"She felt like a librarian, like the wise conduit for public knowledge, as if she could lead you anywhere you needed to be."
"The idea of the open roa"She felt like a librarian, like the wise conduit for public knowledge, as if she could lead you anywhere you needed to be."
"The idea of the open road lights you up. You have always adored driving great distances across the country. It is the only time you feel any kind of patriotism."
"But that nagging sensation of doubt was so profound, they eventually gave it a name: nonstalgia. Noun: 1. The unsettling sensation that you are never able to fully access the past, that once you are departed from an event, some essential quality of it is lost forever 2. A reminder to remember; just because the sharpness of the sadness has faded does not mean it was once not terrible. It means only that time and space, creatures of infinite girth and tenderness have stepped between the two of you, and they are keeping you safe, as they were once unable to."
**specific references to ModCloth (boots) and J.C. and the Uptown Sound!...more
I have never really paid much attention to the royals; I haven't watched The Crown (though now I'm intrigued!); all I remember is a) trying to record I have never really paid much attention to the royals; I haven't watched The Crown (though now I'm intrigued!); all I remember is a) trying to record SNL on VHS when the broadcast got interrupted by Diana's car wreck and b) my mom saying at some point that I could marry Prince William some day (I suppose just because we're the same age). I thought about this a lot while listening to Harry's memoir (highly recommend the audio version as he narrates!) and being completely turned off by William as a person and a brother (and perhaps a future king, unless the whole system gets dismantled).
The only reason I listened to this book is because a friend wanted to listen but couldn't get it from the library, so I used an Audible credit. She liked it so much that I decided to give it a shot. And I'm so glad I did! I got totally sucked in, and I felt disappointed in myself for believing certain stories I've seen in the news over the years about Harry because clearly the press is TERRIBLE, and I really kind of fell in love with how honest and forthright he is throughout the book and how he doesn't shy away from mistakes he's made and what he's done to make amends, etc.
As soon as I finished this audiobook, I then watched the 6-part miniseries on Netflix to get Meghan's perspective and loved her just as much (e.g. the several instances of pettiness directed from Kate, William's wife, to Meghan, are disappointing to say the least; I don't have a lot of patience for mean girls, especially ones who don't grow out of it as adults). She and Harry seem like such a perfect pair.
All in all, this is added to a growing list of surprising and refreshing memoirs written by people I didn't know I was interested in until I heard them tell their story. I look forward to continuing that list. ____
"I hadn't been aware before this moment that the last thing Mummy saw on this earth was a flashbulb." (p. 107)
"Large, loud, extremely masculine men--and yet they all had tiny little dogs. I've never heard or read an explanation for this, and I can't venture one. I'll only say it was odd to see these testosterone-rich, mostly bald ogres cooing at their poodles, shih tzus and pugs." (p. 109)
"Weddings were joyous occasions sure, but they were also low-key funerals, because after saying their vows people tended to disappear." (p. 186)
"And then they [the press] showed the world what kind of 'partners' they really were. A BBC radio presenter posted a photo on his social media-- a man and a woman holding hands with a chimpanzee. The caption read: Royal baby leaves hospital." (p.365)
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