You understand some of Gordon's actions a bit more by reading this book. Quite a guy, I must say. I like him better now actually.

I've just finished this on the Kindle (excellent experience), and while I would love to sing the praises of this autobiography, I simply can't. I really like Ramsay. He's obviously someone who worked his butt off to get to where he is and he's very straightforward. But the man needs an editor. This book is all over the place. It seems like it's in rough chronological order, then it dives deep into his relationship with his brother, then in a shallow way into the women in his life, all the time sounding like polished journal entries that were assembled into a book in a matter of hours.
So the editor could have helped with that: a clear outline.
Then there are the inconsistencies. I have no doubt that Ramsay is an honest man, but he's not particularly careful with reality-as-truth. Did he watch Billy Elliot on stage or screen? Depends on which sentence you read. How much customer research did he do before opening his Scottish restaurant? Depends on where in the book you read about it.
So the editor could have helped with that: wrangling a consistency out of Ramsay.
These are obviously stories he's told many, many times, and he's developed a way of telling them that rounds the rough edges, and by that I don't mean the negative parts--he doesn't canonize himself. So I can understand it.
Finally, the chronology of the rapid rise of his restaurant empire completely puts the brakes on the flow of the book. It's like being served a meal where the plates are interesting, sure, but they are seen as the most important part of the dish. And again, the editor could stop in and tell Ramsay that in this remarkably short book, we only need to hear ONCE about how Hartnett is going to get her own restaurant in New York if the Miami one's a winner.
Fans like me will enjoy this but wish it were executed better. It is nice to "hear" Ramsay's voice so clearly in this, but after a while it is fatiguing--everything is voiced as if he were giving one of his quiet, conspiratorial camera chats on Kitchen Nightmares. Speaking of which, he only uses the term pear-shaped once! Amazing! What restraint!

I have been a big fan of Gordon Ramsey's televisions shows, "Hell's Kitchen", "Kitchen Nightmare's", and "The F Word". When I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it to get to know more about my favorite television chef. Well, the amazing thing is that I actually believe that he wrote this book himself, as he sounds just as he does on television. His personality just jumps out at the reader from the pages of this book.

That being said, this book is really a brief biography of his life to date. It has definitely been a hardscrabble life until the past few years, when his hard work finally paid off. Brought up in dire poverty in a totally dysfunctional family with an abusive, alcoholic father, it is amazing to see the success he has made of himself. Gordon paints a candid portrait of himself, and what comes across is a somewhat oafish, hardworking, intelligent and driven individual with some very set ideas and exacting standards. He is definitely a control freak, albeit a likeable one.

Those readers who enjoy his shows will most definitely enjoy this book, which is a very easy and quick read. The reader will marvel at the obstacles this passionate man has overcome to reach the pinnacle of success that he has. What one sees on television is what one gets in this book. So, be prepared for some coarse language and a somewhat inelegant writing style, as well as a very frank portrait of one of today's premier chefs.

I watch most everything that Ramsay does on TV, but this book only offers slightly more than you could get from hearing him talk or reading his Wikipedia entry.

I've never been a Gordon Ramsey fan - I've always thought he was playing a character on TV and he seemed a little too smug for me. I wouldn't have read this autobiography either except that it was recommended to me. As with all autobiographies, the essence of the man comes through - and he is a lot more likeable than I thought he would be. After finishing the book I'm less inclined to believe that he is "putting it on" for TV and I actually think that he doesn't really give a damm what other people think and that he is fanatically driven by what he does. I'm not sure he's someone that I would want to have a beer with - but I'm not the hater that I was either.

The book arrived in plently of time and was actually delivered earlier than anticapated, which was wonderful.