The Glossy Years
Magazines, Museums and Selective Memoirs
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The Glossy Years
Narrated by:
Nicholas Coleridge
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Nicholas Coleridge
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Over his thirty-year career at Condé Nast, Nicholas Coleridge has witnessed it all. From the anxieties of the Princess of Wales to the blazing fury of Mohamed Al-Fayed, his story is also the story of the people who populate the glamorous world of glossy magazines. With relish and astonishing candour, he offers the inside scoop on Tina Brown and Anna Wintour, David Bowie and Philip Green, Kate Moss and Beyonce and a surreal weekend away with Bob Geldof and William Hague. The Glossy Years also provides perceptive insight into the changing and treacherous worlds of fashion, journalism, museums and a whole sweep of British society. This is a rich, honest, witty and very personal memoir of a life splendidly lived.
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Critic reviews
Coleridge is a witty writer . . . reading this book is like sitting next to a sharp but generous-hearted raconteur at dinner
Has bounding vitality, glorious zest and and an uplifting generosity of spirit. It is always playful, sometimes hilarious - but above all it is wise
In these dark days of everlasting Brexit, Nicholas Coleridge's sparkling memoir is a welcome reminder that all is not gloom and doom. Witty, nimble and engaging, it is wonderfully entertaining and a marvellous slice of social history
A deliciously moreish memoir of the author's glittering career in magazine publishing. Like having a really good gossip over a glass of fizz with Evelyn Waugh.
Tittle-tattle, tiffs and titanic egos, this book has them all. A hugely entertaining read by the ultimate insider
Forthright, witty and gossipy . . . a passion for glossy magazines shines through this effervescent memoir
A Waugh-like whirlwind of eccentric characters, lavish parties and even a spell in a Sri Lankan jail. It was funny enough to excuse all the name-dropping
I truly think this is a brilliant book. laughed almost continuously
Beady and slyly funny, my favourite bit concerns punctuation in the late Betty Kenward's society column. It's that kind of book
Gloriously funny, affectionate and well-written, his ear for how other people speak is mischievously spot-on and his optimism is infectious
I’m afraid I didn’t like this much despite a lifelong fascination with magazines.
Nicholas Coleridge was born into a privileged and blissfully happy family, then enjoyed a tip top education surrounded by wealthy pals.
His rise to the top was swift and effortless. Work experience on a top glossy, a plum staff job on a newspaper, the editorship of Harper’s and Queen. Along the way he spots a beautiful intern at work, follows her to India and they soon marry. They have four wonderful children. He takes the top job at Condé Nast and everything he touches turns to gold. He has a cohort of close friends, 20 couples he’s known since Cambridge form his inner circle. 50 more couples are his wider gang. Goodness.
There are three problems with this book. 1. Nothing ever goes wrong for this guy. That’s lovely for him but it does not make for an interesting story in any way. (Name-dropping is a poor substitute for drama). 2. He shouldn’t have been given the job of reading the audiobook. It sounds exactly like someone giving an after-dinner speech. His habit of stressing the wrong words is pretty funny. “Chapter FIFTY five”. 3. His cruel impersonations of people who are not rich and fabulous say more about the author than any words on the page.
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Not absolutely fabulous
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NC has had a marvellous life with luck and talent hand in hand. He writes and speaks well and I enjoyed the anecdotes and his behind the scenes glimpse of lives in the fast lane.
He’s a lucky chap. And he’s the first to acknowledges his good fortune!
A gilded life
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Somebody wrote a review saying it was too snobby but it isn’t at all, it’s just his life, his world and I am so pleased I bought the book.
I absolutely LOVED this book!
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Wonderful happy and fun listen
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A really nice way to spend a weekend listening to this charming and entertaining book,and read so well by
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