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The Happy Hoofer
- Narrated by: Celia Imrie
- Length: 11 hrs
- Categories: Health & Wellness, Psychology & Mental Health
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Galloping Through It
- By Claire Kendall-Price on 02-11-14
Summary
One of our best-loved actresses, Celia Imrie would rather have been a dancer. As a child she planned to join the Royal Ballet and marry Rudolf Nureyev. Now she has become one of our finest and funniest performers, on stage, TV and screen - adored for her roles in 'Acorn Antiques' and 'dinnerladies', as well as films including 'Calendar Girls' and 'Nanny McPhee'.
In her hugely entertaining autobiography, Celia Imrie recounts a life hurtling (not always intentionally) into adventures both on stage and off. Whether it's finding herself on stage with half the scenery stuck to her cardigan, or being kidnapped on her way to location, she somehow emerges from the chaos that can lie in her wake almost unscathed.
Acting, she admits, is a mad, chaotic profession and it is her refreshing honesty, sense of mischief, fun and almost unruffled determination in the face of it all that makes this autobiography a never-ending delight.
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What listeners say about The Happy Hoofer
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kirstine
- 01-07-15
A delightful book
Whenever I go to the theatre I feel grateful that actors are willing to put up with this peripatetic and uncertain life to entertain the rest of us. For some it leads to anguish, however, this highly entertaining book describes a largely happy and fulfilled life by this versatile and popular actress. In interviews she comes over as someone with an impish sense of humour who doesn’t take herself too seriously, but is dedicated and hard-working in her professional life, and the book reinforces these impressions.
She writes well and at times the book is very funny when she describes some of the more outlandish events in her life and travels.
Needless to say it’s an added pleasure that she reads her own words and, being a good mimic, makes some of her encounters with other people even more lively and funny at times.
A highly recommended listen that left me with a happy feeling.
24 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Mark H
- 26-04-12
Interesting and a bit quirky
If you like biographies of actors, and if you like Celia Imrie, then you will like this. It contains a reasonable amount of insights into Imrie's personal life: her backgound, her likes and dislikes and the trajectory of her career. It is well written and well read and there is no more name dropping than normal. There are also some very interesting apects to her family history that I was unaware of, which have clearly coloured her life. It is not a kiss and tell memoir, although for some reason I felt that it could have gone that way, had it not been that she wrote it whilst looking after her teenage son, whom she would not wish to embarass. After reading this book, I respect Celia Imrie for her individuality and I think I like her all the more for it.
13 people found this helpful
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- Anne
- 03-10-11
Excellent
Very funny, honest and insightful. Beautifully read by Celia Imrie. What a charming wiity book
6 people found this helpful
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- Alison
- 28-10-12
An honest book
I admire Celia Imrie's acting and I enjoyed this book. It is beautifully read, as you'd expect. I had a sense that we're getting very much the public Celia, but then I thought that this is actually a very dignified way to have written the book: it's not tabloid, and nor is she. In fact I was unaware of the odd tabloid intrusions she has had to deal with in the past, to which she does refer. I loved the stories about fellow actors most. Lovely insights and observations.
4 people found this helpful
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- virtue
- 15-10-16
Interesting
The narration was excellent, it was interesting but struggled at times not to abandon it.
2 people found this helpful
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- E
- 21-04-16
Intriguing life lots I didn't know about her
In the beginning I felt Celia was just reading her book out loud with no real feeling but she got into it and it soon felt like she was reading it to me. She has had an interesting journey through acting. Highs and lows and family dramas all over the place.
2 people found this helpful
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- MRS A M GREEN
- 27-03-16
Dance to the end, live live
Enjoyed every moment,what a lot Celia has seen & done,It makes my nursing proffession, look a very ordered life.But each to his own.
1 person found this helpful
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- Roger
- 17-02-16
An interesting read
An interesting read probably not what one would expect. Although I am a fan I hadn't realized the breadth of Celias acting, most impressive.
I felt that the narration became rather tired, particularly when describing recovering from the pulmonary embolisms. Having suffered the same thing I can completely sympathise.
1 person found this helpful
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- Stephanie Jane (Literary Flits)
- 10-04-14
Interesting glimpse into a theatrical life
I downloaded Celia Imrie's autobiography from Audible. She reads the book herself and, despite bemoaning the sheer work involved in other audio narration within her story, she does a good job. There was a lot of Celia's life that I was completely unaware of and details of her early life were sadly shocking. The book did become a bit staid later on, more a list of acting roles with an anecdote about each. However, overall this is an interesting glimpse into the life of a strong and independent woman.
1 person found this helpful
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- Ann
- 01-03-21
Fabulous
One of the best written and witty books I’ve read in a long time. Celia Imrie is an honest and delightful companion. Please join her, you won’t regret the journey.
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- Clive Byerley
- 06-09-16
English Romp with Humour and Candour.
Even if you are fresh from another dimension and therefor don't know the delightful Celia Imrie you'll love this honest account of the daily life of a successful ( but refreshingly ungushing) English actor. Imrie becomes your best friend as she shares her laughter and pain. Go with her; take the journey; you'll be so glad you did!
2 people found this helpful