Livin' the Dreem: A Year in My Life

by Harry Hill

Harry Hill's unexpurgated diary of his year promises to do for the celebrity memoir what the Hadron Collider has done for particle acceleration. Think Samuel Pepys meets Katie Price.This frank and sometimes controversial diary details one hectic year in the eye of the showbiz storm, cut with a heavy mix of the day-to-day goings-on in Bexhill, where Harry lives at home with his mother and occasional Filipino fiancée, Lay Dee. Follow the near fatal goings-on during Harry's filming of Britain's Most Dangerous Roads, his attempts to become a judge on X Factor and his struggle to meet the Welsh chanteuse Duffy at Warwick Avenue. Read of his dog's ongoing battle with the bottle, and how he is sacked from the sniffer staff at Gatwick Airport due to sexual harassment.Learn how Harry's Nan gets on in her holiday home in Iraq, her affair with the milkman and her subsequent struggle to have fun whilst living on a curfew.

Genres: Comedy, Nonfiction, Humor

468 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
Britain’s got teeth... and endless puds inspiration!
Genius mini tour through a recognisable life filled with mundane and extreme moments, with contemporary nods as a constant surrounding. In keeping with the tone I listened to a large part whilst eating a double decker in the bath with a leaky shower washer.
Ps, Conkers lie ungathered - beautiful poem!

[Michael Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was just stupid did not finish

[Tim Roast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow Harry through the year of 2010 where he has many escapades with his many showbiz pals, as well as his family - Mum, Uncle Bob, Dog and Nan. There are so many celebrities mentioned that there is a danger that this book might date quite badly in the future but I don't think Harry is that worried because he says (jokingly of course) that he is "fully aware that one day this book will be considered a hugely important historical document."

Now anyone expecting this to be a normal diary giving insight into Harry's private life and covering Harry's activities such as his time at TV Burp will be in for a shock. For others familiar with Harry Hill's stand-up they will know exactly what to expect in this spoof diary. This is silly and surreal turned up to eleven. Like Harry himself says, "everything in this diary actually happened. Only the facts have been changed."

There were a few mistakes I noticed reading through such as the monkey-hanging incident being attributed to Hull rather than Hartlepool and the disappearance of 31st May, but nothing to detract from the fun.

And fun it is, although not necessarily the constant LOL-type fun you'd get by watching Harry's comedy (after all laughter is best suited to a shared environment whilst reading is generally a solitary experience).

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livin' the Dreem : A Year in my Life...Probably is a book by the big collared, bald comedian Harry Hill and is ostensibly a diary of a year in his life, as it says in the title, but this being Harry Hill this is not an ordinary life that us mere mortals would have, but a rather strange life that only could emenate from the surreal mind of Harry Hill.

So Harry Hill in this book lives with his mum and their dog. Nothing wrong what it, all perfectly normal apart from the fact that the dog works at the airport and also has a drink problem. Then there is his mail-order Thai bride Lay Dee who turns out to be more than meets the eye.

This is nothing compared to some of the other stuff in the book which is even more far out than all of the stuff I just mentioned such as Terry Wogan having a subterranean lair; Morrisey entering the Eurovision Song Contest; Channel 4 commissioning a series entitled 100 Favourite Trees etc (which is actually the sort of show that they probably would commission one of these days).

Harry Hill has a prodigous imagination and in this book in particularly he is allowed to run riot with it and the result is this totally barmy book which you really have to read to believe.

[The Bookish Wombat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very funny spoof celebrity memoir full of Harry Hill's surreal humour. For example, Harry tells us what happened when Morrisey represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest and confirms that the UK Coalition Government was formed when the party leaders went on Cilla's Blind Date. As you read it you can hear Harry Hill reading it in your head - or perhaps that's just me.

A funny, clever read.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think Harry hill was having a right laugh at the expense of his publisher. A very short book which was mostly painful to read. Perhaps funnier for his family and friends but frankly for me - a waste of money. Unable to recommend to the normal crew.

[Chris Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny and very silly. I read it between other books and I think that was a good plan, dip in and out and it is very good. Not sure I would feel the same if I read it all in one go.

[Michael Pittuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I come out of it having learnt nothing, a little more stupid if anything, but have laughed along the way.

[Lee Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely bonkers but great fun, Harry's head must be a weird place to reside.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, the surreal elements and callbacks were funny, as Hill parodied popular television and publishing. However it was just too similar in style to sustain such a long book and the second half really dragged. It's possible that it would be better in short bursts, but then the impact of the callbacks would be lost, and the Far-East marriage at the end was a fairly lazy joke that I thought Hill would have steered clear of. Had it built up to something its length could have been justified, but the pace never really changed.

[Louisa Giddings · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got to page 22 and that’s it could not see the point of carrying on. I asked for my family to spend money on this book I feel really bad now that they did. All I can say is rubbish completely rubbish. Even being a fan of Harry hill I still find this rubbish. I just thought it was a book about his life but all it is a made up book of nonsense

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might say, it's a "Goodread"s

[Mherralahotmail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book to switch your mind away from the drudgery of every day life routines! Bit of escapism into Harry’s surreal mind / world. I thought it was very funny and silly and took it on my hols!

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Make it a 2.5 for the stupid gag that made me laugh towards the end

[Johnny Macpherson Laidlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

had me in stitches

[Louise Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

must admit cant see me recomending this book to anyone and it does seem dated with the aloyt of things that are not talked abt being discussed like jimmy savile and rolf Harr seen as icons !!!
it at times made me chuckle but not often and was strange to read this when the book came out roughly 5 years ago and we are here again !!! fouund it bizarre the den having sa og type stories not much else to say handy to read when having a sleepless night !!!

[Greg Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Split between a 3 and a 4 as it is pretty fun and a good parody.

However I chose 3 because it is simply not as good or inventive as his novel(ish) Flight From Deathrow which is complete genius and much more compelling as a book and piece of surreal humour.

Still worth a read if you are a Harry Hill fan.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Harry Hill chat, exactly the time of randomness you would expect which is what I liked. I read this book in real-time so feel sad that it has came to an end as I spent the best part of a year reading daily-installments. Was more fun than a regular autobiography.

[Frenchiejnr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my thing

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed in this one overall - Harry tried too hard to be funny so unfortunately it got a bit ludicrous at times and hence not funny at all.

[Samantha Harwood]

So funny, couldnt put it down, got it for xmas and had read it by new year. Its the fact that its fiction written as if its the real deal that makes it so brilliant and well written.