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Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays

Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays

by Minnie Driver

HarperOne ·2022 ·288 pages
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70/99
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75/99

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Near the Top

64/99

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About This Book

A MARIE CLAIRE BEST MEMOIR OF THE YEAR - A USA TODAY MUST READ BOOK - A W MAGAZINE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK - A SHEREADS BEST MEMOIR OF THE SUMMER A charming, poignant, and mesmerizing memoir in essays from beloved actor and natural-born storyteller Minnie Driver, chronicling the way life works out even when it doesn't. In this intimate, beautifully crafted collection, Driver writes with disarming charm and candor about her bohemian upbringing between England and Barbados; her post-university travails and triumphs--from being the only student in her acting school not taken on by an agent to being discovered at a rave in a muddy field in the English countryside; shooting to fame in one of the most influential films of the 1990s and being nominated for an Academy Award; and finding the true light of her life, her son. She chronicles her unconventional career path, including the time she gave up on acting to sell jeans in Uruguay, her journey as a single parent, and the heartbreaking loss of her mother. Like Lena Dunham in Not That Kind of Girl, Gabrielle Union in We're Going to Need More Wine and Patti Smith in Just Kids, Driver writes with razor-sharp humor and grace as she explores navigating the depths of failure, fighting for success, discovering the unmatched wonder and challenge of motherhood, and wading through immeasurable grief. Effortlessly charming, deeply funny, personal, and honest, Managing Expectations reminds us of the way life works out--even when it doesn't.


Reviews

"The final essay in the collection is particularly affecting."

Carolyn Mulac· Booklist Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Throughout, Driver's beguiling wit and candor steal the show, even as she contends with the more difficult subjects later in life ..."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"The fiercest writing in Managing Expectations is in its concluding chapter about her mother, fashion designer Gaynor Churchward, who died last year following a cancer diagnosis ..."

Mark Athitakis· USA Today Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Sharp observations and quirky irreverence make for a delightful read."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"She writes powerfully and without any self-pity about fame and the unpredictable life of an actor, openly acknowledging the failures and difficult times ..."

Anna Carey· The Irish Times Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

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