The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry’s book, ‘Spare’ has set a record with his tell-all memoir, after the English language version sold more than 1.4 million copies in its first day of publication.
The bumper sales included all formats of the book — paper, audio and electronic — in the US, Canada and the UK, according to a statement issued Wednesday 11th January 2022, by the book’s publisher Penguin Random House.
“The first full day of sales of Spare represents the largest first-day sales total for any nonfiction book ever published by Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade publisher,” Penguiin Random House.
The memoir details Harry’s experiments with psychedelics in search of relief from his trauma, as well as his military career and his revelation that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan while serving in the British armed forces.
Other bombshells include his claim that William physically assaulted him over tension related to Meghan Markle, whom Harry married in 2018. William reportedly called Meghan “abrasive,” “difficult” and “rude,” the book says.
“It all happened so fast. So very fast. [William] grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Harry wrote in “Spare.”
So far, reviews of the book have been mixed, with some critics praising the memoir while others not.
The Economist called it an “ill-advised romp”.
The Guardian wrote in its Monday review of the book; “‘Spare’ is by turns compassion-inducing, frustrating, oddly compelling and absurd”.
Other reviewers praised the book, but with caveats.
The Financial Times noted, “You may question whether you should be reading anything more about Harry, let alone a 416-page book”.
But, its reviewer added, “Of all Harry and Meghan’s output since they stepped down from royal duties in 2020 — the interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Spotify podcasts, the six-hour Netflix documentary — ‘Spare’ is the most bearable and revelatory”.
Not exactly high praise, but it may be enough to convince readers to open their pocketbooks and order a copy.
Story: Christy Dung
