Ava Gardner Books

i am not a big fan of the author's especially after the book on grace kelly but her book on ava gardner was very engaging...she tells of some very interesting stories, especially the one of the time in africa when they were making mogambo and she lifted the natives cloth

A great read for anyone interested in North Carolina history! I bought copies for my whole family!

This is a wonderfully entertaining and superbly researched biography of a true Hollywood screen legend. Lee Server did a magnificent job and is just fun to read. If you enjoy reading the larger-than-life stories of Hollywood's most notable characters, then this book is for you. Once you read about Ava, you'll be clamoring for Server's book on Robert Mitchum, "Baby, I Don't Care".

Ava G. is truly facinating and this bio tells why. I love it when they come through like this! Highly suggested read, as well as Take Your Shirt Off: A Novel of Hollywood, which I also quite liked. If you're into the whole Hollywood thing, these two books deliver!

Lee Server is a cut above the usual "star" biographer in many ways - he can really write, he makes the most vapid subject interesting, and he can hold the reader's interest throughout. But...does he wear blinders? He reiterates over and over and over and over again how Ava was the most beautiful woman in the world and how EVERYONE loved her. The book is so one-sided as to be a love-letter to Ava herself. I find it difficult to believe with her behavior and lifestyle that there wasn't ONE single person who spoke negatively about her and who intensely disliked her...but you won't find it in this book. It seems the one man who turned her down was Paul Newman and even that episode is wrapped up in one quick sentence and made to seem like something was wrong with him. C'mon Lee...get real and write some of the negative comments about her predatory lifestyle - from the wives/girlfriends/children of marriages/relationships she interferred with. And why didn't Ava, or someone who loved her (Bappie) seek help for her nympho ways because this woman truly had a problem. This wasn't someone just "enjoying" sex...she was disturbed, and Lee Server really doesn't seem to recognize it.

On the plus side - lots of juicy old Hollywood gossip.

Overall this book was revealing, entertaining and hard to put down. There were a few minor points that I thought the book lacked or should have clarified. For example, when Bappie accompanies Ava to Hollywood, Bappie was married to Larry Tarr a New York photographer. However, the book never mentioned what became of Bappie's marriage. Something I thought should have been mentioned since the reader was introduced to Bappie's marriage and then left hanging.
Also, I am not a fan of books that in one Chapter quote people saying, for example, that Ava was still a beautiful woman even in her forties. However, in the next Chapter would be devoted to people quoted as saying Ava was no longer beautiful and that she was old and unappealing. So we have two different versions or opinions concerning Ava at that time and the reader is lost as to which version is real.
Likewise her publicist, David Hanna mused "What friends?" when someone mentioned Ava's friends. However, later there were a number of people referred to as old close friends. Since Hanna was dismissed by Ava, I think this quote of his could be properly cited as a tactless statement made by a bitter man and nothing more.
These are minor points but I think it helps to discuss areas of weakness in a book.

