Lauren Graham’s Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls And Everything in Between was such a treat to read, especially after having just read her first novel, Someday, Someday Maybe. I love how seamlessly her quirkiness translates to the page in both her novel and her memoir, making for two equal parts funny, smart, and entertaining reads.
Part one of Talking As Fast As I Can is about Lauren’s early life (living on a houseboat with her dad, before settling in Virginia) and her background in acting and theater. It was refreshing to read about an actress who began acting simply because she loved theater and musicals from an early age.
Then she starts covering the basics: life, love, and secrets. She reveals that the secret to being a Hollywood actor is that there are no secrets; she’s spent lots of time coming up with interesting things to say when she’s asked “What’s in your bag?” for interviews; how she met her now-boyfriend years ago at an award’s show; and, how challenging it can be at times to be an actress when Hollywood has more or less categorized her as one of two archetypes for her entire career: Gal About Town and The Mom. Of course, I would say she is not only The Mom but The BEST Mom out there, since we ‘ve probably all wished Lorelai Gilmore were our mom at least once, right?
But part one is all fun and games until you arrive at part two, the real reason for reading, when Graham dishes about what it was like to re-visit Gilmore Girls for the Netflix revival. First, she re-watches the entire series (seasons 1-7) and gives a play-by-play of her favorite episodes, memorable moments, and behind-the-scenes facts. Even though she never watches herself on TV, she decided to break her own rules for the sake of the book. What a trip down memory lane. I was surprised that I remembered so many of these episodes, too. She also talks about the fashions on the show, the hilarious technology (Blackberry phones, brand-new DVD players, computers) and all her hairstyles throughout the years (there were many).
She also gives a little clarity to what exactly happened between seasons six and seven. Spoiler: The merger of companies that led to the WB becoming the CW is what ultimately led to Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino leaving the show, which is why season seven feels just slightly off. When the show ended, the cast had no idea it was going to end. They were simply told to stay tuned for the next season, but there never was a next season.
All of this makes the revival more exciting because it was a second chance for both the creators and the cast to finally, properly, close the show. (Even though I think we can all agree that the last four words of the revival weren’t exactly an ending, more of a cliffhanger…).
She shares excerpts from the journal she kept while filming the revival which took place almost a year ago exactly. Even as the reader you can really get a sense of how surreal it was for her and all the actors to return to the show so many years later, especially after all that has changed since, mainly being that Ed Herrmann has since passed away:
“Friday, March 4
It’s my first scene with Kelly, and our first day on the Gilmore house set together. In the show, Emily has commissioned a portrait of Richard, and as we enter the living room there’s his face, ten feet tall. For a moment no one can speak. Then Kelly asks Ed to somehow make his presence known today by doing something big and loud. Later, during the scene, a key light goes out for no reason.
“Thanks, Ed,” she says.
Tears.”
Tears is right! For fans of Gilmore Girls this book is exactly what you are looking for. Graham’s upbeat attitude and humorous approach to practically everything make for a great read, and she says her second novel is on the way, so there’s even more of her work to look forward to soon 🙂
Hannah's Library 