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The Lucy Family Alphabet
Judith Lucy has been cracking jokes about her parents for years. But when a birth relative's casual comment implied that she despised them, Judith was shocked. Sure, she had been talking about Ann and Tony Lucy like they were one-dimensional Irish nut bags who had ruined her life for years, but there was always more to them and her own feelings than that.
So Judith decided it was time to write the full story of her parents and her childhood.
Judith Lucy is one of Australia's best-known comedians; this is her first work.
So Judith decided it was time to write the full story of her parents and her childhood.
Judith Lucy is one of Australia's best-known comedians; this is her first work.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
17 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Judith Lucy
8 books55 followersJudith Lucy is one of Australia’s most popular comedians. Her work in radio, television, film and her sell out national tours have made Judith Lucy a household name.
She first hit the scene in 1989 as a stand-up but sprang to national prominence in 1993 as part of the cast of ABC TV’s, The Late Show. She did a tour of duty on Triple J and was a regular on Martin/Molloy. Her live stage shows have been what has set Judith apart. Since her 1996 hit, King of the Road Judith has been a regular fixture on the live scene, selling out big rooms with her sharply observed and honest personal monologues.
Judith has also spent time contributing features and columns for the likes of The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and Madison Magazine.
She first hit the scene in 1989 as a stand-up but sprang to national prominence in 1993 as part of the cast of ABC TV’s, The Late Show. She did a tour of duty on Triple J and was a regular on Martin/Molloy. Her live stage shows have been what has set Judith apart. Since her 1996 hit, King of the Road Judith has been a regular fixture on the live scene, selling out big rooms with her sharply observed and honest personal monologues.
Judith has also spent time contributing features and columns for the likes of The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and Madison Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
October 24, 2014
At first disappointed that my local library had only the audiobook, I now see it was a blessing in disguise as the memoir was read by the author herself. Dry, witty, sad and often uncomfortable, Lucy bought her childhood memories to light and painted them with her classic sarcastic spin whilst still maintaining her own integrity and genuine self-disclosure. I learned a lot about Judith Lucy listening to this and found that, although I've always found her stand-up hilarious, I now truly respect her as a person. Thanks JL.
January 3, 2013
This is the most darkly hilarious, witty and sad book I think I've read. I know Lucy loved her adoptive parents, what I don't quite understand is why. And further, why 2 such desperate (her mother) & deluded (her father) people would want to adopt in the first place. I began to wonder if unhappy people ever realise the extent of their unhappiness, & what they'll be passing on to the people around them, or whether they exist by necessity in a bubble, convinced not even of their own normality but their own power, their own charisma and will and righteousness.
I can see why Lucy's upbringing drove her to comedy - and drink - but how she avoided complete despair, I'm not sure. A couple of more eccentric, cruel people than Ann & Tony Lucy (her adoptive parents) would be hard to imagine. But it would also be hard to imagine those 2 figures without the pathos Lucy brings to the telling. When Judith, as a pre-teen, bursts into tears in a store change room because of the sadness of her mother's life, I felt like joining her. And I admit some of my tears over the first 2 chapters were real, & not just the effects of my suppressed sniggering while the rest of my household was trying to watch TV. An adult immigrant to Australia, Ann Lucy would smile at strangers in the street in the hopes that someone would talk to her. She knew no one but her withholding husband, her children and the family's psychotic pets. That said, she was also the woman who claimed the shower didn't work for the first 15 years of Judith's life, she used to use 'dry shampoo' on her kids' heads (because the wet stuff was difficult to use in the weekly family bath?), & referred to every other woman as either a 'cold bitch' or a 'slut'. Tomes of psychological analysis could be written about this woman.
Of her father, we learn that he wore make-up (purely because he was conceited), that he once walked door to door in socks, swimming trunks & a pyjama shirt looking for a phone (in fairness, that's just what he was wearing when his car broke down...), that he perpetually referred to women as stupid, once threatened to kill his son (but wasn't serious, because he hadn't yet picked up a knife), & he wrote his children out of his will because he'd heard Judith was making scrotum jokes.
The odd thing is that as shocking as all these revelations are, they're still - in the book - bloody funny. Sad, sometimes sickening, sometimes familiar in a parallel-sort-of-way - but still, always funny.
#aww2013 no.03
I can see why Lucy's upbringing drove her to comedy - and drink - but how she avoided complete despair, I'm not sure. A couple of more eccentric, cruel people than Ann & Tony Lucy (her adoptive parents) would be hard to imagine. But it would also be hard to imagine those 2 figures without the pathos Lucy brings to the telling. When Judith, as a pre-teen, bursts into tears in a store change room because of the sadness of her mother's life, I felt like joining her. And I admit some of my tears over the first 2 chapters were real, & not just the effects of my suppressed sniggering while the rest of my household was trying to watch TV. An adult immigrant to Australia, Ann Lucy would smile at strangers in the street in the hopes that someone would talk to her. She knew no one but her withholding husband, her children and the family's psychotic pets. That said, she was also the woman who claimed the shower didn't work for the first 15 years of Judith's life, she used to use 'dry shampoo' on her kids' heads (because the wet stuff was difficult to use in the weekly family bath?), & referred to every other woman as either a 'cold bitch' or a 'slut'. Tomes of psychological analysis could be written about this woman.
Of her father, we learn that he wore make-up (purely because he was conceited), that he once walked door to door in socks, swimming trunks & a pyjama shirt looking for a phone (in fairness, that's just what he was wearing when his car broke down...), that he perpetually referred to women as stupid, once threatened to kill his son (but wasn't serious, because he hadn't yet picked up a knife), & he wrote his children out of his will because he'd heard Judith was making scrotum jokes.
The odd thing is that as shocking as all these revelations are, they're still - in the book - bloody funny. Sad, sometimes sickening, sometimes familiar in a parallel-sort-of-way - but still, always funny.
#aww2013 no.03
December 7, 2012
This book really surprised me. I am not the biggest fan of Lucy's stand-up, so I was expecting this to be a collection of gags (as some comedian memoirs can be.)
Instead, I found an amazing and, at times, painful journey through Lucy's upbringing, an upbringing she had to come to terms with and fully understand as an adult - having discovered at 25 she was actually adopted.
(I don't think it's a "spoiler" if it's on the back cover blurb, and this comes out in the first few pages.)
One book which this reminds me of is "Oranges are not the Only Fruit" (and now I'm only a little way into it, the follow-on "Why be happy when you can be normal?")
The strange nature of book reviewing and recommendations is that Winterson's book gets placed in the "coming of age lesbian story" box - whereas I found the over-arching themes of both books to be the passage of an awkward (woolly haired) girl to find her place in a world having grown up with very eccentric individuals who, despite herself and challenging experiences, she feels affection towards.
Although Winterson's adoptive mother might have given her more reason to be angry, Lucy's adoptive mother is no less strange - (Lucy's initial incredulity at finding out she was adopted stemming partly from her mother's continual vivid descriptions of her labour with Lucy) - or uncomfortable with the concept of giving affection.
There is also the similarity of attempting to work through the emotions of coming to terms with understanding where the birth mother might fit in, especially in the context of the complexity of the relationship with the adoptive mother.
But it's the overarching humour that helps drive this story - Lucy had based much of her stand up on some of the stories found in this book, so she is already well at ease in revealing personal stories that would otherwise be quite tragic - and by the end of the book Lucy still has some work to do on accepting her past (hence projects like her ABC series on Spirituality).
Instead, I found an amazing and, at times, painful journey through Lucy's upbringing, an upbringing she had to come to terms with and fully understand as an adult - having discovered at 25 she was actually adopted.
(I don't think it's a "spoiler" if it's on the back cover blurb, and this comes out in the first few pages.)
One book which this reminds me of is "Oranges are not the Only Fruit" (and now I'm only a little way into it, the follow-on "Why be happy when you can be normal?")
The strange nature of book reviewing and recommendations is that Winterson's book gets placed in the "coming of age lesbian story" box - whereas I found the over-arching themes of both books to be the passage of an awkward (woolly haired) girl to find her place in a world having grown up with very eccentric individuals who, despite herself and challenging experiences, she feels affection towards.
