A. A. Gill's riveting memoir will make one think twice about drinking. On the other side of that is the stories that he tells are made for television.

Truly excellent, what more can I say , read and enjoy the roller coaster ride .

Sadly missed , I loved his writing as a critic, and was thrilled that the publisher and NetGalley allowed me read this book. However I did not enjoy it at all. Maybe I expected a different book. It's too wordy, rambling and depressing yet nothing seemed to be addressed. Possibly having been confirmed an alcoholic at 30 memories are difficult to recall. I just found more pomposity than I needed and kept wanting more, it was not forthcoming and made me weary. To be honest I couldn't wait to read something else.

An honest look back at a life full of pain. Reading leaves you shaking your head at the stupidity (leaving the door open so the dog can come and go while he is passed out), and completely understanding why it took him so long to turn his back on the fun and sober up.

When I saw that food critic A.A. Gill had written a memoir about his alcoholism, I knew I wanted to read it. But what I found in the pages was so much more! Originally serialized in the magazine Esquire, Pour Me, a Life is a roller coaster of a memoir, with more more ups and downs, more honesty and brilliance than most memoirs can dream of. 

He starts out talking about his alcoholism, the brutality of its symptoms as well as its mundane daily indignities. And this is not easy reading. Between his wordiness and his openly sharing the pain of his addiction, it's difficult to get through the first part of the book. But if you're at all interested in personal memoirs, then keep reading. While the beginning of the book is good, it just keeps getting better. 

As Gill keeps talking, he takes us through his art education, his family background, and his struggles with dyslexia. The depth and breadth of his knowledge of paintings, architecture, literature, food, and pop culture offer amazing insights into his life and his writing. The last third of the book focuses on what he is truly passionate about--journalism (which he discovered a talent for later in life) and his children. As he focuses more on the loves of his life, his prose becomes less wordy and more luminescent, and more of the human being comes across.

The Gill of the first third of his memoir is a man I probably wouldn't spend time with. The Gill in the middle of the book is someone I would find interesting. The Gill at the end of the book I would be honored to know. As he moves further from his years of addiction and schooling, he becomes more sure of himself, more decisive, and more likely to fight for what's important to him. 

Gill found sobriety in his 30s, when a doctor's non-judgmental attempt to help him and Gill's honest self-reflection collided and he found himself in England's first 30-day treatment center. Fortunately for us all, he stayed sober ever since and went on to see the world and tell us all about it. While he was known for his humorous and scathing restaurant reviews for The Sunday London Times, he also wrote about his travels in war-torn countries, politics, and popular culture. We lost him to cancer late last year, far too soon (he was in his early 60s), but his words will live on, giving us all a glimpse into the fascinating, funny, brilliant, complicated man that he was. 



Galleys for Pour Me, a Life were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

Wow, just wow! Gill dealt with a very difficult subject with great honesty, perspective and care. A memoir worth reading and reflecting on.

While I enjoyed the honest, frank writing, I believe that the most traditional readers will tire of the long, wordy paragraphs before finishing this book.

Gill's memoir takes place after the end of his marriage which he describes in different accounts throughout the book. His writing is at times funny, sad, depressing, but always intuitive. He seems aware of his own problems and the chain of events that has lead him to where he is in life. Gill claims he lost years of memories while drinking which is probable, so sometimes the reader ends up with him in the aftermath, trying to make sense of the situation along with Gill who often begins stories from the middle not knowing how he ended up there to begin with.

Hilarious and heartfelt. A look into the real mess of the beauty of life.

Since venturing into writing my own memoir, I’ve fallen deep for the genre itself. Now it’s one of my favorites. I don’t know what ever made me accept this book for reading but I am so glad that it ended up in my TBR pile.
Hailing from England comes the author in his own words telling the tale of his life thus far.

At it’s worst, I didn’t agree with everything the author said throughout the book but he made me understand where he was coming from and how he felt through many a defining experiences, and I found myself making sure I was still breathing because his words stole the wind right out of my lungs in the best way.

His prolific vocabulary made me feel like I was back in college active reading a textbook that I actually wanted to read instead of active skimming.

One of my favorite lines that I personally related to as an artist I will share.

I’ve read many memoirs but this one left me addictively waiting for more.