Make ‘Em Laugh audiobook

Ah, Debbie, you will be greatly missed. This book was published in 2015, which seems to make it feel more poignant. Debbie Reynolds was quite a gal and her stories are terrific! It's like listening to stories from your mom or grandma about her friends. She's not actually 'name dropping' just reminiscing about her life that just happened to involve some of the great names in comedy.

I was looking for one of Carrie Fisher's books on Overdrive to continue my journey in mental health discussion, but none were available. However, Make 'Em Laugh was, and I have no regrets about grabbing this.I haven't read Unsinkable, but I'm decently familiar with Debbie Reynolds's personal life as well as her entertainment career. It was really nice to dive into this book and turn my brain off for awhile. The book is light - even the darker moments are framed with sardonic humor. It's a lot of little vignettes of Reynolds's life which she found funny or simply wanted to share a nice story about people she loved.It's very much all over the place, but it was a good way to spend the night. I read a lot of memoirs, but not nearly enough penned by women. It's always refreshing to see women who aren't afraid of calling out the people who groped or harassed them, and Reynolds has a charming way of saying "this guy was dirty, but he was ok besides all that unwanted attention".

This was wonderful! This book is like listening to old stories told by your grandma. The narration was great.Debbie is a gem and, truly, a very funny lady. I can see where Carrie Fisher got her wit from.

What a great memoir by one of the funniest ladies in Hollywood. I miss her and reading this book made me feel a little closer to her. She co-starred with many of Hollywood's leading men and shares her memories here. Highly recommend!My Rating: 5 starsReviewed by: Mrs. N

Lovely, nostalgic, cozy, uplifting. Debbie Reynolds only recounts her happy memories here with people from her past - actors and entertainers that I know well. This was my cup of tea. 🎆

What can I say, I adore Debbie Reynolds. I loved her before I even heard of Star Wars and Carrie Fisher and knew their connections. My favorite movie as a little girl (well, one of them), was Singing in the Rain. I was always hoping Cathy would choose Cosmo.

Read it straight through or a few stories at a time. Debbie's memories are collected in a way that makes it perfect for all readers. She's honest, she's hilarious, she's colorful. Love it!

If you love, or even just like, Debbie Reynolds, you will love this book! Such a fun little book of her memories with a variety of celebrities and her adventures. I knew she was a great actress and a delight to watch, but I didn't realize until now how much fun she had in her everyday life. She was definitely a person who loved life and was able to laugh about even the not-so-funny parts, like several mentions of her failed romances that she seemed like she had the "well, that's life!" attitude. She also tells quite a bit about her family and her love for each one of them. It was a bit bittersweet to get to the end and read about how she can't wait to see her granddaughter grow as an actress, but if for some reason she couldn't be there, she'd be watching from Heaven. This was really a fun book to read and had quite a few laughs. I'm now adding her memoir "Unsinkable" to my to-read list!

Reading Debbie Reynolds’s Make ‘Em Laugh is like sitting in her living room on a cozy couch, sipping a cool drink, and listening to Debbie herself tell you her stories. The book compiles several stories from Debbie’s memories of both celebrities and non-celebrities. And with them all, you get a sense of what a beautiful woman Reynolds is. Despite being a movie star from the era when stars were truly stars, she is down to earth, a little ditzy, and very loving. Sadly, many of the stars she writes of are now dead, but how wonderful it is to have Debbie’s memories of them. Reynolds is a powerhouse performer and a loving mother and grandmother. My only complaint is that I expected this book to be filled with belly laughs. I did laugh out loud a few times, but mostly I chuckled. And sometimes, I almost cried at the sadness surrounding some of the folks she tells of. The underlying sadness is that, in her early 80s, we may not have Debbie around too many more years to entertain us. But we have the next best thing: this book.

I love Debbie Reynolds more each time I read one of her books or read an interview with her or watch one of her films. She is a spirited woman with a lot of passion and no arrogance. She writes here that she loves getting autographs from her favorite stars, and that she often sent portraits to them to autograph and return. I am also an autograph collector, and when I received my autographed photo from Debbie I was shocked and thrilled to have it. I assumed that since she was still such a busy actress she wouldn't have the time for me. I was wrong. That's what makes her great. Additionally, I asked her some questions about her affiliations with Dick Powell, and although she didn't respond via letter, I get the feeling she included mention of him in this book just for me. Even if I'm wrong I was delighted to see her talk about her experience on This Is Your Life.This book is easy to read and amusing.

My Thoughts...Ms. Reynolds has always been a favorite entertainer of mine. I remember as a teen-ager taking the Greyhound bus to a town 30 miles away to see her movies. I had a sister who lived in that town, so I would make a week-end or week of it. So, when I see a book by Debbie Reynolds, I just have to read it. I enjoyed her last book, "Unsinkable" a memoir, in 2013. I was not disappointed reading this one of her collections of stories, jokes, and musings. It is a quick read, with pictures, that brought back memories of more innocent times. It is always fun reading her stories, and watching her movies. I enjoyed this enough to award it 4 "Laughing" stars. This book is a part of my Nook library.

A lovely collection of hilarious stories scattered over this amazing woman's life. They are told by theme more than chronological order but it still flows wonderfully. She keeps her grin, always looking on the bright side even (especially?) during the crazy, unexpected, and difficult events in her life. A comic always needs more material after all. And her own life and those of her friends are her prime source here. :)