Rating: 
Summary: An excellent read!
Review: This auto-biography by Michael Crawford is really good. I sugest that any fan of Michael Crawford's read it. It's well worth it. It tells about his life and career.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Book!Michael is the best!
Review: This book is my favorite book of all time. Michael is the best! He truly wrote a wonderful book. I love it! I loved reading about his childhood . It was so interesting. Really,the whole book is very interesting. If you are a fan of Michael's, please read this book. Michael, Thank you for writing this book. Please write another one soon!:)
Rating: 
Summary: A Dissapointment
Review: This book is very disappointing in that it shows little of the man. It can be a mild romp through memory lane of occasionally funny anecdotal tales, but I found it lacking in spirit and soul. Yes, he can be self-depreciating but you never get an idea who the real Michael Crawford is! Perhaps, art imitates life and Mr. Crawford is hiding behind his Phantom's mask, only showing what he wants you to see and not what is really there. After reading this book, one may ask the question: Who was that masked man?
Rating:
Summary: A Thoroughly Entertaining and Engaging Autobiography!
Review: Though I've not read many autobiographies, this has without a doubt been the most entertaining that I've read thus far; indeed, at times it is simply hilarious. Michael Crawford's career is meticulously chronicled from its beginnings (he started out as a child performer) through to and including the international super-stardom he achieved with his coveted role as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera. In the process, he tells of his short and disillusioning stint doing Hollywood movies in the late 60s/early 70s. He recounts the huge television success he had in Britain in the 70s with Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (and the hilarious upshot--hilarious for us, that is--of being nationally recognised as and taken for a disaster-prone half-wit!). Crawford went on to forge a name for himself in the 70s and 80s as a formidable lead in musicals (the culmination of which was, of course, his role as the Phantom). Greatest of all, though, was the tremendous honour of receiving an OBE in 1987.Crawford, who was born in 1942, is extremely candid--even quite personal at times--as he recounts his life story, and sharing the limelight with his professional life are the many recollections he shares about his personal life. There are a great many happy and humorous memories (and even some embarrassing ones), but he doesn't hold back from sharing with us the painful memories as well--like his mother's unhappy marriage to his step-father, or the death of his beloved mother and grandmother. What really makes this autobiography stand above the others I've read are the many humorous anecdotes that infuse Crawford's recollections of both his personal and professional life. He was a practical joker and a bit of a clown as a child--traits which he continued (thankfully!) to embrace wholeheartedly as an adult. That combined with his love for daring stunts result in some absolutely hilarious experiences that are rendered all the more enjoyable for being so engagingly told. This 329-page hardcover has 24 pages of black-and-white photos, many of which are from Crawford's own private collection. There are photos of Crawford as a baby and as a child, photos of his mom with her first husband (who sadly died in the war after only a year of marriage), photos of his grandmother with each of her two husbands, photos of his two daughters at different stages in their lives, photos of his then-wife, and photos of Crawford--shots of him with his various co-stars or shots of him in his various productions--from the many stages in his career. Though published in 1999, Crawford ends his story in 1990, following his last appearance as the Phantom in Los Angeles. It would've been nice if he'd brought things up to date, but I suppose one cannot fault him for wanting to end his story on what has been (at least to this point in time) the apex of his career. In conclusion, I heartily recommend this delightful autobiography to all fans of Michael Crawford. His engaging style reveals a man who is a very capable story-teller, and he certainly has no shortage of entertaining stories to tell.
Rating: 
Summary: Parcel Arrived Safely: Tied with String-- Delightful reading
Review: Throughout his autobiography, Michael Crawford maintains a charmingly conversational style of storytelling. His autobiography consists of a series of anecdotes -- the humorous and bawdy ones he relates as if he is attending a cocktail party, holding a martini; the more serious and deeply-felt ones he relates as if he is spilling his guts to a friend over a cup of tea. The term "larger than life" does not apply to this talented and celebrated entertainer. After finishing this book, one is left with the sense that Michael Crawford is a humble, sincere and genuinely NICE human who doesn't take his fame too seriously. Crawford reveals painful and embarassing childhood circumstances and turns the revelation into an opportunity to pay tribute to his deeply-loved and appreciated mother and grandmother. He speaks candidly of his marriage at a young age, the births of his two daughters (he devotes a hilarious chapter to the birth of his second child), the loss of earnings from A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM and HELLO DOLLY, and a divorce which began painfully but gradually healed. Crawford tells vignettes of hobnobbing with the likes of John Lennon, Barbara Streisand and the Queen Mother. He describes becoming a sex symbol of sorts during the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA years as if no one is more surprised at that development than he and his loved ones. This is the sort of regular guy I wouldn't mind having for a next door neighbor. I found this book delightful and very easy LIGHT reading. Caveat to those who expect a challenge to the intellect: there is none to be found in this book. It is "mind candy", the chief value of which is getting to know its author and subject.
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