In this fascinating biography of the late great Carrie Fisher, Jeff Ryan uses the public record to construct a fascinating picture of her life before, during and after Princess Leia and Star Wars became a massive cultural phenomenon. Exploring the highs and lows of her career and of life in Hollywood, this book draws on Fisher’s own memoirs and other texts to construct the behind-the-scenes of the Star Wars films and the creation of Princess Leia through Fisher’s performance and George Lucas’s vision to shed light on Fisher’s life, career, successes, and struggles. With a clear narrative pattern supplemented by quotes from Fisher and others in her life, this book is informative, engaging, funny, and tragic as the mood shifts and changes. Ryan is a capable author with vivid descriptions and a knack for managing the emotional rollercoaster of the book and Fisher’s life. Not sanitizing or erasing Fisher’s struggles with substance abuse and mental health, this book is a powerful biography of a brilliant woman whose honesty and transparency made her stronger and more impressive. An incredible companion to Fisher’s memoirs, fans of Star Wars should definitely read this book for its insights into the franchise as experienced by Carrie Fisher.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

It is a must read for any fan of Carrie Fisher/Princese Leia.

Author Jeff Ryan has created an satisfying and compulsively readable biography about the multi-talented Carrie Fisher. We see Carrie Fisher at different points in her life, describing:
-her privileged life as a daughter of famous Hollywood parents actor and singer Eddie Fisher and the multi-talented Debbie Fisher
-her sometimes difficult relationship with her mother
-the beginning of her mental health struggles, many years denial of them leading to repeated attempts to self-medicate, and
-of course, her cherished place in genre movies and culture, as the indomitable Princess Leia.

Ryan uses only printed articles, interviews and books as his sources, to create a nuanced and sensitive picture of a woman who was:
-the life of the party
-a deeply caring friend and mother
-a talented performer despite her lack of confidence when she got the role of Leia
-a skilful writer, not only of thinly-veiled autobiographies, but also someone adept at not only rescuing movie scripts but also enhancing them
-a person with a wickedly sharp and self-deprecating sense of humour, and
-a woman plagued for most of her life with debilitating mental health issues and addiction.

Of course I read this book because Princess Leia was my hero when my child brain was blown by Star Wars, the original trilogy, and though the major points covered by Ryan were already mostly familiar to me from other writings, I still enjoyed this fairly comprehensive biography of a troubled, incredibly popular and complicated woman whose irreverence and big heart won her friends and acclaim, and a permanent place of honour in the Star Wars canon and fandom.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Riverdale Avenue Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Offers great insight into Carrie Fisher, the actress and person. I always admired her work and knew a lot about her struggles with mental illness, but this intriguing book reveals much more about her challenging life and accomplishments. A must-read for fans of the inimitable Carrie/Princess Leia!

I always found Carrie Fisher such an interesting figure so I really enjoyed getting a deeper insight into her life and person. I first became interested in her when I learned about how Harrison Ford took advantage of her and I realized how tragic she really was compared to the image I had previously had of her because of her fame. A very interesting person and this book is a great insight into her

There was a lot here I didn't know, and. lot I did. I loved the details, the information that I had somehow missed over the years, and the writing style. I'd read this again and again, and I'd give it as a gift to any feminist and any Star Wars fan, and, really, any woman I know.