Patsy Kensit is one of our most-loved actresses, a child star who grew up in the public eye and has remained there ever since. Her life has been a roller-coaster mix of adventure, drama and heartache, and it is only now that she finally feels ready to share her journey so far. In Absolute Beginner Patsy describes her extraordinary childhood, moving between the glamour of filming movies with Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow and the tiny London council flat she shared with her parents and brother. Even as her career was taking off, she was living with the devastating knowledge of her beloved mother's incurable cancer and was forced to hide her father's criminal past. She also writes about the ups and downs of life as an actress in a career that has spanned four decades, from her roles in films like the iconic Absolute Beginners, Lethal Weapon 2, 21 and Oscar-nominated Angels and Insects to playing the uber bitch Sadie King in Emmerdale and, most recently, starring in Holby City. Vivid, intimate and touching, Absolute Beginner reveals the real Patsy - a warm and funny woman who is the ultimate survivor.
Really enjoyed this, Ive always liked Patsy and her biography is fascinating reading, she has had an amazing life so far, her fair share of tragedy and sadness, but some amazing times too. What I loved was her self reflection, positivity and her sense of fairness, and her love for her children but also the love and respect she shows for her ex partners, no dishing of dirt, just genuine friendship and respect, she is godmother to her ex husbands ex wifes' daughters twins! And also close friends with ex wives, New partners, mothers etc, she seems like a genuinely likeable, loyal and good hearted person and I loved her book
I loved this. I'm not a Patsy Kensit 'fan', to be honest I've only ever associated her with Emmerdale and marriage to Liam Gallagher but then I'm only young so most of the things she writes about here occurred either before I was born or was too young to take notice of. Sadie King is one of my favourite ever Emmerdale characters though and I was interested to see what she wrote about the Krays and her father's criminal past. About the Krays, not so much, her father's past a little bit but nothing too informative.
She writes about how when she was growing up people assumed that she was a rich kid from a privileged background and to be honest I thought the same. In fact it turns out that she comes from a very poor background and has fought for everything that she has got. It's crazy to imagine this young girl from a poor area of London flying across the world to work with Elizabeth Taylor but that's what Patsy did and I think it's amazing. I had no idea of the acting background that she's had and just how many films and TV shows she has been in. Okay a lot of them may have been small roles but some of them were major roles and with some of the biggest names in the business at that time.
I enjoyed reading the chapters about her previous relationships especially the one with Liam. She didn't really slate him too much or place too much emphasis on the bad times however but then how much of what the press wrote is true is questionable as Patsy warns the reader in the book. Patsy came across as friendly and lovely in the book, which is how she appears in real life. She is very honest about the problems she has faced in her life, including her battle with weight and the negative reaction she often received from colleagues. However it was the chapters about her mother that were most touching. It is clear that they both loved each other very much and reading about her mother's battle with cancer and eventual passing was quite emotional.
However the biggest shock for me in the whole book was finding out that she auditioned and rehearsed to play the role of Emily in Friends! Now I am somebody who hates every love interest of both Ross and Rachel but I especially dislike Emily! I'm trying to imagine whether I would've liked Emily had she been played by Patsy! Not to mention whether the character would've lasted longer as I believe Helen Baxendale had to leave due to pregnancy. Patsy however didn't want to potentially tie herself down to anything longer than a guest role and chose to work on her marriage with Liam instead.
Overall I loved this book and recommend it to Patsy fans or anybody who loves a good read. It's very honest, emotional and quite funny in parts. Especially the bits in Malta when Patsy was filming with Elizabeth Hurley. The film she was making was filmed on a boat docked by the village that was built for the film Popeye. I have visited said village and it was, interesting... Patsy says Malta was a bit rubbish at the time she visited but when I went in 2007 I loved it. Perhaps for two young girls as herself and Elizabeth were it may have been a bit quiet. Overall a fantastic read.
