!
I've been waiting ages for this book. I live in Minneapolis now and so miss the British humour so I was so relieved at knowing this book was being released. I am reading it right now and it is the funniest book I have ever read..I am literally sat reading this and bursting out laughing (to the point of crying at times) and just not wanting to put it down. Maureen has a fabulous sense of humour and it all comes out in this brilliant book. Well worth it.

Stick one on saying, "Read This!"
I have to admit before anything else that I have always been a fan of Maureen Lipman, both her acting and her writing. This book is just a huge bonus for me. She's re-worked some older material, which it was a pleasure to revisit (even though all the other books are sitting in my bookcase). The updates make for interesting reading, as I suppose they always will when someone reviews what they wrote and thought ten to twenty years ago.

A minor disappointment was that she had nothing to say about being in "Doctor Who" (another of my favourites), but then maybe there wasn't anything to tell about it.

I love her warring tendencies to keep quiet or get bolshie; I enjoy the tales of childhood Hull; and it's great to hear what makes a performer tick: the drive, the fear, the basics of the job and (fabulous) the name dropping.

The chapter "Widow on the World" is one of the greatest pieces of writing because it tells it how it was: it encapsulates the emotion of what must have been a very difficult period in her life, taking care of Jack Rosenthal up to his death, following the highs and lows of treatment, remission and recurrence. It is not self-pitying, but it is true and very, very touching.

Maureen Lipman is never long without humour and insight which is encapsulated within short chapters. The book's origin in journalistic pieces is clear from its structure, and makes for irritating reading for some added to the asides the author frequently indulges in.

You have to be sure you like the style before embarking on this because it's a big book. I think it's a wonderful read, and would tell everyone I know to get themselves a copy, and not just because I'm a bit biased.