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A review by bethpeninger
I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends by
5.0
It's no secret for those who know me that I am kind of obsessed with Friends. Yes, it hasn't aged very well and there are glaring flaws and misses in the show but I love it nonetheless and without condition. My love for it enables me to look past those flaws and misses and be mindful of the time in which the show took place.
So when I saw someone had written a book about my most favorite show ever, it was a given I would be reading it.
Miller, a fan of the show, writes a very thorough and detailed history of this show that probably shouldn't have been much of anything or withstood the test of time but has given the magic of the right people in the right places at the right time. Starting with the history of Marta Kauffman and David Crane she weaves the story of how Friends came to be. I'm a total behind the scenes' nerd. I love watching how films and shows are made - all those extras on DVDs? I watch them, perhaps more enthusiastically than I do the actual movie or show. I love reading, hearing and seeing how things are created, birthed, and executed along with the history leading up to the finished product.
For the audio version, Kelsey Miller reads her own introduction but the actual book is read by a narrator, Amber Benson. I would have rather heard the author read the whole book. I personally found her voice to be a lot more pleasant to listen to on this extremely delightful topic. But I quickly got over it because the subject matter was of such interest to me. When the introduction was being read I kept exclaiming out loud, "Yes", "Definitely", "Yes, that", etc and nodding in agreement and delight.
I enjoyed every second of this book about my favorite show. It did not disappoint and I think it could have. A book like this needs an author who can infuse all the history etc with the fan power it deserves. It can't, or shouldn't, be written by a non-fan. Kelsey Miller did the history and staying power of Friends well. I am sure had someone watched me while listening to this book they would comment that my smile was as if I had slept with a hanger in my mouth (Season 1, Episode 1 reference).
So when I saw someone had written a book about my most favorite show ever, it was a given I would be reading it.
Miller, a fan of the show, writes a very thorough and detailed history of this show that probably shouldn't have been much of anything or withstood the test of time but has given the magic of the right people in the right places at the right time. Starting with the history of Marta Kauffman and David Crane she weaves the story of how Friends came to be. I'm a total behind the scenes' nerd. I love watching how films and shows are made - all those extras on DVDs? I watch them, perhaps more enthusiastically than I do the actual movie or show. I love reading, hearing and seeing how things are created, birthed, and executed along with the history leading up to the finished product.
For the audio version, Kelsey Miller reads her own introduction but the actual book is read by a narrator, Amber Benson. I would have rather heard the author read the whole book. I personally found her voice to be a lot more pleasant to listen to on this extremely delightful topic. But I quickly got over it because the subject matter was of such interest to me. When the introduction was being read I kept exclaiming out loud, "Yes", "Definitely", "Yes, that", etc and nodding in agreement and delight.
I enjoyed every second of this book about my favorite show. It did not disappoint and I think it could have. A book like this needs an author who can infuse all the history etc with the fan power it deserves. It can't, or shouldn't, be written by a non-fan. Kelsey Miller did the history and staying power of Friends well. I am sure had someone watched me while listening to this book they would comment that my smile was as if I had slept with a hanger in my mouth (Season 1, Episode 1 reference).