Although Winterson's adoptive mother might have given her more reason to be angry, Lucy's adoptive mother is no less strange - (Lucy's initial incredulity at finding out she was adopted stemming partly from her mother's continual vivid descriptions of her labour with Lucy) - or uncomfortable with the concept of giving affection.
There is also the similarity of attempting to work through the emotions of coming to terms with understanding where the birth mother might fit in, especially in the context of the complexity of the relationship with the adoptive mother.
But it's the overarching humour that helps drive this story - Lucy had based much of her stand up on some of the stories found in this book, so she is already well at ease in revealing personal stories that would otherwise be quite tragic - and by the end of the book Lucy still has some work to do on accepting her past (hence projects like her ABC series on Spirituality).
April 10, 2019
This book is equal parts hilarious and harrowingly candid. Evidently a journey of healing, Lucy takes us along with her as she comes to know her late (adoptive) parents in a more profound and loving way than possible when they were still alive. Family is an inevitability of life and sometimes what we get is different than what we would have picked for ourselves, as Lucy hilariously repeats throughout with the use of side splitting anecdotes of her childhood. Lucy lays it all on the line and reinforced to me that she is one of the great Australian story tellers of our time. Some stories are charming and others hard pills to swallow. This book will make you pleasantly nostalgic of your childhood and help you realise that your parents, no matter who or what they were, did their very best. For me, this book made me beam with pride over who my parents are and thankful for the relationship I have with him. It also told me so much about forgiveness. Overall, this book reminded me that everything will be ok. It always is.
November 23, 2014
Judith Lucy,p is one hell of a funny lady. If you like your humour dry, sarcastic, sometimes caustic, but funny as a hatfull, then this is for you. She is as dry and witty in print as she is on stage, and I loved it. Definitely a laugh out loud kind of book. Even though the book is about her parents, frankly I think you learn more about Judith than them. There are things about her life I had no idea about and she is very open about it, and I think it is a real insight to who she is. There is no woe is me, or feel sorry for me, or bitterness. It just is what claims to be, a story about her parents. But told in typical Judith Lucy style. It was a crack up in places. Really enjoyed it.
February 15, 2018
If you've ever seen Judith Lucy on TV or on stage, you know she's a 'let it all hang out' kind of girl. Sometimes I'll think she's the funniest person I've ever seen, and I'll kill myself laughing. Other times I cringe because the humour is a bit crude or mean. This book pretty much lived up to those expectations, but also had a poignant side to it.
Rather than being told in chronological order, the book is divided into alphabetised sections, starting with A is for Adoption and ending with Z is for Zorba (as in Zorba the Greek). During one horrendous Christmas Day of family bickering when she was 25, Judith's sister-in-law told her she was adopted. While that revelation threw Judith into a tailspin and changed her perception of her family forever, it didn't change the fact that they had raised her and that some of her qualities also came from them. For example, her father influenced her sense of humour, and she loved them in spite of their many mistakes and strange ways.
At times I laughed out loud at the pithy one-liners and bizarre stories of her loopy parents. But there are also some uncomfortable sections and heartache in amongst the laughter. As Judith's parents had both passed away before she wrote this book, I wondered if some parts were a bit ungracious to say the least. However, Judith doesn't paint a glowing picture of herself either. It's a a warts-and-all portrayal, with the humour taking the edge off some of the darker memories.
There's something for everyone, whether it's H is for hanky-panky or N is for Neil Diamond. Probably not for everyone, but a fascinating insight into one of Australia's best-known comediennes. I actually felt more warmth for her after reading this book.
Rather than being told in chronological order, the book is divided into alphabetised sections, starting with A is for Adoption and ending with Z is for Zorba (as in Zorba the Greek). During one horrendous Christmas Day of family bickering when she was 25, Judith's sister-in-law told her she was adopted. While that revelation threw Judith into a tailspin and changed her perception of her family forever, it didn't change the fact that they had raised her and that some of her qualities also came from them. For example, her father influenced her sense of humour, and she loved them in spite of their many mistakes and strange ways.
At times I laughed out loud at the pithy one-liners and bizarre stories of her loopy parents. But there are also some uncomfortable sections and heartache in amongst the laughter. As Judith's parents had both passed away before she wrote this book, I wondered if some parts were a bit ungracious to say the least. However, Judith doesn't paint a glowing picture of herself either. It's a a warts-and-all portrayal, with the humour taking the edge off some of the darker memories.
