Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Madly Deeply is a rare invitation into the mind of Alan Rickman—one of the most magnetic, beloved performers of our time. From his breakout role in Die Hard to his outstanding, multifaceted performances in the Harry Potter films, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and more, Alan Rickman cemented his legacy as a world-class actor. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice, and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate audiences today. more
469 pages, Hardcover
First published Henry Holt and Co.
3.59
Rating
11731
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2394
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Alan Rickman
7 books 304 followers
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an Emmy-, Golden Globe-, BAFTA- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning English film, television and stage actor. He was perhaps best known to American film audiences for his roles as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.Community reviews
I'm not famous but when I die please burn my diaries instead of sharing them with the whole world. more
This is an unusual book in a lot of ways. It is “authorised” (by Alan Rickman’s estate), and includes an afterword from Rickman’s widow Rima Horton, but, despite some articles claiming that Rickman intended for his diaries to be published, the introduction states that “We do not know whether Alan would like to have seen his diaries published”. That makes what follows a little uncomfortable, especially given the vulnerability and harshness of some of the entries. I also found it odd that this book has an editor (who wrote the introduction), but no real attempt is made to explain what was edited and why. There are some editorial interventions intended to clarify who people are, or what film Rickman is talking about (etc. more
Huge sigh of relief that these are being published with the approval of not only Alan Rickman's widow but of Rickman himself since he wrote his volumes of diaries with the intention of having them published one day. From The Guardian: Rickman began writing the diaries by hand in the early 1990s, with the intention that they would one day be published [. ] He wrote right until his death in 2016, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 69. I've never read a celebrity memoir before, but this is a life I'm interested in delving into. I'm hoping that although it's 27 volumes being condensed into one book, it still gives us lots of insight into his life and career. more
This should really have been put into a biography format. . more
I love Alan Rickman and he definitely is funny but it felt like this diary wasn't supposed to be published. Just his thoughts and choppy notes for himself. more
UPDATE: I *know* what ARCS are and how they work. 🥴someone explain to me how a book that isn't even out yet is already getting 1, 2, and 5-star reviews. more
You're likely to know Mr. Rickman through his work in the Harry Potter films, Die Hard or Love, Actually. I found him through a smaller, throwaway role in a movie called The January Man. Then, of course, as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility. I imagine he would prefer to be remembered for his theatre work, though the majority of that took place in London and far from the world's maddening crowds. more
DNF @ 4%I love reading (auto)biographies, but diaries are another matter altogether. Indeed, some diaries are detailed accounts, almost narratives of events in one's life. This one isn't. The entries in this book are plain, deep, intimate brief thoughts of Rickman's feelings, and it felt wrong somehow to read them. There is a Guardian article saying that the author wrote the diaries with the thought in mind to publish them at some point. more
Where to begin. These diaries are probably not for everyone. At times Rickman comes across as testy and critical but then you remind yourself of your own private thoughts. That said, I doubt he really intended these to be published which makes me a little frustrated with myself for reading them. What does shine through is what a wonderful friend he was. more
What a wonderful look into the mind of a talented man, interested in so many things, and able to express his thoughts with humor and flair. This was an immersive experience for me. Reading his most intimate thoughts makes me realize what an important figure we have lost. My thanks to the publisher, Henry Holt, for my copy of this special book. #Goodreads Giveaway. more
Not worth the effort for the few random insights he has. Almost none of his ponderings about theatre or movies or politics are fully developed. Frankly, Facebook statuses have more depth than most of these entries. This should never have been published. Edit: I’ve mentioned this in other places so I should here, as well: I’m guessing these diaries were intended as memory joggers for the memoir he was intending to write, but never got around to. more
I was saddened to hear that Alan Rickman had passed away in 2016. He was an incredible actor and was in many of my favourite films. He played the bad guy so well and will always be my favourite Sherriff of Nottingham. I was so happy to receive this copy of his diaries from the lovely team at Allen and Unwin. This is not a book that I can review, These are the diaries of a man. more
This is not in any way bad. Rickman was an excellent actor, but it’s a diary with lots of dates, lots of mentions of famous people, lots of food and restaurants, lots of funerals, comments on acting technique, but not a lot of introspection. It’s real shorthand. If you loved Rickman fine, but for others I can’t see the appeal. more
Alan Rickman, hombre de talento, inteligencia, buen gusto e increíble juicio crítico. En estos, los diarios escritos por el actor entre 1993 y 2015, se nos desvela una fracción de la compleja mente de un hombre que se entregó en plenitud tanto al teatro como al arte cinematográfico, que personificó villanos que han dejado huellas imborrables en la gran pantalla, quién cosechó amistades, inspiró colegas y permaneció generoso de espíritu pero agudo intelectualmente. Los diarios nos permiten un recorrido por los años más exitosos de su carrera en una constante secuencia de viajes, ensayos, filmaciones, estrenos, lecturas de guiones descartados, análisis de los aceptados y una fuerte e implacable opinión de todo lo anterior. Esto, por supuesto, en compañía de amigos, de Rima, su alma gemela, y de incontables grandes nombres que forjan el universo cinematográfico que conocemos. La lectura de sus memorias resulta en una experiencia satisfactoria para cualquier admirador de su trabajo y del arte interpretativo en sí mismo. more