This was a very honest book from Patsy Kensit. When I get an autobiography to read I always look at the pictures first and they were so diverse from Elizabeth Taylor with a young Patsy to one of the Kray twins holding her brother so gently at his christening. I was facinated to read the background story and even though I thought I knew a lot about Patsy Kensit I really didnt. I hadn't realised just how far she had gone with her music career and some of the films she had been in. A great book and well worth reading.
After reading this book I believe no-one could fail to like Patsy. She has had such a tough life but also some amazing experiences. She remains positive throughout which is a great example and I like the fact that she shows respect and care for her sons' feelings by never dishing the dirt on her ex husbands.
Fascinating read. Patsy Kensit has lead such an extraordinary life that the Scottish castle her husband, Jim Kerr, surprises her with merits barely a sentence. At the same time down-to-earth-honest yet discreet, Patsy comes across as a very human and fearless woman.
Absolute Beginners, an autobiography by British actress Patsy Kensit is one of those books I wasn’t sure I really wanted to read. While I’ve always been interested in the various worlds of entertainment, having spent a couple of decades as an entertainment-focused journalist, in that time I never crossed paths with the actress, and in the world of entertainment, especially North American entertainment, Patsy is not as well known as those A-listers, who’ve had larger and more prolific careers. You see Patsy is an actress who has demonstrated immense talent in some films, such as Twenty-One and Angels & Insects, truly remarkable films, but has also found herself caught in the world of straight-to-video ‘B’ movies, such as Bitter Harvest and the German made Kill Cruise.
By not seeing Patsy Kensit as a larger-than-life actress in the world of cinema, I was assuming there wasn’t much of interest to her story, or one worth exploring; I simply assumed her book would perform well in Great Britain, where I’m sure she is better known than North America. I was wrong. I assumed and you know what happens when one assumes (if you don’t, look it up).
Having covered films in the 1980’s, ‘90’s and into the new century, I was familiar with Patsy’s work during that time, although I had forgotten quite a few of the films and had no idea she was a child actress. From the start, Patsy had it tough, her mother having to deal with cancer, giving her cause as a young girl, and a teenage girl, and onward to be constantly worried she was going to lose her. Add to that, her Father settled on a criminal life, being an associate of notorious British crime figures Ron and Reggie Kray, and in doing so wasn’t always the best provider for his family, causing her and her brother to know what it was like to live with very little, even having to scrap enough together at times for a meal. While as a young woman, Patsy really came to the media’s attention once she was cast as Suzette in director Julien Temples musical screen adaptation of Absolute Beginners by author Colin MacInnes, and at the same time she was the lead singer in the pop group Eighth Wonder, it was assumed she had led a glamorous life of privilege, but her childhood and teenage years were full of their own interesting struggles, as she pursued an acting career.
In telling her story, Patsy comes across as authentic and honest. For instance when talking about her role in the German film Der Skipper a.k.a. Kill Cruise, alongside Elizabeth Hurley and Jurgen Prochnow, she’s honest in explaining that after they signed on to do the film both she and Elizabeth realized it was a stinker, but were committed, so just found a way to enjoy themselves during the three-month shoot. She also explains her regrets in making some ‘B’ movies like the erotic-thriller Bitter Harvest, but explains that as a child who knew poverty, she found herself compelled to work, rather than just sitting around waiting for the right project, and these ‘B’ movies paid well, even though they weren’t going to do anything for her career in general. Patsy doesn’t try to make excuses for such forays, but explains her motivation and reasons for doing them.
You get the impression that Patsy had been in the film business so long, she understood the ups and downs within it, and approached her career with realism, taking pride in explaining those roles she enjoyed and found fulfilling, and not making excuses for the miscues.
Of course, any book by Patsy Kensit does not only deal with the film industry, but also forays into the world of music. While Eighth Wonder had its hits, Patsy only made one album with the band (that also featured her brother, Jamie), the actress is also well known in Great Britain for her interest in dating and marrying rock ‘n’ rollers, having first married Dan Donovan a member of Big Audio Dynamite, then Jim Kerr from Simple Minds, and Liam Gallagher from Oasis. Both Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher were high profile enough to keep her under the watchful eye of the aggressive and relentless British media. As she explains, in her early days her mother was able to protect her from the press, but as a young woman, branching out on her own, she didn’t always know how to handle them and might have said too much at times, setting herself up as a target – of course being married to prominent musicians later on didn’t help either.
