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Spilling the Beans

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Spilling the Beans

By: Clarissa Dickson Wright
Narrated by: Clarissa Dickson Wright
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Clarissa was born into wealth and privilege, as a child, shooting and hunting were the norm and pigeons were flown in from Cairo for supper. Her mother was an Australian heiress, her father was a brilliant surgeon to the Royal family. But he was also a tyrannical and violent drunk who used to beat her and force her to eat carrots with slugs still clinging to them. Clarissa was determined and clever, though, and her ambition led her to a career in the law. At the age of 21, she was the youngest ever woman to be called to the Bar.
Disaster struck when her adored mother died suddenly. It was to lead to a mind-numbing decade of wild over-indulgence. Rich from her inheritance, in the end Clarissa partied away her entire fortune. It was a long, hard road to recovery along which Clarissa finally faced her demons and turned to the one thing that had always brought her joy - cooking. Now at last she has found success, sobriety and peace.
With the stark honesty and the brilliant wit we love her for, Clarissa recounts the tale of a life lived to extremes. A vivid and funny story, it is as moving as it is a cracking good read.

(P)2007 Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks©2007 Clarissa Dickson Wright Cooking Entertainment & Celebrities Food & Wine Women Gastronomy Celebrity Funny Heartfelt
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An excellent autobiography.

No holds barred, it makes for a fascinating glimpse into Clarissa's life.

I had thought her to be a privileged individual, but she certainly did not have an easy time of it.

Heartfelt, and interesting

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What an entertaining listen ! Warts & all ! What a life this lady had after such a sad childhood- well worth a listen!

Fascinating!

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I must admit that I knew nothing of Clarissa Dickson Wright's life, but I am a fan of her cook books, so I decided to try her autobiography and what an amazing and very moving story. Although not a long audiobook (just under 2 hours), I listened to the whole book in one sitting, it was gripping. The fact that Clarissa narrates the story herslef is wonderful, as not only does she have a wonderful voice, you can feel the emotion coming through. I had no idea about her alcoholism, her abusive father and the fact that she had been homeless and penniless...what a remarkable story and lady. I would recommend this book to anyone, just be prepared to be moved.

An amazing and very moving story

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CDW demonstrates that taking a leap of faith and seizing the day when life serves you lemons can make your shuffle in on this mortal coil worthwhile. Loved listening to her story read in her own voice. RIP CDW, TFL was a thorough joy to watch, it’s sad to hear that reruns are difficult to find.

Fascinating life story

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I loved this book. Clarissa Dickson Wright is a great narrator for her own book. It's abridged and thus fairly short at just under 3 hours, but its wonderfully condensed and takes you through her life story up to the present. A fascinating, honest portrayal of a life that has been really interesting and downright awful at times. It's a great story that I rattled through in one sitting. Recommended.

a fascinating life

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