My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety
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- Create Date：2021-06-28 00:51:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Georgia Pritchett
- ISBN：0571365884
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Summary
Multi-award-winning television writer and producer Georgia Pritchett knows a thing or two about anxiety。 From worrying about the monsters under her bed as a child （Were they comfy enough？）， to embracing womanhood， （One way of knowing you have crossed from girlhood to womanhood is that men stop furtively masturbating at you from bushes and start shouting things at you from cars。 It's a beautiful moment） worry has accompanied her at every turn。
This memoir is a joyful reflection on just how to live - and sometimes even thrive （sometimes not） - with anxiety。
This memoir is a joyful reflection on just how to live - and sometimes even thrive （sometimes not） - with anxiety。
Reviews
Catriona Fyfe
，
Thanks NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for a review。 Honestly I wasn’t entirely sure what I signed up for when requesting this book。 I thought it might have reflected the authors process with coming to terms with her anxiety with references to instances in her childhood before diagnosis。 The structure of little anecdotes and stories made me put it down 21% into the book。 I prefer when books have a flow to them。 I understand this adds to the struggles of those with anxiety as litera Thanks NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for a review。 Honestly I wasn’t entirely sure what I signed up for when requesting this book。 I thought it might have reflected the authors process with coming to terms with her anxiety with references to instances in her childhood before diagnosis。 The structure of little anecdotes and stories made me put it down 21% into the book。 I prefer when books have a flow to them。 I understand this adds to the struggles of those with anxiety as literally the inside of my anxious brain is a constant ramble like this book however I just didn’t really find myself hooked and wanting to read more 。。。more
Emma Graham
，
The title of this book hooked me immediately。 I really enjoyed the first half of this memoir / anxiety roadmap， there are so many references that you can relate to and many anecdotes that are brilliantly personal to anyone that reads this。 The second half I couldn’t seem to connect to and the writing stopped drawing me in as much， making it a bit of a tough read。 Probably because it stopped resonating as much。 Overall though a book that has a bit of everything humour， heartache and a healthy dos The title of this book hooked me immediately。 I really enjoyed the first half of this memoir / anxiety roadmap， there are so many references that you can relate to and many anecdotes that are brilliantly personal to anyone that reads this。 The second half I couldn’t seem to connect to and the writing stopped drawing me in as much， making it a bit of a tough read。 Probably because it stopped resonating as much。 Overall though a book that has a bit of everything humour， heartache and a healthy dose of anxiety。Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
jean
，
I loved the first half of this book and the style of the vignettes， the lessons learned and the cultural references had me laughing out loud at times。 However， although the second half when she became an Adult was still well written and she dealt very well with traumas she faced， I also thought it felt very rushed and would have benefited from being a longer book or maybe 2 volumes？Thank you to netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advance copy of this book
Abbie
，
I don't think these words will accurately convey just how much I loved this book。 It's witty， emotional， real and the most reassuring read I've had in a long while。 Read this and you'll get what it means to be anxious。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 I don't think these words will accurately convey just how much I loved this book。 It's witty， emotional， real and the most reassuring read I've had in a long while。 Read this and you'll get what it means to be anxious。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Paromjit
，
For those of you who are unaware of who Georgia Pritchett is， she is the talented award winning writer on shows such as Miranda， The Thick of It， Veep， Smack the Pony， Have I Got News for You， and The Real McCoy。 Finding herself weighed down by anxiety and depression， she found herself unable to speak of or express her worries to a therapist， who advised her to write them down instead。 This original， fun， smart， comic and witty memoir is the result， it is largely in the form of anecdotes， vignet For those of you who are unaware of who Georgia Pritchett is， she is the talented award winning writer on shows such as Miranda， The Thick of It， Veep， Smack the Pony， Have I Got News for You， and The Real McCoy。 Finding herself weighed down by anxiety and depression， she found herself unable to speak of or express her worries to a therapist， who advised her to write them down instead。 This original， fun， smart， comic and witty memoir is the result， it is largely in the form of anecdotes， vignettes， and thoughts， covering her childhood， where her anxious nature is apparent， family， school， college， personal relationships and her stellar professional career。 The vignettes can appear random and difficult to pin down in terms of when the events related happened。 Her father is referred to as The Patriarchy， and her mother， The Witch， as a 4 year old Georgia thought God was Jimmy Osmond， and all the stories she was writing featured baby budgies falling from their nests and unable to find their way home。 