She was the person who encouraged me to have my own opinion, to encourage me to stand by it,” recalls. “She was so resourceful, so practical, and not embarrassed by anything. There was a great deal of comfort.”

Ready For Absolutely Nothing by Susannah Constantine - Goodreads

Her perspective was utterly forthright as she depicted a lifestyle lived between the city of London and the more meaningful existence of country life. Her family lived near a Duchess where she was best friends with their daughter. Susannah explains the structure of "the help", and also the fine lines between being welcomed into the fold of royal homes from a moneyed family, but as a non-royal. She was born in the sixties and raised in a culture directing that the future hinged on making a good marriage, not to excel at an education or work for a living. Daniel Mason’s latest novel is one of those rare books that truly deserves the description “spellbinding”. Its location is a house in the woods of New England, and Mason follows an eclectic cast of characters over four centuries, including painters, poets, psychiatrists, sensational journalists and big-game hunters, and makes their stories both fascinating on their own terms and part of a grander and satisfying picture. There are well-judged observations on colonialism, largely illustrated through the character of the British émigré and farmer Charles Osgood, and Mason’s twist-laden narrative enthrals throughout. Ready for Absolutely Nothing King Charles made a surprise appearance near Balmoral as he attended a private service with Princess Margaret's family Susannah is very blunt and had some really out there stories to tell that might make one cringe. I won't spill the beans here, but they involve gastrointestinal functions, a public bathroom, and in one case- Princess Margaret. This was a fun, casual, easy read.

Susannah Constantine reveals how Princess Margaret made her feel 'safe' after 'privileged' but 'empty' upbringing Constantine writes like a dream. She has had, it could be argued, the perfect life for a memoir. Raised with wealth and connections, having a relationship with Princess Margaret's son for some years and then finding herself first in the world of fashion and then in the world of television, there is a lot of meat on the bones of this book. stars. An absorbing memoir of a really fascinating life, yes one of great privilege, (which gives great anecdotes), but also one with many challenges. Susannah comes across as a resilient, funny and reflective woman who isn’t afraid to lay out her faults and also laugh at herself.

Ready for Absolutely Nothing - Susannah Constantine - The Bookery Ready for Absolutely Nothing - Susannah Constantine - The Bookery

This is a frank, but mainly amusing memoir and there were many laugh out loud sections or bits where I found myself thinking, 'what did she just say' and for the most part it was enjoyable.

Susannah Constantine is famous as the noughties style guru on What Not To Wear, but this is the least interesting thing about her. Interesting memoir of a upper class English party girl who moved in lofty circles. The first half was zany, fun and interesting, but the second half tapered into a more predictable autobiography with lots of self examination and adult behavior. Just like growing up. The title says it all really. Girls in the upper echelons of British society were not particularly well educated since their sole aim in life would be to find a wealthy husband and bow to his every whim while looking stylish and immaculate at all times. We are not talking Victorian times here. This book relates to the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Princess Diana was a prime example of this. The second half of the book I found less absorbing, mainly because the timeline was chopped up so much, and interspersed with anecdotes that whilst funny or salacious didn’t really add to the picture of the woman for me. Whilst honest about her problems with alcohol they aren’t put in context. It was more a series of recollections. It's been claimed Princess Margaret was told off by Queen Elizabeth during their childhood for trying to 'frighten' her future Lady-in-Waiting

Ready For Absolutely Nothing: ‘If you like Lady in Waiting by

Wonderfully written, very funny, but more than anything completely genuine Lady Anne Glenconner, author of Lady in Waiting A rare image of Princess Margaret showed her softer side as Her Royal Highness was pictured with her close friend Lady Glenconner The title Kate Middleton took from Princess Margaret because of her and William's go-to place for romantic getawaysIt is a really entertaining read, but this was a book of two halves for me. The first half was a brilliant, brutally honest and fast paced read, covering her childhood through to her relationship with David Armstrong-Jones. I was totally fascinated by her world and what is was like to grow up in upper class Britain in the 60s/70s, being educated to be a society wife. I felt totally transported. The first half of this memoir covering her upbringing and love affair with Princess Margaret's son (and also becoming friends with the princess) was fairly interesting but the second half was a little scattered and uneven. I knew nothing about her TV show so the omission of that part of her life didn't mean much to me and some of the "British-isms" went over my head, but she was candid in most of her musings although there were times I rolled my eyes at her self-admitted sense of self-importance and naivety in real people struggles. However, all in all, this was an entertaining read, especially for those who like a little "dirt" with their memoirs -- and I admit I am one of those readers.