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Moab Is My Washpot
 
 
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Moab Is My Washpot [Kindle Edition]

Stephen Fry (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £8.99
Kindle Price: £5.98 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £3.01 (33%)
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

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Kindle Edition £5.98   -- --
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Paperback £6.29   -- --
Audio, CD, Audiobook, Unabridged £13.67   -- --
Audio Download, Unabridged £13.04 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial

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Review

Advance praise for Moab Is My Washpot:
"This book bubbles; it boils and it bubbles with wonderful language, quick wit, and loopy digression that always leads you home again. Fry often seems to speak before he thinks, only to discover what he is thinking so he can go on speaking again. I say 'speaks' instead of 'writes' because you can always hear his wonderfully lyrical (English) voice in this book, and that voice is delightfully irreverent, cozy, smart, funny and insightfully honest. His voice is a great read. It's like a fun visit with a smart (Semitic) Brit. I hear you talking, Mr. Fry!"
--Spalding Gray

"From the Hardcover edition.

Book Description

The original bestselling autobiography by the comedian, novelist and national treasure, Stephen Fry. (20040315)
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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Stephen Fry Page
Stephen Fry
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
139 of 139 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Pot Washing Therapy 6 Jun 2003
By "stinky_books"
Format:Paperback
A wonderfully endearing book by a very likeable man. I was hooked from the beginning and although it does get a little mawkish on occasion, Fry's honesty is therapeutic and his admissions fascinating.

Be warned however, that this is not a whimsical account of his comedy career. It is an emotional confession of the struggle Fry had in the first twenty years of his life. Although the man's intelligence and charm are evident throughout, he vents spleen aplenty and his language is rather colourful at times. His love of music, film and words are my loves and so I devoured his writing. His digressions (he calls then diversions) often lead to even greater digressions and this is wonderful. The style is not stilted or excessively crafted but heartfelt and accessible. Fry does not set out to portray himself as misunderstood but to tell things as they are. I found the book inspirational and somehow felt better about myself afterwards. It will make you think about your family and your honesty. Yes, you will laugh but do not read this expecting a saccharine happy childhood story.

Treat yourself and indulge in some pot-washing yourself.

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54 of 54 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great autobiography 1 Jun 2004
By G M W Dillon
Format:Paperback
I read The Liar and The Hippopotamus and found them a little too flowery for my liking, but then I'm not a great novel reader anyway. The pages of this book, on the other hand, turned so quickly, I thought they might catch fire.

As another reviewer stated, his frequent ramblings off the main thread of the story are sheer joy and make you feel he is in the room talking to you. And he can't resist teaching us a new word by including it then demonstrating its meaning e.g. rhotacism, or explicitly correcting a widely used grammatical or spelling error! All very familiar Fry stuff.

Stephen says himself that his life is at once as unremarkable as they come and stranger than fiction, when you put it down at the end, you feel he is spot on. Only once towards the very end did I see a quality in him that you could be unashamedly proud of.

Don't worry if you don't like his novels, this is one of the most absorbing and satisfying autobiographies ever written.

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127 of 131 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars stephen fry is great! 3 Jan 2001
By katenormal
Format:Paperback
This autobiography is of the first twenty years of Stephen's life. I started to read it vaguely knowing that this was the bloke off 'Blackadder' but once I'd finished, I rushed out and bought 'The Liar' and 'The Hippopotamus'. This book is brilliant. It is completely candid about Stephen's depression, homosexuality and school life, among others. It is, however, hilarious all the way through. The reader never feels inferior to Stephen's undoubted intelligence because of the way he mocks himself so easily. By the end of the book, all I wanted to do was go and find him and give him a big hug and tell him everything will be fine! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone, and also his other books which are all excellent as well.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fall in love 18 April 2006
By Kate Perez
Format:Paperback
Stephen Fry is one of the most fascinating public figures in British life. This first autobiography is relentlously honest and entirely compelling.

Stephen Fry is an adorable human being and the journey of his early years is profoundly thrilling, enlightening and more often than not, hilarious.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry 28 Jan 2009
By Patrick Neylan VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
As the song says, Thou Shalt Not Question Stephen Fry - but I'm going to do it anyway. I love Stephen Fry. If I too were (to use his phrase from this book) "not like other boys" then I wouldn't be writing reviews of his books. I'd be out there stalking him. Fortunately for both of us, I'm not.