Her shyness made speaking problematic， became familiar with writing haikus at her offbeat school， and went to Scotland on family holidays so that their West Highland terrier， Flo， could get back to her roots。 Georgia invented a superhero alter ego and had an imaginary friend， Samantha， who was never keen on spending any time with her。 She got in with the wrong crowd at teacher training college， Christians， prior to dropping out！ After getting her foot in the door as a writer of jokes on BBC Radio 4's Weekending， she never looked back， Georgia had found her place in the world。 She gives an eye opening account of the male dominated and misogynist world of her profession。My favourite parts of this fabulous memoir are the emotionally heartbreaking miscarriages， the health scares of her partner， The Moose， and giving birth to her sons， the Speck and the Scrap， and the joys and challenges of raising them。 This is one of the most wonderfully warm， hilarious and riveting memoirs that I have ever read， of an anxiety ridden Georgia Pritchett making her way through life， personally and professionally， blessed with all the funnies， self deprecating， in the tradition of so much British humour。 It will have you gripped and laughing your way through from beginning to end。 I am not going to lie， not all of the humour hit its mark with me， but the vast majority did。 Absolutely brilliant， not to be missed and highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Margaret McCulloch-Keeble
，
What a book。 So funny， even in the midst of some terrible happenings。 I nearly choked when I read about the 'hymns' that were sung at her school。 Deary me， I've tittered over that for days。 Outstanding from start to finish。 What a book。 So funny， even in the midst of some terrible happenings。 I nearly choked when I read about the 'hymns' that were sung at her school。 Deary me， I've tittered over that for days。 Outstanding from start to finish。 。。。more
Lucy
，
During a therapy session， Georgia was advised to write down all the things that made her anxious after she failed to find the right words to vocalise her fears。 This book is the result of that list。 It is not a secret that I have suffered with anxiety for a while， so when this was offered to me to review， I jumped at the opportunity。 This had me laughing， empathising， and bonding with Georgia， by the time I had finished coming full circle with her， I felt like I had made a new friend。 This is a During a therapy session， Georgia was advised to write down all the things that made her anxious after she failed to find the right words to vocalise her fears。 This book is the result of that list。 It is not a secret that I have suffered with anxiety for a while， so when this was offered to me to review， I jumped at the opportunity。 This had me laughing， empathising， and bonding with Georgia， by the time I had finished coming full circle with her， I felt like I had made a new friend。 This is a memoir with a difference。 Although this is a serious topic， Georgia writes with humour， failing to take herself too seriously as she guides her readers through her life。 It is written really well， with short sharp chapters， making it easy to follow and this does not have the heaviness that some mental health books can have。 This is a light， fluffy way of looking at anxiety and bringing awareness of the subject from an insider's perspective。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book， and highly recommend it to all。 Thank you Netgalley and Faber & Faber for a gifted digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lizzie Sharples
，
** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 ***I adored this book and raced through it in a day or so。 I don't really know how I have not heard of Georgia Pritchett before as she is an award winning writer of some great shows， like Miranda & Veep， This book is a memoir in a bit of a different format。 Lots of short anecdotes， some are really funny， some a little darker but the overall tone is so warm & lovely。 The title alone was enough for me to request title ** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 ***I adored this book and raced through it in a day or so。 I don't really know how I have not heard of Georgia Pritchett before as she is an award winning writer of some great shows， like Miranda & Veep， This book is a memoir in a bit of a different format。 Lots of short anecdotes， some are really funny， some a little darker but the overall tone is so warm & lovely。 The title alone was enough for me to request title and the premise is that her therapist has asked her to list things that make her anxious and here it is！ I could definitely relate and will be recommending this book highly and often！ 。。。more
Donna
，
I had no prior knowledge of the author before starting to read this book。 I feel bad to say， but I personally did not enjoy the book。 At times I felt that for readers who do not have an awareness of anxiety that the book can come across as trivialising the condition。 I appreciate that the book is written from one persons point of view， however this style was unfortunately not for me。Thank you to the author， publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest revie I had no prior knowledge of the author before starting to read this book。 I feel bad to say， but I personally did not enjoy the book。 At times I felt that for readers who do not have an awareness of anxiety that the book can come across as trivialising the condition。 I appreciate that the book is written from one persons point of view， however this style was unfortunately not for me。Thank you to the author， publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Karen
