Angela Lansbury Books

This book was a very good book. There are plenty of times when I got confused, like about who told on Emily. All of my questions were answered later in the book. It was a great suspense novel.

I first read this book as a child in elementary school. I have since then read it at least once a year. BTW I am 30 and still enjoy it. A must have for any child.

It is hard to overstate how much excitement Angela Lansbury brings to the reading of this mystery book for children. Suffice it to say that at age 52 I enjoyed listening to it as much as my daughter, and would have purchased twenty more had they been available. The text by Barbara Brooks Wallace is also very well done, and very accessible for children's vocabulary while remaining exciting enough for an adult to enjoy without becoming bored. I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook for parents of both good readers and readers who need something a little spicier to get them interested and involved in the story. It concerns a young girl who has lost her parents and goes to live with an aunt in San Francisco. The trials and tribulations to which Emily Lucock is subject make up the the plot of the story, but the author is able to build both mystery and suspense into the telling. The audiobook format is especially terrific because of Lansbury's wonderful technique for building drama and suspense.

When I first saw the cover of this book I thought it would be one of those trashy, dull mysteries (Who stole the peppermint candy from the christmas feast?!?) then I saw the sequal, with it's pretty, intresting cover, and began to reconsider buying the first one (if only so I could understand the sequal). I started to read it and was amazed. It has an amazing plot, and is definatly one of the best books I have ever read, and I've read a lot of books. It is completely Dickensian without the slow-moving plot, and hard to understand language that most children find boring and discouraging. It is a wonderful Victorian Melodrama! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

A bowl of lovely red and white peppermints waits on a table in the parlor . . . but the residents of Sugar Hill Hall are not allowed to touch them. That image sticks with me after finishing the final pages of Ms. Wallace's delightful adventure tale of a young orphan and the dire situation she finds herself in. This Victorian story of dramatic suspense is a perfect story for young readers just starting to break into longer fiction and craving something with adventure and intrigue.

Young Emily Luccock has recently lost her parents, and she is now going to live with her Aunt and Uncle Twice at Sugar Hill Hall, a fine mansion in San Francisco. Emily remembers her visits to see her Aunt and Uncle fondly and is looking forward to seeing them again. But something has gone terribly wrong. Aunt Twice has become a timid woman forced to be a servant in her own home, and Uncle Twice is nowhere to be found. The entirety of Sugar Hill appears to be under the thumb of the icy and forbidding Mrs. Meeching, and Emily is made a virtual slave, working in the kitchen and cleaning the rooms of the despairing old men and women who reside in the rooms of the house. But young Emily is not about to give up without a fight. She's determined to bring sunshine back to Sugar Hill and to discover what has happened to Uncle Twice. With the help of Kipper, a redheaded boy from town, Emily pits herself against the frightful Mrs. Meeching, and all the secrets hidden in Sugar Hill Hall. Ms. Wallace has provided a rousing adventure story that kicks off from the first page and never slows down until the satisfying ending. The story elements aren't particularly original, but the author uses them to good effect with engaging writing that makes us care about our heroes and hate the villains as the story progresses. Emily, for all her apparent fragility, proves herself to be tough in spirit, and to have a caring heart for the plight of others. She's likeable without being overly sweet or too plucky. Kipper adds to the flavor and fun with his cheerful commentary and use of street slang.

While the story has its dark elements: murder, betrayal, cruelty, Emily and Kipper's adventure doesn't become too frightening either. The story remains just scary and exciting enough for enjoyment of 9-12 year olds, but doesn't become gory or chilling. The book itself is a short read--those who enjoy such books as A Series of Unfortunate Events and want more of the type would probably find this title to their liking. It's also a good recommendation for young readers who want something with action and adventure, but require something without any fantasy or supernatural elements to it. If I have any complaints about the story, its that I felt the secrets unraveled a bit too quickly and all at once towards the end of the story. After wondering for so long what is going on and what happened to Uncle Twice, readers are provided the answers in short order--just in time for the final confrontations. Despite this, I found myself enjoying the entire story--and I particularly liked how the element of peppermints framed the tale. For those who enjoy this stand-alone adventure, Ms. Wallace has written a follow up story with the further adventures of Emily Luccock titled The Perils of the Peppermints. Readers might also want to check out The Half a Moon Inn by Paul Fleischman and the Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander.

Happy Reading! Shanshad ^_^

This is not only a book for fitness and well-being lovers, but a book to discover a nice aspect of Angela Lansbury's private life: her anecdotes, her favourite hobbies... it's like a conversation with a friend! If you like Angela Lansbury, you'll love this book!

An adult novel of love and temptation. Was made into a brilliant M-G-M presentation,
starring Jane Fonda and Peter Finch, co-stars Angela Lansbury and Arthur Hill,
produced by John Houseman, directed by Robert Stevens.
The story fills a single summer against backgrounds of New York,
suburban London and Greece. At the same time romantic and realistic.

