Acting Up: Me, Myself & Irene

by Lynne McGranger

From a young age, I could lie like a chop in gravy. I loved the thrill of crafting a story. It wasn't until my twenties that I made the connection that lying is a lot like acting . . .

For almost 30 years, Lynne McGranger has been entertaining, enthralling and bringing smiles to TV viewers all around the world. A veteran of Home and Away, a popular soap opera syndicated to over 80 countries, Lynne was recently acknowledged as a 'TV actor legend' when she became the longest-serving female cast member of any Australian TV show. Her beloved character, Irene Roberts, has been a font of wisdom, good humour and unforgettable lines for decades. But Lynne's story goes far beyond Summer Bay. From tales of a childhood full of fad diets in the 1950s (tuna, milk and oranges, anyone?), to embarking on a teaching career (before realising that kids en masse made her nervous), to landing a 'guest role' on Home and Away that's lasted 28 years, Acting Up will have readers laughing out loud and nodding in recognition.

From a self-confessed 'accident looking for a place to happen' comes a frank, heart-warming and hilarious memoir, guaranteed to enthral readers everywhere.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2021

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a HUGE fan of Home and Away having watched every episode I’m very familiar with Lynne McGranger.

In this memoir, Lynne shares with us her life on and off the screen and believe me this is a wonderful and fun read. This book had me laughing out loud and I enjoyed reading about Lyne’s life. Highly recommended.

[Sarah Tummey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this book. It was a quick read, but I found it difficult to relate to Lynne. The parts I found most interesting were her pregnancies and how she and her family dealt with the deaths of her parents.

When mentioning her costars, I wish she had put their character names in brackets (I had to stop reading to look up who they were), and it was a shame there wasn't a description by each of the photos. It wouldn't have taken long to caption them, and perhaps say something about her mood at the time.

[theirishbooklover]

Memorable, Candid, Personal.

I have always been a fan of Home and away. When I found out about Lynne McGranger's biography, I had to read it.

I love when the author narrates the book themselves. I could listen to Lynne's accent all day long.

An extremely candid and honest story of the ups and downs of life.

I definitely recommend this book, especially as an audiobook. Whether you're a fan of home and away or a fan of biographies. I will not be giving this book a rating as it is a nonfiction book.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of H&A for many, many years and knew I would have to read Lynne McGranger's book. It has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while as I didn't know if her book would be good or bad. I finally decided to pull it off the shelf and give it a go. I am so glad I did, as I really did enjoy it. She is not afraid to share all aspects of her life, the good and the bad no matter how it would make her look. Loved her honesty, her unique ways of describing things and overall loved reading about her life.

[Lyn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acting Up was an easy to read memoir, a few surprise admissions, but not really a lot of previously unknown material or exciting revelations. I am not a Home and Away viewer, but bought this book as Lynne grew up in the same suburb and attended the same high school, so I was interested from that aspect. I enjoyed reading about her family and the influence they all have had and commend her for her honesty over certain areas of her life. Her sense of humour shines throughout.

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a Home and Away fan but the blurb for this book caught my eye so I decided to read it. I'm so glad I did. I went from laughter to tears and back again. Lynne is an absolutely born story-teller. I've burst out laughing reading this book so many times, just to have my heartstrings tugged by her beautiful prose when talking about the tougher things in her life. If she writes another book (and I really hope she does) I'll be first in line for it.

[Rich ✧ ✭ ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne has been a staple on my TV screen since I was a young lad, so when I found out she’d written her life story I didn’t hesitate to get this book.

It’s well written, interesting, funny and has some great stories to help you get to know the woman behind Irene! Really enjoyed this one. I switched between both the physical book and the audiobook, which Lynne narrates herself and both were enjoyable.

[Moira Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Lynne McGranger is very funny and brutally honest, her self-deprecating style is refreshing and her stories are warm and relatable or heart-wrenching and moving. Any fans of the Aussie soap: "Home & Away", (me, included) will love this book, however, even if you have never seen an episode I think you would still find this an entertaining read.

