I Love the Bones of You

By: Christopher Eccleston

Narrated by: Christopher Eccleston

‘A beautiful book’ Zoë Ball

‘My father was an “ordinary man”, which of course means he was extraordinary.'

Be it as Nicky Hutchinson in Our Friends In The North, Maurice in The A Word, or his reinvention of Doctor Who, One man, in life and death, has accompanied Christopher Eccleston every step of the way – his father, Ronnie. In I Love the Bones of You, Eccleston unveils a vivid portrait of a relationship that has shaped his entire career trajectory – mirroring and defining his own highs and lows, from stage and screen triumph to breakdown, anorexia and self-doubt.

Eccleston describes how the tightening grip of dementia on his father slowly blinded him to his son’s existence, forcing a new and final chapter in their connection. Told with trademark honesty and openness, I Love the Bones of You is a celebration of those on whom the spotlight so rarely shines, as told by a man who found his voice in its glare. A love letter to one man, and a paean to many.©2019 Christopher Eccleston (P)2019 Simon & Schuster UK

Critic reviews

‘We know what to expect from the autobiographies of most actors, I think: anecdotes, charm, more than mild self-satisfaction and faux-modesty by the bucketload. But Christopher Eccleston is not most actors, and his autobiography is not most autobiographies. This is a superb book, full of revelations, as intense and tortured as its writer and not an easy ride at all.’ (Marcus Berkmann)

‘The book I’d most like to find under my tree is Christopher Eccleston’s memoir I Love the Bones of You, which talks about his beloved dad and Christopher’s history of anorexia and depression. He was a guest on my show and made such an impact.’ (Lorraine Kelly)

‘The actors book prompted headlines because he writes of his struggle with anorexia but it is about so much more, particularly his relationship with his father, which has shaped his entire career. A million miles from the usual celebrity memoir.’ (Books of the Year)

A lot of emotions here

Wow, not sure how to think or feel about this. it was extraordinarily moving, heart breaking, and needed. The 9th doctor really did carry the weight of worlds. As have others, listening to this definitely hits home in a much needed way. Highly recommend for anyone, especially those from the working classes.

Honesty & Love

Hearing his voice tell his story is absolutely priceless. His clarity and unflinching descriptions of love, of his experiences with mental illness, his relationship with his dad, all of it changed me. He shines a light in the dark places that have always unraveled me. I look back at my own life now with new perspective. My love for my dad now rings out as it should. I will always be grateful.

Great book.

I loved this book. Very honest, raw, and personal look into the world of mental illness. I highly recommend this book.

A Touching and Poignant Listen

I absolutely loved listening to Mr. Eccleston narrate his book talking of his family and personal experience growing up. It was an extended love letter to the memory of his father and you can feel that love emanating from the pages. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to share pieces of his soul as he has, and I respect him very much for it.

Thank you very much Mr. Eccleston. Yours is an added voice for those who struggle with something in their life who tells others, they aren't alone.

Amazing

Thank you, Chris. My 13 yr old
Son is struggling with anorexia along with feelings of inadequacy/ self hate. I think your words gave voice to so many of the things he is feeling but can’t express. Your family story is absolutely “universal “ and deeply resonated with me. BTW, I was deeply moved by the film Jude in the 90s when I saw it. I have never forgotten that film. Also, you were my favorite character in Elizabeth. Never doubt your talent Chris. It may be hard for you to accept it, but everyone who watches you and listens is mesmerized. Blessings to you and your family.

Beautiful

Brutally honest and full of love. Read by the author which makes it hit home in a powerful way.

Consistently gripping

This book does an amazing job of constantly being interesting. Even in subjects you would expect to find mundane. Excellent narration and story. Well worth a listen.

Wow

This book is a deep dive all about how Christopher see's not only himself, but the world. There are times he gets on his soap box and preaches but hey its his book and I paid my dime so I listened. Over all hear his love/fear of his dad, and even more fear of the realization that in end we are all just like our parents comes threw. I enjoyed this book immensely.

I laughed & I cried. Thank you Chris. You moved me

I came in to this as a fan of Christopher Eccleston the actor.
I come out of this as an admirer of Christopher Eccleston the man.

I've been a fan of Christopher Eccleston's work since Let Him Have It. It still sits with me after all these years. I became more of a fan after falling in love with Doctor Who.
Hearing him open up about his life and his struggles and his family and his views on life, relationships and what makes a person who they are, was incredibly moving. He's fiercely intelligent, has a strong sense of fairness and a world view very similar to mine, which includes disdain for societal class systems, unjust justice systems, bullies and those who punch down instead of up. It may come from having grown up working-class poor and the innate rejection of that "this is all you are" message thrust upon us. His definition of success is one I admire and agree with.

I noticed that later chapters had lots of editing in them, and some had passages that sounded almost slurred, which I attribute to his either being exhausted after a long day of narrating or due to the intimately personal material being emotionally draining.

I don't think our paths will ever cross professionally, although I would love to work with him. But if our paths ever cross in real life, even if it's at something like a Doctor Who convention, I would like to shake his hand and thank him for being the person he is. Quite honestly, I feel like I owe him a hug after this book.

Thank you

Excellent and fantastic, unvarnished and true. Connected deeply. For those of us going through many of the areas described, it is refreshing to truly feel not alone. Thank you, Chris Ecc ... and Ronnie and Elsie too.