Ready for Absolutely Nothing: A Memoir

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Susannah is very blunt and had some really out there stories to tell that might make one cringe. I won't spill the beans here, but they involve gastrointestinal functions, a public bathroom, and in one case- Princess Margaret. This was a fun, casual, easy read.

Hers is a life filled to the brim with 70s glitz, 80s glamour and above all else an enlightening 50 years of f**k-ups, crisis and chaos. It feels like she only told the bits that showed her in a good light or she considered funny or of interest, with way too much toilet humour. I don’t feel like she was as honest as the book makes out ultimately.Susannah Constantine, our loved style guru and one half of the outrageously popular television programme, What Not to Wear, spent her youth entangled in glitz and glamour. Susannah's very first memoir is filled to the brim with scandalous stories, jaw-dropping royal relationships and star-studded encounters from pop stars to the fashion greats. But beneath it all is a woman who is still getting to know herself, even after falling in love at first sight, presenting one of the most monumental television programmes ever and having Princess Margaret as a second mother figure.

If you're hoping for all the goss on What Not To Wear, you'll be disappointed. Neither the programme nor Susannah's close friend Trinny are given much space in this book. Instead, it is a fascinating, detailed insight into the everyday lives of the wealthy and aristocratic.If you think you know Susannah Constantine you may be surprised to learn the truth. That she made her name as a 'style guru' from What Not to Wear is actually the least interesting thing about her. Also what is missing for me is the development of her career into TV, as this is where I knew her from. I think this is because she doesn’t cover her relationship with Trinny, which I totally respect, but she mentions becoming an independent woman within her marriage and personally would have liked to know more about that part of her career. Maybe it was too difficult to disentangle from the partnership. Hers is a tale full to the brim with extraordinary anecdotes. From lavatory dramas with Princess Margaret, to behind-the-scenes power struggles between Thatcher and the Queen at Balmoral and eye-opening sex-club etiquette with pop royalty - her social landscape has been nothing, if not varied. Shrewd, funny, ideally candid and written with great confidence, brio and aplomb. A feisty, thought-provoking delight' WILLIAM BOYD

Susannah Constantine has dealt with a number of demons in her life and makes no attempt to hide her shortcomings here. She was in her late 20s before she discovered the world of work and found that she had more than a modicum of intelligence and capability. Until then, her father and his accounts with Harrod's etc. provided her with all the income she needed and a 6-year relationship with Princess Margaret's son, Viscount Linley, took her into the hedonistic spheres of the leading aristocracy. The true me is the person I was when I was a child, someone who likes isolation and solitude and to be in the countryside, and not have to look glamorous every day. That wouldn’t have been afforded.” In her very first memoir - Ready for Absolutely Nothing - Susannah Constantine lifts the lid on the glitz and glamour of her younger years and shares intimate lessons from her life. The title says it all really. Girls in the upper echelons of British society were not particularly well educated since their sole aim in life would be to find a wealthy husband and bow to his every whim while looking stylish and immaculate at all times. We are not talking Victorian times here. This book relates to the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Princess Diana was a prime example of this.To me she came across as lazy, manipulative and self centred, and made lots of un-PC comments that she had no idea we’re un-PC, and wouldn’t have cared if she did. When asked if she believes she would have been able to handle the pressure of marrying the Queen’s nephew, Susannah’s of two minds.