Derren Brown - Confessions of a Conjuror

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Postby FRK » Jan 10th, '11, 23:21



As I posted earlier, if you had never heard of DB this book would be in the bargain bin for 50p... Total rubbish....

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Postby daleshrimpton » Jan 11th, '11, 00:23

I am enjoying reading it, because every now and again he hits me square inbetween the eyes with something that has happened to me... some of the details of exactly what goes on in your head before a close up session, are spot on.
:)

you're like Yoda.you dont say much, but what you do say is worth listening to....
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Postby Lenoir » Jan 11th, '11, 08:08

FRK wrote:As I posted earlier, if you had never heard of DB this book would be in the bargain bin for 50p... Total rubbish....


Surely that is the point of a "celebrity" book though. Of course it would be worthless if it wasn't by Derren but you bought it because it was.

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Postby Ant » Jan 11th, '11, 11:56

Lenoir wrote:
FRK wrote:As I posted earlier, if you had never heard of DB this book would be in the bargain bin for 50p... Total rubbish....


Surely that is the point of a "celebrity" book though. Of course it would be worthless if it wasn't by Derren but you bought it because it was.


Exactly. What other reason would put Jordan and Kerry Katona on best seller lists?

I got this for Christmas (and not Reader of Minds unfortunately) but have not yet started it properly, about 50 pages in. I have the hardback sexy red bicycle deck looking one but as such do not want to cart it around with me in case it gets tatty.

It's too early for me to decide whether the writing style is annoying or not but at least once I am done it will look pretty on my shelf either which way.

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Postby tubeway » Feb 4th, '11, 13:59

I have read all of DBs books - The problem with this is that is wanders too much. When a footnote goes on for 3-4 pages that is way too much, and the book jumps around all over the place. There are some good snippets that are pure DB - but I will not be re-reading this in the near future

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Postby themagicwand » Feb 4th, '11, 15:30

A_n_t wrote:
I got this for Christmas (and not Reader of Minds unfortunately)

It's an outrage! I'd sort that out immediately!

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Postby Replicant » Feb 4th, '11, 16:59

The footnotes are too numerous and generally too long. The book doesn't flow at all. Also, he uses too many long words that your average person probably won't understand. Yes, Derren, we know you're an intelligent man with a large vocabulary, but please don't use a long word when a short one will do. Especially when you do it time and again, throughout the book. I hate having to constantly refer to a dictionary when I'm reading. In addition to those extensive footnotes, this makes reading the book a bit of a chore. Overall, though, I did enjoy it for the most part.

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Postby teknohippy » Feb 4th, '11, 18:03

I listened to it on Audible.

It's quite entertaining when read by Derren himself.

For me it came across as a bit of an autobiography more than anything else.

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Postby magikmax » Feb 7th, '11, 19:36

I read the book on my Kindle. It was short, entertaining, waffley, and extremely indulgent. I think it'll only really appeal to magicians, and die-hard Derren Brown fans, I can't really see anyone else getting anything out of it. The book is all over the place - a complete mess, that could be doing with a good edit.

Personally, I appriciated what Derren was trying to do here, but feel that it would be completely lost on the lay public, if not totally confusing. I will certainly read it again (it took just a couple of hours to fire through), but not for a bit. If you haven't got it yet, wait for the paperback, by which time the eBook will have also come down in price.

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Postby magicwand1973 » Feb 17th, '11, 13:27

I have just had this on audiobook so I hope it still "works" in that format! Will help on my flight to Vegas in a few weeks!!

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Postby Pagali Zonda » May 17th, '11, 17:25

How are the footnotes read in the audio book? Does he read them where the asterix is placed or just at the end of the page or what?

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Postby daleshrimpton » May 17th, '11, 19:34

he doesnt.
( Its not that good a listen either)

you're like Yoda.you dont say much, but what you do say is worth listening to....
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Re: Derren Brown - Confessions of a Conjuror

Postby storm01 » Nov 10th, '11, 10:11

I've just finished reading this and all I can say is its the worst book I've read for years. The trick he refers to throughout the book, which I believe is the one on "Devils" is pure class to watch, but to hear him go on and on and on about his life in general did nothing for me I'm afraid. I kinda got the impression he was delving into a dictionary while typing to make himself sound superior. I really dont care what he hums while brushing his teeth or reads while sitting on the lav and I certainly dont need to know about his favouritism for "man on man" action. The one thing I did get out of the book was how to poach an egg properly. Nuff said.

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Re: Derren Brown - Confessions of a Conjuror

Postby TheStoner » Nov 11th, '11, 13:18

It is a bit of a "Marmite" book, but there is some good stuff in there for sure

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Re: Derren Brown - Confessions of a Conjuror

Postby Mandrake » Mar 27th, '18, 16:03

Bumpety bump!

This book is currently availble for 99p in Kindle format from Amazon - see https://www.amazon.co.uk/Confessions-Co ... ubemail-21
Be quick as these offers rarely last more than a day or two.

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