There's something for everyone, whether it's H is for hanky-panky or N is for Neil Diamond. Probably not for everyone, but a fascinating insight into one of Australia's best-known comediennes. I actually felt more warmth for her after reading this book.
November 1, 2020
Though far from a literary masterpiece, this memoir both brightened and disturbed my day.
It’s a fast and often way too familiar story of the life and times of one Judith Lucy, told in a novel format, using key words from A to Z.
4 stars for the format, her voice and ability to turn life’s experiences into comic relief...though we all know and understand what lies beneath.
“Mum wasn’t overweight, she was a pool cue with tits”.
“My mother’s bed chest was a Denture cemetery.”
“She was a walking fart.”
“You’ve got quite a crop there (hairy armpit).”
“No child wants to see their fathers urine in a bag.”
It’s a fast and often way too familiar story of the life and times of one Judith Lucy, told in a novel format, using key words from A to Z.
4 stars for the format, her voice and ability to turn life’s experiences into comic relief...though we all know and understand what lies beneath.
“Mum wasn’t overweight, she was a pool cue with tits”.
“My mother’s bed chest was a Denture cemetery.”
“She was a walking fart.”
“You’ve got quite a crop there (hairy armpit).”
“No child wants to see their fathers urine in a bag.”
December 9, 2025
I was a big fan of Judith Lucy before I read this book. Now… not so much.
Yes, it is quite funny here and there, but in addition to the increasingly tedious alphabet structure of these anecdotes, I was dismayed by her attitude towards her family.
Yes, her parents sound like they were difficult, but that’s grist to the comedian or writer’s mill. Compare this to Hannah Gadsby’s superb autobiography ‘10 Steps to Nanette’ and you’ll see the difference between indulgent complaint and mature self-reflection.
This feels like a writing exercise that was done with a therapist and I think it should have remained as one.
Yes, it is quite funny here and there, but in addition to the increasingly tedious alphabet structure of these anecdotes, I was dismayed by her attitude towards her family.
Yes, her parents sound like they were difficult, but that’s grist to the comedian or writer’s mill. Compare this to Hannah Gadsby’s superb autobiography ‘10 Steps to Nanette’ and you’ll see the difference between indulgent complaint and mature self-reflection.
This feels like a writing exercise that was done with a therapist and I think it should have remained as one.
July 23, 2021
Thank you Judith Lucy for opening up your life and sharing with us the good, bad and ugly. I laughed, which isn’t surprising as you are a well known comedian, but I really laughed, whisked away into your world, completely forgetting mine at present, what a blessing. I also loved the alphabet format. Your story was conveyed in entirety but not chronologically which sometimes is boring and predictable in other biographies.
May 22, 2017
Some very funny parts to this book, but you finish worn out by Judith's parents.
Lost marks for her dislike of animals and just putting down her mum's cat. Not endearing!
Lost marks for her dislike of animals and just putting down her mum's cat. Not endearing!
February 3, 2019
Loved this!!
September 18, 2018
Enjoyed this read. Lucy is funny and moving. Her family stories are so relatable at times I was a little worried. Her most talked about subject in this book is her parents who she paints as complex humans who are hilarious in their quirks but who can be distant and mean. I have a particular soft spot for her mum, who was a product of her environment and situation. All in all a good read.
August 22, 2012
David Rakoff died recently. I only know his work through the radio show ‘This American Life’ (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/...). They loved his work so much that they devoted a whole episode to him in memorium. One of the poignant things he said about himself in this show was something like “I practised being clever at the expense of intimacy”. It is true; his cleverness and humour is a shield against exposure. I heard this program just after reading the Lucy Family alphabet. There is something of this brittle, clever humour in Judith Lucy’s writing about her family. It is an exposing book about a dysfunctional family, but Lucy is always protected by her jokey, droll delivery of core parts of her life.