[Kylie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a Home and Away watcher but after hearing a few interviews with Lynne I needed to buy this book as I felt like Lynne would have a great story. Honestly I can say I was not disappointed, I loved reading about Lynne’s life and life experiences. Written with warmth and humor, Lynne is someone you could easily be friends with.

[Brendan McGarrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who’s seen Lynne portray Irene Roberts over the past 30 years knows how iconic Lynne’s voice is, and you can’t help but read this beautiful autobiography in her voice. It’s a wonderful book where you get to read about the incredible life Lynne has lived - including the reason Adelaide’s Christmas Pageant only got celebrity commentators for one year 😂

One of the reads of the year

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and interesting read.
Growing up watching home and away, it was cool to see the changes from lying to vacationing to acting to 30 years on home and away (from what was meant to be a guest stint!!) and I didn't know she's a 'practicing Christian' (as she said better that than 'practicing medicine') .
I had a few laughs and tears here I there!!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK
I am a huge home and away fan and have watched it from
The start and love the character of Irene so really enjoyed this book as her warmth and humour pours through it and I now love her even more.

[Nicole West · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly beautiful Memoir - Lynne McGranger (Irene in Summer Bay) has led a colourful life in theatre, on stage comedy and in a TV soapie that is worldwide watched.

I love that she lived and is living life exactly as she wants. To this wise and witty woman thank you for sharing your life.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a religious watcher of Home and Away many, many years ago and Irene being one of my favourite characters, I knew I needed to give this a read. The witty writing style, funny anecdotes (although not all of them relateable to me personally) made for an entertaining listen.

[Veeveereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny honest I belly laughed it was a fun read!!

[Laura Naysmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this. Not being an Aussie some of the references went over my head but her natural ability as a storyteller meant that it didn’t matter. It was funny and sad, good mixture.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to see how much she did before home and away, given how long she has been on the show i thought there may have been more on that. Had pockets that made me laugh

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant fun read by somebody who has the gift of being a great story teller. I listened to the audio version and I think having the author read it to me, made it even better.

[Bettina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been watching Irene on Home & Away since I was a kid. I enjoyed getting to know the person behind the character. A good lighthearted read, just what I needed.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant memoir of a legend in herself.
True Aussie wit and humour shared between the pages with a true sense of pride, joy and relatable life moments shared.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Julie Fawbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a big H & A fan I absolutely loved this book 😊

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting funny and sad read about Lynne’s life, well worth a read,

[Erin Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne’s storytelling is candid, witty, and deeply relatable, making for a memoir that is both memorable and thoroughly enjoyable.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested to read this as I was a huge fan of Home and Away in the 90/00s and I didn't know anything about Lynne other than that she played Irene. The book was OK, it was an easy read and definitely wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. There wasn't really any proper gossip or juicy stories. I much prefer it if someone goes all out and names names if they are writing a memoir. Also disappointed there was no mention of Isla Fisher.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book but I was utterly surprised with how much has happened throughout her life. It was a really good read. For those wondering there is a chapter regarding her journey with Home and Away. She doesn't talk to much about it so if you don't watch Home and Away anymore it's still really good. She includes her personality by including jokes in it.

[kerry turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished ! I love this lady! I’ve watched home and away for as long as I can remember and she is by far one of the best in it. I never realised how much she has done in her life before home and away and still is doing now. Her stage work and passion for it is wonderful. I love her zest for life and i really enjoyed reading her passage through life.
Great read from a great lady x

[Swee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne McGranger is an Aussie TV icon having appeared in Home and Away for over 30 years now, and I was intrigued to read her story. Very witty and fun to read Aussie lingo. Easy read and glad to have bought it.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible and loved hearing Lynne read it. Lots of interesting stories across her life.

[Robin Mcguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book a lot