"Feel" by Chris Heath - Book Review

"Feel" was written by Chris Heath, in collaboration with Robbie Williams. When it was published, in 2004, it was received extraordinarily well by the press. Especially as this could be seen as yet another celebrity biography.What is unusual about "Feel", and what makes it stand out from other biographies, is that Chris Heath spent more than a year with Rob, collecting material for this book. He lived with Rob, toured with Rob and shared all the many ups and downs that happen in such a time. They developed a friendship. The book just sort happened, it seems, as Chris was only going to write something for a magazine at first, then ended up staying.The friendship between the two and the subsequent mutual respect is evident throughout the pages. This has both a positive and a negative impact on the read. The first part of the biography offers a unique insight into the madness that surrounds modern day celebrities. It also brings the reader as close to Rob as possible, without act
ually talking with the man, face to face.As the book progresses, however, it turns a bit hypocritical from time to time. Chris points out the lies and attacks of the media, then attacks the media and the press in return. Letters from fans are printed, in part or as a whole, and they are made fun of. I found this to be somewhat unpleasant.Another negative, at least for me, is that the editing leaves a lot to be desired. There are a lot of errors in the text, which could have easily been avoided. The writing, too, lacks professionalism but this did not overly bother me. I did maintain interest, I would read it a second time and I did gain a lot of information throughout, which, I think, is the entire point of any biography.If you are a Robbie fan and you have not yet read "Feel", I recommend giving it a go. You'll see many different sides to Rob and the book portrays a very different image of the man than usually presented in the media. You will laugh, giggle and occasionally
feel frustration on his behalf, as well as a good dose of sympathy for his predicaments.If you are not a Robbie fan but you would like to gain insight in the life of a popular artist, you could do worse than giving this a read. There are interesting scenes taking place in the studio, and I found the details about life on tour particularly fascinating.On the whole, I closed the book with the impression that Rob is sensitive, caring, quite complex and exceedingly brave. I also breathed a sigh of relief that I do not have to live the life he does. I don't think I could deal with the amazing amount of madness surrounding star status."Feel" was published in 2004 by Edbury Press. The softback edition has 532 pages, with ISBN 978 0 091 89754 3 and I S B N 0-091-89754-8.

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