Angela Lansbury is, without doubt, a national treasure as an actress and has become something of an icon to many. While her television work has made her a durable popular favorite, recognition of her formidable talent and skill as a serious film and stage actress is less widespread, as this biography highlights.

The book is something of a valentine to Ms Lansbury, and while it
does include interesting tidbits of information about her life and work, manages to touch on the main events of her personal and professional life and has a decent offering of quotes from colleagues, friends and Ms Lansbury herself, it is by no means an
in-depth biography of this fascinating, multi-facted woman.

One is keenly aware that much has been left out or unexplored;
it may be that Ms Lansbury's own preference for privacy and the
power and status she possesses have made it difficult for a truly
definitive biography to be created. This is a disappointment.

In the right hands of a gifted biographer with deep access, the richness of Angela Lansbury's background, history, character, accomplishments and life would yield a magnificent theatrical biography.
She is deserving of no less.

THIS BOOK WAS A WONDERFUL INSIGHT INTO THE LIFE OF A GREAT LADY WHOS LIFE WAS AS INTERESTING AS THE MANY ROLES SHE HAS PLAYED THROUGH THE YEARS . MOVIES,STAGE,AND TV AND SONG SHE HAS DONE THEM ALL WITH STYLE AND ELEGANCE

This is a thoughtful, three-dimensional portrait of one of my favorite actresses. It is well-researched, and full of anecdotes about Lansbury's life and thoughtful opinions of her film and television work. I learned much about Lansbury, and would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in her life and career.

Hello Ms. Lansbury:

I just wanted to tell you how much enjoyment your performances have given my wife and I, over the years. Oh, and your decision to move to Ireland after your house in Malibu burned down: Brilliant! I grew up in Santa Monica, where there was too much money and too many drugs... So many kids my age (I was born in 1954, and graduated from Santa Monica High in 1972) had their lives destroyed by drugs. Los Angeles and Hollywood are terrible places to raise kids! You are so very lucky, to have raised a beautiful son and daughter, and to have had a husband who loved you, for so many decades. I only hope that my wife and I can enjoy over 50 years of marriage, as you and your spouse successfully did! Best wishes to you and your family. [...]

If you are an Angela Lansbury fan like I am, you will love this book. It tells of her family, her marriage, children, her days at MGM, her talks and encounters with movie stars, her movie career, Murder She Wrote and after. It is a well-written book not trashy like the Kitty Kelly biographies or sugar coated. I enjoyed reading this book. A GREAT READ.

This authorized biography of Angela Lansbury is interesting and well-written...but she was a part of the project, had final say over what was and wasn't included, and left SO MUCH out! Her personal life is covered much better in the other two unauthorized biographies of Angela Lansbury. But what really floored me in this one was her descriptions of "fan psychology" and the way she talks about teenagers who looked up to the character she portrayed in shows like "Mame." She describes the kids' adulation of her in terms of being "a tragedy." While one fan clearly became out of control in terms of following her around and pestering her, the rest of us - legions of us - didn't. Hello! What's so tragic about children looking up to, and being inspired by, a responsible celebrity?

With angela Lansbury's cooperation, the author was able to construct the life of the star and her dreams without being intrusive into episodes of her life. He truly respected the subject and the star rewarded him with candor. it is too often that authors choose biographies to sensationalize a life. In this case, the author told it straight but with humanity and dignity and affection for a woman of icnredible talent and character.

This is one of the finest celebrity biographies that I have ever read. Actress Angela Lansbury is profiled with candor and wit in Martin Gottfried's "Balancing Act". Gottfried conducted countless interviews with the star herself of whom he says, "No biographical subject could have been more cooperative.", and many, many of those who knew her and worked with her. The book details her early life in London, her arrival in America during WWII, and her first film, at MGM, where they promptly decided to change her name to "Angela Marlow". The book writes with candor about her first failed marriage and her Hollywood years into the late forties, when she married Peter Shaw (and the marriage is still going strong). In the early fifties, she gave birth to her son Anthony and daughter Deidre Shaw, and in the late sixties, with her Hollywood career in a slump, she bounced back on Broadway in her Tony-Award winning title role in the musical "Mame". The book is at its most exciting when detailing her Broadway career, and not just with "Mame", but with her three other Tony-Award winning roles in "Dear World", "Gypsy", and "Sweeney Todd". And after Broadway, Lansbury conquered television with her ever-popular "Murder, She Wrote" series. Since then, Lansbury has enjoyed steady acting and puttering in her rose garden. Many humorous anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories told by Lansbury concern stars like Ingrid Bergman, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Bea Arthur among them. She is a rueful raconteur and thrilled with her extraordinary professional and personal life. With the color and gusto of "Balancing Act", Angela Lansbury is profiled up close and personal and, as always, absolutely great!

