Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry

4.5 (24)
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Web ID: 15276152

The BELOVED STAR OF FRIENDS takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this "CANDID, DARKLY FUNNY...POIGNANT" memoir (The New York Times) A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK by Time, Associated Press, Goodreads, USA Today, and more!"Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead."So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true.

  • Product Features

    • Author - Matthew Perry
    • Publisher - Flatiron Books
    • Publication Date - 11-01-2022
    • Page Count - 272
    • Hardcover
    • Adult
    • Movies and TV
    • Product Dimensions - 6.2 W x 9.2 H x 1.1 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9781250866448
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Ratings & Reviews

4.5/5

24 star ratings & reviews

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2 years ago

Wow! A funny guy but not a funny life

Wow! Matthew Perry tells his story in unflinching terms. His life was, at times, happy, sad, stressful, depressing and terrifying. As we all know, Matthew had amazing success but the question is: at what price? His comedy masked his addictions and many trips to rehab. Matt’s addictions not only derailed his career but also could have cost him his life. It’s a powerful cautionary tale read by Matthew himself. I recommend this book. Hopefully we can all learn something from Matt’s choices and experiences.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago

Loved this Book!

A very insightful, shocking, & entertaining read into one of the most beloved actors of our generation. May he rest in peace.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Oklahoma

Now I know Chandler more than ever before!

I bought the book the day Matthew Perry passed away. I bought it because I LOVE F.R.I.E.N.D.S, but the book gave me a glimpse into Matthew's life to a point where I completely forgot the show. Wonderfully and Eloquently written. RIP Matthew Perry

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Boise, ID

Worth reading

Addiction is not something I can relate to, however I can understand how painful it is to those who have to deal with it and this author was honest about his addiction and what he went through. It's a worthy read

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from USA

Raw and honest

This is a brave book for Matthew Perry to have written. As I write this review, he has already passed away from this Earth, and this memoir has even more poignancy because of his premature passing. If you knew and loved his work as an actor, you will embrace this raw and honest account of his life and struggles. May he rest in peace.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Albuquerque

Great features

I bought this just a couple days ago and it’s wonderful

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Knoxville, TN

A Straightforward and Frank Memoir!

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.” ~ Matthew Perry Believe me when I tell you I had absolutely no intention of ever reading this book. I thought Matthew Perry was just another Hollywood bad-boy actor who took life to excess, lived to write a book about it, and moved on. Then he died. I know this sounds crazy but hearing about Matthew's death broke me. It was a trigger that brought back painful memories of my brother Denny's struggle with alcoholism. He fought so hard to get to the other side of this disease but he couldn't reach it. His death from cirrhosis of the liver at age thirty-nine was a tragedy my family has quietly lived with every day since his death. A small piece of each of us went with him when he left us. "Alcoholism wants you alone, it wants you sick, and then it wants to kill you." I watched a YouTube video of Matthew's interview on "Q with Tom Power" filmed shortly after "Friend and Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing" was published. What I heard was shocking and shortly afterwards, I knew I wanted to listen to Matthew's story in his own words. I finished the audiobook in two long listens. It was a straightforward and frank first-person narration, a bit repetitive and long winded at times, but compelling none-the-less, with years of details to digest. No one had any idea how out-of-control Matthew's life had become. Those details were Matthew's deepest darkest secrets that he kept locked away inside his head for decades. His body was ravaged by alcohol and drug abuse and literally taken to the edges of death at one point. How he ever got through his addiction to the other side is truly a miracle. "Alcoholism doesn't care. It's cunning, baffling, and powerful...and it never goes away." From my point-of-view, writing his story gave Matthew peace, the desire to offer help to others struggling with sobriety, and visible humility in knowing he would always have the disease of addiction and alcoholism. I do recommend "Friends and Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing" but with caution. It's only Matthew's story, one that eventually ended well. And then it didn't... In 1956, the American Medical Association identified alcoholism as a disease. Rest in Peace, Matty! 3.75⭐rounded up!

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago

Repetitive

I was really interested in reading this book and after reading chapter one I got bored but I tried to keep reading just hoping that I would become more interested in it. As I kept reading though it got really repetitive and I was not into it anymore.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com