"Wildflower" by Drew Barrymore
When I think of Drew Barrymore I instantly think of three things.
'E.T.', which then resulted in my second thought...
Her lack of a childhood and crazy teenage years, and then lastly...
'Never Been Kissed'.
The two movies mentioned are classics to me and I’ve always enjoyed her as an actress. So, when a friend asked me if I’d read her book, I was surprised I hadn’t. I added it to my Overdrive loans and within days it was available for me to read on my Kindle.
You get 21 days to borrow a book on Overdrive and it took me all of those 21 days for me to finish reading it. When she starts off in the Preface by saying it’s a "light read" that you can start then stop, she wasn’t lying.
It is a cumulation of random stories that are not in any certain order. My brain just automatically said, "Ughhh that’s too much work for me." My mind is already all over the place, so I like a bit more structure when I take time to sit down and read. I'd read a chapter, and when it didn’t spike as much interest as I liked, I would start reading another book, watched some 'Dawson's Creek', basically did anything else that brought me more joy.
Consider this a friendly heads up for those of you who don’t quite enjoy books that are all over the place.
NOTE: I even tried listening to it in audiobook format. That did help a little bit. Having her voice reading her own book really helped keep my attention. She really gets into it and I would definitely recommend audio over the written format specifically for this book.
Now onto the actual review of the book...
Did I like it? Umm... not really. I expected more. This doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t a good book. She did a great job telling her stories. She lived quite a life. You get to see fragments of what she has experienced. And that's precisely why I was disappointed.
I wanted more. I wanted the details of her party days. I wanted to hear her experience about being in a rehab facility. I felt she just scratched the surface on those less than perfect times of her life. These times that could really connect with readers who could relate to those fragmented moments of her past.
She's been famous since she was a young child and grew up in Hollywood. It's no surprise that much of her upbringing was far from normal, but the way she writes about these events in the book seem like none of it was a big deal. So kudos to her for being able to make light of her hardships.
That’s when I had to remind myself: She warned me. She said it was a light book about her life. The biggest takeaway of this book would be her positive viewpoint on life, especially her emotions on motherhood. Her words tug right on your heartstrings and clearly demonstrate how much her daughters have changed her. I love when someone who was so lost can find something to give them meaning and settle them.
I then wondered what a book of hers would be like if she wrote one now. Since the book was written over 10 years ago, she has since gotten divorced and her children have grown. With those details, I would be interested to hear her perspective and outlook now, and hear about what life has taught her in the last decade. Would she be open to digging deeper and getting into how her childhood and past may have shaped her present and future? Does she blame her past for the relationships in her life that have failed? That would be a book I would like to read.
Life is too short. I want the truth and raw emotions when I'm reading about someone's real life. I don’t need anything sugarcoated or skimmed over for fear of judgement or feeling exposed. Show me your raw, real side.
So here’s hoping Drew Barrymore does just that. That being said, I thank her for sharing yet another one of her talents with us. She is a great actress and storyteller.
If you read or listen to this book, I hope you enjoy it more than I did! Happy reading everyone!