，
My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett is a memoir but not as we know it。The book exudes warmth and poignancy。 She is remarkably efficient with her words， which means this memoir is delightfully moreish and fast paced。 The book begins as a recollection of a childhood filled with anxiety and grows into an exploration of the joys and intense challenges of professional and family life。 It touches on dark areas while remaining both engaging and touching throughout。 Georgia is a writer on ma My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett is a memoir but not as we know it。The book exudes warmth and poignancy。 She is remarkably efficient with her words， which means this memoir is delightfully moreish and fast paced。 The book begins as a recollection of a childhood filled with anxiety and grows into an exploration of the joys and intense challenges of professional and family life。 It touches on dark areas while remaining both engaging and touching throughout。 Georgia is a writer on many of the best comedy shows of recent years。 She is a woman in a typically male profession。 She suffers from anxiety and depression。 She had miscarriages before having her wonderful neuro-atypical sons。 Through musings， vignettes， observations and recollections， Georgia takes the reader on a journey that is impossible to put down。 I read it in one sitting and would emphatically recommend it。If there is a lesson in this wonderful book， it is speak up and seek help with your anxieties。 Thank you to Faber and Faber and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Helen
，
This is a memoir with a difference。 Full of quirky anecdotes from the author's childhood （which many of us can probably relate to！） to an awkward adolescence and then on to adulthood and all the anxiety-ridden problems that brings， it is both poignant and funny。 The author writes openly and honestly about her experiences， from her writing career to her miscarriages， and then her family。 Self-deprecating in a typically British way， the book is a funny， touching， and emotional read。 Highly recomme This is a memoir with a difference。 Full of quirky anecdotes from the author's childhood （which many of us can probably relate to！） to an awkward adolescence and then on to adulthood and all the anxiety-ridden problems that brings， it is both poignant and funny。 The author writes openly and honestly about her experiences， from her writing career to her miscarriages， and then her family。 Self-deprecating in a typically British way， the book is a funny， touching， and emotional read。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Alanna Jenkins
，
Full review here: https://theresnoenjoymentlikereading。。。。 Full review here: https://theresnoenjoymentlikereading。。。。 。。。more
Anji
，
This memoir reads more like an autobiography where we start in childhood and move to the narrator’s adult life。 But the main thread throughout is the anxiety that coils around every thought and decision that the narrator makes。 The short vignettes illustrate the narrator’s thoughts and worries as a child; her eccentric family and cruel school friends （kids can be cruel）。 Each short tale is a bit like a comedy sketch and I could imagine many of them being fleshed out fully into short stories。 Som This memoir reads more like an autobiography where we start in childhood and move to the narrator’s adult life。 But the main thread throughout is the anxiety that coils around every thought and decision that the narrator makes。 The short vignettes illustrate the narrator’s thoughts and worries as a child; her eccentric family and cruel school friends （kids can be cruel）。 Each short tale is a bit like a comedy sketch and I could imagine many of them being fleshed out fully into short stories。 Some of the anecdotes were plain funny， some absurd and hilarious and others touching and sad。 Events such as the New Cross fire and the Zeebrugge ferry disaster were touched on which rooted the story in a particular time and perhaps confirmed to the young narrator that Bad Things Do Happen to people you know and love。This book reminded me of another excellent and funny book – Misadventures by Sylvia Smith。 It is easy to dip in and out of or read in one long sitting。 Despite her anxieties， the narrator met her partner， got civil-partnered， had two children and forged a very successful career writing comedy in a male-dominated and sometimes toxic environment。 If there is a lesson in this wonderful book， it is speak up and seek help with your anxieties。 With many thanks to Faber & Faber and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
DianaAitch
，
A very fascinating read。。 happy and sad and back again。 Truthfully told about anxieties and feelings。 Very touching。
Nic
，
My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett is probably the most fantastic memoir I have ever read。 Told with warmth， pace and humour， it touches on dark areas while remaining both engaging and touching throughout。 Georgia is a writer on many of the best comedy shows of recent years。 Georgia is a woman in a typically male profession。 She suffers from anxiety and depression。 She had miscarriages before having her wonderful neuro-atypical sons。 Through musings， vignettes， observations and reco My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett is probably the most fantastic memoir I have ever read。 Told with warmth， pace and humour， it touches on dark areas while remaining both engaging and touching throughout。 Georgia is a writer on many of the best comedy shows of recent years。 Georgia is a woman in a typically male profession。 She suffers from anxiety and depression。 She had miscarriages before having her wonderful neuro-atypical sons。 Through musings， vignettes， observations and recollections， Georgia takes the reader on a journey that is impossible to put down。 I read it in one sitting and would emphatically recommend it （and had to keep reading bits out loud to someone else it was so good）。 With many thanks to Faber & Faber and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Leeanne Graham
