Not My Father's Son

Cumming lets us into his family and his story with such generosity of spirit. This book is a reflection on his childhood at the hands of an abusive father and his investigation into his maternal grandfather for Who Do You Think You Are. Considering the subject matter you would expect it to be a heavy read but it flies along with its feet barely touching the ground. Cumming's voice is natural and welcoming, like a friend opening up over a pint. I finished it with a smile on my face and wished I could give him a hug.

ugyan csak egyetlen cikket olvastam alantől, mégis többre számítottam. az frappáns volt és vicces, ez a történet viszont túl hosszúra nyújtott, sokszor önismétlő és néha meglehetősen érdektelen.

sajnálom, de engem nem tud annyival lenyűgözni, hogy nehéz gyerekkora volt, mert verte az apja. (mivel ugyanezt éltem át, csak nem írtam belőle könyvet.) amikor pedig már többedjére mondta el, hogy minden partit és baráti összeröffenést körbehaknizott az itt leírtakkal, akkor kicsit megsajnáltam azokat, akiknek többször is végig kellett hallgatniuk.
jobban belegondolva lehet, hogy szóban érdekesebben adja elő - talán inkább a hangoskönyv verziót kellett volna választanom. hát most már mindegy.

I started listening to this on my way to school, and almost gave it up because the opening was so hard to take at 8:30am. So glad I kept listening! This is a memoir and a double mystery rolled into one, with wit and humor and style galore. I binge-listened to this while sick with a cold and it was the perfect distraction. Fantastic book; I highly recommend the audio version if you can get it because Alan himself is the reader and everything sounds better in a Scottish accent.

I can't say I enjoyed reading it, because it's not a book to be enjoyed. I'm not entirely sure what I think about it. A+ for effort, that's for sure, but it did at times read like teary novel rather than Cumming's personal account. Too eloquent and polished, perhaps, for my taste.

This is not your typical celebrity memoir. It is beautiful, sad, and ultimately hopeful, but not in a cloying or cliched way. I am lucky not to have experienced the family trauma Alan Cumming describes, but the way he tells his story gave me a new appreciation for what it means to grapple with such a complicated, traumatic history and to survive.

I listened to the audio book. Alan Cumming's narration is also very good.

I have always been a fan of Alan Cumming, but not in a ‘he's my favorite actor' sort of way. When I finished my last audiobook I knew I needed something else to listen to while I crocheted and this book was available from the library. I tend to enjoy audiobooks more when they're memoirs and read by the author and it's even better read in Cumming's gorgeous Scottish brogue.

Cumming is honest both about his father's behavior toward his two children and wife and about his own coming to terms with accepting his past and moving on. His memories of his father's abuse are broken up with his quest to learn about his maternal grandfather. His grandfather had died in mysterious circumstances far away from home while Cumming's mother was still a child and when Cumming is approached by the BBC show ‘Who Do You Think You Are?' he realized he could maybe solve the mystery for his mother and himself.

The stories he tells are gripping and wrenching. His love for his mother, brother and husband are palpable and at times it's that love shining through that keeps the book from being merely brooding and depressing.

I loved this book. I could have listened to him tell stories all day long (and I did).

Surprisingly interesting and engaging - the audiobook is great.

Upfront, let me just say that I read Not My Father's Son because I enjoy Alan Cumming as an actor. Nothing shameful in that, though if memory serves me correctly, it is the first time I've read a book based on the author's non-author status. I figured if there were one actor whose memoir would be interesting, it would be Alan Cumming's.

Not My Father's Son isn't about Cumming so much as it is about his father and his maternal grandfather. Half of the book's subject deals with Cumming coming to grip with his father's admission that he, Alan, is not his father's son. The other half deals with Cumming's experiences while filming a show entitled “Who Do You Think You Are?” where he traces the story of his grandfather. Now, the parts about Alan Cumming's father were interesting to me. He goes into his abusive childhood, into his relationship with his father, and delves deep into his father's psychology. I wanted to know more. Unfortunately, this was less than half the book. Cumming's search for his grandfather took up more space, and once the dust settles around the craziness of his situation with his father, this is what carries the book through its conclusion.

I understand this search was important for Cumming, but my inability to relate kept me at a significant distance. Perhaps it is because of my birth in the United States where heritage traditionally has meant so little (nothing?), or an indication of deeper identity or relationship issues, but had I been given the same information that Cumming had—the stories that floored him and left him gasping for more—I would've responded with a shrug and a heartless, “That's really great,” while thinking to myself I could care less.

It should be no surprise then that I cannot properly review this memoir. Obviously it was a very, very personal work for its author, but I just wasn't interested enough. Cumming wrote it well and it certainly has its moments where I'm sure most readers will feel its impact. Readers who are invested in their heritage and stories of families will get something out of this memoir. I just wasn't one of those readers. What I did get out of this book was an intense desire to again watch one of my favorite films, Titus. For that, I am pleased.

Yo, exactly what it says on the tin: you laugh, you cry, and character actor Alan Cumming is pretty fabulous. This quick, light read follows Cumming as he shoots an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, a pretty damn charming UK TV show where they follow some British actor on a fun genealogy tour. They've done eps with David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Stephen Fry. You get the idea.

Anyway, on this episode (which you can watch above) Cumming learns some pretty intense stuff about his maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling. Parallel to this, he receives some also intense news from his estranged, abusive dad. But it's written with optimism and good humor, and it all goes down a treat.

Whew! I'm so glad I liked this as much as I did! I've been a long-time fan of Alan Cumming–such that I read his other book, [b:Tommy's Tale 627205 Tommy's Tale Alan Cumming https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1176463599s/627205.jpg 1076338] when I was in high school. Tommy's Tale a) is not... super appropriate for high schoolers... and b) is not that great, sort of a queer Bridget Jones-y thing. BUT NEVER MIND ALL THAT, Not My Father's Son is a truly engaging memoir with some real mysteries at its heart. It's a heartbreaking look at the way Cumming's abusive father warped Alan and his brother's childhood, interlaced with his joyful adulthood and the strength he's found within himself and his community. Also, a genuinely compelling mystery regarding lost relatives on his mother's side. Definitely recommended for existing fans of Alan Cumming, but would also be a good read for fans of memoir even if they don't care for Alan's work as an actor.