Reviews
For a guide [to journalism], there could be no better place to start than with Lynn Barber's second volume of autobiography, A Curious Career ., "Barber's recollections of her time as a celebrity interviewer follow the success of An Education , her memoir of her early life. It should be a delight, dripping with gems about her encounters with everyone from Rudolf Nureyev to Lady Gaga" - Sunday Times "Packed full of incredible stories" - Glamour "The book of the career of the ferocious interviewer: what happens, she says, when a nosy child grows up to find her perfect job"- Katy Guest, Independent on Sunday "Barber's elegant prose radiates love."- Jane Shilling, Daily Telegraph, The book of the career of the ferocious interviewer: what happens, she says, when a nosy child grows up to find her perfect job., Candid, unsentimental and extremely funny. I read it in one glorious go, laughing and crying throughout., Barber brilliantly nails the ghastly black-comedy irrationality of grief and the quietly heroic business of keeping-on keeping-in while everything simultaneously stops making sense . . . Barber's wince-making eloquence on the pain of fresh widowhood lingered long after I finished A Curious Career . And then at the end I felt terribly disappointed; even having read it as slowly as I dared, at 211 pages it was all over far too quickly . . . both on the page and in real life, Lynn Barber invariably leaves you wanting more., "Barber's recollections of her time as a celebrity interviewer follow the success of An Education , her memoir of her early life. It should be a delight, dripping with gems about her encounters with everyone from Rudolf Nureyev to Lady Gaga." - Sunday Times "Packed full of incredible stories." - Glamour "The book of the career of the ferocious interviewer: what happens, she says, when a nosy child grows up to find her perfect job." -Katy Guest, Independent on Sunday "Barber's elegant prose radiates love." -Jane Shilling, Daily Telegraph "Lots of fun . . . very moving." - Evening Standard "Funny, bold, incisive, clever and interesting." - Independent "Candid, unsentimental and extremely funny. I read it in one glorious go, laughing and crying throughout." -Zoe Heller "The queen bee of the celebrity interview." - Daily Mail "For a guide [to journalism], there could be no better place to start than with Lynn Barber's second volume of autobiography, A Curious Career ." -Olivia Cole, GQ "Funny, thoughtful and beautifully written." - Glamour "Barber's back with a candid and extremely entertaining account of her early career as a celebrity interviewer that's packed with anecdotes illuminating both her own and her interviewees' lives . . . I read this in a sitting, unable to stop smiling." - Women & Home "A riot of a read-funny, irreverent, artlessly frank." -Decca Aitkenhead, Guardian "Barber turned the interview into an art form . . . Like all the best conjurors, she relies on speed, practice, psychological insight, a powerful imagination and phenomenally acute observation. For nearly half a century she has held up a mirror in which her contemporaries see themselves reflected with a precision and panache most novelists would envy-and most biographers too." -Hilary Spurling, Guardian "A terrific read . . . Lynn Barber can take an over-interviewed, not-terribly-interesting celebrity and write 5,000 words about them that are so clever, bold and funny you want to read to the very end." - Financial Times "For fans of Lynn Barber, A Curious Career will delight and entertain. For anyone contemplating a career in celebrity journalist, it's absolutely indispensible. *****" - Mail on Sunday "Barber brilliantly nails the ghastly black-comedy irrationality of grief and the quietly heroic business of keeping-on keeping-in while everything simultaneously stops making sense . . . Barber's wince-making eloquence on the pain of fresh widowhood lingered long after I finished A Curious Career . And then at the end I felt terribly disappointed; even having read it as slowly as I dared, at 211 pages it was all over far too quickly . . . both on the page and in real life, Lynn Barber invariably leaves you wanting more." - Sunday Times "Incredibly satisfying and enjoyable: witty, mischievous, insightful, and, one occasion, elegiac . . . A veritable masterclass in how it's done." -Rachel Cooke, Observer "She cuts, sparkles, is sometimes generous, never daunted, always full of verve . . . Readers will love this pacy, absorbing book." - Independent "A hugely enjoyable read-the gold standard of professional prying." - Evening Standard "[A] terrific new memoir . . . Ms. Barber is top-flight company." - New York Times, She cuts, sparkles, is sometimes generous, never daunted, always full of verve . . . Readers will love this pacy, absorbing book., Barber turned the interview into an art form . . . Like all the best conjurors, she