Oh Miriam!: Stories From An Extraordinary Life

by Miriam Margolyes

From declaring my love to Vanessa Redgrave to being fed cockroaches by Steve Buscemi, from turnip-based comedy with Blackadder to being farted on by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Graham Norton's sofa to Alan Cumming's campervan, my life has been (and continues to be) a riotous adventure.

Oh Miriam! has been such a constant refrain in my life, said in all kinds of tones - laughs, surprised gasps and orgasmic sighs (I'm hoping for all those from you as you read on!) - that it had to be the title of this book. And with a castlist that stretches from Churchill to di Caprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, I've got so much more to tell you and so much more to say.

My chapters range from 'How to Stay Married' to 'Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down'. Discover how to break the thickest conversational ice; why swearing is actually good for you (though not on the Today programme); the unexpected things I actually learnt at school and what my Spice Girl name would be. Not to mention my Tale of the Unexpected and my very own Vagina Monologue.

Buckle up and join me on another unforgettable adventure, but this time through my heart and head . . .

* No gerunds (or Johnsons - worse luck!) were harmed in the making of this book *

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Humor

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2023

About the author

Born in Oxford, England in 1941 and educated at Newnham College, Cambridge, Miriam Margolyes is a veteran of stage and screen, an award-winning actress who achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic. Winner of the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress award in 1993 for The Age of Innocence, she also received Best Supporting Actress at the 1989 LA Critics Circle Awards for her role in Little Dorrit and a Sony Radio Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her unabridged recording of ‘Oliver Twist’. She was the voice of the Matchmaker in Mulan & Fly, the mother dog, in Babe.

Her voice work has been internationally acclaimed & she is regarded as the most accomplished female voice in Britain: she has recorded many audio books including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Alice in Wonderland & Alice Through the Looking-Glass, Matilda, Pinnocchio, The Worst Witch series, The Queen & I (one of the best-selling audio books in the world) The Little White Horse, The Sea, Troy & Wise Child ).

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diving back into writing by Miriam Margolyes reminded me just how much I love this woman. She has such a raw, brutal, and honest outlook on life that I wish many more people adopted. If you put aside her lovably excessive use of the word c***, then there is so much that can be taken from the words she puts onto paper.
She draws from her own experiences of life and weaves them into stories that easily translate into issues and crises of conscience that we all face day in, day out.
She's just a truly fascinating person who has the natural ability to make you stop and think about who you are, who you want to be, and where you want to end up.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody national treasure

[Evandruker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a great fan of Miriam Margolyes and have always found her to be a witty, informed and intelligent commentator, but this book - a follow-up of sorts to her successful memoir This Much is True - feels filled with the bits and pieces that were left over from that book, perhaps just not engaging or interesting enough to have made the initial cut. There are some funny moments here, but there’s also a lot that just isn’t all that interesting.

[Paula Lopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Miriam, but tbh, i like her a little less after this.
I like the upfront, no bs style, but the TMI is way too much.
When your filter is not only not used, but wilfully ignored, you go from outspoken to rude real fast.
I still like Miriam, just not as much as i did. I am now privy to stuff i did not need or want to know 😅
Also, is there a need to constantly call out other people on memoirs/bios now??
This felt like an “Look at me! I’m so edgy!!!” book and i didn’t enjoy it half as much as i thought i would.
Didn’t hate it, but struggled to finish

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't help but be entertained by Miriam, it's both hilariously funny and poignantly moving.

Her naughty silliness is obviously highlighted more by her appearances on the Graham Norton show, which is mentioned here.
I'm also guilty of forgetting on how many roles she's undertaken, from Little Shop of Horrors, Babe and Romeo and Juliet.

The book was written prior to her voice appearance as The Meep in one Doctor Who's 60th anniversary episodes, though her story of another actor to play the role of The Doctor (McCoy) introduced her to fan conventions was also an enjoyable segment.

Her fury at the Tory party and Frank remarks about sex and bodily functions helps make for a rollicking read.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this is entertaining, some enlightening, some frankly tedious. The repeated tales of farting and cocksucking fall into the latter. As does the nose picking: neither funny nor outrageous. Flashing your arse or tits isn’t a gift or humorous. This memoir is revealing in ways probably not intended.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️= Very Good.
Paperback.
I wanted to read this one straight after I read her first book. Looking at reviews, I see that many preferred her first but I found this one even more entertaining.
Now there’s an awful lot of swearing… and I MEAN swearing. Something that I don’t usually like, yet somehow I tolerate from Miriam, even if I do cringe sometimes. She really is a character and one that I think would make a very loyal and interesting friend.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miriam Margolyes is a well known British character actress. She is perhaps most famous for her role as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films but has been in many films, plays and TV shows over the years - including Blackadder and my favourite, the voiceover for the Cadburys caramel adverts.

I would say that MM is a national treasure (our term for luvvies that touch a chord in British cultural life), though unkind people have called her a national trinket to try to put her down.

This book follows on from the success of This Much is True. Be aware that MM believes in sharing - some might saying oversharing. It is true that she is a show off and loves to shock, in that vein she is un-British. I for one will forgive her for this, we need some colour amongst the greyness.

