AUTHOR: Prince Harry GENRE: Memoir PAGES: 410 pages RELEASED: 10 January 2023 SYNOPSIS: It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow - and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling - and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last. With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief. After years of being written about and others attempting to tell his story, Harry takes things into his own hands to tell it himself.
Harry pulls backs the curtain on his life, starting from the death of his mother on that fateful day in August 1997, and through his school years at Ludgrove and Eton. To his time as a jackaroo in Australia and his military training and the two tours he embarked on. To the relationship’s he’s had over the years, culminating in his courtship and marriage to Meghan, and his struggles with anxiety and PTSD. To the birth of Archie and Lilibet, and stepping down from Royal duties and moving to America. Right up to the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the period of mourning that followed. And of course, the negative impact that the British tabloid press has had on all areas of his life with their continuing invasion of his private life and refusal to let him and his family live in peace. Let me just preface this review by saying that, despite my best intentions, I don’t read non-fiction that often, let alone memoirs. And when I have read them, I generally find them difficult to review - how can you rate and review the content of someone’s life story like you would a regular novel. But in saying that, I genuinely enjoyed being immersed in Harry’s story and being given an unprecedented look into the lives of one of the world’s most private families. Having listened to the audiobook for the majority of the book, which is narrated by Harry himself, it is a real testament to ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer that he was able to embody Harry’s voice so well, which is the true mark a good ghostwriter. The book is divided into three parts, which each consisting of 50+ short chapters. The use of these short chapters give the effect of having snapshots into various moments in Harry’s life, rather than being bogged down in long chapters of of long-winded anecdotes. Some moments are just minuscule blimps in Harry’s life, spanning only a sentence or two, while others span several of these short chapters. Harry could have easily dragged out all the skeleton’s in the Royal Family’s closet, but he doesn’t. At it’s core, this book is about how Harry has struggled since the death of his mother, and how being constantly hounded by the press and having lies splashed all over the tabloids has impacted his mental health, relationships, and safety. A stance he has held since before Diana’s death, and why he and Meghan have tried to stand up against the tabloid press and the institution that is The Palace for not helping keep their family safe. “My problem has never been with the monarchy nor the concept of monarchy. It’s been with the press and the sick relationship that’s evolved between it and the Palace. I love my Mother Country, and I love my family, and I always will. I just wish, at the second-darkest moment of my life, they’d both been there for me.” Don’t just read the headlines and skim the articles - experience this book and Harry’s story for yourself, exactly as it has been written and within the context that it is intended. |
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