Description

Baggage is the story of Alan Cumming’s life in Hollywood, taking us through the highs and lows of his career, from his struggle with mental health and failed relationships to encounters with legends (Liza! X Men! Gore Vidal! Kubrick! Spice Girls!).

Cumming shows how every experience – each bad decision or moment of sensual joy – has shaped who he is today: a happy, flawed, vulnerable, fearless middle-aged man, with a lot of baggage. Startlingly honest, both poignant and joyous, Baggage shines a light on how to embrace the complicated messiness of life.

Publisher Review

An intimate look at the making of a man, an actor, an advocate and - most importantly - a happy human being. Cumming is a natural raconteur, and this feels like a private conversation between the author and the reader. A wonderful book that is funny, honest, fearless and generous in its vulnerability -- DOUGLAS STUART Everything that makes Alan Cumming so engaging as a person and a performer - his cleverness, kindness, charm, wildness and, above all, authenticity - shines from every page of this wonderful, witty and wise book -- NIGELLA LAWSON A brilliantly gossipy memoir * * The Times * * It seems fundamentally unfair that Alan Cumming is, in addition to being a fine actor and a wicked performer, such a hell of a good writer. But he is. He's observant, honest, often trenchantly funny, always emotionally honest. He's an international treasure -- NEIL GAIMAN To read Baggage is to spend time with the most engaging companion in the world. Charm, wit, insight, entrancingly disarming self-knowledge, hilarious stories by the basketful, Alan Cumming's attributes are endlessly enriching and enchanting. Only one negative, I just hated to see the right-hand page count, the pages yet to be read, thinning down and reminding me, like a tolling bell, that this joyous ride was coming to an end -- STEPHEN FRY Alan Cumming's star quality belies a man and a writer of substance, who unpacks his life in this powerful memoir * * Scotsman * * I could not love this man or this book more. Alan writes with such unvarnished truth and a humour that can only come from a brilliant mind, rapier wit and resilience from emotionally painful life experiences. This book - like Alan is off the page - is full of insight, compassion, intellect and wisdom. This is the best Baggage to have -- MONICA LEWINSKY A wonderfully entertaining book about [Cumming's] adventures in Hollywood that follows up the powerful Not My Father's Son * * Stylist * * Deliciously candid * * Daily Mail * * From professional projects (failed and successful) to marriages (same), the moments that have taught and shaped him are presented here with style and humour, and serve as a compelling reminder that the most interesting characters aren't always the ones we see on screen * * Town & Country * *