Griff Rhys Jones - Semi Detached (Semi-detached - Griff Rhys Jones)

Member Name: adambrown400

Product:	Semi-detached - Griff Rhys Jones
Date:	27/04/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting and enjoyable read

Disadvantages: none

Most will know of Griff Rhys Jones mainly through his double act of 'Smith and Jones'. Others will also be familiar with his work in 'Not the Nine O'clock News' and more recently Restoration and Three Men In A Boat. Here, Griff vividly recounts his formative years as a child in the 60's right through to the cusp of fame at the BBC.

The book was perfect holiday reading material, mainly due to its English charm. It reminds you of the average, everyday things that you can easily identify as 'English' - jam scones, picnics in the countryside and seaside towns out of season, very different to the Florida poolside where the majority of this book was read!

Griff has an excellent narrative style, mixing humour and genuine heartfelt emotion with equal measure. In particular his reminicences of his relationship with his father is most vivid. Its obvious that Griff wishes that he was able to get to know his father better. His dad was distant and found social situations very difficult, and although Griff came from quite a well-off middle class family they still spent the majority of their holiday time in his rusty old boat.

Quite a lot of the book is taken up with Griff recounting the hours that he spent on his father's assortment of different boats and how uncomfortable it was!

Its easy to identity with a lot of the book, whatever age you are. The issues surrounding family and family problems are relevant to everyone.

I particularly enjoyed the way in which Griff recounts places and events and then revisits the locations with his mother, His old houses in Epping and Essex are well recounted, with them now either derelict or overgrown and different. One very memorable section has Griff visiting the place of many holidays - Weston Super Mare. His retelling of he long boring hours spent with his uncles and aunts in their small bungalow is very amusing, as is his witty commentary on English seaside towns out of season.

What also struck me was Griff's honesty throughout the book; not only in relation to his father, but also his lost loves and the way he treated some of his ex-girlfriends. Its also amusing to read of Griff's experiences with drink during the heady days if the late 60's and early 70's. As well as that his love of rock music, which is something I would never has associated with him at all.

You really get a sense of Griff's personality and how he has become the person he is by reading this book. His enthusiasm and creativity come to the fore when he starts his life at Cambridge, and in particular the Footlights comedy revue. Its funny to note that Griff really didn't have much of an idea of what he was going to do after University. But as a group, he, Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson et al managed to revolutionise a new wave of comedy.

The book was excellent on all levels. It was 300 pages of sheer brilliance, full of half remembered infancy, boyish exuberance and growing into clever thespian. Highly recommended.

Summary: Great 'English' book