Memoirs of an Unfit Mother
 
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Time Warner Paperbacks Release date: Monday 10th of June 2002 Number of pages: 352 Language: English (Original Language) Language: English (Unknown) |
Certainly, there have been hard lessons learnt. Which reader cannot sympathise with the empty dread a mother must feel when a child is taken away? The desperate loneliness? The horror of being judged as a failed parent? Sad things have certainly happened. But Robinson¹s reasoning--that the same would not happen to a hard-drinking workaholic man--only half helps her case for public support. It is difficult to empathise with someone who equates herself with Margaret Thatcher at every turn since the 1970s. Someone who recognises greed as a good point. And someone who seems to take great pride in telling how her husband was derided by colleagues when she became his boss. Readers who remember "Auntie Annie" from Watchdog may be shocked by her--perhaps self-protectively--hardened heart. Those who believe the hype for TV's Mrs Nasty are also mistaken--there aren't many intended wrongs here. Instead, Anne Robinson has laid herself bare, in an appeal to public opinion that she's been wronged by the system. Maybe she has. All in all, Memoirs of an Unfit Mother is worth reading, and worth learning from. It's all down here in black and white, but it is the grey areas in between which hold the intrigue. --Helen Lamont
RRP: £6.99
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Anne Robinson's most recent public persona--the hardened battleaxe of television's The Weakest Link--is but a very small part of this quizmistress; Memoirs Of An Unfit Mother will most likely change your perceptions of the star. This book is a good read, but not a comfortable one. It's interesting: a saga-style across-the-generations tale of the Robinson clan. Of course, as a long-standing journalist before she hit the TV big time, Robinson's written style ensures the pages turn quickly. Memoirs of An Unfit Mother reads like a deposition for the defence of Anne Robinson, by Anne Robinson. It's hard to tell how many prospective readers know much of her life before the consumer TV programme Watchdog, so the author's decision to lay down hard facts about her alcoholism, the demise of a troubled marriage, blind ambition and the subsequent loss of custodial rights to her daughter Emma is risky.
Honest and brave
Review date: 2008-08-23 Rating: 6 out of 10
Anne Robinson was the weakest link in her own life matters for a very long time.
Her autobiography, which I've only read recently and is probably a bit outdated by now, is written as one would expect her to, a sort of mirror image of the character we are used to watch on TV. Lucid, cool, a bit acerbic with a hint of dark humour. And yet, here we discover the other side of the story.
After an honest description of her Irish family and background, Anne takes us through a journey describing her life in England as a journalist, young spouse, mother, divorcée and, eventually, the spiral leading her to be hopelessly alcohol dependant. A drunk. The wound, immense, of having had her young daughter Emma, then aged two, taken away from her. We see her struggling and eventually coming to terms with her addiction, a years-long battle made even worse by the raw knowledge of loss. Loss of Emma's custody, loss of her work, loss of self-respect. Loss. But she struggles. And survives. And gets better and better. She marries again and a new life starts, the wheel finally turning in the right direction.
This is also an interesting insight of the struggle of women in 1940's Ireland and 1960's England, despite feminism starting to take off back then.
Back to Ms. Robinson, I am glad that her ordeal and battles against her alcohol addiction were successful and that throughout it all, she was able to retain Emma's love and respect, the most precious gift of all. Definitely NOT the weakest link any longer, well done.
Reviews
Memoirs of A Black-garbed Nemesis
Review date: 2007-01-02 Rating: 8 out of 10
In this autobiography, Anne Robinson traces her life from early days in the Liverpool area (ultimate origins "Irish peasant", she says; mother a large-scale black market operative during WW2) to her present status as a multimillionairess TV quiz show presenter. The thread running through the book from the time she was in her arly 20's is her love for her daughter, of whom she lost custody in a battle with her husband (a one-time editor of The Times).
I was struck by her streak of vengefulness or vindictiveness, especially against those in the legal profession and elsewhere whom she feels were against her. Each merits a little, as she puts it, "historical footnote", showing how they came a cropper! Among them a Judge Campbell, who prior to elevation appeared as Counsel for Robinson's husband, but was later removed when a judge for smuggling whisky in his motor boat; another is a publican who refused to serve her, who "ends up" as a cold, shivering and old BBC security guard as Robinson (impliedly) sweeps successfully past...I was not very impressed by her as a person and she wrote the book, after all.
The book chronicles, very honestly, the authoress' struggles for her career and with a dreadful level of alcoholism (she lost the custody battle on both counts, she thinks). Her career is obviously her main focus, impelled psychologically, she thinks, from her mother's entrepreneurial successes. At times she seems carried away by it all as she mentions how the decades from 1980 changed Mrs Thatcher, Princess Diana and...herself! Folie de grandeur? She was quite lucky in some of her journalistic placements, salaries, etc, but obviously thinks she went to the heights with what was (to me anyway) the terminally boring BBC Consumer programme Watchdog, which somehow led (old boy-girl network?) to The Weakest Link. With that last, she is at last "an icon" as they say and has apparently made millions (why? Why should the licence-payers pay our that kind of money and give away the US rights??) out of it.
Although she evidently has her good points, I doubt whether I would find her a pleasant person with whom to speak; the book is worth reading though and is not a bore.
Memoirs of an unift mother
Review date: 2004-06-18 Rating: 10 out of 10
I didn't like Anne Robinson very much but was intrigued by why she lost custody of her daughter. My opinion of her has soared as she has fought to overcome tremendous obstacles in her life. She is a survivor. She does not apportion blame or indulge in self pity. She looks at the obstacles and works out a way to get around them. All this and she still retains a sense of humour. I hope she goes from strength to strength.
Don’t miss out on this book, it is an exceptional read!
Review date: 2004-01-24 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is an astounding story of the rise and fall and the resurgence of a British celebrity told with candour and humility. The author shares humorous moments, shocking moments and times of great sadness and desolation that leave you with a coldness you feel you can never forgive her for. She takes you on the roller coaster ride that is her life, without clichés and the "beaten to death" antics of the usual celebrity autobiography.
At no point did I find her story drawn out and tedious to read. Being a seasoned writer gave Anne Robinson the upper hand. Perhaps writing biographical material is a field she should consider moving into next? Each period was cleverly dealt with according to its dramatic value, and Miss Robinson made sure that it was just long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.
As I worked my way through her autobiography I experienced a full range of emotions. I began with sympathy and pride for the "poor little rich girl", or should that be the "rich little poor girl"? I was transported through hilarity, astounded by her persistence, but disappointed by her weaknesses. I held out hope for her sanity and was devastated by her depravity! I was encouraged and uplifted by her determination to turn the shreds of her existence into something that resembled a life, and to do that she was willing to start right at the bottom – no favours asked.
By the time I closed the book I felt satisfied that this had been my best read of 2003. I had been captivated from beginning to end, for all the right reasons.
A must read life story
Review date: 2004-01-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
I enjoyed every page of this book. People don't generally ask for highs and lows on the scale covered in this book, and I'm sure the author didn't set out to reach many of them. I'm so glad there are books like this that I can read and take a little from the experience of others to help me live a little better. How smart this couple were to keep the pain they were going through away as much as they could from their daughter, but how desperately sad it must all have been. A happy ending and an incredibly strong charachter - hated by some but admired by most I suspect.
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Anne Robinson
Recording label: Time Warner Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Time Warner Paperbacks
EAN: 9780751532685
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 0751532681
Number of pages: 352
Publication date: 2002-06-13
Release date: 2002-06-10
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)
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