While it is always fitting to pay tribute to a departed talented performer, it's unclear if this book is an appropriate way to do that for Alan Rickman. Filled with simplistic diary entries, the compiler even admits up front, "We do not know whether Alan would like to have seen his diaries published. " It seems his wife decided for the late Rickman that the world had a right to see them. The book's editor also says that the original diaries were actually over one million words and whittled down here to 450 pages. Yet the book is bloated, mostly filled with nothings--boring everyday facts that have no stories or context. more
Simon and I began listening to this on our road trip to Springfield, Illinois. We enjoyed the introduction which is written by Emma Thompson and provides her perspective as a friend and fellow actor. However, we came away unclear as to whether or not Alan Rickman actually intended these diary entries to be published, and to be honest, we had to ask ourselves the question of why we would want to read someone else's diary. This book contains thoughts written down in the moment rather than a narrative of events, which makes them difficult to listen to and some comments about others perhaps should have been kept private. Simon quickly lost interest. more
Дочитав вночі щоденники Алана Рікмана. На останніх сторінках був я, він і його найближче оточення. Останній допис Рікман зробив 12 грудня, а вже за місяць - 14 січня - помер. У післямові його дружина Ріма розповідала про цей місяць, про їхні зустрічі з друзями та рідними, про те як Рікман до останнього жив повноцінним життям (навіть хотів на НР вирватись потусити), і як сам особисто зрежисував власні похорони (пишу і мурахи шкірою), він обрав хто казатиме промови, яка буде музика, які фрагменти його творчого доробку варто показати…Я міг поставити цій книжці 1 - вона починається зі слів редактора, який пише, що "невідомо, чи хотів би Алан, щоб його щоденники опублікували". Так, все виглядає ніби Рікман справді хотів цього (писав до останнього), і спадкоємці дали згоду, але остаточної відповіді немає, і це дещо турбує. more
Ugh, this makes me sad. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I thought his diaries were being published because they would serve to show the depth of who he was, and instead it was just short journal entries of his day-to-day. There was very little to help one learn anything deeper of he was. Since the beginning states that they don't know if he would have wanted these journals published, I'm going to bet he would have said, "No. more
I wanted to like this book more than I did, though I also didn't dislike it. I've been a Rickman fan since I was a kid--Galaxy Quest was what sealed it for me, and he's one of the few celebrity deaths that genuinely left me distraught. The excerpts of these diaries that were published were very good, and they were pedaled with the message that he'd written them for publication, so I have been anticipating this book quite eagerly since I first read about a couple of months ago. But the opening foreword admits that it is not clear if he ever intended for them to be published. The project has the blessing of his widow Rima, but I have really mixed feelings on whether they should have been released without a clearer mandate from him. more
DNF - this book should probably not have been published. It felt to me like a series of notes that Mr. Rickman was making for himself to use to jog his memory in order to publish his own biography one day. Transcribing them into a novel and calling it a diary does his legacy a disservice. I will forever love and cherish this man and would not allow myself to continue reading and have my memories of him altered. more
I revisited “Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman” this weekend after re-watching ‘The Song of Lunch’ starring Rickman and Emma Thompson. I only first watched years ago, but it catapulted to the top of my favorites quickly. I’ve always been a fan of Alan Rickman’s appearances; there’s something special about the two of them together. The foreword of these curated diary entries is by Emma Thompson. It’s written after he died in 2016. more
Here is a life fully lived. The breadth of work and his dedication to the art of acting, endless social occasions, constant travel and bouts of ill health and the numerous people he knew is exhausting to read. He never stops, even his holidays sound tiring. Ultimately the diaries reveal a man of contadictions: a Labour socialist who lives a life of riches, a massively successful actor who always seems insecure or troubled by his work, a man who can be difficult to get along with but has a huge band of lifelong friends and is immensely popular. The diaries are also refreshingly honest, with many barbed comments left uncensored. more
Apparently, I reviewed this book/diary in the wrong place. (My iPhone Goodreads app is strange and confusing). So, I’ll try again. I’m biased because, as I said before, I fell madly, deeply in love with Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon. I’m sure others have their own moments and feelings as he played to perfection the “Bad Guy” in other films. more
Alan Rickman has been one of those lowkey actors that I enjoyed when he was in a movie. My first taste of his work was when I was 6 years old, my dad knew I loved Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. I wore that VHS out. He was so damn hilarious evil in that movie and he *knew it*. I was in the Harry Potter craze while it went down and when they announced the role of Snape, I knew I wanted him to play the role. more
This was such a hard read. There was an obvious slash of privacy crossed in this eye-opening, honest book of colourful thoughts, mixed feelings, uncensored opinions and very harsh critiques -most about himself. I found out, this man with the 'to die for' facial bone structure - which he was openly known for (and celebrated. ) was insecure, funny, inspirational, thoughtful, wise and sometimes grumpy. I think I like him even more now. more
Niemand, der Alan Rickman schätzt, sollte dieses Buch lesen. Es wird ihn/sie nur deprimieren. Es handelt sich um eine Aneinanderreihung von kurzen Schnipseln, die in erster Linie von zwei Dingen handeln: Film- und Theaterarbeiten, bei denen Rickman meistens vom Regisseur und den Schauspielkollegen wenig hält; und von Abendessen mit anderen berühmten Menschen, die aber oft nur mit Vornamen genannt werden (mal in eckigen Klammern dahinter ergänzt, mal in den Fußnoten, mal gar nicht). Ich nehme an, dass das Tagebuch auch mehr private Einträge enthielt, die – das ist ja richtig – die Öffentlichkeit nichts angehen und deshalb nicht enthalten sind. Aber so wie es veröffentlicht wurde, bleibt es oberflächlich und erklärt mir nichts über den Schauspieler. more
Nádherné na tom je, že jsou to deníky Alana Rickmana. Poznáme jeho vnímání (nejen uměleckého) světa. Jak se mu pracovalo na různých filmech a divadelních hrách a zároveň jak „obyčejný“ život žil (např. co jedl). Překvapilo mě, kolik času strávil na cestách. more