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Daily Mail Showbiz Memoir of the Year 'A beautiful book' Chris Evans 'Terrifically entertaining' Mail on Sunday 'An arresting photographic voyage through the life and loves of this enigmatic English star' S magazine 'Though not a conventional autobiography, we learn what makes the national treasure tick' Daily Express A Guardian pick for the '10 biggest books of autumn 2019' In the early days of my career, I didn't think I stood a hope in hell. Look at me: I'm short, stocky, slightly overweight, deep of voice, passionate, dark haired, olive skinned, hardly your typical Englishman. What chance did I have, going into the world of British theatre? David Suchet has been a stalwart of British stage and screen for fifty years. From Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, Freud to Poirot, Edward Teller to Doctor Who, Harold Pinter to Terence Rattigan, Questions of Faith to Decline and Fall, right up to 2019's The Price, David has done it all. Throughout this spectacular career, David has never been without a camera, enabling him to vividly document his life in photographs. Seamlessly combining photo and memoir, Behind the Lens is the story of David's remarkable life, showcasing his wonderfully evocative photographs and accompanied by his insightful and engaging commentary. In Behind the Lens, David discusses his London upbringing and love of the city, his Jewish roots and how they have influenced his career, the importance of his faith, how he really feels about fame, his love of photography and music, and his processes as an actor. He looks back on his fifty-year career, including reflections on how the industry has changed, his personal highs and lows, and how he wants to be remembered. And, of course, life after Poirot and why he's still grieving for the eccentric Belgian detective. An autobiography with a difference, this is David Suchet as you've never seen him before - from behind the lens. 'The book offers more insight into the mind and philosophy of this remarkable man than a more conventional biographical approach could have achieved' Country Life… (more)
User reviews
Enjoyed his Poirot and Me book and was looking forward to reading this. It is perhaps a typical actor's autobiog in some respects - early life, "how I got started", anecdotes, "what I think about..." etc but split into subject chapters rather than being a chronological full autobiography. Instead it is also illustrated with copious photos throughout - DS is quite the photographer and the stated aim of the book is that the reader will perhaps learn as much of him from the photos as from the text.
Well the text is an interesting enough light read, without being in any way controversial. And the photos are fine but not too many struck me as particularly meaningful. Some are in colour, most are B/W, even if they don't really benefit from being B/W. Not many struck me as "wow, what a great photo" but then that's not why he was including them, I suspect.
All in all, a pleasant read but not a book I would return to - unlike "Poirot and Me", which I do find myself returning to.