A review by scribbler67
Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life by Peter Ackroyd

2.0

I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I'm a silent movie buff so I've seen a decent number of Chaplin's films, but this biography was most interesting to me for the information about the early days of the film industry. Ackroyd includes synopses of most of Chaplin's work, which was fascinating. Chaplin's Dickensian childhood and early life were equally fascinating and the author definitely spends a good portion of the book on Chaplin's formative years. Chaplin was driven by his work and was no saint, by all accounts. Ackroyd certainly doesn't shy away from these aspects but the book never read as a character assassination to me. There is a lot of speculation on the author's part regarding Chaplin's motivations, so take that for what it is worth. I was not impressed with Ackroyd's writing. His research, yes, but his writing, no. It all seemed very impersonal and distant. Overall, an interesting yet uninspiring account of a true cinematic genius and the world's first global celebrity.