21%OFF
Stock image for illustration purposes only - book cover, edition or condition may vary.
Maggie Smith: A Biography
Michael Coveney
€ 16.99
€ 13.44
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for Maggie Smith: A Biography
Paperback. The definitive biography of Maggie Smith, grande dame of stage and screen, and a national treasure; named best memoir at the Woman & Home Readers' Choice Awards and Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4. Num Pages: 368 pages. BIC Classification: ANB; APB; APF; BGF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 131 x 198 x 23. Weight in Grams: 316.
'Coveney is the only writer who could get under Smith's skin, capturing her steeliness and vulnerability' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path has led to international renown and numerous accolades including two Academy Awards. Recently she has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in DOWNTON ABBEY, as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the HARRY POTTER movie franchise and as the eccentric Miss Shepherd in the film version of THE LADY IN THE VAN by Alan Bennett. Paradoxically she remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, Michael Coveney's biography is a captivating portrait of the real Maggie Smith.
Product Details
Publisher
Orion Publishing Co
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2016
Condition
New
Number of Pages
368
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781474600941
SKU
V9781474600941
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
Ref
99-99
About Michael Coveney
Michael Coveney has since 2006 been associated with the leading West End website WhatsOnStage.com. He has unprecedented access to Dame Maggie Smith's personal archives and curated the recent BFI season of her film and television work. He lives in Hampstead, north London.
Reviews for Maggie Smith: A Biography
Coveney enticingly lists and quotes from her most remarkable roles, and forbears to intrude on Smith's determinedly private life. Hers is a fascinating story, a true swan hatched from the unlikely nest of a dour Methodist accountant mother and a lab technician father who moved to Oxford during the war.
Christina Hardyment
THE TIMES
Steeped in theatre history, and with full cooperation from Smith; her husband, actor Beverley Cross; family and colleagues, including her close friend Judi Dench, Coveney seamlessly melds Smith's personal and professional lives into an engrossing narrative ... An authoritative and perceptive portrait.
KIRKUS REVIEWS
Michael Coveney isn't afraid to elucidate on her reputation for being difficult, but there's much more here, from a revelatory Hedda Gabler to The Lady In The Van. Coveney is the only writer who could get under Smith's skin, capturing her steeliness and vulnerability.
Christopher Fowler
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, Cinema Books of the Year
Wonderful insight into the life of a wonderful actress - READERS' CHOICE FOR BEST MEMOIR OF THE YEAR
WOMAN & HOME
[A] revealing biography of the sublime life and loves of Maggie Smith
Gerald Isaaman
CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL
BOOK OF THE WEEK
DAILY MAIL
Inspiring stuff - BOOK OF THE WEEK
NEW magazine
Coveney has written a magnificent book that beautifully illuminates the talent and the irreducible personality of a great artist
Peter Craven
THE AUSTRALIAN
The conundrum of what Smith does haunts Coveney's Maggie Smith: A Biography, on a brilliant journey from Shakespeare's Viola to J.K. Rowling's Professor McGonagall. Coveney's admiration is never in doubt, being of a rare critical type that cares for the actor's craft with infectious enthusiasm
Michael Joseph Chance
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
Michael Coveney's affectionate [biography] provides the best account we are likely to get of this reserved grand dame, who surely stands alone in having her 'witty' elbows and wrists so often singled out for praise
EVENING STANDARD, Books of the Year
[A] solid and admiring portrait of a beloved actor's craft and career
Patricia Nicol
INDEPENDENT
A satisfying read ... [P]leasantly gossipy and a very valuable addition to the history of British theatre
Mary McEvoy
IRISH INDEPENDENT
Dame Maggie Smith - now 81 - is a national treasure, her unforgettable asperity a delight in every role ... [Coveney's] knowledgeable, elegant biography examines the qualities of the woman in the spotlight ... But he also gently probes Smith's closely guarded privacy, with revealing anecdotes from friends, fellow thespians and Smith's sons, the actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens
Jane Shilling
DAILY MAIL
From early days in the theatre to Miss Jean Brodie and Downton's formidable Dowager, Maggie Smith has endeared herself to millions. This engaging and fascinating biography reveals the life and career of one of our finest actresses
WOMAN & HOME
Christina Hardyment
THE TIMES
Steeped in theatre history, and with full cooperation from Smith; her husband, actor Beverley Cross; family and colleagues, including her close friend Judi Dench, Coveney seamlessly melds Smith's personal and professional lives into an engrossing narrative ... An authoritative and perceptive portrait.
KIRKUS REVIEWS
Michael Coveney isn't afraid to elucidate on her reputation for being difficult, but there's much more here, from a revelatory Hedda Gabler to The Lady In The Van. Coveney is the only writer who could get under Smith's skin, capturing her steeliness and vulnerability.
Christopher Fowler
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, Cinema Books of the Year
Wonderful insight into the life of a wonderful actress - READERS' CHOICE FOR BEST MEMOIR OF THE YEAR
WOMAN & HOME
[A] revealing biography of the sublime life and loves of Maggie Smith
Gerald Isaaman
CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL
BOOK OF THE WEEK
DAILY MAIL
Inspiring stuff - BOOK OF THE WEEK
NEW magazine
Coveney has written a magnificent book that beautifully illuminates the talent and the irreducible personality of a great artist
Peter Craven
THE AUSTRALIAN
The conundrum of what Smith does haunts Coveney's Maggie Smith: A Biography, on a brilliant journey from Shakespeare's Viola to J.K. Rowling's Professor McGonagall. Coveney's admiration is never in doubt, being of a rare critical type that cares for the actor's craft with infectious enthusiasm
Michael Joseph Chance
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
Michael Coveney's affectionate [biography] provides the best account we are likely to get of this reserved grand dame, who surely stands alone in having her 'witty' elbows and wrists so often singled out for praise
EVENING STANDARD, Books of the Year
[A] solid and admiring portrait of a beloved actor's craft and career
Patricia Nicol
INDEPENDENT
A satisfying read ... [P]leasantly gossipy and a very valuable addition to the history of British theatre
Mary McEvoy
IRISH INDEPENDENT
Dame Maggie Smith - now 81 - is a national treasure, her unforgettable asperity a delight in every role ... [Coveney's] knowledgeable, elegant biography examines the qualities of the woman in the spotlight ... But he also gently probes Smith's closely guarded privacy, with revealing anecdotes from friends, fellow thespians and Smith's sons, the actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens
Jane Shilling
DAILY MAIL
From early days in the theatre to Miss Jean Brodie and Downton's formidable Dowager, Maggie Smith has endeared herself to millions. This engaging and fascinating biography reveals the life and career of one of our finest actresses
WOMAN & HOME