Scrappy Little Nobody

Meh. Not bad. I listened to the audiobook version. Anna's voice works well in small spurts, but after awhile I wanted to say “can you at least try to sound happy”?? Everything comes off sarcastic or irritated at everything. I realize this is part of her personality, but I think I'll stick to her tweets instead of any further books from her.

I love memoirs, especially comedic ones, and I like Anna Kendrick - she's always surprised me as she's so much more hilarious and real via social media channels than any of her characters. She seems like a person Id get along with. And aren't those the best celebs? I listened to this as an audiobook and hearing her narration DEFINITELY added to this... she is an actor, after all. I found her likeable, sarcastic, but also very human and sweet. I like that she thwarts her public image a bit, the same way she does with her mordant tweets. This made me like her more, and also is an interesting peak into what it's like to be a B-list, down-to-earth, celebrity, and how she got there etc.

3.5 / audiobook

For all the issues I have with this book I hold the editor responsible. The first few chapters about Anna's child acting career and her family are rather drab. The self deprecating humour feels forced or overdone. But as teenager Anna becomes a 20 something Anna things get more engaging. She gets real about stuff - like how she was broke when she got her oscar nomination for Up in the Air, how her outlook towards multiple things has evolved. I liked that.

Note on the audiobook - Anna talks really fast so actually had to listen at 0.8x for a bit to adjust my brain.

Books, Coffee & Passion

I wanted to read at least 2 nonfiction books in 2020 and I decided to pick Scrappy Little Nobody because I thought it would be fun. This book is hilarious, sassy, crazy and enjoyable. It felt honest and real, almost like reading a letter from a friend that was telling me about their life.
Pitch Perfect is only mentioned briefly unfortunately, but there are stories about Camp, Twilight, Into The Woods, Up in the Air that I really loved to read. I think my favorite part is when Anna talks about her performance at the Oscars with Neil Patrick Harris and Jack Black.
There was a chapter or two that in my opinion didn't add much, like the fake parties chapter, but overall it was super funny and charming. Anna Kendrick is insecure, awkward, stubborn, hilarious, sarcastic and surprisingly relatable. I was surprised by how much she shared about her insecurities and her romantic life, it was very refreshing.
Scrappy Little Nobody is a funny, charming, witty, entertaining book.

nagyon szórakoztatóan elmesélt, ám javarészt eléggé érdektelen történetek. lehet, ha nagy rajongója lennék annának, akkor jobban lekötött volna.
a lényeg, hogy eszméletlen jófej, és szerintem tök jó barátok lennénk - nemcsak amolyan hétvégi módon, mint mindy kalinggel, aki nekem túl sok, hanem rendesen.

I found Scrappy Little Nobody to be a refreshing, entertaining and honest appraisal of the author's life to date. Anna Kendrick delivers a narrative with which most people can identify - at least at some point in their lives. It's a reminder to her fans and really to anyone who reads the book, that while the nature of celebrity life is different, it's no less hectic and typical in many ways. And it's a reminder that no matter who you are, growing up can be awkward as Hell! The author's writing style is enjoyable and makes the reader feel comfortable, no matter the subject matter.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Unlike some of the celebrity memoirs I've read this year (and yeah, there's been a lot of them – I'm not sure why), this is a pretty straight-forward one. Roughly chronological, it covers Kendrick's life and career from childhood to the last year or two. What separates this is Kendrick's voice – it is so strong, so funny (I almost wish I'd gone for the audiobook version – narrated by the author – instead for her literal, not just authorial, voice), so brutal.

Thankfully, she saves most of her mockery for herself, so she comes across as charmingly self-deprecatory and insecure.

I'm not sure what to say about this, without resorting to a very long list of quotations that will be too long, and yet not long enough.

I chuckled often, I enjoyed the look at her life and strange childhood; the behind-the-scenes anecdotes about some of her films and award-shows; the present-day social awkwardness. I may not have much to say, but it's only because my brain isn't firing right tonight (it seems), not because the book doesn't deserve it.

If you're a fan of Kendrick's, you'll enjoy this. If you wouldn't call yourself a fan, but have enjoyed some of her work, you'll probably enjoy this. If you don't know anything about her, you still might like this (and get a list of movies to go look into).