Customer Reviews

Learning to Fly: The Autobiography

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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?

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.

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.

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".

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.

It's a good and entertaining book that shows you "the other side". Especially for the people who are just shouting and discriminating her and her family - she gives an insight on how that feels if you're the one abused. People don't seem to think sometimes.

This book was a real treat to read. I have always been the Spice Girls #1 fan, and let me tell you, Victoria does not let you down. This book takes you on a great adventure through her past, present and future. This book was just as entertaining as it was sad. I knew alot of the stuff about her and the Spice Girls that was in the book, but it was fun hearing about them again. The thing that did not know about, and alot of people do not know about is her personal life, and this book goes deep into it. I would recomend it to anyone. You will really enjoy it.

I read this book over the summer & I must say, it was quite an entertaining read. Victoria is blatantly honest, she tells you up from the get go that she's never been a big fan of school and how she was isolated as a youth but how she came alive through dance. I think she has a very supporitve family. She gives us glimpses of her so called "Posh Life". I love the fact that this book came with pictures. It's really entertaining but at times it's honesty kinda hurts. I really didn't fancy her golddigger boyfriend but was happy when she met her true love, David Beckham, also a tragic time in her life was when her security guard faked the whole paranoia plot to keep work. Though many ups and downs Victoria has had a fairy tale life, not only was she a part of the biggest selling girl group of all times but she's constantly about buisness and maintaining a healthy family life.

Kudos to Mrs. Beckham for a job well done.

Best,

[...]

I was optimistic when i first bought this book thinking their might be some cool stuff in this book, and boy was i right! This is a really juicy autobiography, lots of info on the break up of the spice girls. Read this book, you'll really love it!!!

This has become one of my favorite books. Victoria was my favorite Spice Girl, and has since become one of my favorite solo artists, as well as one of my favorite fashion designers. This book has been very inspirational to me, as Victoria and I share many life experiences. I read it anytime I have a performance coming up, and it's like a good luck charm. I had it in paperback, but wore it out, so I bought it in hardback. If you love Victoria, you'll love this book. Even if you don't love Victoria, it's still a great read.