Although I am sure Sydney Guilaroff knew all the people he talked about, his book does have a number of inaccuracies, and he comes off as a somewhat naive and not very well educated person. Not sure how much of this is his fault or the fault of his editor/writer. He credits himself for being in so many places at the right time and being the inspiration for so much that after awhile, it gets a little hard to take. Just the Summer Stock story alone is pure bunk; Judy wore the same outfit from the Get Happy number in a deleted scene from Easter Parade 2 years prior. It hardly makes sense that Guilaroff can take credit for the outfit himself. Either way, for film buffs, it is a fun and breezy read, although if you are looking for some very keen insights that are truthfully written, probably not the book for you.

While being well written, Sydney Guilaroff's autobiography reveals him either as someone with perfect timing or one who brings bad luck to others. He was with Joan Crawford at her sickbed when she won her Oscar for Mildred Pierce, he spoke with Marilyn Monroe the night she died and recommended she take a Nembutal!, he ran into Lana Turner after she had purchased the knife that would kill Johnny Stompanato, he was with Elizabeth Taylor for her emergency tracheotomy, and he spoke with Judy Garland and Princess Grace of Monaco before they died. This kind of opportunism existed even before he became the head of MGM's hairdressing and makeup department from 1934, when as a novice he styled Louise Brooks' hair into her signature bob, and then at Saks New York was visited by Claudette Colbert and Joan Crawford. It was Crawford who helped bring him to Hollywood, since she insisted on visiting him for each film and Mayer resented her absence, though he also considered the coiffures worn by his female stars to be lacklustre. However Sydney had differences with Mayer, refusing to be signed to a contract and he quit after one argument, only to be brought back with the promise that he would have no dealings with the studio boss. Guilaroff's insider view of MGM makes him an informed source on Crawford leaving, where he says she left volantarily, and Garbo effectively fired after the failure of Two-Faced Woman. He perpetutates the myth that Judy Garland's recordings for Annie Get Your Gun were mediocre (proven to be wrong by their modern day commercial release) and provides the disparate and shocking tale of her drug-induced incapability even during her Summer Stock Get Happy return to work after she had lost the weight she had carried during production. The story of Judy performing the number perfectly in one take as soon as the music started is either evidence of her impulse to entertain or proof of Guilaroff's fabrication. Garland's drug-taking are about the lowest he is willing to stoop, though Irene Dunne's deliberate request for retests so that she could earn more money is catty. We learn Garbo was an insomniac, Cary Grant a depressive, though it's a surprise that he doesn't rationalise Montgomery Clift's drug-taking during Raintree County as a post-accident necessity considering he picked up on Garland's addiction the first time he met her. Guilaroff isn't shy about his accomplishments and credits himself with colouring Shirley MacLaine, Ann-Marget and Lucille Ball their red hair colours, providing Marlene Dietrich with a non-surgical facelift which used hooks in a wig to stretch her skin taut, and suggesting Garland wear the fedora for Get Happy since she had pulled out all her hair. He also attributes non-hair related suggestions, like the all over the face kissing Garbo gave Robert Taylor in Camille, directed Marilyn's test for The Asphalt Jungle, recommended Richard Burton for Cleopatra, and defended Lena Horne from the commissary racism. He also, perhaps unwittingly, exposes himself unflatteringly when he tells of his dislike of grey hair, criticising Crawford for it and thereby terminating her communication with him before she died, and spotting Garbo after she too had dismissed him. Guilaroff believes that Monroe's death was suicide and not accidental, her depression not alieviated by her psychiatrist and spurred on by her involvement and rejection by the Kennedys. His personal life remains a mystery, his remarkable adoption of a child while remaining a bachelor and not an admitted homosexual (his experience adoption helped Crawford succeed with hers), though he does admit to proposing to Garbo and being turned down, and to having long term sexual affairs with her and Ava Gardner.

There are many great tips in this book, but the best part (for me) was the series of morning stretching exercises that take only a few minutes and really get the kinks out. Lansbury includes info on exercise, diet, mental and emotional health, and general wellness.

Margaret Wander Bonanno's biography is well-worth reading, despite the fact that it was published quite some time ago (in 1987). The author clearly admires Angela Lansbury. The biography provides a warm and respectful recounting of Ms. Lansbury's life and career up to that point without fawning. The subject of the biography is treated as a real person, not as an idol.

My fiance was a best man in a wedding recently and had never given a speech before. So I bought this book and another one. Boy am I glad that I bought the other book, because this one was no help at all. It only gives you examples of specific toasts and speeches for specific families. It doesn't help. It's not generic enough for someone to put together their own speech from it. It doesn't tell you how to write a speech or do's and don'ts about writing toasts. I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you want a good book for this, buy The Best Man's Handbook. It has way more useful information on speeches and toasts than most speech books.