First of all, let me say this is an excellent biography, a superb, superb read--magnificently done. What one comes to doubt is the worthiness of his subject. His subject is Ava Gardner. The first most obvious thing about her was her beauty--and it is a fact--she was one of the most beautiful women to ever star in a Hollywood movie. That much should be given to her, and testaments to her spectacular, disarming beauty are replete throughout the book.
Server excellently sketches us the portrait of this woman, whose persona was quite layered, and rife with contradictions. Ava--what could you say about her? First of all one starts with the physical aspect of her, which made her a veritable screen goddess and international star--and that singular beauty was a significant force in her life for several reasons. It firstly compelled nearly every man she ever knew to want her; and this dazzling beauty seemed to give her a seemingly endless line of credit with men. That is to say she was so beautiful that it allowed her to exhibit darker shades of her personality with impunity, and largely without consequence. She was a woman of extremes, of light and darkness. She was said to be initially shy with people, in that it was difficult for her to wade at first into social interaction--yet when she did gain that initial familiarity, she displayed an easiness of manner, an honesty, a genuineness, a down-to-earth charm that won her the fondness of a great many people. And yet, oftentimes the charm was simply a mood, only skin deep--when the mood would turn, and it inevitably did, she could be cold, callous, rude, brutal and direct if it sought her fancy. She could be tremendously ingratiating, and did not put on airs,--a trait which won her many a friend while filming this movie and that--and yet she was incredibly difficult to work with on the set, hypersensitive to the slightest disturbance, demanding outrageous perks which one would only expect of the most pompous star. Her beauty enabled her to treat men exactly as she pleased, with callousness, neglect, or outright abuse and yet they nearly almost always came back obediently for more, until she tired of them, or more rarely, they would at some point finally reach their threshold for the invective she dealt out.
Server points out that Ava was a flawed person whose belief in love was irreparably damaged from a miserable marriage to bandleader Artie Shaw. Shaw, a cold, arrogant, distant man, saw Gardner as a backwoods, ignorant country girl and despised her for her lack of education and sophistication; his contempt and scorn for her wounded her time and time again, until literally he could no longer endure what he considered her lack of intellect and dull, provincial ways and divorced her; and he seemed to be the one man whom Ava had wanted but ultimately whose approval she never won--an exception which would never be repeated again for the rest of her life. She projected a down-to-earth affability which she could alternate with a detached aloofness, which with her appetite for sex fooled many men into thinking she was in love when in reality she was only passing the time and opting against loneliness. Her beauty, spirit, and aloof detachment made her a positive obsession of Frank Sinatra, her husband in the 50s. At the same time Frank and Ava were possibly the very worst couple of that entire decade. Both suffered as it was from wild mood swings and lacked entirely a quality most people practice in major relationships--the ability to regulate or modify one's speech to a situation. Whenever Frank or Ava were upset, or frustrated or angry or even dissatisfied(which was, admittedly, almost perpetually), they would express their feelings, as they did as a rule to everyone else in their lives, without qualification or filter, profanely, with extreme prejudice. Neither Frank nor Ava ever seemed to be able--nor ever really wanted--to mask what they felt to anyone in particular; they were never able to hold back in their dealings with anyone, and this rule held true for their marriage as well. The fact that Ava and Frank were both by this time alcoholics--Ava especially--and inveterate social animals accustomed to going out on the town every night only fueled the instability and the strife, and they broke up.
Ava stopped working regularly after her breakup with Sinatra and her life completely disintegrated into a restless jaunt around the globe of drinking, parties and sex. Server relates that Ava was a person who could act at times with a chilling, ruthless selfishness--she had two abortions in her life, one Sinatra's child and the other possibly Sinatra's but possibly one of the many lovers she took while filming "Mogambo" . This is heartrending in itself, but because of her breakups with Sinatra and Shaw, she came to believe that true love would never happen again to her and that love itself even was not desirable; she had no husband in the second half of her life and virtually no family at all besides her sister, and moreover, no children, since she had aborted all of her pregnancies--and this was an equation for a life essentially of emptiness and loneliness, and though Ava gamely tried to fill it with parties and casual lovers, her life for the most part became as much. Server is outstanding and thorough in his treatment of his subject; the freshness and verve of his writing convey to us the allure and mystique of his charismatic subject; and we are no different than the rest; in reading his work we fall in love with her too, and ultimately we pity her for a life of glamour and fame but also of tragic choices that ultimately did not serve her well in the end.

If you can imagine what Ava Gardner was like, then this book is a must. It reads just like you'd imagine it would. This is absolutely the best-of-the-best autobiography I have read to date. I have read Marilyn Monroe's and Maureen O'Hara's, and they weren't nearly as captivating. When I think of Ava Gardner, I use to think of sexuality and booze. Now after having read this book, I still think that. She has quite the sense of humor and makes numerous witty retorts in regards to her life and the studio system that she fervently disliked. This is most evident in her words on husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra, and how they were in bed. Also, not to be ignored is her unique relationship with "the Aviator" himself, Howard Hughes. Ava is the only woman who could have turned him down, and gotten away with giving him a scar to remember her by. She also discusses her love of Spain, which made me want to visit the place instantly, even though I have yet to do so do to limited means (I don't have a job and still live with my parents - get the picture?). This is probably the best book I have ever read.

