A fun and telling look behind the scenes of one of Hollywood’s royal families, this memoir by Griffin Dunne is perfect. Thank you Netgalley and publisher.

In his candid memoir " The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir," Griffin Dunne offers a compelling glimpse of life behind the glitz of Hollywood. With remarkable honesty, Dunne navigates the complexities of fame, family, and self-discovery. What sets this memoir apart is its poignant exploration of family dynamics amidst family tragedy. I recall the murder of Dunne’s sister, Dominique and the absolute miscarriage of justice that took place following her death. Through heartfelt anecdotes and raw emotions, Dunne delves into the struggles and triumphs of balancing fame with familial bonds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN PRESS The Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review " The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir," before its publication date.

I received this as an egalley from NetGalley.

Came for the Joan Didion/John Gregory Dunne goss and instead *loved* the mid-1980s Hollywood goss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press for the ARC of Griffin Dunne’s The Friday Afternoon Club (released in June 2024).

I could not put this book down. Dunne grabs your attention from page 1. He tells of his life and his talented loving dysfunctional family. He also includes the story of his sister’s murder and the effect it had on his entire family. He highlights the solitary experience of a family dealing with the justice system in such a horrible tragedy.

Griffin Dunne, actor, producer, but perhaps more importantly based on this memoir, son of Dominick, nephew of Joan Didion, brother of Dominique has lived a game adjacent life. His father was a big movie producer, his aunt and uncle famous writers and his sister a famous murder victim. Carrie Fisher was his longtime roommate and best friend. His book reflects all this. Fully a third is about his parents and another third is about his sister and the trial of the man who murdered her. All that said I find his story quite interesting and he says at the outset that his story is a family story versus being just the story of himself, so he isn’t playing hide the ball. Enjoyable.