Review
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I look at myself sometimes and think, You spoilt brat. You don't
realise how lucky you are. I'm just trying to be happy. Aren't we
all?"There are few things more rewarding than being able to prove
your doubters wrong, and with her autobiography former Spice Girl
Geri Halliwell obviously feels that she has silenced a few of
those who believed she was simply a loud-mouthed young girl who
struck it lucky. Written in a first-person narrative, the result
is a surprisingly engaging and enjoyable read as Geri recounts
the events that shaped her formative years. The celebrity
whirlwind that her life has become may seem like a heady dream
for most of us, but her early days will ring a familiar tone with
many. She didn't come from a rich family and would while away
hours singing along to Madonna songs in the mirror. These early
chapters reinforce the "little girl lost" image Geri seems so
desperate for you to buy into throughout the book, but her
relationship with her her, a man who encouraged her to chase
her dreams, is genuinely touching.
Those expecting a b session will be disappointed--Geri
pours praise on her former bandmates whenever possible, making
some of their comments since her departure seem more than a
little harsh but perhaps that is Geri just being clever. It's
clear that she still feels a great affection for the girls,
especially Mel B, who Geri bonded with right from the start.
Those early days of Spice seemed a rollercoaster of laughs and
highs, but as Girl Power reached an almost fever pitch, Geri felt
constrained and almost trapped to the point where she knew she
had to leave but didn't really know why.
Overall, this a fun and frothy "rages to riches" tale of her
sheer determination, rather than any great talent, finding a
platform to perform to the world like the little girl who used to
dance to Madonna in her bedroom. --Jonathan Weir
Synopsis
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Like many starstruck girls, Geri Halliwell grew up with one
ambition. She wanted to be famous. She had the drive, the energy,
the fierce determination to succeed. If only she could get that
one lucky break - that one chance - she'd prove to all the
doubters that she could make it, and make it big. But as Geri
discovered, the road to fame can be a rocky one. Often broke and
desperately lonely, her life became an endless round of failed
auditions and dead-end jobs. Even her stint as a glamour model
and her role as a game show host in Turkey, failed to gain her a
foothold on the ladder to fame. Until one day, almost
reluctantly, she answered an ad in The Stage. Someone was looking
for candidates to form an all-girl band. The rest is history. As
Ginger Spice, Geri's stage presence was formidable, her outfits
legendary. The Spice Girls enjoyed a succession of number one
hits, two successful albums and a box office hit movie. But Geri
wanted her feet back on the ground. It was time to walk away, to
find out who she was when she wasn't Ginger Spice. Amidst a blaze
of media speculation Geri left the Spice Girls in May 1998.
Now focusing on her solo career, and with a number one hit single
and bestselling album already to her credit, Geri also works
tirelessly for charities such as the UN's Cancer Care
campaign and Comic . At its heart "If Only" is about fame
and the rollercoaster journey one young girl took from obscurity
to the world of her dreams. Believing fame would provide the
answer to life's problems, she came to understand that the real
solutions lie elsewhere.