A certain book

I’m afraid it hasn’t been checked for accuracy Jenn. A number of untruths have come to light and the ghost writer has distanced himself by writing a disclaimer saying that the lines between fact and memory are blurred. It may be written by a skilled author, but it is definitely not entirely factual. It has been suggested that some of it came from the mouth of Megan, not Harry. Frankly so many discrepancies (I don’t like to say lies) have come to light that I wouldn’t trust anything coming from the mouth of either of them.

I don’t need to read it as I’ve read John Crack’s précis.

www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/12/i-was-alone-abandoned-with-only-a-hundred-million-in-the-bank-spare-digested-by-john-crace?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

"Germanshepherdsmum", of course, I am aware that Prince Harry did not actually write the book, It was written by his ghostwriter & Pulitzer Prize winner, the brilliant J.R Moehringer, but all of the material came from the mouth of Prince Harry. I should imagine someone with the calibre of Mr. Moehringer, the publishers, Penguin Random House, & the lawyers, would have checked that all is correct before publication.

Waiting for it to arrive from Amazon atm. I've always thought Kate and Wills are nowhere near as perfect as they were painted so will be interested in what Harry says. Also prejudice against Megan was obvious with lovely comments about Kates pregnancy and awful comments about Megan's in the press. Feel sorry for Harry as his father and stepmother are disgusting people that used their lovely mum as a brood mare.

Yes, a review is expected!

Calendargirl
😂😂😂
Happy reading
We await your review

Oh, well done CG!
Perhaps they could order more copies than they anticipated

JdotJ

I'm waiting for the free download on Amazon Prime

How does that work?
I’ve got Prime, Kindle Unlimited and Audible.

Although I was 15th on the list at the library, I have been informed that ‘Spare’ is ready for collection by me!

I can only assume that a) the previous 14 borrowers have read it in double quick time, b) after all the hype they have cancelled their request or c) for some reason I have been elevated to the head of the queue!

Whatever, I shall be picking it up tomorrow.

📕

From many of the posts here, I gather most people don't actually read books. They are not interested in non-fiction, they rather enjoy picking up the juicy tabloids, such as The Sun & Mirror and gossipy magazines reading all the sensational stuff. So I can understand why many are not interested in reading this memoir. Rupert Murdoch & his Media empire (by the way, do you all remember the dreadful News of the World? the awful telephone hacking scandals, the arrests, and prison sentences of some of the editors? ). No doubt he has helped to destroy what used to be a credible & honourable British Press. He and his flunkeys have caused such harm, divided the nation, causing dissent just to make money. He is not a Royalist and he is intent on destroying any of them he sees as vulnerable.

I downloaded the free sample on to my kindle and was immediately drawn in by the feeling that I was about to enjoy a spine chilling murder mystery. Shades of Daphne du Maurier and Susan Hill set the scene.

Then I reminded myself it was an autobiography, expertly ghosted although, even in a short extract, facts had not been as thoroughly checked as they should have been.

I can understand why some might find it a page turner and believe every word but I won’t be buying it.

The amount he is donating has been divulged and it’s about £1.5m. Personally I would not call that a large proportion.

@Norah yes he is donating a large portion of the monies to charity. That’s all being divulged

It is actually very interesting and the bits getting all the publicity are a tiny part of it. You do have to bother to read it though. That's kind of what books are for. 😂

If you read anything written by a ghostwriter then you must accept that part of it will be a fiction - the particular ghostwriter involved in this book has already admitted that memories are very often not true representations of the facts of an event. Who on earth would waste whatever that book costs I wonder, and I also wonder how many trees have died to supply it.

Germanshepherdsmum

I don’t suppose posters are looking at the niceties of accounting practices. H has received income amounting to millions of dollars by way of an advance and H has paid out of that income a relatively pitiful sum to charity. Accounting practices are irrelevant to the principle that has been the subject of comment.

Perhaps.

With the tax collections and rules for the 2 countries, maybe not. I asked that yesterday, the answer was a bit confusing.

Later I asked brother, he told me "it depends, I pay both - you know my taxes (I help with his books), Harry's tax situation is not available. I've not noted, precisely, how the charity is paid and if it is tax advantaged."

Thank you brother, still unclear.

Perhaps H is donating a large percentage to what he ultimately pocketed? I doubt his accountants will divulge to us.

Read Hugo Vickers in The Oldie - see link below

www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/prince-harry-drives-me-spare-his-memoir-is-crammed-full-of-fiction-and-his-ghost-makes-him-much-brighter-than-he-is-by-hugo-vickers

"Enjoy..."

Smileless2012

In reference to the press crazygranny you posted ^These publications print a slurry of lies and fragments of truth in as salacious a fashion as possible^; a rather good description of H's book too by all accounts.

But what about the obvious lies discrepancies Jenn? M purchasing an air line ticket for her father; where H was and how he was told about his GGM's death; the discrepancies between what he said in the Netflix series and what's contained in the book?

I agree about the headlines and the way the press has intruded on his life but the lies discrepancies that have been noted are because of what he himself has said and what's been written in his memoirs.

Exactly.
Well said.

Jenn, H didn’t write the book. It was done by a well known ghost writer who admits the lines between memory and fact are blurred - in other words don’t believe everything you read. That lovely prose which has seduced you was not written by the academically challenged Spare.

I have it and I will read it, it is a replacement Christmas present.
I read a lot and am just interested to see what all the hype is about.

I won't buy or read it, but I have never bought or read any autobiographies - just not interested in that type of book. In any case, I think there have been so many 'leaks' prior to the official release to have served as a sufficient precis for many people.
Interestingly, according to a recent poll (YouGov?), people in the higher age brackets, presumably a similar age group to GN readers, have a pretty low opinion of Harry and presumably are less likely to buy the book, as opposed to younger age groups who have a better opinion and probably more likely to buy it. That may explain the great divide of "I'll never read it" - v- reportedly high sales figures for it.

Don't think he is intelligent enough to use these words!!

I'm just tired of hearing about it now. I certainly wouldn't spend my hard earned money on it. I have some sympathy for Harry but am losing most of it the longer things go on.

My daughter-in-law has sent me the whole copy via WhatsApp. So freebies are out there.
Lots of ruthless people making good money out of a tragic situation. He’s being used and abused by the very people he detests, journalists. Poor damaged and naive young man running out of control.

In reference to the press crazygranny you posted ^These publications print a slurry of lies and fragments of truth in as salacious a fashion as possible^; a rather good description of H's book too by all accounts.

But what about the obvious lies discrepancies Jenn? M purchasing an air line ticket for her father; where H was and how he was told about his GGM's death; the discrepancies between what he said in the Netflix series and what's contained in the book?

I agree about the headlines and the way the press has intruded on his life but the lies discrepancies that have been noted are because of what he himself has said and what's been written in his memoirs.