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Friends, lovers, and the big terrible thing : a memoir  Cover Image Book Book

Friends, lovers, and the big terrible thing : a memoir / Matthew Perry ; [forward by Lisa Kudrow]

Perry, Matthew, 1969-2023 (author.). Kudrow, Lisa, (author of forward.).

Summary:

"The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence. In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes readers onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humor, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that shares the most intimate details of the love Perry lost, his darkest days, and his greatest friends. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and hilarious: this is the book fans have been waiting for"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781250866448
  • ISBN: 1250866448
  • Physical Description: xii, 250 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First U.S. edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Flatiron Books, 2022.

Content descriptions

Formatted Contents Note:
The view -- Interlude : New York -- Another generation shot to hell -- Interlude : Matman -- Baggage -- Interlude : Dead -- Like I've been there before -- Interlude : Zoom -- No fourth wall -- Interlude : Holes -- Bruce Willis -- Interlude : All heaven breaking loose -- The benefit of Friends -- Interlude : Pockets -- Odyssey -- Interlude : Trauma camp -- Three's not company, three ruins everything -- Interlude : Violence in Hollywood -- The big terrible thing -- Interlude : The smoking section -- Batman.
Subject: Perry, Matthew, 1969-2023.
Friends (Television program)
Actors > United States > Biography.
Addicts > United States > Biography.
Substance abuse > United States.
United States.
Genre: Autobiographies.
Biographies.

Available copies

  • 47 of 63 copies available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Webb City Public. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Webb City Public Library.

Holds

  • 2 current holds with 63 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Webb City Public Library 791.45 Perry, Matthew (Text) 38262300008508 Adult Non-Fiction Available -

Syndetic Solutions - Kirkus Review for ISBN Number 9781250866448
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing : A Memoir
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing : A Memoir
by Perry, Matthew; Kudrow, Lisa (Foreword by)
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Kirkus Review

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing : A Memoir

Kirkus Reviews


Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The TV star details his career and his major addiction issues. "I don't think it's an exaggeration to suggest that Chandler Bing transformed the way America spoke," writes Perry of his character on the megahit sitcom Friends, who habitually emphasized a different word in a sentence than one might expect. Could this be any bigger of a deal? Apparently not. "Aaron [Sorkin] and Tommy [Schlamme] had changed the way America looked at serialized TV with The West Wing, and I had changed how America spoke English," writes the author. Certainly, plenty of readers will be interested in Perry's fabulous wealth and extraordinary fame--at one point in his life, he was one of the "most famous people in the world--in fact, I was being burned by the white-hot flame of fame"--his unsuccessful relationships with women, his 15 trips to rehab ("I have spent upward of $7 million to get sober"), numerous surgeries for the ravages of opioid-induced constipation, and his inability to add anything significant to his resume after Friends. However, Perry is a blurter, not a storyteller, and no ghostwriter or collaborator was involved in this project. Though he asserts that he does not blame his parents for his difficulties, the author sticks a major pin in the day they sent him on an airplane as an unaccompanied minor when he was 5 years old. Some will find it hard to sympathize with this story, and further mean-spirited outbursts don't help--e.g., "Why is it that original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger died, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?" The concluding chapters trail off into what could be notes for some future acceptance speech. "I am me," he writes. "And that should be enough, it always has been enough." It's not enough to carry this memoir. Strictly for Perry's fans. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


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