，
My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett is a memoir but not as we know it。 Its more a collection of musings and anecdotes that cover Georgia's life and anxieties rather than the chapter by chapter autobiography I had expected。 That put me off a bit at the start as I didn't know Georgia and wasn't familiar with her work so felt like I missed the bond with the writer where these little vignettes are charming - instead they felt like little insights into the life of someone who meant absolu My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett is a memoir but not as we know it。 Its more a collection of musings and anecdotes that cover Georgia's life and anxieties rather than the chapter by chapter autobiography I had expected。 That put me off a bit at the start as I didn't know Georgia and wasn't familiar with her work so felt like I missed the bond with the writer where these little vignettes are charming - instead they felt like little insights into the life of someone who meant absolutely nothing to me。 That feeling faded as I continued to read and get to know Georgia and found myself really rooting for her successes and gutted by the setbacks she describes in comic detail in the book。 By the end I was completely won over and was sad when it finished。 It's a quirky way of writing a memoir that is perfectly in tune with the person Georgia is and thats what makes it work。 Thanks to Georgia， Faber & Faber and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Fiona Campbell
，
On the whole， this was a nice， light-hearted read which I could delve into in free moments。 There were so many relatable stories。 I especially liked the way she wrote of the transition to womanhood。 It was emotional to read about the miscarriages。 I'm so glad she went on to have two healthy little ones。Fascinating to read about all the stars， Georgia Pritchett has written for and such a shame that having written such great material， I had never heard of her。Tackling anxiety is a huge battle and On the whole， this was a nice， light-hearted read which I could delve into in free moments。 There were so many relatable stories。 I especially liked the way she wrote of the transition to womanhood。 It was emotional to read about the miscarriages。 I'm so glad she went on to have two healthy little ones。Fascinating to read about all the stars， Georgia Pritchett has written for and such a shame that having written such great material， I had never heard of her。Tackling anxiety is a huge battle and great to hear therapy helps。Thanks indeed to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Olivia Day
，
Like many readers （I assume）， I went into this book with little knowledge about Georgia and her life。 All I knew was the phrase “my mess is a bit of a life” resonated with me on a deep level。 My Mess is a Bit of a Life is a collection of anecdotes， providing insight into Georgia’s life and journeys with anxiety as her life progresses。 These anecdotes are sometimes as short as a paragraph， and range from hilarious to heartbreaking。 As much as I enjoyed this book， the scattered nature of the stori Like many readers （I assume）， I went into this book with little knowledge about Georgia and her life。 All I knew was the phrase “my mess is a bit of a life” resonated with me on a deep level。 My Mess is a Bit of a Life is a collection of anecdotes， providing insight into Georgia’s life and journeys with anxiety as her life progresses。 These anecdotes are sometimes as short as a paragraph， and range from hilarious to heartbreaking。 As much as I enjoyed this book， the scattered nature of the stories sometimes left me confused - I never 100% knew what stage of Georgia’s life I was at。 The book is also fairly short， which resulted in the reader having less time to form that all-important connection。 All-in-all， this was an enjoyable read。 Georgia is an undoubtedly hilarious woman， relatable and self-deprecating。 Some of my highlights of the book came when she’s talking about her children， at times when the humour appeared less forced and more heartfelt。 。。。more
Katherine Dixon
，
Georgia Pritchett's writing exudes warmth and poignancy。 She is remarkably efficient with her words， which means this memoir is delightfully moreish and fast paced。 The book begins as a recollection of a childhood filled with anxiety and grows into an exploration of the joys and intense challenges of professional and family life （and of course their inevitable intersections）。 Some of Pritchett's descriptions of her lowest moments were deeply moving and some of the most realistic descriptions of Georgia Pritchett's writing exudes warmth and poignancy。 She is remarkably efficient with her words， which means this memoir is delightfully moreish and fast paced。 The book begins as a recollection of a childhood filled with anxiety and grows into an exploration of the joys and intense challenges of professional and family life （and of course their inevitable intersections）。 Some of Pritchett's descriptions of her lowest moments were deeply moving and some of the most realistic descriptions of depression that I have ever read。 。。。more
Sean Loughran
，