The book opens with Lucy’s discovery, after a family fight on Christmas Day when she was 25, that she was adopted. While this is a huge shock, the fact that it was kept secret just seems in keeping with other strange attitudes and behaviours of her eccentric parents. Her father is prone to hard drinking and wearing makeup and his pyjamas under his suit. Her mother was an inveterate liar who was fixated on staying slim, and had a range of irrational fears that she foisted on her children. While quite a lot of the book presents them as grotesques, Lucy clearly loved both of them and there is no sense of self-pity in the book. Maybe this is always the case with children; parents have to be really really cruel to lose their love. At one stage, Lucy writes about ending a long period of counselling. Her counsellor says something like “You have really made some progress – at least you are no longer getting into abusive relationships like the one you had with your parents.” Lucy writes of her surprise at this statement. This for me (the tension between monstrous behaviour and love – on the part of all the family members) is one of the most interesting aspects of the book.
PS: it is at times laugh-out-loud funny.
The book opens with Lucy’s discovery, after a family fight on Christmas Day when she was 25, that she was adopted. While this is a huge shock, the fact that it was kept secret just seems in keeping with other strange attitudes and behaviours of her eccentric parents. Her father is prone to hard drinking and wearing makeup and his pyjamas under his suit. Her mother was an inveterate liar who was fixated on staying slim, and had a range of irrational fears that she foisted on her children. While quite a lot of the book presents them as grotesques, Lucy clearly loved both of them and there is no sense of self-pity in the book. Maybe this is always the case with children; parents have to be really really cruel to lose their love. At one stage, Lucy writes about ending a long period of counselling. Her counsellor says something like “You have really made some progress – at least you are no longer getting into abusive relationships like the one you had with your parents.” Lucy writes of her surprise at this statement. This for me (the tension between monstrous behaviour and love – on the part of all the family members) is one of the most interesting aspects of the book.
PS: it is at times laugh-out-loud funny.
June 27, 2009
This was a great read. Judith Lucy is an Australian comedian whose stand up routines crack me up so I had high expectations of this book and they were met. Imagine finding out during a Christmas day family argument that you were adopted. This is what happened to Judith Lucy when she was in her 20s. This is where the book starts and she describes, with honesty and hilarity, growing up with her 'lunatic' parents. An experience so odd that she was often met with the response, 'You're adopted! You must be so relieved!' This book had some poignant moments which were balanced well some brilliant one liners. I burst out laughing at quite a bit reading this book and was entertained from beginning to end.
March 2, 2011
Hilarious! I loved this book just as I expected I would. Judith Lucy is a fantastic comedian and the retelling of her life kept me giggling for hours! As i was reading I imagined her very unique voice and tone... you know the one... which made it even better. If this was ever to be made into an AudioBook Judith herself would have to read it!
August 19, 2021
I have always enjoyed Judith Lucy's dry wit and willingness to go a little dark. Her book is as expected, with the same level of self deprecating humour, but also sincere and reflective.
A reminder that we all have stories, that our families are never perfect and yet somehow we still love them.
A reminder that we all have stories, that our families are never perfect and yet somehow we still love them.
June 26, 2009
This is the first book in a long time that has made me laugh out loud. Judith Lucy is as clever a writer as she is a comedienne.
MUST READ!
MUST READ!
June 15, 2015
4 stars simply because I laughed out loud so much...
August 1, 2021
I’m gradually making my way though every Australian memoir written by a survivor of forced them adoption era.
I was really thrilled to fin this memoir by WA gal Judith Lucy- I had no idea until recently that she is also an adoptee. Judith’s memoir is one of the only WA memoirs written by an adoptee! - I’m in the search for others, so if you know of another pls msg me.
Judith writes with absolute brutal honestly, just like her comedy! Family is a complex beast especially when you are growing up with others who are not related to you. Judith captures this brilliantly with her A to Z format, which works really well to capture and keep the interest of the reader.
I’m not sure if Judith realises, but she broke the glass ceiling on the genre of WA adoptee memoir! Thank-you Judith for sharing your story, for me as an adoptee it’s been a breath of fresh air!
I was really thrilled to fin this memoir by WA gal Judith Lucy- I had no idea until recently that she is also an adoptee. Judith’s memoir is one of the only WA memoirs written by an adoptee! - I’m in the search for others, so if you know of another pls msg me.
Judith writes with absolute brutal honestly, just like her comedy! Family is a complex beast especially when you are growing up with others who are not related to you. Judith captures this brilliantly with her A to Z format, which works really well to capture and keep the interest of the reader.
