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Review: So, Anyway... by John Cleese




Review: So, Anyway...
John Cleese
Three Rivers Press
2014

The Monty Python guy, right?  That’s all I knew of John Cleese.  There’s more, of course.  And I thoroughly enjoyed reading his telling of it.  So, Anyway lives up to the endorsements on the cover and I totally agree Michael Ian Black’s opinion of Cleese as “an amiable, slightly loony uncle.” (back cover)  I have grown quite fond of the John Cleese I met in his book.  

So, Anyway... by John CleeseThe book takes some time to read as Cleese allows only the lean, fat free to remain in his narratives.  I didn’t want to miss anything he had to say, and if I did try to skim a page or two I had to back up to catch up.  The wit he drops into the text every so often made it worth the while.  His teaching moments that are scattered throughout the book were intriguing and if I ever were to attempt to write comedy they would be most helpful.  What works, why it works, how to make it work, where the ideas come from and the sheer amount of work, pain, and joy of the task.  Meanwhile he’s engaged the reader with his story of his life.  Serendipity, according to Cleese, seemed to be his constant companion or he’s been rather modest about his own talent.  I suspect both in his case.  

Why no account of the Monty Python years?  Maybe, he wanted to let his audience in on some other parts of his life in this book?  Or maybe there’s plenty of other sources available?  I don’t know.  But I do know that I enjoyed his book.  

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a review.














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