Further incisive revelations distinguish
actress-turned-psychologist Stephenson's follow-up to her
perceptive biography of husband Connolly (Billy, 2002), a noted
Scottish comedian and actor. Though this sequel loosely follows the
year Billy turns 60, it's as much about Stephenson herself. Each
chapter begins with a recollection of his past-searching trashcans
for sledding materials, sneaking his Protestant friends into a
Catholic teenagers' dance, becoming a paratrooper while on National
Service-and then segues into his birthday year. The family
alternates between Scotland and Los Angeles, with much traveling in
between. Billy is on location in Canada and Somalia; Pamela takes
their two teenaged daughters to India, where they visit the
shelters established by the Connollys for streetwalkers' children.
Billy is ambivalent about his birthday, still subject to frequent
nightmares in which he relives his troubled childhood: his mother
left home, he was reared in a Glasgow slum by sadistic aunts, his
father abused him. But Pamela continues her preparations for the
August celebration, a weekend-long extravaganza at their estate in
Scotland that includes the reenactment of a medieval battle, kilted
pipe-bands, the honoring of the haggis, and a guest list studded
with luminaries (Judi Dench, Bob Geldof), as well as Billy's mates
from his pre-fame days, when he worked as a welder. Billy survives,
admitting that he normally doesn't like birthday parties but
absolutely loved his own. This naturally pleases Pamela, who is
acutely aware of the demons in her man's past, even though he
stopped drinking and taking drugs in his 40s. She follows up the
weekend blast with a (slightly) lower-key celebration on the actual
day later in the year in Fiji, where she's studying a group of
transgendered Fijians. Evident throughout the witty text is her
crucial role as a loving but concerned monitor of her husband's
life. More fan fodder, enlivened by Billy's witty observations.
(Kirkus Reviews)
BILLY, the ground-breaking biography of the nation's favourite
iconoclast, gave millions of readers a fascinating insight into the
personal and professional life of the genius that is Billy
Connolly. Then, in the sequel to that bestselling book, the
award-winning Pamela Stephenson celebrated life with the Scottish
beastie as he hit the big six-oh. In it we relive colourful and
epic moments from Billy's early life in Glasgow - the background to
an intimate portrait of his marriage with Pamela and his life in
Scotland, LA and the rest of the world. Witty, insightful and
intimate, BRAVEMOUTH draws the reader into two very different
worlds - hers of international sexology and the serious psychology
of humorists, his of incontinence pants, being married to a
shrink... and the finer points of banjo playing.
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