Learning to Fly: The Autobiography (Paperback)

by Victoria Beckham (Author) "'Daddy! I'm going to be killed.'..." (more)
Key Phrases: mobile rings, session singer, Mark Niblett, Posh Spice, David Beckham (more...)

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.

Product Description
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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Global (May 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141003944
• ISBN-13: 978-0141003948
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,496 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 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

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?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victoria Beckham Soars, July 8, 2004

By	Mon "eveningstar77" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This is an amazing biography! I grew up never really paying a whole lot of attention to the spice girls and didnt really care much about them. When someone suggested that I should read this book, I never knew her biography would be so interesting! It shows the other side of the stories that the press printed about her, many of it being false. Victoria grew up relatively normal, having the same problems as most teenage girls face and how she struggled with an eating disorder. It also talks about how spice girls was formed, the pain she suffered from being seperated from being away from her parents, and being in love with David Beckham. You also know how she feels about everything, about the music business and of her husbands profession. You can see the pain that victoria felt after seeing her husband and herself being abused by soccer fans and the press. Once you read this book you will have a new respect for Victoria and you will realize that there is more to her than being just "posh spice".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books EVER!!!, January 10, 2004

By	Fariha Baloch "Fari" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Learning to Fly (Hardcover)

I recently became a fan of Victoria Beckham after listening to one of her songs by accident. I didn't even know she was a spice girl....forget that....I didn't know who the spice girls were to begin with. When I first got the book, i couldn't put it down. This is a very honest book about Victoria's life. It really gives you the chance to fly with one of World's biggest celeb. The lonely 8 year old victoria Adams, the girl with spots, the pokey teenager, her first boyfriend, the meeting of the spice girls and the making of the spice girls, her first meeting with David Beckham, now her husband, Geri leaving the band, her first son Brooklyn's birth, her first single.....the kidnap threats....this book is a must have.....even if you not a spice girl or a Beckham fan.