''The Princess Diarist'' is a 2016

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

written by

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983). She reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015), ''The Last ...

, based on diaries she kept as a young woman around the time she starred in the 1977 film ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

''. The book is the third memoir Fisher wrote, in addition to four novels and a one-woman Broadway show. It is Fisher's final book, as she died five weeks after its release on December 27, 2016. The book describes Fisher's affair with co-star

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

in detail. At the time of the relationship, Ford was married with two children and in his early 30s.

Reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' Sibbie O'Sullivan described the book as cringe-worthy, but said, "this memoir is also educational, if you overlook its authorial excesses." Anthony Breznican writing in ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the book a rating of B−, saying, "There isn't a lot of insight into the character or the creation of a movie that means so much to so many, but there's tremendous insight into the volatile heart of a young woman, seen through the eyes of her wiser, older self still seeking her place in the universe." In early January 2017, shortly after Fisher's death, it topped ''The New York Times'' Non-Fiction Best Sellers. In 2017, the book was nominated for the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

for Best Related Work and won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

Best Spoken Word Album The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1959 the award was known as Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word * From 1960 to 1961 it was awarded as Best Perform ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Princess Diarist, The 2016 non-fiction books American memoirs Books by Carrie Fisher Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album Books about Star Wars Blue Rider Press books