I also was initially distracted by the country girl narrative ("and honey, let me tell you...") but settled into it. It's a good story and to me writing style is secondary when reading an autobiography.

I have always had the impression that Ava was a man-eating femme fatale but this book cast her in a much more human and humble light. I did get the impression that she softened some stories or left some out entirely. I was touched by what she did reveal - her humble beginnings, painful shyness, lack of self esteem, and her deep love for Frank Sinatra. All in all, this story contained all the elations and tragedies you'd find in anyone's lifetime.

It's a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about this beautiful star.

In addition to demonstrating a self-deprecating wit and a candor that is often surprising, even in an autobiography, in this memoir Ava Gardner conveys a warmth and genuineness that makes her (in my opinion) an instantly likable narrator. Then, the fact that the events of her life would have given enough material to make a great story even if she herself wasn't such an engaging storyteller.
This book is tempered with irony. Ava's reflections on some of her greatest times are presented through a veil of bittersweet nostalgia. That her life was a sad one is evident; she details three failed marriages to some of the era's more notable celebrities/womanizers and her constant sense that her career path was accidental, and her eventual phase as recluse and expatriate. These events told from the perspective of an aging woman - one who seems to have been truly convinced that her fading (?) beauty is her only marketable asset create an exquisitely tragic heroine. Consistently smart and irreverent, Ava balances this obvious sadness and feeling of being misplaced with a stoic insistence that she's had "a hell of a good time." In all, her willingness to poke fun at herself and her open examinions of her personal weaknesses provide a refreshing counterpoint to the usual self-aggrandizement of the Hollywood auto-biography. I strongly recommend the book, if not for pure entertainment, for a compelling portrait devoid of literary pretensions.

This is an enjoyable, engaging memoir and while entertaining is also surprisingly sad. I knew, before reading the book, who Ava had married but had no idea how tumultuous were these relationships. As I've not read any other books about Ava Gardner, I can not tell whether this book's contents closely resemble truth but, frankly, I don't really care. I read autobiographies so I get a better sense of the author and in this case, Ava's wit, intelligence and humanity shine through. I certainly don't agree with the reviewer who says Ava painted herself as a goody-goody - that is the last thing she seems to do. This is a woman who, to me, has struggled with relationships, insecurities and addictions and still managed to enjoy and relish life - like many of us. If anything, I felt positive and connected to Ava for her candour! And, if, factually speaking, Ms. Gardner was not completely accurate in her own story, so what? I would rather read her story in her own words. The saddest thing to me was that she passed away at such a young age. I think "Impertinent" gives an excellent and articulate review and all I can say is read this book if you'd like to know about one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this auto-biography by Ave Gardner. She really said what she thought. Her writing style seemed to be her true personality, since she was from rural N. Carolina. She was the definition of a "broad". She was a great beauty, but she seemed to definitely dwell on her looks. She may have thought she didn't have much else going for her. Having recently read Gene Tierney's autobiography, I noticed that difference between the two. Tierney was fabulously beautiful, but didn't mention her looks but a few times,(possibly because it was so obvious). Ava Gardner also drank heavily. I'm amazed she was able to keep her looks for being such a heavy drinker. But in her films, around the age of 40, when she should have still been gorgeous, not having had children, she began to have a droopy face. That had to be the result of all that alchohol. It saddened me that she felt the need to abort the child she concieved with Frank Sinatra, even though they were married! It's no wonder she died a lonely woman.

"Grabtown Girl" is a love letter written by Doris Rollins Cannon to the legend of Ava Gardner and her North Carolina Tarheel roots. It is a wonderful read from start to finish.

