Confessions of a Conjuror

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It never gets heavy into instruction or preaching but tells these through amusing recollections of his childhood and just simple observations. Surely this is a joke, I thought to myself. Surely, at some point in this book Derren Brown is going to write "Gotcha! Can't believe you read so much drivel, here's the real story,". It's so bad that by 10% into the book, I was convinced it was some kind of practical joke; a set up for some convoluted mind f*** that Derren Brown was about to reveal, but no, this is just a mindblowingly boring selection of boring random and boring thoughts that are boring, boring, boring. Did I mention that this is boring? And most of us get it wrong. (This book really reminded me of Sturgeon’s Law, the revered line of wise philosophy: “ninety percent of everything is crap.”) I love Derren Brown, I think he is a terrific showman, a talented artist, conjurer and hypnotist, and (if it is possible to judge solely from TV appearances and interviews) a very kind and caring human being.

The only confession here is that while he knows a lot of long words, his grammar still needs cleaning up (please learn the difference between 'I was sat' and 'I was sitting') and that whatever runs through his mind is every bit as boring as the stuff that runs through everyone else's. The only difference being that no one else would ever think this is worth publishing. This was okay – not brilliant, not deeply philosophical – and even occasionally quite funny. The story about The Sun ‘outing’ him as homosexual was very amusingly told. (Now, Murdoch is someone who has a lot to answer for). I'm a big Derren Brown fan. I watch him on TV, I've seen him live, I've read stuff he's written and even – fleetingly – met him. So I was pleased to find a copy of this book under the Christmas tree. Those observations of people and situations are illuminating, and he has the imagination to dive into another world whether it be the thoughts of the inebriated man at the bar or his own past. If you're not Derren and you want to know more about his earplugs and other personal habits then you need to buy this book!It was this third section which was less captivating. It was brilliant, funny, and very interesting in small, but some of the time it did run on a bit. My captivation did go through phases of waning about halfway to two thirds of the way through book, though it did return later. I only thing that surprised me about this book was that I had this expectation that due to Derren's knowledge of the mind and psychology he would have some profound insights into our nature and know some secrets as to how we can increase our personal power. I don't want to use the word disappointed because that's not fair. The one criticism I have I shall get out of the way pronto. (Though doubtless, in the unlikely event that Derren does ever read this, he would say that he had focused on this paragraph and this one only. Sorry!)

The content is mostly Derren's musings on a wide variety of topics, from the use of a handkerchief to the satisfaction of closing a drawer with a snap. I found myself nodding along and agreeing with a lot of his opinions and observations (especially the one that kindness is the most valuable trait a person can possess), however I was not hugely entertained. It was more like listening to a friend thinking aloud while you're on a long car journey together. A pleasant experience, but I don't need to have the same conversation again in the future. urn:lcp:confessionsofcon0000brow:epub:45622e84-4799-47ee-8944-5b795b3c1e71 Foldoutcount 0 Grant_report Arcadia #4281 Identifier confessionsofcon0000brow Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t70w79b11 Invoice 2089 Isbn 9781905026586 I pictured them tumbling to the floor, myself bending over to gather them up, and the embarrassed derision of the silent diners as they watched me carry out the apologetic, uncomfortable process. Confessions of a Conjuror, however, was over written, dull, tedious, interesting and fun in parts, but over all a bit of a slog to get through. It's not just the audience who are under the microscope though, he becomes more and more self-analytical:

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All in all, if I were to judge the quality of writing I would give it 5 stars. His words are rich, and his descriptions perfect. The content is creative and good. He held my attention, amused me, made me think, and gave me a unique insight into his life. I can't imagine what possessed the publisher to agree to printing this, or why, given how his other books are so good, he ever thought that this would be of any interest to anyone. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-06-03 10:03:06 Boxid IA1814417 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier It does not disappoint. Derren's writing style which I loved in his previous book has continued here - but in many ways is more refined. I had to look a couple of words up in a dictionary - but as I've commented on someone else's review - it's good to be challenged. Derren's prose is so elegant, funny (at times) and flows so well, this book is almost impossible to put down. There are several laugh out loud moments too! All that being so, I was really looking forward to this book and to finding out more about the man behind the TV personality, or maybe some insight into what he enjoys about his career, or how he feels about possessing such unique skills, the problems and perks.

I tried to recreate these sensations mentally, and considered, as I tensed and shifted in microcosm, that that was what he was feeling right now; that for him the experience of all life revolved in this instant around those sensations, and that I was (with my annoyance and self-hatred and reluctance to work) at most a blur in the corner of his vision. He relates his anxiety about losing his pens and dots them around his flat but still cannot find one when he needs it before dashing out of the door. I can relate to his 'slight' OCD and his curiosity about what would happen if chose to crash his car. In fact, I can relate to many of his observations. I love Derren Brown; I have such admiration for this man. This book should be made compulsory reading for everyone, especially teenagers. Vanishing Inc. UK Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 09430707. Prices shown excluding UK VAT. I loathed myself again. My heart pounded beneath my stupid blousy gay shirt, and as ever, I found it absurd that I had done this a thousand times yet still battled with the same weary desire to be veiled in the shadows of a corner, to keep out of everyone’s way and let them enjoy themselves in peace.Derren’s underlying message is that happiness is really found by having that fundamental awareness that our stories aren’t always accurate, having the freedom to laugh at the negatives in life, worrying less about what others think of us (because they seldom do), and being able to both work hard and find enjoyment in all areas of our lives. If you haven’t heard, Derren has a new book out called “Confessions Of A Conjuror”. Here’s a recent review from the Sunday Times: His Comments on the World in General., such as the best way to boil an egg or opinions of Parmesan cheese. A bit like one of Jeremy Clarkson’s books, though just a bit more intelligently written. His understanding of feelings and motivations e.g. when stepping into a lift while someone inside steps out only to realise it is the wrong floor, and reactions of both parties are identifiable and amusing. On the language: one of my language betes noires is a reluctance to reuse the same word, to look for convoluted synonyms to avoid repetition, in a way that drags the eye and seems more clumsy than repetition would have. Derren does this throughout and it isn’t just okay, it’s a central part of the pleasure. It’s obviously tongue in cheek, and the joy he takes in finding comically wordy alternatives (again, I can’t find a better example than his discussion of Monster Munch) is transmitted without dilution to the reader.