Book review: Happy Accidents

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By Jane Lynch
Published by Fourth Estate

Being a bit of a Gleek, I couldn’t help but want to read Jane Lynch’s memoir. I started the book knowing her only as Sue Sylvester, the most evil cheerleading coach ever to walk the planet, and I ended it with a long list of films to watch and an even bigger respect for her.

Happy Accidents takes us from Jane’s childhood and her dreams of stardom all the way through to her successful present life as an actor. We learn about the hard times – her insecurity, her alcoholism, her feelings of isolation and not belonging – as well as the good times – her flourishing career, her acceptance of her sexuality, her marriage. It seems that she holds nothing back and comes across as absolutely honest, page after page.

Her memoir is moving and funny, sometimes both sad and amusing at the same time. And, as I said before, totally candid.

I recommend Happy Accidents to any Glee or Jane Lynch fan, to anyone interested in acting and films, to anyone who enjoys a well-written happy-ending true story… basically, to anyone.

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