I’m not sure if Judith realises, but she broke the glass ceiling on the genre of WA adoptee memoir! Thank-you Judith for sharing your story, for me as an adoptee it’s been a breath of fresh air!
August 4, 2013
It is still possible to get a good topping-up of Adam Hills – his stand-up tours, ‘The Last Leg’ and his eponymous Wednesday night ABC show – but it is not the same. That night of the week, without ‘Spicks and Specks’ at its fulcrum, is now simply an anti-climax. Mr Hills, together with Alan ‘Walking Music Encyclopaedia’ Brough and the delicious Myf ‘I've seen Frank Woodley's privates, been naked under a desk with Pete Murray’ Warhurst had some of the best chemistry seen on the small screen. As great as RocKwiz is, featuring the combo of Julia Z, Brian N and Dougal (of the hairy armpits), it is no substitute for the trio who gave Hump Day its zing. We are reliably informed that there is a new series of the much missed and lamented Oz’s take on the UK pop-culture quiz show ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ coming, but without the golden three I suspect it will be a fizzer. Can you imagine ‘The Gruen’ without Wil Anderson, Russel Howcroft and Todd Sampson, or ‘Would I Lie to You’ without Rob Brydon, David Mitchell and Lee Mack????
Along with its mainstays, ‘Spicks and Specks’ came with a regular rota of our brightest musical and comedic talent. High on the list of attractions was its showcasing of the best of the country’s female stand-ups - Cal Wilson, Fiona O’Loughlin, Julia Morris, Meshal Laurie, Denise Scott and the beauteous Kitty Flanagan. Their quick witted asides and often self-deprecating humour charmed us as we curled on our sofas in front of the box. Of course they were easier on the eye than their male counterparts, and matched them with their chops in the notoriously difficult art of making the punters laugh. The profession of standup is fiendishly hard to make it in, but these feisty, spunky ladies are willing to bare all with their monologues and one-liners – to put themselves out there with the constant danger of being knocked down and humiliated. They are simply fantastic – they make our world so much funnier, and therefore a much happier place to be in. It is therefore not surprising that these energetic women have had success in other areas such as radio, television acting and in print.
That being all said, I still cannot ‘take to’ Judith Lucy. I do not recall her ever being a regular on ‘Spicks and Specks’ – she may have made the odd appearance, but I suspect the acerbic nature of some of her humour would not be an ideal fit. Even in another Wednesday night feature, ‘The Agony of Life’, I found myself grateful she wasn’t my ‘aunt.’ There is just something about her that I find challenging to watch. Even as recently as last week, in her role as temporary presenter on ‘At The Movies’, I soon switched off – come back Margaret and David! It was the same with her ‘Spiritual Journey’, highly lauded by some – I just could not watch. To me there seems to be an air of desperation about her. The acidity with which she delivers some of her comedy, the physicality of her body language does not appeal – her frankness and her willingness to take me to places that as a male I do not want to go are negatives I cannot cope with. I know all this definitely says more about your scribe that it does about the lady in question, and I thought that would be it until I read an extract of this book in some magazine. I had to read more.
The lady can write. ‘The Lucy Family Alphabet’ is her warts and all memoir, with it in part probably explaining some of the underlying reasons I do find her so ‘confronting’. Her childhood was not a happy place and there is much pathos in this book as she battles to keep it all together with a mother and father who were not the most nurturing twosome to be born to. And there is the nub – it took her to age 25 to discover that she was in fact not born to them – she was adopted. This fact was discovered at one of the family’s truly awful Christmas dinners – on another occasion dad tried to murder son – and came from the lips of her sister-in-law. Everyone else knew, but not our Lucy. I couldn’t imagine what that would do to me. Despite not being his birth daughter, Judith still inherited some of her father’s problems with the bottle – and, just quietly, that is no wonder after all she went through. Her mother, although a beauty for much of her life, was nonetheless a hypochondriac of the first order. There is another mother, a ‘normal’ one, happily in Judith’s life now. Her dysfunctional parents formed the basis of her comedy for years until Ms Lucy had an epiphany when a fan reported to her that she must truly hate them. She recoiled at this – what she had always felt towards them, or so she thought, was love. The book makes this quite clear – it must have been a labour of love and for that I trust it was cathartic as well.
