The Best Awful There Is

Last updated

The Best Awful There Is
CarrieFisher TheBestAwful.jpg
Cover to "The Best Awful" renamed edition
Author Carrie Fisher
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreAutobiographical novel
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publication date
January 2004
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages269 (hardback edition) & 288 (paperback edition)
ISBN 0-684-80913-3 (hardback edition) & ISBN   0-7432-6930-6 (paperback edition)
OCLC 51086674
813/.54 21
LC Class PS3556.I8115 B4 2003
Preceded by Postcards from the Edge  

The Best Awful There Is (retitled The Best Awful as a paperback), is a 2004 novel by actress and author Carrie Fisher. [1] It is a sequel to her debut novel Postcards from the Edge . [2]

Like most of Fisher's books, this novel is semi-autobiographical and fictionalizes events from her real life. [3] The book features the protagonist character Suzanne Vale that first appeared in Postcards from the Edge. [4] The book fictionalizes the author's relationship with Bryan Lourd, the father of her daughter Billie Lourd. [5]

The Best Awful There Is was later published with the shorter title The Best Awful and is now largely known by this title.

Plot summary

Suzanne Vale, an actress with bipolar disorder, married Leland Franklin, a studio executive who helped her find her "far-flung best self." He then left her for a man, when their daughter, Honey, was three.

Three years later, Vale is a successful TV talk show host with a six-year-old daughter, a gay ex-husband, and an aging starlet mother. It is her love for Honey that keeps her going.

When Vale, a recovering drug addict, stops taking her medication, she is plunged into a manic episode. She goes on a search for OxyContin in Tijuana with a tattoo artist friend and a new house guest, a clinically depressed patient she met at her psycho-pharmacologist's office.

A psychotic break lands Vale at Shady Lanes, where she is the "latest loony to hit the bin." Despite her mental illness, Vale still has her wit and ability to find irony in every situation as she struggles back from the brink of insanity.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Leia</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the original Star Wars film in 1977, Leia is princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Imperial Senate and an agent of the Rebel Alliance. She thwarts the sinister Sith Lord Darth Vader and helps bring about the destruction of the Empire's cataclysmic superweapon, the Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Leia commands a Rebel base and evades Vader as she falls in love with the smuggler Han Solo. In Return of the Jedi (1983), Leia helps in the operation to rescue Han from the crime lord Jabba the Hutt and is revealed to be Vader's daughter and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meryl Streep</span> American actress (born 1949)

Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress. Known for her versatility and accent adaptability, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over four decades, including a record 21 Academy Award nominations, winning three, and a record 33 Golden Globe Award nominations, winning eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Reynolds</span> American actress, singer and dancer (1932–2016)

Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy, The Catered Affair, and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" topped the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she starred in The Mating Game and released her first pop music album, titled Debbie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley MacLaine</span> American actress, and author (born 1934)

Shirley MacLaine is an American actress and author. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed, and eccentric women, and her tragicomedic style of acting; where she displays a deft equal balance of tragedy and comedy in her performances. She has received numerous accolades over her eight-decade career, including an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, two BAFTA Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Volpi Cups, and two Silver Bears. She has been honored with the Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute in 1995, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1998, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2012, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Fisher</span> American actress and writer (1956–2016)

Carrie Frances Fisher was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)—a posthumous release that was dedicated to her—and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), through the use of unreleased footage from The Force Awakens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Piper</span> English actress and former singer and songwriter

Billie Paul Piper is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest female singer to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one; her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album, Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Her second studio album, Walk of Life, was released in 2000 and spawned her third number-one single, "Day & Night". In 2003, Piper announced that she had ended her music career to focus on acting.

<i>Postcards from the Edge</i> 1987 semi-autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher

Postcards from the Edge is a semi-autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher, first published in 1987. It was later adapted by Fisher herself into a motion picture of the same name, which was directed by Mike Nichols and released by Columbia Pictures in 1990.

