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The Best Awful

By: Carrie Fisher
Narrated by: Carrie Fisher
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Publisher's summary

Suzanne's not sure she has what it takes to be the best mother to her daughter, Honey. She can't seem to shake the blues from losing Honey's father to Nick, the man who got the man who got away. Or maybe those aren't the blues, just more symptoms of her sprawling multi-symptomatic bipolar illness: an illness Suzanne can't bring herself to take all that seriously, no matter what her doctors say. How serious can an illness be whose symptoms are spending sprees, substance abuse, and sexual promiscuity? And worst of all, under the watchful round eyes of the pills the doctors' plied her with, her friends are starting to find her a little...boring.

The obvious solution is to take a little walk on the wild side. But what starts out as a brief gambol through the scary/fun world of 21st-century dating becomes a vigorous jog-trot through the latest drug wonderland, and finally a wild gallop toward a psychotic breakdown and a stay in "the bin."

Based on a truant's story, The Best Awful is Carrie Fisher's most powerful and revealing novel: hilarious, moving, and fully informed by the wisdom of a true survivor.

©2004 Deliquese, Inc. (P)2004 Simon & Schuster, Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Critic reviews

"Fisher's powerful and partly autobiographical tale of mental illness translates brilliantly into audio, thanks in large part to the author's skillful narration....Fisher's warm voice and smart, sardonic delivery will keep listeners riveted all the way through." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fisher's strengths lie in her witty dialogue and her lambasting of Hollywood at its most shallow...." (Booklist)

Featured Article: Remembering Carrie Fisher with Our Favorite Quips and Quotes from Her Writings


Actress, writer, and advocate Carrie Fisher, best known for her performance as the bold, intelligent, and morally-grounded Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars film franchise, was a hero to so many—an outspoken, brilliant, and, quite frankly, hilarious film icon who stood out from the Hollywood crowd. The late Star Wars star's legacy lives on forever in her candid memoirs and incisive fiction. Read on for Carrie Fisher's best quotes.

What listeners say about The Best Awful

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Loved it!

Amazing story of her life. Sad and funny. She is a wonderful writer. Told with humor and grace.

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One of a Kind

Carrie Fisher was brilliant, fiercely honest, perceptive to the nth degree, hilarious and witty. The world lost a rare gem.

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Carrie at her best

Carrie Fisher is and was a phenomenal writer. I've read most of her books. But this by far was her best. Semi autobiography about her dealing with being bipolar. Loved her sense of humor and her use of wordage. Trust me you will enjoy this book.



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1 person found this helpful

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Clever, insightful and devastating

This book did not have the best developed characters neither did it had the clearest narrative but it was really good: funny, poignant, self-deprecating. Carrie Fisher is iconic.
Her comedic voice was unparalleled. This fictionalized version of her mid-life relapse is funny, insightful, clever, and devastating. I learned so much about her struggles from this book…

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Suzanne's Dilemma

Powerful, funny,scary book. Ms. Fisher describes the descent into drug use in a rhythmic way of writing that gets the reader on the ride with the character. This intensifies and billows in the insanity description s.. Ms. Fisher is a brilliantly gifted writer. I wish we were pen pals. We are both Libras born 1 day apart.Hmmm.

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3 people found this helpful

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I love Carrie Fisher’s books

Carrie tells her stories in such a raw, knowing and really funny way. I love her wit, humor, style and the stories she tells. The Best Awful is funny, charming and definitely worth a listen!

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3 people found this helpful

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Carrie is perfect

Her stories are funny and moving and the characters feel real because they are. Time well spent, again and again!

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Good book

If you could sum up The Best Awful in three words, what would they be?

Why didn't she just use their real names. It just her real family story

If you could take any character from The Best Awful out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Carrie, she's fabulous

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What a wordsmith

Immeasurably sad that her unique voice and talent are forever silenced. Even more sad that she never really knew or gave herself credit for the gifts she had.

I love that she personally reads her books. Even more than her movie role, it is a way to keep a piece of her… The real her

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Candid and heartbreaking

The courage this woman had to share this. Alternately hilarious and gut-wrenching, hearing the story from the woman herself adds immensely to the heartbreak.

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