Book Review - David Niven - The Moon's a Balloon - The Joy of a Born Storyteller.

 

I first read actor David Niven’s memoir, The Moon’s a Balloon, published in 1971, back in the mid-1970s. It was the first “adult” book that I read. It was adult, in the sense that parts of it were somewhat naughty. Other than that, it was a book of stories that were easy to read. It arguably provided a blueprint for others to follow. 

I came across the book when I saw it on the bookshelf of a neighbour of mine, an elderly lady by the name of Violet. She had an extensive book collection, and would allow me to pick one occasionally to take home and read.

Having chosen a book, I would have to give it to her for approval.

“What have you chosen today?” She would ask.

On this day, I handed over The Moon’s a Balloon, a paperback with a somewhat ordinary cover showing David Niven, with four balloons above his head. Each one containing a word of the book title. As book covers go, it didn’t look like one that would sell millions of copies.

Violet put her reading glasses on. “Ah! David Niven, the old Hollywood charmer. It’s not written for children, but you are probably old enough to read it.” And she was right. Niven had a reputation for being a charmer, a true charming man.

Like a librarian, she passed the book to me. “Look after it, and use a bookmark; I don’t want to see any folded corners on the pages.”

I never folded corners anyway.

But back to the naughtiness.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed: A Book Review

I finished reading Cheryl Strayed's book Wild a few weeks back and have been meaning to write about it, a review. As often happens, other things got in the way, so I thought it was about time that I did that review, because it is a good book. 

 

Wild is a memoir that describes her adventure as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail. The book is subtitled From Lost to Found and starts off by giving us some of her background history. The author is very open about her own flaws, her failed marriage, drug use and relationship with her family, especially her parents. Her mother died young of cancer, a battle that did not last very long. Her mother's death had a big impact on her life. Strayed embarked on what becomes a journey of self discovery.

It has been a long time since I read a book that started with a prologue, and Wild has a very good one that achieves its objective, which is to get you to read on.  Strayed tells the story of when she loses one of her boots over a cliff edge. Now, barefoot walking is a thing, but out in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, with stones, sharp rocks, rugged terrain, you are left wondering, what is she going to do now? No spoilers, you will have to read the book!

Gone Fishing: "What's Your Tomato?" A Book Review

The first thing to say about this book is that you do not need to like fishing or be interested in the sport of fishing to read it.  As you would expect from the title it is about fishing, but it is actually more about the two men doing the fishing, the British comedians and comedy actors, Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse. 

It is as much about them as it is fishing.  

They share something in common in that they both faced a serious heart health issue. Whitehouse had three stents put in, while Mortimer had a triple bypass.  The book, and the BBC TV show that has now been running for five series, is about their friendship and Life, both before and after having been close to death.  

They are both in their sixties now, an age I know something about. They are perhaps aware that they may be on, as the saying goes, borrowed time, and so they are making the most of it.  Fishing has become a big part of that for them, and I suppose they are fortunate in that they have been able to make the TV series as a job of work.  In five series, they have travelled around the UK and occasionally overseas to fish and ponder life.

Both still have a child-like approach to life, especially Mortimer.  Working in comedy has probably given them the chance to never grow up or be overtaken by the seriousness of life.  Whitehouse is very serious about fishing and its history, and this comes out in the book. While it is an easy read, it does go through the history, traditions and technical side of fishing.  Those chapters are written by Whitehouse, who has been a lifelong fisherman.  His knowledge comes to the fore, while Mortimer is like the apprentice, taking it all in.  

Except that Bob doesn't always take in what he is being told. 

You can see this quite often in the TV series as Whitehouse shows frustration with his apprentice.  “Don't wind” as in winding the caught fish in, can frequently be heard from Whitehouse.  There is an art and technique to landing a fish, and overuse of winding the rod to pull the fish in is not part of it.  Mortimer is always caught winding, his innocent reply is always “I'm not winding” with a cheeky grin on his face. The fish regularly escapes as Whitehouse holds back his disappointment. I'm tempted to say anger, but they remain mates.  Bob is like a child at heart.

So, if it's your thing read the book, but if you don't, you can watch some episodes of the TV series as they are on YouTube.  If you like TV with scenery, a nice view, travel to different places, it's wonderful, calming, and funny.  Funny as in silly.  As Mortimer asks, what's the tomato in your life?  I suppose we all have a tomato in our life, or perhaps we are still looking for it.

 

The Kenneth Williams Diaries: A Review

What a carry on

 

I read the Kenneth Williams Diaries many years ago, and this review is from memory, and how I felt about them at the time. As time goes by, memory can often be unreliable. Inevitably, I am finding that it is the books that I really enjoyed which are the ones that I have better memories of. 

The bad ones have long since been forgotten. 

But here is the reason I read Williams Diaries. I wanted to find out more about what life was like on the set of the Carry On films — the films for which he became famous. Truth is, at times, he is somewhat dismissive of them. He doesn't hold back.

But, the Kenneth Williams Diaries is a book that I am happy to give five stars. 

For a start it is a book that despite its 850 plus pages is just a snapshot of Williams life. He kept a diary for more or less every day of his adult life. The volumes sat there in his home, and after he died it was Russell Davies that took on the job to condense it down to the book that we get to read.

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to read all of them. Davies probably had to read through a lot of mundane, everyday life entries to get to the good bits. Even then, much was probably left out. Williams diaries and letters collection were eventually bought by the British Library and as far as I know that is where they still are. 

Williams was prolific when it came to writing about his own life. He was a complex character. Like many in the UK at the time, I got to see him because of those Carry On films. Williams own view of those films were that they were probably below him. I don't think he liked them very much. They were a job of work, and they didn't always pay that well. 

He wanted more out of his acting, and he was a classically trained actor. 

He could be kind, intelligent, caring and very funny, but also nasty, short-tempered, and horrible to anyone he took a dislike to. A listen to the Just A Minute radio broadcasts he made for the BBC, you can hear how he loses it from time to time. 

The diaries record his opinions about others. They are, a sort of, confession. Many wondered what he had written about them in his “infamous” diaries. More so after he died.

As he got older, his insecurities about his life are on full show in the diaries, especially around his health. His sad end, and the mystery around how his life ended (certainly at the time), is there for all to see. He does say occasionally, “what's the point?” The impression is that he felt that he never quite achieved what he wanted to get out of life.

The ending of the diary is somewhat sad — unlike a Carry On film.

It's a fantastic read — even the mundane bits, but I do think it helps to have seen the “public” face of Williams to really appreciate the other side of his character that comes out in his diaries. If you read it expecting jolly japes, and all fun and games, you will be disappointed. The dairies are of the "warts and all." variety.

Edited and updated, 23 November 2025.