Robin
£11.40£14.20 (-20%)
‘This well-written page-turner is the definitive biography of the genius of Robin Williams, whose life redefines the highs and lows of the American dream’ – Steve Martin
‘Tenderly written . . . frequently hilarious’ – Sunday Times
From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations – all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed.
But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’s comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt, which he drew upon in his comedy and in celebrated films like Dead Poets Society; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Fisher King; Aladdin; and Mrs Doubtfire, where he showcased his limitless gift for improvisation to bring to life a wide range of characters. And in Good Will Hunting he gave an intense and controlled performance that revealed the true range of his talent.
Robin by Dave Itzkoff shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction and depression – topics he discussed openly while performing and during interviews – and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew. Drawing on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends and colleagues, as well as extensive archival research, Robin is a fresh and original look at a man whose work touched so many lives.
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‘[Itzkoff] has written a book about the truth and the pain that lies in comedy, and the price paid by a sensitive soul’ – Amy Poehler
‘An amazing read’ – Patton Oswalt
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Additional information
| Publisher | Main Market edition (13 Jun. 2019), Pan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 544 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1447293231 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1447293231 |
| Reading age | 18 years and up |
| Dimensions | 13.1 x 3.7 x 19.8 cm |
by chris reilly O.B.E
Enjoyable yet a heartfelt read as one learnt to understand the man named Robin Williams! I learnt so much about him and his life, which explained his actions and feelings. His children are so special in their love for him, also the very close friendships Robin had with a handful of people in the industry who loved him dearly. How Robin dealt with the really low ebbs both emotionally and physically just shows us how strong as was spiritually, even though he never thought of himself as being so. I feel honoured to now know at least this much about the genius and warm hearted man who walked on this earth named Robin Williams
by Chloe Myers
(THE IMAGES WERE TAKEN AFTER READING IT, THE BOOK ARRIVED IN AMAZING CONDITION)
Honestly was so insightful to read about Robin Williams’ life in such depth. I thought I was a fan before reading this, but now I really am a fan. Most of the content in this book, I had no idea about!
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves Robin Williams and has curiosity about his personal life, upbringing as well as his career.
The one issue I have would be that the chapters feel too long most of the time. A lot of information and events happen in one chapter, it can be overwhelming and hard to stay on track of the timeline.
by abcreviewer
Don’t know where to start I tend to only seem to read autobiographies and 34 and growing up me and my sister used to watch Mork and Mindy on Channel 4 before dinner as early as I can remember I always loved Robin Williams I just thought he was the most funniest man in the world, then as I got older I watched his films as most of us did, good will hunting is one of my favourite films of all time in fact second my first is Stand By Me! But still I was 13 when Good Will Hunting came out and even though I was just a teenager that film blew me away and the the scene near the end between Robin and Matt Damon the “not your fault” scene still makes me shed a tear now, he’s just done countless amazing films Dead Poets Society Good Morning Vietnam Mrs Doubtfire he’s done great stand up and on YouTube I watch his interviews across his time and he was just a caring funny man who seems to love his family and was living his life, I was compelled to read this book and I bought it day of release and I just love it, it’s definitely a page turner and it’s such a personal reflection on his friends and family who give you an insight to such a great man who like a lot of us has made mistakes in the past if you are anyway a fan you’re not a fan if you don’t get this book!! it is fantastic and one that ill treasure, Dave itzkoff has crafted a great personal deep and emotional book one that I think robin would of been proud of!
by chris reilly O.B.E
This biography is well written, and very detailed. I knew little about Robin Williams before I read it. I have found it quite a revelation as it includes a lot of his own words about himself, as well as comments from those who knew him well. I must admit that I found the real Robin Williams to be less sympathetic than I expected. Certainly, I found myself wondering how those closest to him coped with the excesses of his personality. I certainly recommend this to anyone interested not only in Robin Williams, but also as an excellent window onto the entertainment industry in the USA. The Kindle edition is good quality, well laid out and free of errors.
by Polly P
The book just didn’t meet my expectations. There is nothing new from what you can just google about Robin’s life on internet. The style of the book is as if smb is retelling interviews and articles about his life. It was a boring read.
by Svitlana
We learn about Robin Williams and his life and career. He was kind and generous to those in need; especially to his actor friend, Christopher Reeve, of Superman fame from the late 1970s. When Christopher was paralyzed after a horse riding accident in the 1990s and his funds ran low in relation to his 24hr care needs, Robin stepped in to help pay bills, without expecting to be repaid. They trained together as young actors in New York in the John Houseman founded or co-founded Julliard School of Acting in the early 1970s and they each had busy but different acting careers. Robin had some real successes in the first 15 years of his career, and towards the end, his moving into serious and sometimes grim roles was not always appreciated or seen at the time by some of his fans as his growing as an actor and person. They still wanted him to be the ‘funny man’, to do comic roles but these were not available or of a quality he liked. His health deteriorated from a then undiagnosed form of dementia or brain disease which led him to fear the future and partly led him to end his life by suicide in 2014. He lived most of his life in San Francisco, than in LA. He was in his 60s when he passed away. He was a good man with a lot of wisdom about human nature but he found life too much in the end. He may have been somewhat lonely after the deaths of good friends like Jonathan Winters and Christopher Reeves. Life or living was getting harder. As a young man in his 20s he partied hard in LA in the early 1980s during the Mork and Mindy series which was his breakthrough success and took a lot of drugs at that time, but eventually, as he grew older he gave the drugs up; but the alcohol addiction came and went. He was sober for years when he died. He was a good man who did his best.
by Chloe Myers
I bought this used as it was hard back.
Good value, good condition the seller was very open about the condition of the cover, I thought it was better than stated.
by A happy customer !
This was a very moving biography. Like so many other people I grew up with films like Jumanji and Mrs Doubtfire, but there was so much of Robin Williams’ life I didn’t know about until I read this book.
I like that Itzkoff, while romantic in his sentiment, remains factual about the circumstances of Robin Williams’ life and death. I think that is more respectful than anyone who might have speculated or theorised to make things more attention seeking.
It is always incredibly sad when someone takes their own life, regardless of the circumstances, and I feel this was a very humble and touching tribute.