When I was a boy growing up in NC, (I was born in in 1960) I was always fascinated with the Hollywood MGM stars of the 40's and 50's. When I was about 12, I found out Ava came from Smithfield. I tried to find any photo, article or book on her I could find. At that time Ava, was living in London and not making very many motion pictures so I was eager to learn about her NC roots and how she got to Hollywood. I read all the old biographies that were in the library but they only briefly covered the NC years.

I finally met her sister Myra that lived in Winston-Salem near me in 1981 and begin to hear some of the Gardner family stories. Myra would tell me how it would upset her how Hollywood would always get Ava's bio wrong and how MGM would embellish stories about her "dirt poor" background. Myra stated this upset her when they would write things about their parents that was not factual but she knew Hollywood would say anything about Ava for publicity right or wrong.

But it was not until Mrs. Cannon took years and years of information, research, and interviews with the Gardner family and friends that this book was written to state the truth. It is a wonderful read not only for the " North Carolina native" but for anyone of any age that is interested in the story of Ava before, during and after all the stardom. Many of you have read the same old "Ava Gardner Hollywood/Madrid years" over and over. I know there is a new book out that just recycles a lot of the same gossip, romances, late nights, lovers, etc. So if you want something different, a factual account of Ava's life and her interactions with her family and friends, this is a wonderful experience. You will see that Ava was a true Tarheel throughout her life. The North Carolina state motto fit her perfectly! "Esse quam videri" To be, rather than to seem.

"Grabtown Girl" is a most candid tribute to Ava Gardner that focuses on her relationships with the people she knew and loved in her beloved North Carolina before and after she became a world-renown actress. It is interesting to discover the diversity of the people who had such a profound and everlasting impact on Ava's life, from her most cherished childhood friend in elementary school to a most trusted friend during her adolescent years who later became a prominent N.C. businessman.

The author includes extraordinary, never before published photographs and letters. I appreciate how Ms. Cannon ingeniously captures the core of Ava's innermost being, her heart and soul, via authentic documentation. This is the stuff good books are made of.

"Grabtown Girl": what a treasure, what a gift! This is, in fact, the "real deal" and that's what I call "priceless!" Once you begin reading "Grabtown Girl," you may find that you are unable to put it down until you read every single page from start to finish!

It's a great book. Just great! 5 stars for the Author and the Book!

It's difficult to juxtapose a breathtakingly beautiful legendary movie goddess with a simple country childhood, so it's therefore hard to portray Ava Gardner in both worlds.

I give the author credit for being very straightforward with the simple known facts about Ava's childhood and early life in North Carolina. She didn't indulge in wild speculation, nor did she attribute thoughts or qualities to Ava that coudn't be verified. Instead, she told the simple story of Ava's simple life, documented by interviews with Ava's childhood friends, some family members, and letters written by young Ava.

This book portrays a rather sweet and simple childhood for Ava, not too many traumas (other than losing her beloved father at a young age). They were not dirt-poor hillbillies, which is the image that Ava sometimes invested herself with when it suited her purposes. Piedmont-area North Carolina is not hillbilly country.

I would have liked the book to have had much more substance, and I was particularly interested in knowing more about the lives of her siblings, of which only the briefest of portraits were given in this book.

This biography is intensely researched and informative. The story is exactly what the title states, "Ava Gardner's North Carolina Childhood and Her Enduring Ties To Home". This biography puts most of its focus on Ava's childhood and how it shaped her attitudes toward her life and her fame. Although the last third of the book overviews her life as a star, if you are looking for a detailed account of Ava's Hollywood life, this is not the book for you. This is simply the story (told mainly through antecdotes and memories of family and friends) of a woman with strong roots who happened to become a movie star but who never forgot where she came from. The author introduces the reader to Ava's North Carolina family and friends and I love the fact that she tells the reader what happened to everyone mentioned in the book. I have a whole new respect and perspective for Ava Gardner. I was really struck by the fact that even though Ava became a big star, she never thought of herself as any better than anyone else and continued to be a loving and supportive friend, sister, and aunt. The book is short (about 130 pages, I read it in two nights, maybe took 3 hours total) and has some great pictures throughout. I highly recommend it!!!

