Thorpe, Graham – Rising From The Ashes
***1/2
Unlike the recent autobiographies by Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe’s tome does not offer a detailed match-by-match analysis of English cricket over his playing career.  Indeed cricket is not the primary motivation behind Thorpe writing his memoirs. 
The main raison d’etre of Rising From The Ashes is for Graham to tell his side of the story of his disintegrating marriage, the stress of which twice led him to withdraw from the England team for lengthy periods.  In doing this, it candidly illustrates the mountains of despair that even a highly successful sportsman can reach when faced with insurmountable personal problems.  Although it can be argued that these lengthy ruminations are tabloidesque, Thorpe should also be praised for his honesty – unlike his ex-wife who comes out of the book with very little credit as she continues to deny Graham basic access to their two children.
Despite Thorpe’s failing marriage and battle to see his children being the main motivation behind him writing his memoirs, Rising From The Ashes also offers an interesting though slightly disjointed analysis of his cricketing career.  Not as detailed or definitive as Atherton or Hussain’s books but it never would have been as Graham was England captain on only a couple of occasions.
Rising From The Ashes is a passionate page-turner though not the book to read first if you are looking for an insider's account of the England cricket team during the 90s and early noughties.  An honest and almost uncomfortably personal sporting autobiography.
Published:  2006
Read by me:  28.9.06-13.10.06