Bright Side

Product Information

Bradbury had an exceptional working life, as an editor of major news publications - but her personal life was more fractious, and in 2015 it imploded. This memoir recounts this period, her thoughtful connections to the past, her family and friends and the effort to find a way into a different future. 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. I grew up watching Flying Circus, and loved it, even though I was really too young to understand or decipher the accents (“Spam” notwithstanding). I’ve passed my love of Monty Python onto my kids, even visiting Doune castle to buy coconuts and recreate Holy Grail (with my daughter playing Terry Gilliam, I as Graham Chapman), like thousands of other daft tourists.

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

Hendrik is such a warm and genuine character - you do really feel for him. I can only hope there is a third diary; you do begin to care for Hendrik and hope he has many more tales to tell and adventures to go on.Immediately, there’s a chemistry that comes alive between them. Kate tries to suppress her intensifying feelings for him, but the more she gets to know him, the more she falls for everything about him. He’s smart, funny, caring, but also a bit of a mystery. The truth is, both Keller and Kate are keeping secrets. The kind of secrets that can change everything. “My life will not follow a fairy tale, and that’s okay. My life is reality. And in my reality people don’t fall in love and get married and live happily ever after, because life is complicated. And messy.” We also begin to see some chapters in Keller’s perspective, and we experience how he fell in love with Kate. He too, tries to stay away for reasons of his own, but he can’t help but love Kate’s personality, her edginess, her kindness and feistiness. “Then it hits me how beautiful this woman is. Like a freight train it hits me…everything about her is beautiful…What the hell just happened? I feel like I’ve been asleep for years and I’ve only just woken up.” On the Brightside is the 2nd book in the Hendrik Groen Series. I have read the first one and I enjoyed it immensely, so I was looking forward to reading this one.

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

Eric’s kind heart is obvious, as shown through his endearing friendships with George Harrison and Robin Williams, not to mention all the Pythons. He’s had a rich life full of love and good friends. Laughter really does bring people together. I’d love to hang out with him sometime. I’ll even supply the booze. I must say, I’ve never been one for clubs but if I’m fortunate enough to get to the ripe old age of 86 or thereabouts, I would absolutely jump at the chance to join the Old-But-Not-Dead Club. Their sheer determination to keep living life to the fullest does really prove that age is nothing but a number as they keep broadening their horizons, stay active as best as they can, laugh and have a good time. When chewing on life’s gristle, don’t grumble, give a whistle. And always look on the bright side of death. 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. Combine wit and Oxbridge sensibilities with mod England's penchant for sketch comedy, then mix in a bit of serendipity and out pops Monty Python. It was entertaining to hear about the formative years, though the details may have gone too far at times for my taste. Even so, this was a meaty part of the book for good reason. The original show and the many offshoots that followed ( Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Meaning of Life, Spamalot, and countless others) really did amount to a lot.

On Instagram

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. It's only natural that a book about octogenarians will have its share of sad and moving moments, but the main message it conveys is that however limited life expectancy is, the Old But Not Dead Club will do its utmost to enjoy it! Like many Americans in the eighties, I became aware of Monty Python in college. Having grown up in a rather humorless, economically depressed small town, we weren’t cultured enough for British humor. Eric Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is a fun, but at times poignant book. C. S. Lewis once wrote somewhere that biographies are most interesting at the beginning, and I think he was correct. Idle had a somewhat tragic childhood, growing up during World War Two, in which he lost his father. His writing sweeps you in and makes you wonder what lies behind fame. Tragedy often lies behind great comedians. To be funny you often have to be sad.

Bright Side: Holden, Kim, Parpal, Monica: 9780991140237

The first, and only truly difficult step, is to become famous. I’m not talking about the clichéd 15 minutes of fame here. That may be good for couch time on Good Morning America, but not a full length book. I think the bar for celebrity renown probably needs to be set high enough to appear on Saturday Night Live. Short of that, sales would be meager. Note that I’m excluding politicians and other infamous figures in this analysis since their memoirs are of a different sort. Of course, Eric Idle is a pretty recognizable name, at least among those old enough to know Monty Python. And he did host SNL several times. The book is also the history of a song. The wonderful "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" first performed in "Life of Brian". It has become the number one funeral song in the UK, and if you know the song, it's easy to understand why. When I was fighting for my own life in hospital earlier this year, some of the words almost became a mantra to me. 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.

Share This Post

Tanztee“ ist ein Roman der nicht durch eine besondere Spannung lebt, sondern durch facettenreiche Alltagssituationen aus Hendriks außergewöhnlicher Sichtweise an Reiz gewinnen. I thoroughly enjoyed Hendrik’s first diary so I was incredibly excited to be asked to review the follow-up and it’s every bit as special.

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

Born in South Shields which for me explains a lot because that makes him A Shiely Dogger.A mad jolly sod from Shields. The biggiest disappoint is that there is nothing about One Foot in The Grave , a surprise as was in it & did the theme song . It is the missing bits that let you down, he has been married 41 years but they don't sleep together but in different parts of the house, that was in Sunday Times on 2/12/18 so it is not wonderful marriage he claims here.Hendrik and his best friend Evert continue to get up to mischief – their stirring of trouble delights the group. Well something has to brighten their day, doesn’t it! With death getting closer to them all, a lot of the residents spend time going to funerals. But Hendrik no longer goes – he’ll be at his own soon enough he thinks! On The Bright Side is the second instalment of The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, written by Dutch Care Facility resident, Hendrik Groen, alias Dutch librarian, Peter de Smet. Hendrik is now eighty-five and, after a year’s hiatus due to grief over the passing of his good friend, Eefje Brand, he has once again decided to note down the year’s events, starting in January 2015. 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.