This is a surprisingly well written biography by an actor whom we thought was only a pretty face. He tells us some inside facts of his thoughts, his life and marriage and how he has grown and changed. The tittle says it all and then he fleshes it out. I'm giving this book to a lifelong friend who was a huge fan of Kirk Douglas 50-60 years ago.

I could not put the book down ,I had to read it from cover to cover . He is a one of a kind person It shows how you will always go back to your roots

I have read past books by Kirk Douglas which were much better, mainly because they told a story, and this book is mostly ramblings. It is okay to pick up and read a bit from time to time but not a book you will be engrossed in.

You have to be tough to face your own mortality and Kirk Douglas faces it feisty, reflective, and sometimes furious. In addition to great stories from his life that he hasn't told before, this book tells of the things that, 90 years on, move his heart and his soul. I was surprised, delighted and stirred all the way through.

Kurt does it again. At ninety he is still feisty and funny. And his life- story which he has told in two previous books is only enriched by another retelling. He opens with the story of his ninetieth birthday party, a gala family event in which he laughs and is laughed at as well as celebrated and appreciated. The little kid from Amsterdam did not do so bad. He may have started out as a poor hungry kid robbing eggs from the neighbor's chicken coop but he with a lot of moxie and ability made it to the top of the American entertainment world. In this book which comes across as a series of small essays or talks he wanders all over the place but always interestingly. He in his long career knew a lot of remarkable people and he tells about many of his old buddies. He also in the course of this speaks about how much he misses many of them, one of the sad consequences of a very long life. He also speaks about the tragic death of his youngest son, whose grave he visits twice a week.
Kurt did not make it the easy way. A heart attack, a helicopter crash which set him back a lot, a stroke which took his speech from him. The stroke however did not take away his will and through great effort much help he fought back to speak and think clearly again. Part of his wake- up process was a decision to explore Judaism which he had sort of forgotten about in his prime acting years ( Except for his yearly Yom Kippur synagogue visits, and the movies made in Israel which he is a staunch supporter of) His strong desire to help young people to educate them to moral dignity and lives of contributing to making a better world is also expressed here. Also he tells the story of his fifty- three year and running marriage to his second wife,Ann, and how this has been the great love story of his life.
Kurt has guts and heart .He is a tough, caring person, who will always of course be most known for some of his remarkable performances on the screen ( Lonely Are the Brave, The Champion, Spartacus, The Clown, Lust or Life) but his works as a writer also have great entertainment and educational value.
A wonderfully enjoyable little book by a great human being.

This is a marvelous book and tribute to a very talented and beautiful woman. It is sad that she is not here with us today. She still had so much to share with us. It would have been so fulfilling to have her read, treasure and enjoy this work of love, admiration and respect. I have read and reread it numerous times, while also enjoying the vast amount of photos. Her presence on the screen was breathtaking and awesome. A little while ago, it was my privilege to see her on the big screen in the movie "Show Boat" -it may not have been her voice on screen but it was for sure her fabulous face, warmth and presence. After her "singing" the two songs, we in the audience were silent. It was as if should any one dared to applaud, the spell would be broken. The other stars got their well earned applause. However there was something in Ms. Gardner's performance that we just couldn't and wouldn't make a sound for fear it would break the spell she cast over us. How often does that happen in the movies!
I wanted to write to the author, expressing my joy in reading this work of art. I hope he will see this review so that he will know how much it means to me (if I may be so bold to say). He was absolutely thorough in writing this magnificent volume, although there were some very minor and unimportant errors. If he writes another book about Ms. G., I would order two or three copies for my friends and myself or maybe just for myself. Thank you, Mr. Dagneau, for giving us a fabulous work of a star who was underrated very unfairly because of some scripts and lack luster direction in some of the films. Although she still came through it all with glamour and just being herself.