Miriam gets +1 one for hating the Tories. She loses this for dropping the F bomb on Radio 4 - her defence is that she thought the mic was off. In any case the comment was about Jeremy Hunt and R4 presenters are hardly blameless in this regard.

Look up James Naughtie and Jeremy Hunt for an innovative use of cockney rhyming slang.

[Stuart McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Bridgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute palate cleanser memoir that needed a way more aggressive editor

[Charlie Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just love this woman. She’s so unbelievably wholesome, and what a life she has lived.

I found some of her stories funnier than others, but that was mainly because sometimes I just didn’t get the references. A very enjoyable & lighthearted read.

[Barb reads......it ALL! · Rating 4 out of 5]

#nonfictionnovember24 - Book 7

I LOVE Miriam Margolyes!! Funny, irreverent, flatulent.....gloriously, beautifully, unashamedly, unabashedly herself!
I want to be her when I grow up!

[Ellen McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
To live a life that is truly your own is something that all of us wish we can have. Miriam Margolyes is doing just that, farts and all! I admired her honesty and willingness to learn throughout the whole book. Not only hilarious and heartfelt, it gave the reader a perspective on a life that seems so far removed than anything experienced. Margolyes truly are who she is. I loved every minute of this read. If Miriam could narrate my life, the sparkle would truly shine through.

[Abbie Toria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why didn't I DNF this? I really enjoyed her first memoir, but wouldn't recommend this one. Miriam says at the start that many people who liked her first book will not enjoy this one, and she was right! It felt a very random collection of anecdotes.

[Ellen Nacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just want to be her x

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

very filthy as expected from ms miriam

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankyou Miriam, always a pleasure to read.

[Karen Gallaher · Rating 5 out of 5]

simply wonderful

[Helena Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought me so much joy 😊

[Sarah (sarahanneisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[El Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply adore almost everything this woman writes and it was a delight having this book as an audiobook.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Miriam. She's not everyone's cup of tea but I absolutely love her! She's so blunt it's hilarious. Very rude, no matter what company she is in!

I didn't enjoy this book as much as her first book, as I felt I had already read a lot of the stories in this book since they were covered in the first book, but it was still a very good and funny read. I like how she gives zero sh*ts about anything and it really comes across in her writing. She's not ashamed of anything that has happened in her life, or anything she has done and I think that's such a lovely way to be!

I found it quite funny how she says she is getting lots of work now she's older and can't do so much, very funny.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't an autobiography but rather a number of anecdotes from her long and varied life. Chapters range from 'Getting to Know You' to 'How to Stay Married' and 'Never Steal Thunder' which means that the book reads like a series of short stories. As with every collection of short stories that I've ever read I feel that some of them work whereas others don't but I suspect that other readers are likely to enjoy differing ones to me.

This book was bought for me as a present and as such isn't something that I would normally read. I'm not really interested in the cult of 'celebrity', but on the whole I enjoyed reading about this extraordinary and forthright lady, and I'd quite happily have her come sit beside me on a park bench for a natter.

[holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Gifted to me by a colleague for a secret Santa, presumably because I am a lesbian and we work for an actors' union... I did enjoy reading this, but mainly because it is a bit insane and I could read out wild quotes from it in the office on my lunch break. Miriam is really sad about Brexit, loves fannies and mentions how much she admires Churchill and King Charles about five times. What an interesting woman who I knew little about prior to reading this frenetic book.

[BeccaJBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting character. Can't say I particularly like or dislike her. I'm fascinated by her, and they way she lives her life: unapologetically honest and forthright. I can't imagine how liberating it must be for her to be like this, but also how alienating it must be from the people around her. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the chapter on friends and friendships I found myself shouting out: “I want to be your friend Miriam!” I relate to so much of what she says about talking to and seeking out strangers. Other chapters found me wincing and shuddering. She provokes strong reactions in others.

I listened to this gradually over time, a little bit goes a long way I think with Miriam. I do rate this audiobook because it’s very entertaining, but I’m not sure I would want to spend too much one to one time with her! She’s a very strong personality (plus the farting / personal question asking…)

If you can see Miriam live then I would recommend it, I had a great evening when we saw her at the theatre, being interviewed by Fi Glover, on a promotional tour for this book.

[Victoria White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her and her attitude to life.
I loved her views on friendships in this book and how much she values them. She writes a lot about being honest, ‘Truth is essential in friendship’. She explains that people think her blunt and I loveeee that, she says, ‘Who are you if you don’t have opinions?’ And I agree!!
Audiobook is a must for this one.

[Katie Goldsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished the audiobook and have fallen in love with the wit and charm of Miriam Margolyes. Wasn’t expecting to find so many relatable stories and points as a fellow gay, only child who is extremely close with her parents. It was delightful to find a friend in Miriam through many hours of listening to her tell anecdotes and share life advice. Loved it!

[Natalya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolute hoot to read, just fun and naughty but still had some heartwarming moments and political opinions. Found the repeated talk of flatulence a little tedious at times but gas aside hope I’m as spirited as Miriam when I’m in my eighties!!

[Yandrick Agius · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love everything Miriam does, but I will say that unfortunately, there was no real need for this book. She doesn’t really structure this book that well, in my opinion, as it is a series of random tales and opinion pieces. I still love Miriam, but if you’re less of a hard core fan, I’d say stop at the first book!