Julie walters autobiography of a flea market

This is a pleasant read, from the funny, modest, fiesty and sometimes anarchic personality that is Julie Walters. It's her life story - from her childhood in Birmingham, to her training as an actor at Manchester Polytechnic, and then on to her amazingly successful working career on stage and screen.

She is very down-to-earth; the absolute opposite of glamorous celebrity so often touted as the badge of a successful acting career. This has it's own rewards - and she has worked with some of our most interesting playwrights and directors.

Her relationship with her mother was good, but she comes across as a pretty tough caregiver

She writes wonderfully about the culture of Birmingham when she was a child.

I was particularly interested in her experiences at school

Time and time again she shows her independence and humour

She is incredibly honest throughout the book. At one stage she writes about being part of a school