Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman

Arrived with a tear on the cover but otherwise a great read.

I loved Alan Rickman first in his role within the movie Die Hard. He was always the penultimate to play Snape within the Harry Potter universe. We lost a man who loved deeply and put his best in everything he touched. I'm grateful that they chose to publish these diaries after his death. It was bittersweet to watch him try to continue to grow beneath a shadow of his own making. The format makes this somewhat harder to read. I do wonder what this would have looked like if he had lived long enough to consider a biography. These entries are short and to the point of his everyday life and it's obvious he didn’t write these with us as his audience. (4/5 rating)

These are diary entries, not a memoir narrative.A few images of some diary pages show the sketches and design - more of these would be nice.

I enjoyed these snippets of Rickman’s life, but be warned - this will leave you wanting more. Don’t expect any in-depth insights into his life. Also, Rickman himself notes that some of the entries are coded and he hopes that when he looks back he can remember all the details. Do I regret buying it? No; however, it would be great to have an authorized biography come out in the future. I did enjoy the few pictures containing actual photos of his diary. His handwriting is challenging to read so I can see why it’s typed out neatly, but it’s obvious things are missing. It is what it is though. He makes you laugh with his sarcastic wit, sympathize with his beautiful yet tortured soul, and will challenge you with his diction and the number of abbreviations. Get it if you’re a Rickman fan. You’ll most likely enjoy it.P. S. Not a fan of the photo on the cover, but I’m sure it was picked for a reason. He was so much more handsome later in his life…

I liked Alan, no matter what role he played, and his journals are fascinating!

As much as I adore Alan Rickman as an actor/director, his diaries contain mere snippets of praise or derision for those he knew and, unfortunately, countless lists of names of those he worked with or dined with or danced with etc. I learn that Ian McKellen is a fine fellow and rather motherly - good to know, but not worth the time it took to plow through so many pages of mere names and travel dates. There is no there there! The editor provides no context about AK's fleeting references to work controversies, possible romantic entanglements, medical issues etc. Its up to the reader to try to assemble AK's character out of such tiny, disjointed fragments. The cover photograph is great and the only reason I rated this diary as high as a three. Not worth the journey.

I must confess I didn’t read every page of this book. There were a lot of personal references to understand..I skipped around and focused on the last few years..he lived a very full and exhausting life..very nice opinions of nearly everyone he met, except for a few people. I personally loved him in “Galaxy Quest “ of all things, and “Bottle Shock”, which he never mentioned , but we enjoyed more every time we watched it. He was good at poking fun at himself. A genuine nice guy all around!

First let me say that I cannot give this book 5 stars for one simple reason, there are times when it is like reading his grocery list.Now for the other eighty percent of the book. It is in places hilariously funny, incredibly sad, and at times even arrogant. I enjoyed his thoughts and laughed aloud at parts. I could feel his English wit, and truly appreciated his comments on various parts of his life. The small mentions of the various parts I loved him for like Col. Brandon, Snape, and so many more gave me a new perspective on them.I rarely buy a hardback but thought this one would be worth it, and it was. The foreword by Emma Thompson and the Afterword by Alan's wife Rima brought tears to my eyes.A lovely look at a great actor.Always.

I'm struggling with Alan Rickman’s 'Madly Deeply'. Struggling, that is, with the impression it conveys of him, whom I've loved in everything I've seen him in. I suppose that's the measure of how good an actor he was. (He does not come over as very lovable. In fairness, it's a diary: he wasn't trying to make himself sound good, but he certainly does not.)It's also not very readable, because it's in true diary format, i.e. cryptic (yes, maybe I should have thought of that), but also because I simply don't 'get' a lot of it. (Who??) Part of my problem was the Notes. On a Kindle, they come at the end of each chapter rather than at the foot of the individual pages. This makes referring to them – 'who the **** is this person? – more time-consuming than I can easily deal with.But leaving them to the end means I have forgotten what each item referred to, so when I reach the explanatory 'English theatre director', or 'A.R.'s hairdresser', it means nothing to me. Of course, if I'd had an idea of who they all were in the first place...Maybe one for dedicated 'thesps'.

The diaries cover a long period and most of the entries are very short. Possibly this is a result of editing but there isn't much extended discussion or reflection, and what there is usually centres on someone he's fed up with, like a director: he's very sensitive to any lack of respect shown for an actor's performance, his own or someone else's. One function of a diary is to be a safe place to unload the mood of the moment but I wonder if he'd have wanted the sniping to be published. Otherwise this is mostly a 'what I did' list of travel (London -> New York etc) and meals out with famous names. Not much ABOUT the meals, just 'The Ivy with A,B,C and D'. So overall, not a great read, however much you admire his work.

This is ultimately disappointing as the diary has clearly been robbed of most of its teeth & the entries only offer sniffs of the real drama and turmoil that existed on some of these film sets.I’ve found the best way to enjoy this is just to go to the index; find a subject or name you find interesting And then just read all the entries relating to it; for that reason maybe the digital version is the way to go.

This is a wonderful look inside the last years of Alan Rickman’s life. His diaries provide a glimpse of the private life of Alan Rickman alongside his professional. An active supporter of the Labour Party, Rickman had a social conscience and had a serious side to his nature. However, his sense of humour and wit shines like a beacon. Commenting on the young ‘wizards’ of Harry Potter, this great RSC actor clearly had his work cut out at times during filming but evidently enjoyed the experience! The book is a jolly good read!This is an edited compilation of his diary… it’s not earth shattering… it’s like a comfy easy chair… sink into it and enjoy the pleasure it gives you! Alan Rickman was at the peak of his career when he died from cancer… he was destined for true greatness but leaves behind an eclectic body of film work… arch villain Hans Gruber, sheriff of Nottingham and of course Severus Snape or romantic ghost, unwilling ‘alien’ or straying husband… he truly entertained us with his talent! Read the book and know the man who gave us such enjoyment! It’s well worth it!!!

Love Alan’s work, Truly, Madly, Deeply has to be my favourite film. So eagerly awaited the Diaries!While I appreciate some of the comments about lists of names, meals out etc; I feel it was written not with publishing in mind but as a record for himself. The sheer volume of work Alan took on, at times when he was unwell, is amazing in itself. It shows another side to the life of a successful actor, the demands on his time, carving out holidays and time with Rima from a hectic schedule.A few more footnotes about some of the people mentioned would have helped.But all in all, an interesting read, Alan’s voice comes through on every page.