CULTURE EDITION
October Book Club Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes with Charlotte Griffiths’ round-up of the best biographies
RUTH CRILLY HOW NOT TO BE A SUPERMODEL: A NOUGHTIES MEMOIR If you survived the 90s and noughties’ highly questionable approach to body image and were raised on a diet of glossy magazines, you are going to absolutely love this book. This is a captivatingly informal, instantaneously intimate look at what it was actually like to be a working model at the turn of the century. The book follows Ruth’s discovery, her early years finding her feet as a model, as well as her rise to international fame over the following ten years. She describes her career as not-quite-making-it, and though young Ruth is regularly told she’s too short, too old or too curvy for true global stardom, her career is an undeniable success. It has enabled her to pay off her debts and travel the world with star-studded friends in tow. This all sounds extremely glamorous, but somehow, she never loses her relatability or her informal style of storytelling. As anyone who’s a fan of her brilliant Instagram account will know, Ruth is an extremely able communicator. She slips her arm through yours like a best mate and deftly manages to strike the perfect balance between the highs – including the undeniably exciting, achingly cool nature of life as a model – and the drudgery of the lows. These include potentially unsafe photoshoots where she and her fellow models are at the mercy of the creative whims of single-minded photographers and art directors. Her unique, self-effacing humour is evident throughout her anecdotes of bone-achingly long castings for the most mundane of products. She recounts schlepping across the maze of London in a time before Google Maps and sharing complicated accommodation with her fellow models as they zip around the world in a quest for fame and fortune. An unputdownable, hyper-glamorous and utterly hilarious time capsule of a book.
THE MOON’S A BALLOON DAVID NIVEN
pictures alongside other cinematic legends. You’ll find yourself laughing out loud, reading sections to anyone who’ll listen and being left open-mouthed at what it was possible to get away with – as well as at David’s astounding lack of self control. Reading this feels a little like settling down to drinks with the actor himself – his gossipy, immaculately set up anecdotes will transport you straight to 30s Hollywood. So pour yourself a martini, sit back and enjoy the ride.
This is an absolute classic of the celebrity biography genre and fully deserves a slot in your winter to-read pile. David Niven was a raconteur like no other. This completely entrancing memoir gives you an insider look at a type of privileged lifestyle and career that simply doesn’t exist anymore. The biography shares David’s own version of the early part of his life, from his years at boarding school to the loss of his father, military service in Malta and his star- studded existence navigating the world of motion
20 OCTOBER 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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