I absolutely loved joining Georgia on her adventures in anxiety and felt I could relate to her in many ways。 This book is an absolute gem that will bring laughs to many。 This was an easy and light read。 I struggle with some mental health issues so worry sometimes that too many heavy books can weigh heavily on me but despite the topic being on Georgia's anxiety， I found that it wasn't heavy at all。 It had a nice touch of humour to it。 I didn't know Georgia before reading this book， I was mostly a I absolutely loved joining Georgia on her adventures in anxiety and felt I could relate to her in many ways。 This book is an absolute gem that will bring laughs to many。 This was an easy and light read。 I struggle with some mental health issues so worry sometimes that too many heavy books can weigh heavily on me but despite the topic being on Georgia's anxiety， I found that it wasn't heavy at all。 It had a nice touch of humour to it。 I didn't know Georgia before reading this book， I was mostly attracted to the description。 After reading， I have so much respect for her， she's an absolute powerhouse。 What she has endured。 She's just incredible！ I'm delighted she decided to share her story。 。。。more
Liz Graham
，
A very easy and funny read！ I loved the lack of chapters as it emphasized Georgia's anxious rambling mind， whilst also highlighting her life experiences。 A very easy and funny read！ I loved the lack of chapters as it emphasized Georgia's anxious rambling mind， whilst also highlighting her life experiences。 。。。more
Heather Trevis
，
I found this memoir oddly affecting。 It’s unusual， in that it’s more like series of anecdotes （some funny， some sad） than a traditional autobiography where there’s an attempt to make sense of it all， and this somehow adds to the memoir’s visceral quality。 I would have liked to learn more about Georgia Pritchett’s unconventional route to writing for television and was missing being guided by dates。 However， this is not the point of the book。 Instead， Pritchett’s matter-of-fact relation of her ‘sc I found this memoir oddly affecting。 It’s unusual， in that it’s more like series of anecdotes （some funny， some sad） than a traditional autobiography where there’s an attempt to make sense of it all， and this somehow adds to the memoir’s visceral quality。 I would have liked to learn more about Georgia Pritchett’s unconventional route to writing for television and was missing being guided by dates。 However， this is not the point of the book。 Instead， Pritchett’s matter-of-fact relation of her ‘scraps’ of experiences reflect very well how chaotic and nonsensical life can be， especially to someone living with anxiety or any other mental health issue。 Nonetheless， there are plenty of lighter， hilarious， moments in the book which quickly whisk you away from the mental health rabbit hole。 An honest， moving and entertaining read。 。。。more
Nicky Hallam
，
I don't often laugh out loud when I'm reading but this book got a few。 It's written in a very interesting way。 The chapters are short and to the point。 It's quite matter of fact even when talking about strange events。 I think that's why it's funny， you don't see the joke approaching， there isn't a long build up。 It's the same with the sad parts， they just appear。 All the more shocking when they do。 It's a really clever way of writing。 It also means it's hard to put down because when the chapters I don't often laugh out loud when I'm reading but this book got a few。 It's written in a very interesting way。 The chapters are short and to the point。 It's quite matter of fact even when talking about strange events。 I think that's why it's funny， you don't see the joke approaching， there isn't a long build up。 It's the same with the sad parts， they just appear。 All the more shocking when they do。 It's a really clever way of writing。 It also means it's hard to put down because when the chapters are so short you think， just one more。 Then you read another ten。The writer is talking about her life which is simultaneously both normal and not。 She just casually drops in who she has worked with as though they aren't huge stars of comedy。 The wedding story was one of the most moving things I've read。 Beautiful。 。。。more
Emma Hardy
，
The title hooked me in from the off and I particularly loved the start， her childhood way of thinking， the matter of fact chat。 So funny， pure and fresh。I liked the Spice World and S Club 7 insights such nostalgia for me to gain insight。Some real laugh out loud moments， some cringe moments and some real heartbreak; this has it all。Some sections interested me more than others- the first of the book was much better for me than the second half personally， but I'm sure other readers will feel differ The title hooked me in from the off and I particularly loved the start， her childhood way of thinking， the matter of fact chat。 So funny， pure and fresh。I liked the Spice World and S Club 7 insights such nostalgia for me to gain insight。Some real laugh out loud moments， some cringe moments and some real heartbreak; this has it all。Some sections interested me more than others- the first of the book was much better for me than the second half personally， but I'm sure other readers will feel differently。An interesting read， 。。。more
Cecile
，
Georgia Pritchett works as a writer and screenwriter。 She has been involved in many TV shows （Thick of It， VEEP and many more）。Her memoir ，starting from her childhood （absolutely hilarious）， relates her own tribulations with anxieties。 It is told in such a comic way and yet just and tender。 She managed to make you laugh even though we know how painful living with various form of anxieties is。This book has enough dose of humour to be classified as a natural SSRI antidepressant。
Thomas Vos
，
Jup， vijf ballen。 Grappigste boek sinds Samantha Irby。 Zeventwintig keer hardop gelachen。 Een keer bijna geweend （en dan nog met een scene op een trouwfeest）。
Katie Young
，