This book fits as a counter to such cosy, but nonetheless delightful, remembrances such as William McInnes’ ‘A Man’s Got to Have His Hobbies’. There is nothing delightful about ‘The Lucy Family Alphabet’. As I tucked up with it these past winter nights, under my doona, my reactions to her prose ranged from great guffaws, to gentler chortles to wiping away tears – the mark of being in a more than competent wordsmith’s hands. The alphabetical structure is novel and well handled. The narrative of her life is still seamless despite the limitations this choice would presumably cause – another tribute to her ability.
So, even if I could not bring myself to appreciate her visual efforts, I will readily read the product of whenever else she decides to open up in print again. She has my respect in spades. In future, when watching her on the small screen, I will regard her in a different light and try to be less threatened!
Along with its mainstays, ‘Spicks and Specks’ came with a regular rota of our brightest musical and comedic talent. High on the list of attractions was its showcasing of the best of the country’s female stand-ups - Cal Wilson, Fiona O’Loughlin, Julia Morris, Meshal Laurie, Denise Scott and the beauteous Kitty Flanagan. Their quick witted asides and often self-deprecating humour charmed us as we curled on our sofas in front of the box. Of course they were easier on the eye than their male counterparts, and matched them with their chops in the notoriously difficult art of making the punters laugh. The profession of standup is fiendishly hard to make it in, but these feisty, spunky ladies are willing to bare all with their monologues and one-liners – to put themselves out there with the constant danger of being knocked down and humiliated. They are simply fantastic – they make our world so much funnier, and therefore a much happier place to be in. It is therefore not surprising that these energetic women have had success in other areas such as radio, television acting and in print.
That being all said, I still cannot ‘take to’ Judith Lucy. I do not recall her ever being a regular on ‘Spicks and Specks’ – she may have made the odd appearance, but I suspect the acerbic nature of some of her humour would not be an ideal fit. Even in another Wednesday night feature, ‘The Agony of Life’, I found myself grateful she wasn’t my ‘aunt.’ There is just something about her that I find challenging to watch. Even as recently as last week, in her role as temporary presenter on ‘At The Movies’, I soon switched off – come back Margaret and David! It was the same with her ‘Spiritual Journey’, highly lauded by some – I just could not watch. To me there seems to be an air of desperation about her. The acidity with which she delivers some of her comedy, the physicality of her body language does not appeal – her frankness and her willingness to take me to places that as a male I do not want to go are negatives I cannot cope with. I know all this definitely says more about your scribe that it does about the lady in question, and I thought that would be it until I read an extract of this book in some magazine. I had to read more.
The lady can write. ‘The Lucy Family Alphabet’ is her warts and all memoir, with it in part probably explaining some of the underlying reasons I do find her so ‘confronting’. Her childhood was not a happy place and there is much pathos in this book as she battles to keep it all together with a mother and father who were not the most nurturing twosome to be born to. And there is the nub – it took her to age 25 to discover that she was in fact not born to them – she was adopted. This fact was discovered at one of the family’s truly awful Christmas dinners – on another occasion dad tried to murder son – and came from the lips of her sister-in-law. Everyone else knew, but not our Lucy. I couldn’t imagine what that would do to me. Despite not being his birth daughter, Judith still inherited some of her father’s problems with the bottle – and, just quietly, that is no wonder after all she went through. Her mother, although a beauty for much of her life, was nonetheless a hypochondriac of the first order. There is another mother, a ‘normal’ one, happily in Judith’s life now. Her dysfunctional parents formed the basis of her comedy for years until Ms Lucy had an epiphany when a fan reported to her that she must truly hate them. She recoiled at this – what she had always felt towards them, or so she thought, was love. The book makes this quite clear – it must have been a labour of love and for that I trust it was cathartic as well.
This book fits as a counter to such cosy, but nonetheless delightful, remembrances such as William McInnes’ ‘A Man’s Got to Have His Hobbies’. There is nothing delightful about ‘The Lucy Family Alphabet’. As I tucked up with it these past winter nights, under my doona, my reactions to her prose ranged from great guffaws, to gentler chortles to wiping away tears – the mark of being in a more than competent wordsmith’s hands. The alphabetical structure is novel and well handled. The narrative of her life is still seamless despite the limitations this choice would presumably cause – another tribute to her ability.