Chantal Sophia "Tessa" Dahl is a British author and former actress. She is the daughter of British-Norwegian author Roald Dahl and American actress Patricia Neal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joely Fisher</span> American actress (born 1967)

Joely Fisher is an American actress and singer, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens, and half-sister of actress Carrie Fisher. Her breakthrough came in 1994, starring as Paige Clark in the ABC sitcom Ellen, for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. Fisher later starred in the 1999 comedy film Inspector Gadget and had leading roles in the Lifetime comedy-drama Wild Card (2003–2005), and Fox sitcom 'Til Death (2006–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Jolley</span> Australian writer

Monica Elizabeth Jolley AO was an English-born Australian writer who settled in Western Australia in the late 1950s and forged an illustrious literary career there. She was 53 when her first book was published, and she went on to publish fifteen novels, four short story collections and three non-fiction books, publishing well into her 70s and achieving significant critical acclaim. She was also a pioneer of creative writing teaching in Australia, counting many well-known writers such as Tim Winton among her students at Curtin University.

<i>Surrender the Pink</i> 1990 novel by Carrie Fisher

Surrender the Pink is a romance novel by actress and author Carrie Fisher that was published in 1990.

<i>Delusions of Grandma</i> 1994 novel by Carrie Fisher

Delusions of Grandma is a novel by actress and author Carrie Fisher that was published in 1993.

<i>These Old Broads</i> 2001 American TV series or program

These Old Broads is a 2001 American made-for-television comedy film directed by Matthew Diamond, written by Carrie Fisher and Elaine Pope, and starring Fisher's mother Debbie Reynolds, as well as Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor in her final film role. In a 2001 BBC Omnibus documentary about Taylor, MacLaine says that Julie Andrews and Lauren Bacall were originally planned to be in the film. The role of Miriam Hodges was originally offered to June Allyson, who ended up in a cameo instead. The film premiered on February 12, 2001 on ABC.

Bryan William Lourd is an American talent agent. He is the CEO and co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

<i>Postcards from the Edge</i> (film) 1990 film by Mike Nichols

Postcards from the Edge is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Carrie Fisher is based on her 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same title. The film stars Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, and Dennis Quaid.

<i>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</i> 2019 film by J. J. Abrams

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production company Bad Robot, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga". Its ensemble cast includes Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, with Ian McDiarmid and Billy Dee Williams. Set one year after The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance's final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order, who are aided by the Sith Lord, Emperor Palpatine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Lourd</span> American actress (born 1992)

Billie Catherine Lourd is an American actress. She is known for starring as Chanel #3 in the Fox horror comedy series Scream Queens (2015–2016) and for her roles in the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story (2017–present). She also appears as Lieutenant Connix in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). Lourd is the only child of actress Carrie Fisher.

Nona Aisha Gaye is an American singer, former fashion model, and retired actress. The daughter of singer Marvin Gaye and maternal granddaughter of jazz musician Slim Gaillard, Gaye began her career as a vocalist in the early 1990s. In film, she portrayed Zee in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Carrie Fisher was an American actress and writer. During her almost five-decade-long career, she had appearances in over 50 films, as well as various television series, documentaries, late night talk shows, video games, and commercials. Her credits also include writing novels, screenplays, and television specials and series episodes.

<i>Postcards from the Ledge</i>

Postcards from the Ledge is a 2017 play by Paul Howard, as part of the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series. It had its world premiere on 25 October 2017, at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin produced by Landmark Productions.

References

  1. Fisher, Carrie (January 5, 2005). The Best Awful: A Novel (Reprint ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN   9780743269308.
  2. "Carrie Fisher's On 'Best Awful'". cbsnews.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  3. "The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher". The Independent. February 22, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2017. The Best Awful is more obviously autobiographical than Postcards and, perhaps as a result, not as laugh-out-loud funny.
  4. Cooke, Rachel (February 8, 2004). "Observer review: The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  5. Weinraub, Bernard (February 11, 2004). "For Hollywood Misery, An Alter Ego Helps". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 16, 2017. In her novel, and in the interview, Ms. Fisher says her relationship with her 11-year-old daughter, Billie (named Honey in the book), forced her to take control of her life. Ms. Fisher and her former husband, Bryan Lourd, a partner at the Creative Artists Agency, are jointly rearing the child, and the book is dedicated to them.