She remained true to her family and friends even though she traveled all over the world, meeting royalty, celebrities, poets, and, yes, bull fighters, as well as everyday people. It mattered not who they were; if she knew and trusted you, that's all she needed to know and cling to. She must also have had an intriguing mind to have had so many friends in all walks of life; yet she was still basically Ava, with a thirst for knowledge, excitement and adventure. She knew that at the end of her journey, she would return her to home....to be at rest with her family with no fanfare or statues. I still feel very badly that she and Frank Sinatra could not have remained together. When I hear his songs, in my heart I believe he is still singing to only her and that we're invited along to share the moment.

Thank you, Ms. Gardner, for giving us such beauty, joy and simplicity;for leaving us movies and books (your own and some you never knew that had been written about you because we wanted to keep reading about you) and for sharing those moments with us. Thank you, Ms. Gardner.

The sub-title, "Beautiful, Wild, Innocent," only scratches the surface of Ava Gardner's many charms. Fortunately -- no, incredibly! -- Gilles Dagneau manages to capture the complex essence of the comely actress in this tribute's well-chosen words and pictures. Sharp, succinct analysis links Ms. Gardner's star turns to her own dramatic life-changes. Thus, Dagneau provides invaluable critical and psychological context to bolster previous examinations of her on-screen bravado and off-screen tabloid fodder. Wisely, while convincingly countering Ms. Gardner's self-proclaimed "averageness," the author accompanies his case with a stunning selection of photographs reminding readers of why they fell for Ava in the first place. Love at first sight? Most likely. A lasting love? Undeniably. Those who concur would be well-advised to purchase Gilles Dagneau's critical, yet kind Valentine. Fall in love, all over again.

Hollywood both discovered and suffocated Ava Gardner. Despite many memorable portrayals, Gardner had never dreamed nor sought to be re-made by the moviemaking factory. Gilles Dagneau has assembled a fascinating and revealing account of the career and life of one of Hollywood's most beautiful, talented and elusive stars. Dagneau's research provides an engrossing read accompanied by a wealth of movie stills, publicity shots and candids through the years. His chronological review of her career and the filmmakers and actors with whom she worked is interwoven with the events in her turbulent off-screen life. Never comfortable with the trappings of stardom and the media curiosity that dogged her through 75 films, three husbands and three continents, she continually professed disinterest in acting but left a wonderful cinematic heritage which Dagneau has detailed in a devoted homage. The in-depth filmography (1941-1986) is especially helpful, along with an index of names and suggested reading. This is a book for film lovers and those who appreciate a revealing look behind the scenes at the real people who inhabit the images created by Hollywood.

For anyone who has ever longed to know more about this glamorous and enigmatic movie queen, this book has it all. From Ava's discovery and rise to fame, to the height of her success as one of the world's best-loved and most talked about actresses, to the demise of her star from the skies, this oversize, full-color book examines the personal and professional lives of a woman who came to be worshipped, adored and desired by millions.

From her many love affairs and marriages to such stars as Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra, to her ever-evolving physical beauty, to the many aspects of her true personality that often caused her to rebel against the norm and behave in ways that caught the eyes of the camera, and public, off guard, this is a complete chronology of her life, accompanied by dozens of photographs both candid and posed that reveal a star of mythological proportions. We follow her meteoric career from its dawn to its zenith of success, and then to its decline as an aging Ava struggled to maintain her career, and her dignity.

Film director Gilles Dagneau (with editing and translation by Sandra Eiko Tokunaga) pays homage to Ms. Gardner with honesty, respect and a bit of wild rebelliousness, showing all sides of a woman many viewed as just a beautiful sex object, or a glamorous movie queen. We get so many insights and glimpses into the world of movie-making, and all that it entails, and we really get an understanding of Ava's often quirky behavior as she deals with the differing worlds on and off the movie set. We also see Ava through the eyes of the many famous directors, producers and stars she worked with, and how her charismatic presence effected them. We learn what she was paid for many of her films, about her wardrobes, the history behind the roles she played and the directors she was molded by, her many tumultuous love affairs and the hearts she left shattered in her wake, and her strong views on life that often colored her on-set and off-set actions in ways that made her both wild yet innocent, vulnerable yet tough as nails.

