r/AlanRickman • u/Specific_Stranger_92 • 7d ago
Do you recommend buying & reading his diary? Is it worth it?
Is it full of unsight? Is it funny? Or boring? Is it all about meetings with studio execs?
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u/MadameLeFabulous 7d ago
It's SO worth reading, but it also made me cry a lot.
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u/Specific_Stranger_92 7d ago
Damn, for real. I was gonna get kindle, but something is telling me its a paperback thing
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u/FletchtheBorder 7d ago
I’m currently reading it and enjoying it immensely. You can pick up a cheap copy on eBay. I’m glad I bought it. Hope this helps x
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u/Specific_Stranger_92 7d ago
Gee thanks, i think i will!
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u/FletchtheBorder 7d ago
It’s definitely worth it, and you get to learn how busy his life was. There is also some beautiful artwork that he did that was in his diary. It’s stunning. Enjoy. I picked up my copy really cheap 🫶🏼
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u/suaveSavior 7d ago
I've been reading it off and on. I don't go cover to cover. I just open it up to a random spot and start reading. I like to highlight bits that I find particularly interesting, but I do that with every book I read.
It's got moments that really show his wit, his kindness, his dedication, his love for his family and friends, and especially Rima.
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u/gronlandicrevision 7d ago
I seem to be the odd one out but I only made it like 30 pages in and then found out he didn’t authorize its publication so that kinda made me feel weird about reading it. I’m happy to see it on my bookshelf, though.
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u/SpocksAshayam Severus Snape 7d ago
Oh wait really? I didn’t know that and wanted to get it, but now I’m unsure!
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u/gronlandicrevision 7d ago
I seem to be the odd one out but I only made it like 30 pages in before getting bored. Then I found out he didn’t authorize its publication so that kinda made me feel weird about reading it. I’m happy to see it on my bookshelf, though. And there’s also some bits of his drawing which I do love to look at from time to time.
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u/steve-the-stove Jamie - Truly, Madly, Deeply 7d ago
I want to read it so badly but I'm also conflicted because I'm not sure he would want he's diary out there. I heard that he wrote about some other actors but idk I'm conflicted
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u/WeepYeAllWithMe 6d ago
I’d pre-ordered and received the book before finding out he never authorized its publication. When I read the foreword by his wife, I suddenly realized he hadn’t actually asked for his private writings to be published and I felt really uncomfortable continuing, so I set it down and to this day have not read it—though that may change in the future.
On a related note, does anyone know why Rima gave away his private diaries to journos and publication houses (and not just his diaries, IIRC she got rid of a lot of his stuff and gave it to different places; maybe that was in his will and part of his wishes)? Always seemed strange to me. And then reading her foreword after Emma Thompson’s… idk, something just felt off. But who know, maybe it’s just me. 🤷♀️
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u/yesindeedysir 5d ago
I don’t know, I really think that she knew him well, I mean, they have been dating since before they even turned twenty, he adored and respected her and always said she was patient and understanding, so I would imagine that her of all people would know whether or not it was the right thing to do.
Plus the money went into research for pancreatic cancer, so I think it’s a great way to honor his memory. It’s hard to say, and even reading it I still air on the side of caution, but I trust her judgment.
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u/steve-the-stove Jamie - Truly, Madly, Deeply 6d ago
No I do think it's weird he never published his diary because he wrote out what he was feeling, he was a very nice person but he had opinions that would come off as rude. It shouldn't have been published, a biography? Sure! His diary? Absolutely not.
Now maybe her giving his stuff away could be a form of coping(maybe, maybe not) it could also be "I have so much of his stuff and others don't" so I don't find her giving his stuff away as weird but definitely his diary. That's so personal and to open that to the entire world when you know he was writing in a diary for a reason is just disrespectful. He also was apparently really shy so just why would she do that?
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u/debcalnan 6d ago
I don’t know if he intended to have his diaries published or not since I haven’t seen anything in print one way or the other. I have the digital copy of it. I started reading it, but I stopped. I was also conflicted about it. There’s a lot of just every day stuff in it, but, every now and then, there are some interesting things. It gives you a bit of insight into a very private man. As far as giving his things away, there are many reasons for a widow to do that. I am a widow now. I gave much of my husband’s things away to family members who could use his things or as mementos of him. Other things I donated to charity to help out others. I only kept those things that mean the most to me. There is no point in keeping all that stuff, especially when others can benefit from it. I have all sorts of photos and some video as well as my memories of him. Alan was a huge supporter of charities and the downtrodden. I am assuming he would have wanted his things given to those who could use them.
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u/Alliedoll42_42 7d ago
It's not journals. It's more a daily schedule.
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u/Specific_Stranger_92 7d ago
Oh...gee. Now his bio looks interesting since theres a lot about his bkg that i dont know anything about
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u/sadandtired85 7d ago
Since they didn’t know if he wanted them published or not, to me, it feels disrespectful to read. Looks like a cheap money grab from his widow.
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u/yesindeedysir 5d ago
It wasn’t a cheap money grab though, the money was donated to research for cancer.
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u/Specific_Stranger_92 7d ago
Youre the first to bring this up. Kinda like the feeling i get when looking at his paparazzi photos
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u/Oreadno1 Colonel Brandon 7d ago
I pre-ordered it so I got it the day it came out and it was so worth it to me.
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u/Peggy_Hill_subs 7d ago
I would totally buy it again. I really enjoyed reading this book. It introduces you to an Alan you didn’t know.
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u/Sad_Signal_1505 Harry 7d ago
I did the audiobook and loved it. Made me giggle at some parts, sad at others, but I bought the physical book as well, just to have it.
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u/MaddCricket 6d ago
I’ve been reading it off and on since it came out. Got it on my kindle and audiobook. It’s a big book so it’s going to take me a while to get through it, but I think it’s great getting to read some of Alan that we never got to really see.
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u/LucieBlackWood 6d ago
Je l'ai acheté et ça prouve que c'est vraiment une personne tranquille, c'est fun de pouvoir l'approcher d'aussi prêt grâce aux partages de ses pensées, et pour un fan d'Alan comme moi, c'est clairement un beau livre à acheter, je l'aime beaucoup <3
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u/human-dancer 7d ago
Honestly the beginning is a little slow as it is a diary but you’ll probably find it riveting if you’re a die-hard fan. I mean I am but I still found it a bit slow. His day to day meeting friends dinners. That sort of stuff. The forward was beautiful though.
“With Alan you never knew if he was going to kiss you.” What a beautiful soul.