The Princess Diarist

It's especially bittersweet to find oneself listening to Carrie Fisher's memoir after her death in December 2016. Reflecting on fame, aging, and being involved with the cultural phenomenon that is Star Wars, Fisher is wry, self-aware, and funny. She's a canny narrator of her own writing, which bristles with wordplay, jokes, and asides. Sounding appropriately young, Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, narrates Fisher's diary entries from when she was 19, which mostly concern her relationship with Harrison Ford. But some of the funniest parts come toward the end of the audiobook, when Fisher goes on extended riffs, imagining encounters with devoted Star Wars fans. Consider this a worthy jumping-off point for revisiting, or discovering for the first time, Fisher's many pop-culture contributions. J.M.D. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

April 3, 2017
Fisher finally set out to publish a collection of essays related specifically to her role as Princess Leah in the blockbuster Star Wars movie franchise and a brief affair with her older—and married—co-star Harrison Ford during the shooting of the first film. The juxtaposition between Fisher’s narration of her contemporary writing with the voice of her daughter, actress Lourd, reading diary portions written four decades earlier makes for telling contrast: Fisher, with her smoky, husky voice, sounds like a tough-as-nails seasoned survivor who doesn’t take her past romances and heartaches seriously and wishes her own fans would lighten up about their assumptions and speculations. Lourd performs the emotional long-ago passages with a palpable air of youthful self-consciousness. Both handle the duties at hand with poise and skill, leaving listeners to appreciate the way that time can shape one’s perspective quite dramatically. A Blue Rider hardcover.