It would be a mistake to define Patsy by those marriages, as she has accomplished quite a lot in her life on her own, and is due the respect for that. One thing of note that stuck with me while she was writing about her marriage to Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr was the graciousness and support she received from Jim’s former wife, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. What Patsy says about Chrissie only renews my respect for the rock ‘n’ roller, and I suggest those interested pick up Chrissie Hynde’s autobiography Reckless for one hell of an interesting read.
But back to Patsy.
I don’t know if it is because the biography I read before Absolute Beginner was Waylon: Tales of My Outlaw Dad by his son Terry Jennings, a loving tribute from a son to his father, but I got the impression while reading Absolute Beginner that it was more than just an autobiography of Patsy Kensit, but in her own way, a love letter and tribute to her mother, who one could only argue after reading the book, was one of the world’s strongest women and someone we could all learn a thing or two about in how we conduct ourselves in this world.
Sometimes a book will surprise you. As I said earlier, I have seen some of Patsy Kensit’s work and I have enjoyed it, but I wasn’t sure that was enough to get me to read her autobiography. Something, however, compelled me to do so, and in the long run I’m glad I did. She is a fascinating individual who is worth spending some time with, even if it is only in the pages of her autobiography.
This is a secret pleasure. I have always liked Patsy and we are from similar backgrounds and both of us have always worked very hard. Luckily I haven't experienced three failed marriages but this is an open biography and she admits her own faults in their failures. Good luck with the future Patsy.
When you read a memoir or autobiography by someone who's VERY likable, it's charming and sweet. When you read a memoir or autobiography by someone who's had a VERY interesting life - all the way from birth to the present - that charming and sweet autobiography or memoir really becomes vivid - you'll want to read certain chapters repeatedly.
Patsy is charming, sensitive, deeply warm, and FAR FAR more modest than I'd ever have imagined.
If you're interested in social mores, fashion, TV and movies from the 1970s to the present, the marketing and promotion of rock bands - she's been there - the singer for her own rock band as well as marrying two world famous leaders of their own epoch-making bands.
She is also the actress from The Great Gatsby, The Blue Bird, Absolute Beginners, Angels and Insects, and many others - her stories involving James Fox, Elizabeth Taylor, David Bowie, Ava Gardner, Liam Gallagher, Robert Redford, Mia Farrow - and so many others - are just wonderful.
The lady is beautiful, sensitive, warm - and has an amazing memory for what she's lived through! Read the background behind all the public stories.
I adored Patsy Kensit when I was growing up. I thought she was so beautiful. I liked this book but there wasn't anything in it I didn't already know. Her mother was a stunner though and it was tragic that she had to live with cancer for 20yrs. I wish patsy all the best for her future.
I didn't really know too much about Patsy Kensit other than her marriages and her appearances in the films "Absolute Beginners" and "Lethal Weapon 2". There is so much more to her as a person. Just like anyone else she goes through struggles with family,career,and other personal issues.I could relate to some of what she said about her issues with weight and how she was feeling. Her memoir was very open and honest.She didn't spend time slamming anyone in her life such as Liam Gallagher.She simply acknowledges the good times and the bad times without all the blaming or finger pointing.She has an appreciation of the way her sons' fathers have taken care of their sons.She has since come out the other side of everything she has been through and maintains pretty good relationships to those closest to her including her sons.The book was good.I could not see anyone else writing it because who knows Patsy Kensit,better than the woman herself?
