Ready for Absolutely Nothing

A Memoir

Susannah Constantine

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Hardback

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English

Hachette Books
31 January 2023

Autobiography: arts & entertainment; Autobiography: royalty; Memoirs

2022 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR FROM THE TELEGRAPH (UK) AND THE SUNDAY TIMES (UK)

2022 BEST AUDIOBOOKS OF THE YEAR FROM THE TIMES (UK)

This darkly funny, confessional memoir from the star of What Not to Wear tells all: from her posh upbringing and the dishy details of her career in fashion to her journey as a recovering alcoholic.

The fact that Susannah Constantine made her name as a 'style guru' as part of ""Trinny and Susannah"" from What Not to Wear is the least interesting thing about her. Susannah grew up amongst the great and good of British aristocracy and (unwittingly) trained to be a society bride. Fittingly, Barbara Cartland was her touchstone for romance: she wanted to be the underdog heroine who ended up marrying a prince. Instead she dated Princess Margaret's son for several years and traveled in royal circles, including on the island of Mustique, where Princess Margaret-and Hachette author Anne Glenconner-owned homes and had holidays. When that marriage proposal never showed up, she dated Imran Khan -then a gorgeous playboy/cricket player and now the Prime Minister of Pakistan, before meeting her husband.

Hers is a tale full to the brim with extraordinary anecdotes. From lavatory dramas with Princess Margaret, to behind-the-scenes power struggles between Margaret Thatcher and the Queen at Balmoral and eye-opening sex-club etiquette with pop royalty-her social landscape has been nothing if not varied. Many of these stories are hilarious and snarky, some are painful, but all of them are honest, gossipy, and show that, in her words, she was ""brought up to be ready for absolutely nothing."" In sharing a peek behind the curtain, Constantine does not hold back and many bold names appear in these pages from Elton John, Princess Diana, The Queen, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Andy Warhol, and our own Anne Glenconner and her husband Colin Tenant.

But appearances are deceptive and beneath the balls and glamour, life has had a darker side: her mother's bipolar disorder, her father's inability to cope and her own subsequent alcoholism. Somehow, she had to forge her own life, away from the expectations of others. Which she did and does.

READY FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is for fans of The Crown, royal followers, readers of LADY IN WAITING, What Not To Wear fans and anyone who likes a gossipy memoir with bold faced names and a drop dead sense of humor.

By: Susannah Constantine
Imprint: Hachette Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 558g
ISBN: 9780306831898
ISBN 10: 0306831899
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 31 January 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Susannah Constantine is a novelist, journalist broadcaster and podcaster with over 25 years' experience in the media and 50 years of f**k ups under her belt. She lives in chaos on the edge of a wood in Sussex and works full time as a housewife, PA and taxi driver to her husband and three (sort of) grown up children.

Reviews for Ready for Absolutely Nothing: A Memoir

...amusing, frequently star-studded, regularly filthy -- and a cri de coeur against a system that left the author, in her words, 'prepared for little else' but marriage.... Constantine is a delightful companion. --The New York Times A rollicking ride . . . What a life --Sunday Times UK A romp . . . Constantine comes across as a trooper with a filthy sense of humor. --The Times UK Funny... never dull --The Guardian Sparkling --Daily Mail UK Absolutely brilliant. --Elton John Shrewd, funny, ideally candid and written with great confidence, brio and aplomb. A feisty, thought-provoking delight. --William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart and A Good Man in Africa We lunched better than we danced. --Anton Du Beke, author of The Buckingham Series and host of Strictly Come Dancing Wonderfully written, very funny, but more than anything completely genuine. --Lady Anne Glenconner, author of Lady in Waiting