In a word, it’s excellent ... It turns out that Cranston regularly draws upon his own demons and rich array life experiences to bring his characters to life. Throughout the book, Cranston fuses his personal and professional life in a way that’s nothing short of riveting ... Cranston doesn’t superfluously dish dirt about petty behind-the-scenes skirmishes. At the same time, though, he’s not afraid to detail a conflict about a small but critical acting-related disagreement ... It’s an engrossing first-person account by one of our finest actors and I couldn’t put it down.
Cranston, in his charming matter-of-fact introspection, indirectly makes a case for the total cumulative experience of the actor, the history, as the real persona of a character as it is portrayed ... He has a knack for describing the ordinary in a way that makes it fascinating, without excessive verbiage ... The character dissection [of Walter White] is intense, and Cranston is as intellectually perceptive as he was emotionally complex in the role.
Genial, occasionally funny and largely devoid of gossip, A Life in Parts is a book about ambition and persistence. Though Cranston tells some interesting stories about his best-known performances his liveliest writing focuses on his days as an 'always hustling' young actor ... [some] anodyne hat-tips can get tedious ... Unlike some of his early, easily summarized roles, A Life in Parts does not lend itself to pithy postcard blurbs. But take Cranston’s book for what it is — the controversy-free reflections of a hard-working and apparently well-grounded actor — and there is plenty to admire.
In this captivating and unconventional autobiography, Cranston eschews standard chapters and instead breaks up his life into the other parts he has played—estranged son, father, minister, vagabond biker. Humorous, self-aware, and self-deprecating throughout, the book gives a fascinating peek at how Cranston’s mind works, even at its darkest. While acknowledging his talent, the 60-year-old also stresses the importance of hard work, making this a worthwhile read for nascent actors, too.
It’s easy to dismiss 'acting is hard' memoirs as tiresome, because so many of them are. But Mr. Cranston writes in a plainspoken, casual style that’s surprisingly engaging ... The highlight of A Life in Parts is how generous Mr. Cranston is with behind-the-scenes details from his long acting career ... The candor and self-introspection of this book are reminiscent of another unflinchingly honest memoir, the late Katharine Graham’s magnificent Personal History ... The overall tone of A Life in Parts is like a conversation with your dad, who wants to tell you all his stories. Some stories you’ll learn from, but all are fascinating because you felt like you kinda knew this person, only to discover how much more there is below the surface.
