Customer Reviews

Bonkers: My Life in Laughs (Unabridged)

as a big fan of Jennifer Saunders I was very excited to read this book, I can honestly say i was not disappointed. The unique 'go of on a ramble in the middle of a chapter' structure ensured that you were never bored by long stories of great grandparents and first boyfriends. The book was just as funny as Jen herself and I read the book in her voice. It was personal but no too personal that it began to feel uncomfortable. The details on how she got into comedy, how she and Adrian Edmondson got together, the beginning of Ab Fab and her fantastic friendships with Dawn French and Joanna Lumley were an insightful view into her fantastic life. Then obviously there was the cancer. She tackled this subject well. She wrote it in an emotional light but not in a way that would drag down the mood of the whole book. She made people aware of what she had been through but you could tell she was not searching for any sympathy, which in a way made it all the most touching. I would recommend this book 100%

I bought the Audible audio version of Bonkers; Jennifer was the narrator.

This is a laugh out loud book. Much of it is written in an off the cuff style of a comedy sketch. And thereby lays her genius. There's, rightly in my view, little in the way of startling revelation. Jennifer has gained some notoriety for being a very private individual. But in this book she's often self deprecating, warm and it gives a fascinating insight into the way in which she can capture the moment and turn the ordinary into both the amusing and absurd. She has an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. A number of her reflections recounted here have clearly been the basis of or influenced her characters and sketches. Although she often makes light of her road to success, she is genuinely talented and I have the greatest admiration for her work and as a person.

She speaks with honesty about her illness and refuses to be defined by it. Her account is candid and moving. After finishing the book, I've laughed again (unfortunately out loud for no apparent reason) as I remembered a couple of incidents she talked through! She is a very funny lady. I really enjoyed this and I feel enriched by her sharing a little peek into her life.

Loved the book thought it was personal but without exposing any intimacy so we now know how ms Saunders mind works but not which side of the bed she sleeps on.
As a huge fan I giggled through the book in a day.
It is to be hoped perhaps a novel will follow however anyone who reads this and has read bonkers will know it may be a long wait. Hah!

Well two things first. I am not a big reader. I have many books on my book shelves but I do not read many books from cover to cover. Also I am like so many Im sure that feels like the biggest fan of Jennifer Saunders IN THE WORLD........

So I loved this book. I read it from cover to cover ....achievement and I feel I know a bit more about Jennifer and her life in laughter. The book is honest (I don't think at all cranky....as I heard one reviewer say) and I hope Jennifer writes more.

I love how Jennifer is deciding more often to say what she feels about stuff like the BEEB!

Great value for money too

Excellent read. Full of great stories about many people and programmes that if you are a fan or grew up in the 80's you will find familiar. Have always loved Jennifer's humour and it translates brilliantly in to print. Such a talented but down to earth lady. What fun!

Thoroughly enjoyable. I ended up liking JS much more than I did before. I encountered her at work years ago and she was huffy, I now understand she is a woman of few words with strangers! Very easy read. Enjoy

I am a big fan of Jennifer Saunders and always read that she would never do one of these books but then she did.
I couldn't put this book down once I started to read it, I read it in the voice of 'Jennifer' and never laughed so much or been as entertained and caught up in a book.
What I love about this book is you find out a lot about the women herself without finding out anything out. As crazy as it sounds you do learn a lot about Jennifer but not as much as you'd expect and it's like reading about someone else and Jennifer still remains an enigma.

As I always suspected she was indeed a "jolly hockey stick" kind of gel! I just loved the way she would go off in a tangent and 10 pages later finally go back to sitting on the steps of her student flat she had been referring to earlier. VERY entertaining book from a lovely woman. Go Jen!!!

This is a really entertaining read and is full of interesting facts and stories for people who grew up with F&S; then AbFab. It also confirmed the impression I had of Jennifer Saunders that she's a lovely person who simply likes making people laugh. She also comes across as very down-to-earth and humble about her talents. A must for any fan.

So funny when reading on a flight to Singapore couldn't help laughing out loud...... other the passengers where not amused....lol