relies on speed, practice, psychological insight, a powerful imagination and phenomenally acute observation. For nearly half a century she has held up a mirror in which her contemporaries see themselves reflected with a precision and panache most novelists would envy--and most biographers too., A terrific read . . . Lynn Barber can take an over-interviewed, not-terribly-interesting celebrity and write 5,000 words about them that are so clever, bold and funny you want to read to the very end., Incredibly satisfying and enjoyable: witty, mischievous, insightful, and, one occasion, elegiac . . . A veritable masterclass in how it's done., For fans of Lynn Barber, A Curious Career will delight and entertain. For anyone contemplating a career in celebrity journalist, it's absolutely indispensible. *****, Barber's back with a candid and extremely entertaining account of her early career as a celebrity interviewer that's packed with anecdotes illuminating both her own and her interviewees' lives . . . I read this in a sitting, unable to stop smiling., Barber's recollections of her time as a celebrity interviewer follow the success of An Education , her memoir of her early life. It should be a delight, dripping with gems about her encounters with everyone from Rudolf Nureyev to Lady Gaga, Candid, unsentimental and extremely funny. I read it in one glorious go, laughing and crying throughout, Barber's recollections of her time as a celebrity interviewer follow the success of An Education , her memoir of her early life. It should be a delight, dripping with gems about her encounters with everyone from Rudolf Nureyev to Lady Gaga., "Barber's recollections of her time as a celebrity interviewer follow the success of An Education , her memoir of her early life. It should be a delight, dripping with gems about her encounters with everyone from Rudolf Nureyev to Lady Gaga." -- Sunday Times "Packed full of incredible stories." -- Glamour "The book of the career of the ferocious interviewer: what happens, she says, when a nosy child grows up to find her perfect job." -- Katy Guest, Independent on Sunday "Barber's elegant prose radiates love." -- Jane Shilling, Daily Telegraph "Lots of fun . . . very moving." -- Evening Standard "Funny, bold, incisive, clever and interesting." -- Independent "Candid, unsentimental and extremely funny. I read it in one glorious go, laughing and crying throughout." -- Zoe Heller "The queen bee of the celebrity interview." -- Daily Mail "For a guide [to journalism], there could be no better place to start than with Lynn Barber's second volume of autobiography, A Curious Career ." -- Olivia Cole, GQ "Funny, thoughtful and beautifully written." -- Glamour "Barber's back with a candid and extremely entertaining account of her early career as a celebrity interviewer that's packed with anecdotes illuminating both her own and her interviewees' lives . . . I read this in a sitting, unable to stop smiling." -- Women & Home "A riot of a read--funny, irreverent, artlessly frank." -- Decca Aitkenhead, Guardian "Barber turned the interview into an art form . . . Like all the best conjurors, she relies on speed, practice, psychological insight, a powerful imagination and phenomenally acute observation. For nearly half a century she has held up a mirror in which her contemporaries see themselves reflected with a precision and panache most novelists would envy--and most biographers too." -- Hilary Spurling, Guardian "A terrific read . . . Lynn Barber can take an over-interviewed, not-terribly-interesting celebrity and write 5,000 words about them that are so clever, bold and funny you want to read to the very end." -- Financial Times "For fans of Lynn Barber, A Curious Career will delight and entertain. For anyone contemplating a career in celebrity journalist, it's absolutely indispensible. *****" -- Mail on Sunday "Barber brilliantly nails the ghastly black-comedy irrationality of grief and the quietly heroic business of keeping-on keeping-in while everything simultaneously stops making sense . . . Barber's wince-making eloquence on the pain of fresh widowhood lingered long after I finished A Curious Career . And then at the end I felt terribly disappointed; even having read it as slowly as I dared, at 211 pages it was all over far too quickly . . . both on the page and in real life, Lynn Barber invariably leaves you wanting more." -- Sunday Times "Incredibly satisfying and enjoyable: witty, mischievous, insightful, and, one occasion, elegiac . . . A veritable masterclass in how it's done." -- Rachel Cooke, Observer "She cuts, sparkles, is sometimes generous, never daunted, always full of verve . . . Readers will love this pacy, absorbing book." -- Independent "A hugely enjoyable read--the gold standard of professional prying." -- Evening Standard "[A] terrific new memoir . . . Ms. Barber is top-flight company." -- New York Times