The book is divided into sections of Ava's life, from her early days as a movie-set novice, to the dawn of her true career rise in the late 1940's, to the height of her radiance in the fifties, and through the waning and sunset of her career, and life, through the sixties and into the 1980's. There is also a detailed filmography of Ava's great body of film work, and suggested reading list.

Readers who thought they knew "the Barefoot Contessa" will no doubt learn so much more about the woman and her work, and those who never knew her will be entranced and highly entertained. The stunning photos include set shots, posed movie stills, personal snapshots, and tons of behind the scenes pictures most folks have never seen before. In fact, the photos tell just as thrilling a story as the rich and detailed text does.

"AVA GARDNER: Beautiful, Wild, Innocent," is such a glorious celebration of the life of one of our greatest movie stars, but also of an era of entertainment that has long since died - a time when the stars on the movie set not only rivaled those in the sky, but often outshined them.

MARIE JONES, Book Reviewer, BookIdeas.com

As a big fan of Ava, I really enjoyed this book. It gave good details of her beginnings and later life. A very good read.

Being in the middle of working my way through Lee Server's terrific _Love Is Nothing_ (which I plan to review once I've finished it), I was eager to get ahold of a photo retrospective on the lovely Ava. Gilles Dagneau's _Ava Gardner: The Rebel_ is currently unavailable on Amazon, so this book was Plan B.

The reviewer ought to know, first of all, that this book is in Spanish, published in Spain. No serious fan of Ava Gardner should be surprised at that; Ava fell in love with the country and its culture when she went there to do "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman", and even more so when she shot "The Barefoot Contessa" (this book's title literally means "the barefoot goddess"; Ava, like her "Contessa" character, loved going barefoot all her life). Therefore, if you don't read Spanish, you're necessarily going to miss out on the book's text, which is why I say it needs to be published in an English-language version.

However, the photos are terrific, and there are hundreds of them, from all stages of Ava's life and career, in color and B&W; the book is oversized, so you get a lot of gorgeous full-page imagery. The chapters are broken out mostly by each individual film that Ava had a role in over the years; while most of them are listed by their Spanish titles, any fan with a good knowledge of her movies ought to be able to identify them immediately, especially as each chapter has several pictures from the movie in question.

If only this book were in English, I could probably give it a full 5 stars. As it is, the superb photos, many of which don't appear in any English-language book on Ava to date, well justify a 4-star rating and a recommendation to all devoted Ava fans.

If you were looking to read quite a bit about the Mob from the 1800's in Sicily up through the 1970's you are in for a treat.
If you wanted to read a biography about Frank Sinatra go elsewhere.
It is so clear that the authors of this book flatout dislike Sinatra and anyone involved with him. Everything is written with a side comment clearly expressing the authors' dislike of Sinatra, for example, about the Rat Pack "Being Drunk and making cracks about being drunk, was supposed to be hilarious" Clearly meaning the authors did not find it hilarious.
This is what you should expect throughout the book, side comments clearly expressing the authors dislike of anything Sinatra.
I'm not the type of person who needs to read gushing about someone I'm interested in but I expect nuetrality at the very least and not flatout hatred.

During the opening parts of this book, I was amazed at how much private information the author (Summers) seemed to have accumulated on the Sinatra Family. As I got further into the book, I began to feel a little "suspect" of the growing amount of intelligence he had gathered. By the time I was halfway through, I had begun to suspect just about anything Summers was saying.

Although the publicity statement on the book labels it as "unfailingly fair-minded," after finishing the book, I think it's safe to say that such accolades are seriously off-target. This biography is anything but "fair-minded."

Summers' bias trickles through in the first third of the book (he obviously didn't like Sinatra, the man), then runs more steadily in the book's middle before it grows to a torrent by the last third.

For instance, Summers obviously approves of Sinatra's political dalliances with the Roosevelts and the Kennedys, but repels at his alignment with Nixon later in his life. He makes light of Sinatra's failure to condemn the burglary of Nixon's doctor's office by Kennedy henchmen during the 1960 presidential campaign (Frank's mob connections may have even helped), but is offended by Frank's cavalier opinion about the Watergate burglary by Nixon henchmen during the 1972 campaign.

