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Lesley Parker 's Reviews > Did I Ever Tell You This?

Did I Ever Tell You This? by Sam Neill
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it was ok

I love Sam Neill so this book was especially disappointing. A good start with the usual: the early years, the lure of acting … but then it collapses into a set of unstructured and not terribly insightful or memorable reminiscences (apart from having a ‘go’ at a prominent Australian actor and one of his American colleagues).
It’s not entirely Sam’s fault. What was the publisher thinking? Don’t they invest in editing any more?
Perhaps they figured they didn’t need to put the effort in when his name would sell it anyway … if so, that’s cynical and not fair on author or audience.
It’s telling that the best title he/they could come up with was, Did I ever tell you this?.
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Reading Progress

March 14, 2023 – Shelved
March 14, 2023 – Shelved as: to-read
March 23, 2023 – Started Reading
April 2, 2023 – Finished Reading

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Comments Showing 1-10 of 10 (10 new)

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message 1: by Lisa (new)
May 07, 2023 08:50PM

Lisa I am inclined to agree. I am getting through it but I find the lack of structure annoying, as well - it is really all over the place. I am not sure that he can be blamed too much about the actress that you mention - almost everyone finds her difficult, I have heard!


message 2: by Lisa (new)
May 07, 2023 08:52PM

Lisa I also didn’t really want to know the details about his bodily functions! However, I am probably fairly alone in disliking it these days.


message 3: by Elaine (new) - rated it 4 stars
May 15, 2023 02:06PM

Elaine I agree- it could do with a good edit.


message 4: by Leezie (new) - rated it 3 stars
May 23, 2023 04:22PM

Leezie Well put - I'm almost done and I'm approaching it with a let's get it over with attitude now.


message 5: by Adam (new) - rated it 4 stars
Jun 06, 2023 04:46PM

Adam Martin I would disagree with you, and maybe it’s because I’m listening to him read it to me rather than reading it myself, but it’s this tangents and lack of structure that give it a charm to me. It felt like having a cup of coffee with a neighbor that is telling you stories. Part of this might be because I don’t care much for most biographies, I don’t care about hearing about their personal lives.


message 6: by Angela (new) - rated it 4 stars
Jul 11, 2023 03:08AM

Angela I agree Adam. I think the context of how and why it is has been written creates a structure, albeit unexpected. It’s conversational. I find it refreshing that it is not strictly linear but is expository and thematic in it tangents. I enjoyed the conversational nature of it which I think is more reflective of Sam’s apparent nature than a more prescriptive , formulaic personality, overly edited by another personality. It’s his memoir, written for his reasons and in his time, focusing on what he wants to highlight. Perhaps a more academic biography by someone else would warrant a different structure than this does.


message 7: by Grant (new) - rated it 3 stars
Jul 16, 2023 06:23PM

Grant Hodgson I think being sent off to boarding school at age 8 is a form of psychological trauma and rejection from which one never really recovers, and this series of half- completed stories, tales of feelings of inadequacy and imposter syndrome are all the evidence required for me to rest my case. Laughed a couple of times, but mostly a very very sad book.


message 8: by Margaret (new) - rated it 5 stars
Sep 02, 2023 04:37PM

Margaret Galbraith I found it raw, exquisite and truthful like talking to an old friend


message 9: by Sheryl (new) - rated it 4 stars
Nov 03, 2023 04:45PM

Sheryl Davidson I have just finished Bernie Taupin’s book and that is aptly named scattershot so I didn’t find this one too bad. I liked that I mostly knew what he was talking about, having grown up in NZ. Liked it overall.


message 10: by Sally (new) - rated it 4 stars
Oct 30, 2024 06:59PM

Sally Koerner I have to agree that is somewhat disappointing- I listened to the audio book so I could have the pleasure of hearing Sam Neill’s lovely voice retelling his stories - in the end, many of the stories seemed to have a similar ring to them and I was left wanting, and unfortunately no longer as much a fan of him as before. Oh, well, that’s it I suppose.


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