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Parcel Arrived Safely

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Parcel Arrived Safely

By: Michael Crawford
Narrated by: Michael Crawford
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By turns hilarious, revelatory, and desperately sad, here is the autobiography of the man whose successes, such as "Hello Dolly!", "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" and "The Phantom of the Opera" have made him a national institution. The story of the true identity of his father, which is behind this book's title, leads into an evocative depiction of his tender childhood years. Whilst all the men were away at war, he was surrounded by loving women. For him this was an idyllic wartime childhood, but the return of the men in peacetime signalled darker times to come. Crawford's infectious enjoyment of stage work illumines his account of his early struggles to make a name for himself in the business, and his early failures with girls are lifted by his abiding sense of the absurd. Both in his private life and his work he begins a lifetime's habit of pratfalls that he would later turn to good use in the character of Frank Spencer in "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em". His talent for mimicry makes the great personalities in his life come alive on the page; people he has worked with, including Benjamin Britten who taught him to sing, John Lennon, with whom he shared a villa, and Oliver Reed, Michael Winner, Barbara Streisand, Gene Kelly, and Frank Sinatra.©1999 Michael Crawford; (P)1999 Random House Audiobooks Entertainment & Celebrities Funny Witty
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This was an easy listen, which was enhanced as it was narrated by the author. Michael Crawford gave an interesting insight to his personal and professional life. I felt like I was with him as a fly on the wall during the telling of life.

Interesting and engaging

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I have always enjoyed watching Michael Crawford. I didn't know a great deal about him. Only really knowing him from 'Some Mothers'. I was listening to him on Desert Island Discs and wondered whether there was a book about him.
I guess I wanted some juicy stories from the theatre, so at first I thought this is going to be boring but Michael Crawford draws you in with his honesty about the love (and loss) of his family and friends, both theatrical and otherwise. I imagined he would try hard to make friends too. He is honest about his struggles and self deprecating about his triumphs although the pride of a job well done quite rightly shines through.

A tale of two men

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Beautifully read, Michael reads with love and gratitude for the women who raised him as a child; devastation of his mother's untimely death - and the devotion to his craft. My only complaint is that the book was abridged - but then where there's an alternative, I'll always go for the unabridged version - no matter what. My favourite quote "Every day will get a little easier to deal with her not being there physically, but don't ever get over it. Don't ever let her leave your thoughts. That way you'll always have your mother's love inside of you and alongside you. The love that a mother gives her child never stops"

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Where does Parcel Arrived Safely rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in the top five of my personal favourite audio books listened to so far.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book is moving, funny, and honest.

Any additional comments?

Thank you Michael for sharing this insight into your personal life.

I loved it!

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What an amazing, unbelievable man, that is some story! Sometimes sad but sometimes very uplifting.

Amazing

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