And some of Summers' assertions are just too improbable, such as the allegation that Sinatra turned to forcible rape when he was a mega-star in his 50s.

The book is entertaining, and well written, but I would take about 80 percent of it with a grain of salt--maybe even a whole saltshaker. In fact, if just 20 percent of the contents can be called factual, then Sinatra has to be discussed in the same vein as Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, and Jack the Ripper. If I thought the information was more accurate, I would have graded it a star higher.

All my life I had heard of the name Frank Sinatra, but never knew who he was. I decided to purchase this book to find put who the true Sinatra was. This book gives you all sides of him (good and bad) and addresses all of the "mafia" talk that surrounds him. This is a good read not only because it was so detailed, but it tells the truth. It doesnt water down his mob ties or that he was an immense flirt with women problems. This is a good read for anybody, in any age.

To be short, if you're interested in Sinatra's sex life and Mafia connections, that's your book. But if you want to know more about his music or his career as an actor, skip it.
Nevertheless all the authors' effort to be "objective", the fact is they simply don't like Sinatra, and try, all the time, to desconstruct the mith. But as someone has said: "a world without heroes is like a world without sun".

Francis Albert Sinatra (1915-1998) grew up in a lower middle class home in Hoboken, New Jersey. Frank's parents were from immigrant Italian families; mother Dolley was a strong community figure working with politicians and mobsters as she performed abortions. His father Marty held a succession of jobs; was a boxer and was uxorioius in his relationships with the strong Mrs Sinatra.
Frank dropped out of school and was a mama's only child petted and pampered. He began singing at local clubs eventually landing a stint with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey bands as lead singer. Girls went wild for him at the Paramount Theatre; he went to Hollywood where he made movies (winning an Oscar for best supporting actor for his "Maggio" charcter in "From Here To Eternity." Ole Blue Eyes performed in nightclubs and theatres throughout the USA and the world. He loved Los Vegas performing for many years at the mob owned Sands Hotel. He and his rat pack playmates Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr. and Shirley McClaine stood at the top of the entertainment ladder of accomplishments.
Summers and his spouse Robbyn Summers have done their research in this well chronicled career. Over 100 pages of footnotes and 300 reference books as well as over 500 interviews lend credence to their assertions regarding the singer's Cosa Nostra ties. The mob forced Tommy Dorsey to release Frank from his contract or face personal retaliation. Later film studio head Harry Cohn was forced to cast Sinatra in "From Here to Eternity' or face mob violence.
Frank was a friend of such notorious organized crime figures as Lucky Luciano; Frank Costello, Sam Giacanna and others. He served as a go-between between the Kennedy family and the mob during JFK's presidential campaign of 1960. Sinatra would later become a Republican who was friendly with the Reagan family.
Frank was an alcoholic and a lifetime womanizer. He wed his teenage sweetheart Nancy by whom he had three children: Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina. Sinatra may also have fathered illegitimate children. The great love of his life was Ava Gardner whom he wed on November 7, 1951. The tempestuous duo fought, drank and were unfaithful during their short marriage. Sinatra later wed Mia Farrow who was over 20 years his junior.
His last wife was Barbara Marx the divorced wife of Zeppo Marx. Barbara was a Vegas showgirl who was not liked by the Sinatra family.
Sinatra was a great singer with such hits as "I Did It My Way:; "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning; "New York, New York", "Nancy With the Smiling Face", "Night and Day" and "Strangers in the Night."
He was not a very nice man. He could be cruel often being up columnists and erstwhile friends in public places. He often lied about his mob friends. Sinatra could become violent in a second with a hair-trigger temper and a Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde personality. The kid from Hoboken was intelligent enjoying serious reading, classical music and art.
The material garnered by Summers and Swan makes for a good celebrity biography of a complex figure of American popular culture. I recommend it to anyone interested in Sinatra or the Mob in America.