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Laid low by ill health, bereavement and lockdown, Sheila Hancock reflects upon her life and career with all the winning candour and warm-heartedness we have come to expect from the legendary actress.
Sheila Hancock looked like she was managing old age. She had weathered and even thrived in widowhood, taking on acting roles that would have been demanding for a woman half her age. She had energy, friends, a devoted family, a lovely home. She could still remember her lines. So why, at 84, having sailed past supposedly disturbing milestones - 50, 70 even 80 - without a qualm, did she suddenly feel so furious?
Shocking diagnoses, Brexit and bereavement seemed to knock her from every quarter. And that was before lockdown. Home alone, classified as 'extremely vulnerable', she finds herself yelling at the TV and talking to the pigeons. But she can at least take a good long look at life - her work and family, her beliefs (many of them the legacy of her wartime childhood) and, uncomfortable as it might be to face, her future.
In Old Rage, one of Britain's best loved actors opens up about her ninth decade. Funny, feisty, honest, she makes for brilliant company as she talks about her life as a daughter, a sister, a mother, a widow, an actor, a friend and looks at a world so different from the wartime world of her childhood. And yet - despite age, despite rage - she finds there are always reasons for joy.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526647443
Number of pages: 272
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
The much-loved actor candidly shares the fear, joy and frustration she has found in her ninth decade - GUARDIAN, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2022
A sparkling memoir, as funny and insightful as it is moving. Hancock is brilliant company as she looks back on her life as a daughter, mother, widow and still an excellent performer, while railing against much of the modern world. In the end, all that matters is love. A wonderful read - DAILY MAIL, The perfect companion on your sun lounger (non-fiction summer reads)
This book should be required reading for EVERYONE! I was belly laughing but also reduced to tears. Sheila is the wisest of women ... I want to be Sheila Hancock when I grow up - LORRAINE KELLY
Sheila Hancock reflects upon her life and career with all the winning candour and warm-heartedness we have come to expect from the legendary actress - WATERSTONES
Sheila Hancock’s memoir Old Rage promises to be funny, feisty and honest - IRISH INDEPENDENT, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2022
A warm and thoughtful memoirist ... Hancock discovers many reasons for joy and optimism - and you're quite likely to find yourself nodding in agreement with her. - WOMAN & HOME, The best non-fiction books to read in 2022 to inspire and enthral
Praise for Sheila Hancock: ‘Her writing is starkly honest… she is never less than courageous and often desperately moving - Daily Telegraph
Terrific … shining through it is the spirit of Sheila herself: brave, indomitable and full of a desire to change the world for the better - Judy Finnigan, Daily Express
Entertaining - SPECTATOR
Glorious - Paul O'Grady
Emotionally wrenching … captures her heartfelt grief as much as it does her bittersweet philosophy that life goes on, and there are adventures to be had yet - Arifa Akbar, Independent
Heartbreakingly moving wise, funny and deeply touching - Daily Mail
A naturally gifted writer - Sunday Times
Her gift for directly communicating the open-heartedness and spirit of adventure with which she confronts her life … is the stuff of bestsellers - Joan Bakewell, Guardian
She scorns the idea she’s a national treasure and insists that wisdom doesn’t come with age . . . But every page of Sheila Hancock's new memoir shimmers with laughter, defiance and profound insights into life as an old RAGE pensioner - Mail on Sunday
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“Unapologetic, irrepressible and a must-read.”
In her latest book, the grand dame of British acting, Sheila Hancock, takes vicious yet educated swipes at Brexit, bereavement, British television and the state of the nation compared to her wartime childhood.
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“Sheila Hancock - Old Rage”
A very moving book, written from the heart. I enjoyed reading this book very much. You felt as if you were sitting in a room with Sheila, having a chat. Sheila doesn't shy away from stating her opinions, or... More
“Honest..Funny and A Great Read”
I love Sheila Hancock and this book did not disappoint,brutally honest but with humour,wit and what I would expect from a wonderfully person.We all feel this way at some time or another,and I could relate to so much... More
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