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Bright Side

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Readers of the first book will be relieved to hear that a second book means the sweet and funny Hendrik is still around. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying enough attention to the title of this book, the fact that it's a "Sortabiography" - cause the book had very little to do with the goings on of Monty Python. Rather it was largely a story of Eric's life (well duh, a biography). Mind you, you can't really take the Monty Python out of the life story of Eric Idle. But I guess I was expecting a little more about the Eric I already knew (that is, Eric the Python writer and actor) and less about his friendship with George Harrison and Robin Williams. I liked how things were put into perspective by how Hendrik swapped his daily entries from pressing global and international issues to the very parochial trivia that consumed the residents of his care home. The joviality of the first book was still there in places but the overall take I got from this book was of a sadness brought about by coping with declining health, death of residents and a negative outlook on old age. The optimism of the first book has gone and I felt like the residents were just hanging around waiting to die.

On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen

It's really difficult to say too much about the story without giving much away; it's written in a funny, yet touching and moving way. It is insightful into the life of many elderly people, and although I'm quite a long way off retirement, it does make you ponder slightly about your future care and of your parents/grandparents. Cathrin Bradbury's life imploded in the space of a few months. Her beloved parents died, her marriage limped to an end after twenty-five years, her heavily mortgaged house turned against her, and a promising new romance ended in crushing disappointment.I loved this book. I did think of my parents, and all the elderly people I have loved and who are now gone. Makes me smile to think of them. And how very close I am to that time myself. Who’da thunk? This is just what I needed after a year in a global pandemic and I’m sure many people have been feeling the same these past 12 months! From many weeks of isolation and stressors in the world it has been nice to escape reality to read about other people’s lives. However this is not a depressing read and Cathrin brings humour all the way. After reading this book I actually felt quite lifted and grateful for the life I live! It’s not very often I read a book and find myself laughing out load, but this certainly did it for me. Funny highlights for me were Cathrin’s two ageing parents in their 90’s and her description of the quirky electrics in her house. I think what makes it so great is that Cathrin’s writing is very believable.

Bright Side by Kim Holden - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Review: Bright Side by Kim Holden - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle

I will start by saying that I am not the biggest fan of biographies - of any kind. Yes there are numerous ones out there and no doubt covering off some of heroes and other fascinating people but at some point or other I feel they descend in to name dropping narcissistic demonstration of why they are famous and you are not. I encountered the song before I saw the movie. My first year in high school we had a headmaster who always started the assemblies with a piece of classical music. One day the seventh form decided to sabotage him and swapped out his chosen piece of pompous boredom for "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". My enduring memory of this occasion is the majority of the other teachers trying not to laugh out loud. Few succeeded. On the Bright Side - The new Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 years old, is the follow up to the super funny first diary of Hendrik Groen aged 83 1/4 years old. So in general I enjoyed this book and learnt a lot along the way. Yes there were sections where I was worried I would lose interest but thankfully they did not last long and another chapter would open up in front of me.As soon as I read a review of "The Bright Side" by Canadian journalist Cathrin Bradbury, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. It reminds me of the Peter Cook-Dudley Moore sketch Bloody Greta Garbo. It’s too absurd to be remotely true, but that’s the life of Eric Idle. He says. Most of the people mentioned were treated to generous descriptions. Given the collective talent among the names I listed, why wouldn’t they be? There were a few cases where some agent or promoter tried to bilk him and deserved to be chastised, but those instances didn’t dominate. He also had a few choice words about the sitting US president. Even Brits are entitled to their opinions about our political landscape (as long as they’re the right ones). ;-) I found On the Bright Side an easy book to read. There is some humour about life around the care home and I particularly liked the saga of the appearing fruit. I can imagine what havoc some fruit appearing at random would cause in my father’s care home in Cardiff. The chapter titled, “KEDS”, a combination of musings and memories on shopping, is practically worth buying the book!

Bright Side — Inspiration. Creativity. Wonder. Bright Side — Inspiration. Creativity. Wonder.

We also get to find out what the other loveable characters are up to, and whether life has changed for the residents of the care home.

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Hendrik Groen, pseudonym of Peter de Smet, is a Dutch writer. He is the author of the book Pogingen iets van het leven te maken: Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 83¼ jaar ( The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old) published in 2014. That book was awarded in 2016 with the Audience Award for the Dutch Book. The sequel Zolang er leven is: het tweede geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 85 jaar ( On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen) appeared in 2016. Hendrik Groen is 85 years of age in this, his second episode of life in the slow lane, living in the care home in Amsterdam and writing in his diary daily with his various exploits. The Old-But-Not-Dead Club is still going strong, although one or two members have left – a couple of new things have also been added to their agenda. Going to different restaurants every three weeks for a culture change; and the planning of a trip away, where the eight elderly members will stay overnight in a hotel for two nights. It's been a priviledge to share another year in Hendrik's life, and I've experienced a whole range of emotions with him, from the laugh out loud outrageous escapades, to the inevitable sad farewells along the way. Hendrik possesses a level of humility and dignity that brings a lump to my throat, and he makes the invisibility of old age a little less so. Bravo Hendrik!! Bradbury keeps good company, including two other Canadian journalists I have long admired: Ian Brown and Johanna Schneller.

Bright Side by Monica Parpal, Kim Holden | Waterstones

I got my copy of this at a book-signing in my hometown. It was a big event by local standards, billed as a conversation between Idle and Naperville’s own Bob Odenkirk (of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fame). It was quite an enjoyable evening. Idle, who is now 75 years old, is still razor sharp and can still deliver the laughs. I’ll remember that next time I’m chewing on life’s gristle. Attempts to make something of life in 2016 won the Audience Award for the Dutch Book. This prize was not personally collected by the author.

As you can tell from the title, the main achievement of his was the song, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life that he wrote for Monty Pythons’ Life of Brian. It has become a part of life around the world. It is the number one piece played at funerals in the UK, for example. Sports fans sing it loud when their team is losing. What would Spamalot have been without it? It’s the Greensleeves of the 21st century. The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old is his diary for 2015 detailing his life in a care home in Amsterdam. This book follows on from The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old, which was his 2013 diary. Hendrik did NOT publish a diary for 2014. This book can be read as a stand-alone and covers similar ground to the first book.

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