So, even if I could not bring myself to appreciate her visual efforts, I will readily read the product of whenever else she decides to open up in print again. She has my respect in spades. In future, when watching her on the small screen, I will regard her in a different light and try to be less threatened!
November 30, 2017
I've always enjoyed Judith Lucy's dry wit and humour, so was greatly relieved that her family memoir was the same Lucy humour. Judith Lucy's story is really about her very dysfunctional adoptive parents who make her life hell - definitely warts and all. There are great one liners, through out the book, I laughed out loud but I was also greatly disturbed by some of the turmoil, but Lucy isn't apologelic or even angry - . This is a great read and it gave me so much more respect for Lucy as a comedian. I shall go on and read her next book.
December 30, 2017
I picked this book up second hand after having it on my "want to read" wishlist for several years and consumed it within 24 hours. It's a great read. Both funny and touching without ever crossing the line into saccharine, Lucy manages to show her parents with all their flaws while writing about them with genuine love and affection. I laughed out loud several times but there are heartbreaking moments, too.
A memoir that lays out bare the ridiculousness weirdness of family love, and the all too human foibles that plague us all. Highly recommended.
A memoir that lays out bare the ridiculousness weirdness of family love, and the all too human foibles that plague us all. Highly recommended.
March 2, 2023
3.5 rounded up to 4 . I found the majority of this audiobook hilarious, although often in what felt like a bit of a mean way. The problem was when it came to the chapter about pets which I certainly didn't find funny in the slightest. The Lucy family should not have been allowed to have any animals, especially cats and fish. For me this chapter spoilt what I had thoroughly been enjoying up to then.
July 18, 2023
Heartfelt, hilarious, human.
I laughed out loud so many times throughout.
Judith Lucy manages to write with incredible wit and honesty.
Her chapter on her mother towards the end really hits you in the gut. I’ve no doubt she loved her parents a great deal despite the difficulties growing up with them.
We can all recognise ourselves and our own parents in some of these stories; this is what makes Judith’s story so genuine and meaningful.
I laughed out loud so many times throughout.
Judith Lucy manages to write with incredible wit and honesty.
Her chapter on her mother towards the end really hits you in the gut. I’ve no doubt she loved her parents a great deal despite the difficulties growing up with them.
We can all recognise ourselves and our own parents in some of these stories; this is what makes Judith’s story so genuine and meaningful.
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May 24, 2021Doesn’t deserve any stars! Such a waste of time reading a book full of whining about her family life - a mother who shouts and yells all the time and an alcoholic father. She should look forward and put her past behind her. One would think she was the only one who had a rough time growing up!! I threw it in the bin!
March 17, 2025
Read by Judith Lucy, this is an amusing look at her relationship with her family, including the major problems that tear families apart. It's revealing, but sometimes one is left wondering how much of the truth is revealed and much is left unsaid.
I've seen Lucy on TV many times and it's interesting, but not essential, to learn more of her past and where she comes from with her comedy.
I've seen Lucy on TV many times and it's interesting, but not essential, to learn more of her past and where she comes from with her comedy.
May 3, 2019
I've been laughing at Judith Lucy for decades, so when her book came out I think I was the first to read it. As funny as the woman herself. I loved how she has structured each chapter too. Very clever. Brilliantly witty.
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January 21, 2022She is funny and a good writer. She is also mean and self-serving to expose her parents so much in their most embarrassing private moments - and then not understand her father's point of view when he is outraged by the mockery and cuts her out of the will.
July 14, 2024
Judith Lucy is one of Australia’s national treasures, and didn’t disappoint with this hilarious and honest family memoir in the sardonic, inimitable style she’s famous for. It’s also structured in short chapters, so a perfect dunny read.
January 16, 2025
Audio read entertainingly by Judith Lucy. Chronicles her family and upbringing. Her adoptive Irish parents were amusingly bizarre and the alphabet format broke the book into topics rather than a boring chronological format. Very funny and honest account.
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