FAB-U-LOUS! Darling! (All Balls and Glitter: My Life - Craig Revel Horwood)

Member Name: mumto3

Product:	All Balls and Glitter: My Life - Craig Revel Horwood
Date:	28/01/09 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A very open and honest book

Disadvantages: There are some things I don't need to know

This was another of the books my Husband bought me for Christmas. He had seen Craig Revel Horwood plugging it on the BBC breakfast programme and knowing what a huge fan I am of the show decided it was just the book for me.

Craig Revel Horwood is one of the judges on the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing and is also a well know choreographer and dancer. I only knew him from the Strictly Come Dancing show but was aware of his other work after hearing about it on the BBC 2 Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two.

The books starts with his Craig's family life and growing up in Australia and telling the reader how He got into dancing and eventually headed to the UK. Some of the things Craig reveals of his childhood were quite shocking to me as I had no idea that he was even Australian. Some of the stories he tells of his upbringing are very moving and his sister has even been involved in helping to share some of his experiences. I was impressed to find out some of the things that Craig has worked on since becoming a dancer and then a choreographer as I only really know his Strictly persona. The book also contains some lovely pictures of Craig throughout his life.

I have mixed feelings about the book. I was fascinated by his upbringing and felt real empathy towards him because of what he has been through in his life. On the other hand he is quite open in the book and in some places I felt he shared just a little too much for my liking. I don't think I am a prude or easily shocked but there were just some things in the book that I would have been quite happy not to know about Craig Revel Horwood.

Craig has used ghost writer Alison Maloney for the book but I don't think that any of Craig's character or honesty has been lost using this method of writing. I can still very clearly hear that it is Craig telling the story.

I'm not sure I would want to read the book again but it was a very interesting and revealing book. Unfortunately some of the stories about Strictly Come Dancing differ from those told by Len Goodman in his autobiography (Better Late Than Never - see my other review). Perhaps this is just a difference of opinion or varying recollections of the same events.

The cover price of the book is £18.99 but if you shop around you will find it much cheaper. It will probably be out in paperback soon.

I would recommend the book to anyone familiar with Craig Revel Horwood and his career. I certainly see him in a very different light than I did before.

Author: Craig Revel Horwood with Alison Maloney
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Limited
ISBN: 978-1-84317-321-2

Summary: certainly not D U L L!