I decided to read this book upon finding out Joan Rivers was in the hospital; I’d hoped I wouldn’t be writing the review after she’d died. It really is somehow still such a shock- Andy Cohen (my dad’s long lost twin) said it perfectly:
Perhaps it’s reverent admiration or just insanity, but I can say with absolute confidence that one of the greatest accomplishments in life would have been to have Joan insult me. As a fellow frequent user of sarcasm (shocked?!), I have to love the kind of person who cares more about making people laugh than being liked. And talk about a woman who has overcome so much- love her or hate her, you have to admire her resilience and tenacity.
As for the book itself- there’s no way around it, it’s rough. It’s super uncomfortable at points; you’ll cringe frequently. Most of all, it’s not so much non-stop as it is frantic. It reminded me a lot of her appearance on The Tonight Show recently, and not just because a lot of the jokes are similar. Granted, her interview with Jimmy Fallon may have just been exciting for her because she’d been shunned for so long, but it can admittedly be exhausting to keep up with her jokes when she’s going eight thousand miles a minute.
But.
First of all, you have to be in awe of a woman who can joke circles around people a third her age. Lena Dunham referred to her act as “athletic” and I think that’s really the only way to describe it.
Second of all, I finally got to watch her documentary- Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work– in its entirety after just having seen clips throughout the years and it is enlightening. No one in Hollywood works harder. It comes from a place of job insecurity in some cases, but she has a genuine love of all things comedy and making people laugh. I strongly recommend that everyone check it out- love her or otherwise, it’s a testament to an incredible work ethic that she continued to work so hard and for so long.
And lastly, for as frantic as her act may be, it’s so quintessentially Joan. This is a woman who has stayed totally true to herself and her comedy for years, regardless of what people think of her and even when she was less successful than she wanted to be. As she said, “the smart ones get it.”
Of all of the things she said over the years- the incredible insults, the hilarious jokes- there’s one super salient piece of wisdom she shared with Louis CK that stands out above the rest:
“Know when you’re lucky.”
Miss you already, Joan.
You’ll like this if: it takes a lot to offend/upset you, you’re really into celebrity gossip and you have a strong love for Joan Rivers. (If none of these things is true about you, I’m not sure what we’d talk about.)
Happy reading!
carlyreads 