Book Review : The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven - 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.

Book Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

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 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. Wild has a very good one that achieves its objective, which is to encourage you to read on, to find out what happened.  

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, miles from any help? 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!

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

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.

 

Book Review: The Kenneth Williams Diaries

What a carry on

 

Remembered for the Carry On films, Kenneth Williams was more than that. An outspoken man, his diaries tell all.

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, though.

But I remember the reason I read this book. In the 1960s, '70s and '80s, everyone knew about, and probably watched, the Carry On films. Repeated endlessly, especially at Christmas (they still are), it presented the naughty side of British life. Not to everyone's taste, of course, but they were very popular.

I wanted to know what it was like on the set of the Carry On films. They looked like they were having a good time. And they were the films for which he is best known, but in his diaries, Williams is somewhat dismissive of them. He doesn't hold back.

His own view of them was less than complimentary. 

They were bawdy and full of typical British innuendo. Seaside postcard humour on film. He probably saw them as below him, a classically trained actor. They were a job of work, and they didn't always pay that well. In the modern era, where successful actors are often paid millions, the stars of the Carry On films were lucky to be paid a few thousand pounds a film. In the diaries, he makes it clear how he felt about that.

I don't think he liked them, but took the job because even though they didn't pay much, it was acting work and a payday. He also enjoyed working with several actors who regularly appeared alongside him in those films.

Despite its 850-plus pages, the diaries are 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 who took on the job to condense them down to the book that we get to read.

I did wonder what it would be like to read all of them, though. Davies probably had to go through a lot of mundane, everyday life entries to get to the good bits. There was so much of it; one 850-page book is the tip of the iceberg.

In fact, Williams was prolific when it came to writing about his own life. Not just his diaries, he also wrote several books, including an autobiography, Just Williams, and Acid Drops. He also wrote Back Drops, which featured pages from his diaries — but not the controversial bits. 

In the world of showbiz, his diaries were well known. Many wondered what he had written about them, more so after he died. The diaries are a sort of confession of what he really felt. On the set of the Carry On films, he would occasionally tell someone, "You are going in my diary." Maybe in fun, maybe not.

Did Williams write them knowing that one day they would be made public? No one really knows. Diaries are, by definition, often very personal, meant to be kept secret. The only person who read his diaries while he was alive was Williams himself.

As he got older, the diaries show his insecurities, especially around his health. His sad end, and the mystery of how his life ended (certainly at the time), is there for all to see. He does occasionally write, "What's the point?” It's almost a cry for help, one that he would never say in public. 

The impression from the diaries was that he felt he was capable of achieving more than he did. And his last entries are somewhat sad — unlike a Carry On film.

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. He could be a difficult man who would sometimes take an instant dislike to someone. And when he appeared on the BBC's Just a Minute radio show, you could hear in his voice that he lost his temper occasionally. 

If you are expecting jolly japes and all fun and games from his diaries, you will be disappointed. They are of the "warts and all" variety. A fantastic read, though, even the mundane bits. It is a book that I am happy to give five stars to. 

And if I live long enough, I might just read it again some time.

Edited and updated, 06 March 2026 (and sometimes my memory reminds me of something worth adding).