...an unflinching, sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious look inside the mind of a 19-year-old actress in the throes of a Hollywood locationship ... invasive, juicy, sad, nostalgic and gripping all at once. It’s as if you’ve knocked the lock off of your cooler older sister’s journal and discovered she’s been sleeping with the hottest boy in school this whole time ... her personal stories are entirely her own, and they are much more raw and real than anything Lucas could have dreamed up.
...even if you couldn’t care less about Star Wars you may find Fisher’s story compelling ... if you can lose the Star Wars context, the Hollywood backdrop, Fisher’s book becomes something else: an exceptionally raw portrait of the very relatable experience of falling for an unavailable, reticent older man ... There’s something sloppy and awkward and untoward about The Princess Diarist, in concept, in the writing, in the insecurity, and in the unchecked emotion chronicled here. But there’s also something courageous, daring, and provocative about copping to this experience in all its messy, unflattering reality.
There are plenty of cringes in this book, none more edifying than the ones found in the diary that Fisher kept during the filming of Star Wars when she and Ford were involved. These poignant entries remind us of the universal, indeed galactic, wish we all have to be loved and desired. Move quickly over the bad jokes and the awkward writing, and you have a readable and eye-opening account of a sad but strong princess who has always been her own woman.
It may not be great writing, but it’s an empathy tractor beam ... it feels invasive to be reading the [teenage diary] material, even with her permission. The present-day reflections wrapped around either side of the diary section are livelier and echo the style of her previous memoirs ... In trying to establish separation from this movie character that’s been fused to her for two-thirds of her existence, Fisher offers a thoughtful, sardonic meditation on the price of fame, cost-of-living adjustments included.
The Princess Diarist is something more intensely personal, cringe-worthy (in good and bad ways), and, unlike the Star Wars films, anything but escapist entertainment ... The journal excerpts, presented undated and without commentary, capture the emotional maelstrom of an affair that was as doomed as the planet Alderaan ... But the book is bound to frustrate those fans who want the inside scoop on the making of the films ... Those who want Fisher to spill all the juicy details about the illicit affair will likewise be disappointed ... Compared with Fisher's earlier Wishful Drinking, the Force is not as strong here.
Star Wars fans are likely to have as curious and strained a relationship with Carrie Fisher’s The Princess Diarist as the actress has with the films: a hope for something deeper, disappointment in its glibness, and ultimately a respect and grudging appreciation for the sincere emotion it represents ... reads like a YA novel featuring the leads of Star WarsRead Full Review >>
...[a] funny and frequently touching memoir ... Those looking for a tell-all won’t find one here — Fisher, now 60, keeps it pretty PG-13 ... Fisher doesn't mention her feelings filming Han and Leia's signature kiss in The Empire Strikes Back or how she felt working with Ford on Jedi, perhaps saving those nuggets for a future tome. The best stuff here, though, is the chapters in which Fisher talks about her and Ford’s friendship now, four decades after their 'very long one-night stand,' as well as their and Hamill’s perspectives on fame, fans and this massive franchise.
On the fame front, Fisher, who is now 60, is typically sardonic, adeptly capturing the unexpected madness of Star Wars ... Fisher also includes her original diary entries, which are rambling, repetitive, overwrought and ultimately not worthy of the generous space that they are given ... Diaries aside, however, her writing is mostly smart and funny. The pages crackle with self-deprecating one-liners, chatty observations and the singular wisdom that comes with being forever immortalised in the minds of teenage boys in a metal bikini and chained to a slug.
...must reading for any fan of the space opera or the actress-writer known for her Hollywood history, witty wordplay, self-deprecating humor and candor ... smart, funny, fast with a quip and insightful.