I've been a bit of a Patsy Kensit fan since I was briefly at the same school as her in 1976 or 1977 (I had thought it was longer, but according to this book she wasn't there for very long at all). I voted for her every week she was on Strictly, and have vaguely been aware of some of the acting roles she has had (though I didn't realise there were so many, and that she had been such a nardworking actress for so long) and the marriages she has had. I couldn't tell if she had a ghost writer, but I would guess not, the book isn't written in the most sophisticated language, nor are there long sections about exciting bits. Instead it's written in quite a homely way, with quite a lot of focus on the ordinary things that happened in her childhood and in her relationships, and I really liked that about it.
i had heard obviously of her mainly as the fish finger girl and and h er various marriages parts of the book were interesting like her early life and the fight she has shown to come up on top !!! alot of the time with alot of these books alot of the time it can at times become just alot of name dropping with people you dont bit surprizing how how short all her marriages were but then again with getting together with star studded husbands it is difficult with all the touring i am glad that all seemed ok in the end and with such famous fathers jim kerr and liam g wonder what will become of her boys actually from what i have seen her acting wise pretty good
i loved it, was eloquently worded, i just wish she delved into more detail surrounding the late nineties because the 70ms and 80’s got like two hundred pages whereas the 90’s to modern day got 150?
Whilst I've loved Patsy Kensit ever since I first saw her in Emmerdale as super bitch Sadie King, I knew absolutely nothing about her as a real person, apart from her brief marriage to Liam Gallagher of Oasis and about her dad's criminal activity. Of course I got to know her a little bit following her 2015 appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, but I still wanted to know more about her. So when I found this book in my local bookstore for just £2.99 (in a perfect hardcover, might I add!) I decided I'd get it and get to know Patsy as herself rather than a character.
I found this book to be a pleasant read! I quite enjoyed reading about the various acting roles she has done since the age of 4, especially those of her more famous work such as Absolute Beginners, Lethal Weapon and, of course the reason I know her, Emmerdale. I also liked reading about her relationship with her Mum, and about how (after four failed marriages) she strives to be the best mother she can be to her two sons. I realised, reading this book, that Patsy is actually more normal than I thought her to be - I thought because she had been an actress since she was 4 and has been in various hit movies/shows with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, I thought her ego would be through the roof but this book makes her seem really down to earth and such a genuine, lovely lady.
I thought that, although throughout the book Patsy admits she's made mistakes, this book was very positive. She doesn't go into too much depth about her mistakes, and doesn't slate any of her exes in this book which for an autobiography is quite a triumph! It just goes to show how lovely Patsy actually is. Even though she's been working in showbiz her entire life, she's remained grounded and knows what the real meaning of life is and I find that truly inspiring after everything she has achieved. I wish more celebrities were like Patsy!
4/5 stars for me! A very enjoyable read, although I was kind of hoping for a little more Emmerdale to satisfy the superfan side of me! I'd recommend this to anyone who, like me beforehand, doesn't know the real Patsy behind the characters/headlines. I'd also recommend this to any of the current headline grabbing celebrities, to show them that yes you can have a successful global career and remain a human with morals and dignity!
Loved this book :) i knew very little about patsy (other than for her relationship with liam gallagher) before i started reading this book im so glad i bought it. Its a beautifully written book and easy to read. She has lead such an interesting life and has achieved so much. I admire how she wrote this book she's appears to be a person with morals and principals i say this because she didnt use the book to air her dirty laundry and slam all the exes which is too common in autobiographies!!! I wish patsy all the very best for da future she deserves every happiness.
enjoyable read although there wasn't much that was new in it. I felt that a lot was untold and I understand the reasons behind that, is thinking of her kids but it might have been more interesting to learn so details of her marriages. the fourth marriage was dealt with in a paragraph! lots of listings of the work she did which got a bit tedious. overall a good read, an interesting life and seems a lovely person
A quick and easy read. Patsy Kensit has been around for ages, I remember mentions of her in the press during the 80s and the 90s, and her book certainly feels like a travel through time. Lots of great photos. Due to the industry she is in, she doesn't want to burn any bridges so she is diplomatic about a lot of people. Worth a read if you like a showbiz/celeb autobiography.
All I'd heard of Patsy Kensit was of her drug use, and that wasn't mentioned in the autobiography. After reading what she did write, I respect her for the work she has done. Bad luck marrying Liam Gallagher though.