Learning to Fly: The Autobiography [Paperback]

Victoria Beckham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2005

From the time when, as an eight-year-old girl, she saw the movie Fame, Victoria wanted to be a star. There was a line from the title song that stayed with her-'I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly'. With this extraordinary book she gives us the chance to follow her on her journey from lonely teenager to international star; to fly alongside her.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lips may curl derisively at this one, but canny booksellers will realise that it has almost as much potential as partner David Beckham's highly successful ego trip. And Posh Spice, after all, gives the faintest impression (unlike hubby) that she might once have opened a book. But words are not the issue here: like the David Beckham book, this is a feast of beguiling images of the sylph-like Spice Girl. In text that gives an impression of great frankness (suggesting she might even have had something to do with the writing of the book), Posh conveys what it's like to be half of the most famous couple in Britain, and talks about the vulnerability that has clearly never left her. There's also a welcome humour and self-mockery that surfaces at times, but the core audience for the book will be going for the 75 new photographs along with the occasional revelation. Posh is apparently undertaking a packed two-week promotional tour for the book. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Victoria Beckham was a member of the Spice Girls. She is married to Manchester United soccer player David Beckham, and they have a son, Brooklyn.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Global (May 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141003944
• ISBN-13: 978-1876485672
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She's posh, May 31, 2005

By 

sand-da-man (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning to Fly: The Autobiography (Paperback)

What can you expect from a book about one of the Spice Girls, ostensibly an autobiography but ghost written as well? To tell the truth, I was initially drawn to it merely in the hope of getting a better insight into David Beckham. Well, I got much more than I bargained for.

Perhaps the most interesting and remarkable facet of this rocker girl's career is the sheer illogic of it all, which she concedes from the outset. While she admits to dreaming the young girl's dream, she does not say that she deserved or even anticipated her future success. A misfit in school except for a very few confidants, she found her escape and release not in singing but in dance- to which she became obsessively devoted. After years of training and practice, with a little good fortune her drive to perform slowly led to some work, but nothing substantial or noteworthy. It was almost as a lark that she ultimately (if not desperately)auditioned and then became a member of an act that, at first, neither had a name nor a concept- but which evolved into the most spectacular "girl group" of a generation and a model for strong, assertive female stars. Indeed, when Spice Girls finally took off, it did so like a rocket.

If nothing else, Posh is honest about her show business journey. At times, yes, a tad self-consumed, she is, just the same, not reluctant to expose her shortcomings and insecurities (except concerning her singing ability- on that she's a bit unrealistic). She is likewise candid about her personal life, especially her serendipitous meeting with Beckham and their subsequent romance and marriage. Along the way, we are treated to Victoria's perspective on the Spice Girls, her friendships and trials with the other girls, her conflict with the management of the soccer club Manchester United, her relentless efforts to try to maintain privacy and security, particularly for her family, and the lessons that betrayal and loyalty (on more than one level) can teach.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. It is not only informative, but, to my surprise, witty and clever as well. Whether that's to be attributed to the skill of the (real) writer or her subject matters not. Judgements about Victoria Beckham's character are, in any event, irrelevant. The fact is I became more intrigued by the story of the Posh half of "Posh & Becks" than I ever thought possible. The same goes for what I learned about the Spice Girls. I was enlightened and entertained, and, in the end, isn't that what we hope to derive from any piece of writing?

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Hysterical and Inspiring, October 25, 2004

By 

Kai (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning to Fly: The Autobiography (Paperback)

This is quite possibly the best autobiography from an entertainer I have ever read. Nothing I write here will do this book justice, it simply must be read. Posh Spice was always my favorite Spice Girl, but she was the Spice Girl we really didn't know anything about. She wasn't loud like scary or in your face like Ginger. All we really knew was that she was pretty one with the little Gucci dress and the pout and point. This book takes you beyond the posh spice image and the image the tabloid press paints of her, this is the real Victoria Beckham and I reckon after reading this book you may just come to adore her.

The real Victoria Beckham is surprisingly funny--no really she is hysterical! fiercly loyal, very family oriented and incredibly smart. This book is about how a shy little girl with a dream grew up to be part of one the biggest pop groups in history and then one half of the most famous couple in show biz and through it all she managed to remain very grounded.

The price of fame is indeed a high one and the strength she displyed in the midst of kidnapping threats towards her baby boy, the tabloid rumors that never seem to end, and betrayal by the very people she trusted to protect her family is remarkable. Equally remarkable is her "never say die" attitude, no matter how many times the critics and tabloids kick her down she always finds a way to rise above it. Now that's girl power!

I bought this book purely out of curiosity. Like most Spice Girls fans I went of to college and had forgotten about them until recently. I'm glad I rediscovered them and I'm thrilled I bought this book, because while I was always a posh spice fan, I'm now a pretty big Victoria Beckham fan. She is a role model to every young girl with a dream. Victoria Beckham did not merely learn how to fly--she soared.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Posh is as Posh does., May 7, 2009

By 

Jennus "~JennusDemenus~" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning to Fly: The Autobiography (Paperback)

First of all, let me state for the record that I was NEVER and never will be a spice girls fan. I actually loathed the group and pretty much wrote them off as untalented, over-paid tarts. I particularly hated the chubby blonde one and the skinny sour faced one - Posh. But a few years back, I happened to read an interview Posh did for a magazine. I was surprised at how honest she seemed to be. Then I kind of loosely followed her fashion career. Then I happened to get my hands on That Extra Half an Inch. I loved it. So, when I saw this book used for 10p, I thought Why not?

I read the whole thing in 3 days. I was amazed. I came from a place of total dislike for her group and specifically for her. But upon reading the book, I found that her whole "Posh" persona was not her doing. It was put upon her by the media. She was candid and brutally honest about her own short comings and talent. She says right from the beginning that she's never what one would consider a natural talent. She goes on to be even more brutally honest about her weight problems, being a pimply kid, being middle class (a distainful thing in England) and even her learning disabilities.

While I will never be a fan of her "music", I must say that I can certainly respect her new fashion career and the fact that underneath all that glamour, she's just your standard wife and mother that loves her family and acknowledges that she has been very blessed.