Fry at 51 is a beautiful man, and deserves credit for being so honest as to show what a smug, selfish, preening, dishonest and downright callous little b-----d he was at 10, 14 and 18. If that sounds harsh, it's nothing compared with how harshly Fry judges himself.

Even as he wrote this book (aged 40) he couldn't help showing off at times, which shows us that part of that insufferable little fellow is still there. Not that we need to be told that one of the best-loved men in Britain is insecure; it's part of his charm.

And although he is harrowingly honest, he occasionally stops short. He half-heartedly tries to put some of the blame for his stealing on his love for "Matthew", even though he has been a shameless thief since before he can remember. And he never seriously tackles what made him so amoral from such an early age.

Nonetheless, it is a beautifully written tale of redemption. One is left feeling that it was a minor miracle that he could save himself after throwing away every opportunity given to him.

It's not perfect. There are errors of English that should never appear in any book, let alone one by Stephen Fry (the worst examples are "baited breath" and "Rolls Royce's"). Regrettably, the present edition comes in a cover seemingly designed by the same people who do uk/The-World-According-Clarkson-Jeremy/dp/0141017899">Jeremy Clarkson's covers. It's ugly, and nothing by Stephen Fry should be associated with ugliness.

But even with those criticisms, it's highly recommended. Some of the philosophical diversions are enlightening (if rather too adult for the younger reader), and Fry's characteristic humour shines through on every page. There are some glorious metaphors and, even if it is not as flawless as some reviewers suggest, it is still highly recommended. Read more ›
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars It changed the way I view Fry 8 Feb 2011
By Apollo
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am at odds with this book! Fry has laid bare his early life and holds nothing back. One gets the feeling that he is, in some way, looking for absolution in doing so. I am left with a picture of a self obsessed, solipsist who is full of self loathing and hell bent on destruction at that point in his life.

I found some of the text wince inducing and uncomfortable to read but that is a personal thing, I'm sure. This outing (literally - forgive the pun) urges me to buy his more recent offering simply because we all know that the, "lad turned out alright".

I do view him differently now though. It's like when a friend says or does something that is out of character and there is just that small shift in your relationship. Read it, you might see what I mean.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Stephen fry
a very good book. lots of descriptive life story of Mr fry growing up. sometimes the book can be hard to read, but all round great book
Published 21 days ago by adrian evans
5.0 out of 5 stars the first of two
Well worth a read, i enjoyed this book very much and am looking forward to reading the following 20 years
Published 22 days ago by george o'brien
4.0 out of 5 stars Stephen's tale of his roots
Getting the background on Stephen's family, his home, his youthful obsessions and bad behaviour is at times laugh-out loud stuff. An entertaining read.
Published 22 days ago by Orchidroom
2.0 out of 5 stars Not sure
Interesting in parts but on the whole not one I'd recommend in a hurry - won't be hurrying to get the next instalment.
Published 1 month ago by Ian Cranston
5.0 out of 5 stars Addicted
The best autobiography I've ever read. I expected great things as I love everything Stephen has done, but this surpassed all my expectations and I barely put it down all week. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kevin H
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended.
Heart renching true life story of Stephen. Love this book I've listened to it several times now and each time I discover something new!
Published 2 months ago by mickeymouse
5.0 out of 5 stars The childhood and teens.
I bought the "The Fry Chronicles" from Audible but decided not to listen to them till I had read "Moab is my Washpot" which is a prequel. Read more
Published 2 months ago by K. A. Newton
4.0 out of 5 stars Part 1 of his Autobiography
This tells the story of his youth up to his late teens. Not recommended for those of a sensative nature, but you wouldn't be reading it if you were!!!
Published 3 months ago by Cully
4.0 out of 5 stars BIRTHDAY PRESENT
Originally ordered the book 'used - good' from 3rd party seller arrived within the stated time however it was more than just a little shabby & I felt I couldn't give it to my... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mckenzzee
5.0 out of 5 stars Moab is My Washpot
I will read anything by Stephen Fry and I didn't have this book in my collection, so it was a must. Actually not one of his best works.....
Published 4 months ago by kitty
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We keep our insignificant blemishes so that we can blame them for our larger defects. &quote;
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It is the useless things that make life worth living and that make life dangerous too: wine, love, art, beauty. Without them life is safe, but not worth bothering with. &quote;
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‘Wisdom?’ Ramsay chewed the word around in his mouth. ‘Oh, I should say that wisdom is the ability to cope.’ &quote;
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