Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Fearless, just a word, one that suggests the being of the indomitable, the daring, and the one that sums up the character, the very essence of individuality of Miriam Margoyles with a smile, with a beaming audible chortle for all who have taken the grand lady of theatre, of television, and cinema, for all that she displays.
Fearless, if you have met the woman who still makes Blackadder fans joyfully laugh with memory, who was the undisguised star of many films, and who captured the heart of a nation as the voice of the Cadbury’s Caramel Bunny, then even in a short moment you are left under no illusion that all that she is acting legitimacy, is steeped in genuine assessment, then you know that she professes no filter, makes no qualms about her drive, and that This Much Is True.
The autobiography undertaken by many, whether in the world of art, sport, or politics, is one that contains filters, it can at times feel as though the story is sanitised, tales omitted, often quite rightly due to the constraints of lawyers, and it leaves the reader understandably feeling as though they are not privy to the thoughts, to the more than private life, one of revelation but not of substance.
This Much Is True subverts the autobiographical in such a way that only Miriam Margoyles is able. Not only does Miriam spill beans, but she also scoops them out of the pan with a large wooden ladle and gleefully asks if you want another helping, and whilst some stories are off limits, the allusion to them is entertaining, wholesome; they are the tongue in cheek snog when all you were expecting was the sultry kiss on the lips.
A life lived to its fullest will attract detractors and admirers in equal measure, that much is also true, but as the frank discussions of being Jewish, of how much she detested the ‘boys’ arrogance within The Footlights, of the joy of finding love, and the guilt, the shame, of her infidelity, and the sex, of being a lesbian, something she herself opens with when introducing herself, being true to herself makes this particular autobiography one of absolute gem-filled truth.
Funny, outrageous, delicate in its nature, examining in its sincerity, brutal against those who found themselves on the wrong side of history, beautiful in its truth, Miriam is fearless, and even when she discusses how the book came about due to a pandemic and the inevitability of cradling a sense of dread, to put pen to paper and commit to a cause during lockdown show that that essence, that fearlessness is unconditional and unlimited.
This Much Is True, life is meant to be lived, and Miriam Margoyles embraces that with honour.
Ian D. Hall