Customer Reviews

Dame Edna Everage : My Gorgeous Life

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If you love Dame Edna (and who doesn't?) and her rapier-sharp wit and wordly wisdom, this is the book for you. This autobiographical journey follows the housewife megastar from her sometimes painful childhood in Moonee Ponds to her meeting the man she would marry (and later purchase a new mechanical prostate for) to her meteoric rise to stardom (accompanied by her ever-present, though not always welcome bridesmaid, Madge). It's a laugh a minute, not unlike the Douglas Adams series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. it will make you laugh out loud on public transport and guffaw during your tea-break (even though Dame Edna might disapprove of these slight breaches of etiquette). Pick it up, possums. It's likely the closest you'll ever get to this megastar.

I've been a fan of Dame Edna's for years and I have to say that this faux autobiography is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Starting from her humble beginnings (with mauve hair even then) we see our lovely Edna blossom into womanhood, marriage and motherhood---though she rarely has time to properly look after the kids because of her hectic and famous life. As an advisor to the rich, famous and royal (a spin doctor, in her words, to the Queen), Edna becomes a superstar in her own right---struggling with her troublesome childhood friend, Madge Allsop, who Edna lets us know, is a burden a good deal of the time! Edna deals with many dramas----her eccentric children, her husband with his desperate prostrate problem and the trials of being so easily recognizable to the general public. If you wanna read a book with a great deal of laughs, try to find a copy of this book. You won't be disappointed.

I purchased this book on tape for the listening pleasure of my friends and myself on a recent vacation. We have never laughed so hard! Since then, I've listened to it numerous times, and each time I pick up something new. Dame Edna is a true gem!

Who is Dame Edna? Dame Edna is Barry Humphries, a great comic writer, whose stage character is an average Australian housewife who becomes a "megastar." This is comic writing at its' best. Full of satire, bawdy humour, shaggy dog stories, etc., this is a comic feast.

I read the book many years ago when it first came out in hardcover and found myself laughing hysterically the entire time I was reading it. I loaned it out to a friend but never got it back because they loved it so much and thought it was hilarious as well. Subsequent copies that I have bought over the years were also never returned after being loaned out. Everyone loves the book and it is one of the funniest that I have ever read.

This is one of my all-time must-haves in the car...so that I can relisten to it any time LIFE gets a little too real, and I need a mini-mental vacation while driving. (It's an ideal gift too.)

It's a joy, and Dame Edna never fails to bring me back to a gentler reality.

I'm sorry to say that it hasn't been rereleased in Audio CD. I'm hoping that it will be available in that format in the future.

After Loving Dame Edna for years I finally decided to read this amazing book. I have never laughed out loud while reading on almost every page. Hilarious to the extream possums. Starting on page one and all the way through you will laugh till the cows come home. I wish there were more Dame Edna TV shows and if you ever get a chance to see her live - Enjoy

Barry Humphries admirably fleshes out the life of his most famous comic creation - Dame Edna Everage from Moonee Ponds housewife to beaming megastar. Like on TV, Edna is an outrageously egotistical tyrant who we find out has bullied Madge Allsop since High School and even danced with her cultural compatriate Les Patterson at a teenage formal. Here you will see how Edna saved Barry Humphries stage debut and has had him under her solicitors thumbs for several years.For sharp Edna/Barry enthusiasts there are a few questionable moves Humphries has made in the book though - 1) He is cheeky in that he leaves out a number of years in Edna's life as he did in his own biography. Why? 2) Edna started off as shy and genteel in the 50's. Here she is as bold as brass all the way. No real character change. 3) Her nephew "Barry McKenzie" is never mentioned. They did go to England together and do two movies together after all. Yet, despite these quibbles, there is Humphries characteristic razor sharp wit throughout and even a moving epilogue where Edna visits her husbands grave. In this there is a wonderful pathos which makes Humphries dedication to his character and his audience first class. Fans should look for other out of print Edna titles such as "Dame Ednas Coffee Table Book" if they enjoy this.