Absolutely brilliant
|
This one I have just finished has been an outstanding surprise, a wonderful portrait of a dense life.
Not just a biography but a real way of living, which captured me throughout the read, by both the anectdotes and the manner the narration is conduced.
I absolutely suggest it, I am definitely delighted!
|
|
|
An excellent book about a fascinating man
|
Of all the racing driver biographies I've read (only about a dozen, actually)this is a standout. Enhanced by the free 'VIBE' DVD, this gives a very readable, honest account of a fascinating life.
Sir Jackie's humanity, honesty and integrity are highlighted throughout the book. Apart from his experiences with family illnesses and the constant loss of friends and colleagues through racing, he has been a lucky man who has worked very, very hard to make his own luck.
I was priveleged to hear him speak at a book launch prior to the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, he spoke for half an hour but it seemed like five minutes. Thats's what this book is like; it was largely dictated by Sir Jackie himself, not just ghosted, and you can almost hear him reading it.
There are several parts of the book which will bring a lump to your throat, but that's to be expected.
It would have been good to have more photos, more information about his races, cars and rivals, but that would have occupied another 500 pages.
By the way, most of the video is from the 'Flying Scot' DVD which is one of the best motor racing/biography films ever made.
Highly recommended.
|
|
|
Jackie -The professional Business Man
|
The book is very well written , as we should expect , from someone like
Jackie Stewart .It shows clearly how he has planned his life ,even from the early days ,at the school , and working in the family business .How he began to think ahead of his time , in terms of secutity ,from the drivers and circuits points of view ;How he "loved" his friends-François Cevert and Ken Tyrrel -How he become the embassador of F1 , as a tv commentator and represantative of the major companies , like Ford ;How he faced and overcome Paul illness , and finnaly how his family is important to his life.
I truly recomend this book|
|
|
|
Inspirational
|
|
I have been a motor racing fan for 40 years and was lucky to see Sir Jackie race. Indeed my first Grand Prix was the epic battle at Silverstone between Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt. During that time I have read the autobiographies and biographies of all the greats involved in motor racing in various formulae. And, yes, if you are only interested in motor racing and nothing else, this book may not be to your taste. But this book is so much more than just another motor racing autobiography, which is not surprising considering that being a racing driver was less than 20% of Sir Jackie's life and being involved with Paul Stewart Racing and Stewart Grand Prix another 15%. This autobiography is about a man from a humble background who overcame learning difficulties to get to the top of two sports and then go on to become a very successful businessman. Yes, there is a bit of name dropping, but that is inevitable when describing a life that has involved so may famous and successful people. And to the reviewer who commented on Sir Jackie having the length of one his shirt sleeves tailored to allow his Rolex to be seen, it was merely used as an example of attention to detail was important in being successful. This book is a good, easy read and the lack of a ghost writer makes the reader feel that Sir Jackie is speaking to him in that so recognisable Scots accent. This book is simply an inspirational story of a great and highly successful man.
|
|
Too much of the wrong detail?
|
There's no denying how successful Mr Stewart has been in his driving and business career. For this he deserves (and gets) the upmost respect. However, this book suffers from a lack of editing and consequently he does tend to waffle on about all the people he's met and worked with, turning some parts late on in the book into a continuation of the 'acknowledgements' section. Do we really need to know all the people who worked as his employees or assistants?
I suspect that, like me, fans will relish the pages on his driving career, and I could have done with far more of that detail. (The section on Francois Cevert is extremely touching and well written).
But other details about his dogs, hobnobbing with the Royal family, or even how to have your shirt tailored to allow a Rolex to be seen at all times seem superfluous.
An autobiography doesn't have to cover EVERYTHING.
Fans of motor racing will enjoy the first two thirds of this book, but interest may wane a little towards the end.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada