Vivien Leigh Books

What is most striking about this book is its lack of sentimentality and incisive, sharp language. There has, indeed, been much written about Tennessee Williams, perhaps too much; the endless nonsense of his being a self-hating homosexual, the lurid tales of his promiscuity, the alleged Oedipal complexes, the temper tantrums and paranoia, and other such twaddle have all obfuscated many essential things about the genius who was Tennessee Williams. This excellent book stands out because it reminds us of Mr. Williams' power -as a person and a playwright- and at the same time it is not sycophantic nor is it cleverly bitchy. Smith, the author, meets Williams rather by accident and the unlikely friendship blossoms. I found the writing to be rather enthralling, evocative, and extremely well-crafted, which allows it to stand apart from many of the other (lesser) books on Williams. It is a memoir and does not purport to be anything but that, which allows the reader a keen insight into the life and work and humanity of the great Tennessee Williams. Because it is told from Smith's eyes the recounting of these stories is deeply personal and often effervescent with images and ideas; a far cry from the mawkish, self-consumed memoirs that pass as literature these days. I also liked the fact that Smith names some names and makes clear the case that the critics, PR people, and the various 'powers that be' in the theater and film worlds (i.e. agents, lawyers, producers) all played their part in Williams' miserable and protracted demise as much as the alcohol and pills did. And while Smith does not exculpate Williams from his vices he carefully explains why, he in fact, had them, and elucidates the nefarious forces constantly in conflict with the artist and his creative process.

Make no mistake this is Mr. Smith's story of his friendship with Tennessee, and thank goodness for its uniqueness, honesty, and edge. I think to truly appreciate this book one has to be familiar with serious writing (Eliot, Shaw) and not the Pop pap that sadly passes for publishable literature today. COSTLY PERFORMANCES and its author are both class acts and any writer or artist or person with a soul or fan of Tennessee Williams will love this book.


PS
The comment about grammatical errors is totally wrong and unfounded. And the Braun woman; who is she? "The author needed distance"? If she works in a library, how does she not know what a memoir is, and what the first person POV narrative offers the reader? These types of hit jobs are precisely the type of aforementioned `nefarious forces' to which I referred.

I am a young actor living in London where the plays of Tennesssee Williams are experiencing a great deal of interest within the entire theatre community: schools and universities; theatre companies; theatre media. All fans of his work are turning to background material on Williams and one of the most discussed -- and admired -- is Costly Performances/Tennessee Williams: The Last Stage by Bruce Smith. Mr Smith has, since writing this memoir, become actively involved in London's theatre world, saying he learned "at the master's hand" many enduring and valuable lessons re dramaturgy, play production and, more importantly, playwriting. His play 'Papal Gore' is scheduled for a West End staging. As well, his book about Mr. Williams is now being made into a major motion picture here in England. Real theatre people understand the sensitivity Mr. Smith brought to his portrayal of Mr Williams in his last, very difficult years and value it as a real contribution to 20th Century theatre history. It is highly literate but -- above all -- a very good read. This book, with Lyle Leverich's
The Unknown Tennessee Williams and the gossipy The Kindness of Strangers by Donald Spoto provide an indepth look at the author's life and times.

Finally! A book about how they really loved each other. Probably the best on/off screen couple to ever exist. This book was written so beautifully that it actually made you feel what Vivien or Larry were feeling. It puts their life together and apart in a whole new light. I will read this one again and again. THANK YOU!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Some biographies get a bit dull in the details, but this book told the tale in very interesting tidbits from people who knew both actors. Lasky's details are superb regarding Vivien's manic depressive psychosis and lets readers get the feel for the disease by telling what Vivien did and said that showed the psychosis, rather than just saying she has manic depression/bipolar.

I'm studying bipolar and unipolar depression in actresses and did not know until I read an earlier biography that Vivien had it. She's been one of my favorite actresses, along with Marilyn Monroe, who I'm also studying regarding her depression. Lasky does a very good depiction of bipolar in this book that leaves a reader without any doubt of its nature.

Love Scene has many photos, which also tell the tale, and interviews with people who knew the couple closely, including directors, producers and other actors and actresses. A fast read and one that gives an eye view into theatre and cinema. You won't have any doubt this couple was made for each other by reading this book. The bipolar finally is Vivien's undoing when she, in a manic episode, makes an unfortunate comment on camera about Olivier that he can't forgive.

A sad but lovely story.

Scarlett O'Hara will live as long as women dream romantic dreams. And Vivien Leigh, the young woman who won that part in the 1939 movie,"Gone With The Wind,"after a long and brilliant campaign,thereby coming to embody the dream for as long as celluloid lasts, must be considered one of the world's great beauties.

Yet, as this excellent biography by Anne Edwards makes clear, Leigh's life eventually took on a darker tinge. Anyone simply enjoying her high-spirited flirtatiousness at Scarlett's Tara, or her highly-charged scenes with Clark Gable's Rhett Butler,
could never imagine the ultimate sadness of her life.

Like almost any other beautiful woman who's ever been queried on the subject, Leigh did not think herself beautiful. She thought her hands too big, her neck too long, her legs too fat. And though she gave the world superlative performances on stage as Ophelia and Cleopatra, and onscreen in "That Hamilton Woman," and "A Streetcar Named Desire," as well as "Gone With The Wind," she never felt herself to be a good actress.

She also never thought herself worthy of Laurence Olivier, the Prince of English Players, whom she won, as lover and husband, after another long and brilliant campaign and a notorious love affair.

Leigh once spent six hours in a dress-fitting session, insisting the designer hide her "too-long" neck: clearly, she thought she had to be perfect.

She loved Olivier with a passionate, tremulous intensity, and felt their life together must also be perfect. If he was the Prince, then the King of Players,she must be the Queen. So she deprived herself --and us--of numerous film parts, making movies only when she needed the money. She hid her Oscar for "Gone With The Wind" until Olivier had one of his own, and so would no longer be jealous. She, in fact, stayed with him regardless, while he thought only of his career.

Mind you, he repaid her love and loyalty for many years, staying with her even after her serious emotional problems became apparent. She drank too much, smoked too much, worked too hard, and slept too little.

Friends and family learned to chart the terrible manic/depressive cycles. She'd fight the onset of her attacks courageously, then be overwhelmed-- scream obscenities and groundless accusations against her friends. Tear her clothes off and have to be physically restrained. She fantasized "guiltless sex" with working class men, made advances to taxi drivers and delivery men. She identified herself so strongly with Blanche du Bois, her part in "Streetcar Named Desire," that she used Blanche's dialogue as her own, without realizing it.

The treatments prescribed for her illness were as terrible as the attacks; electroshock, immersion of her body in ice, then in water as hot as she could stand. However, she never lost her courage, even after Olivier left her for another woman. Her final illness left an important part open for Elizabeth Taylor in "Elephant Walk."

Edwards has handled Leigh's life with remarkable sensitivity amd perception. She's fair to Leigh, and to the other people in her life, most especially Olivier. Her language is sometimes lazy-- how many times can you describe Olivier as "manly," or say that Leigh "had never looked more beautiful," but I have to say, this is that rare book that's even better than its jacket promises.

I am a huge fan of contemporary romantic suspense and had very low expectations for this book I considered "dated." In many ways, the language, the pacing, the heavy description, it is dated and feels slow compared to what we are used to in the genre. However, time doesn't diminish the power of the story, the sense of doom you feel for the unnamed narrator, the classic tension DuMaurier builds with every dark scene. I'm glad I didn't rely on the movie to know the story of Rebecca. The book is a classic for good reason.

Very well written. Excellent descriptions. I could not put it down before I finished reading it.

Firt time with this writer,I tried this book because of the 320 5 stars!! Plus what some of them wrote about Ghost,and how this book was a thriller,And a Great mystery.I like books that have mystery,romance intrigue, thrillers,Ghost,Super Natural...So the reviews made this books sound great! I was SO dissapointed! It was Mildly entertaining.I liked some of the book,But It was SO Slow! And no thriller,Some Mystery yes,But Mildly,I gessed the ending before it happened.To me this book was a downer,Meaning The main girl in the story thats telling the story is depressed most of the book. All I can say Is If you like mystery, intrigue, thrillers,Ghost,Super Natural,And dont like your books to be SLOW paced and on the Depressing side or downer side,Dont buy this book....I will not get another book by this writer.

Among the hundreds of thousands of books that have been published - and even among the few hundred that might truly considered classic novels - there are only a relative handful that can be recognized by their opening lines. "Call me Ishmael." "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Not far behind such memorable openers is "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again": the first sentence of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.

Manderley is the large English estate of Maxim de Winter, a home that has been in the family for many generations. As the story opens, however, it is in ruins and the narrator - Maxim's second wife - recalls how it got that way, making most of the novel a flashback. It starts in Monte Carlo where the narrator (who's given name is never provided) first meets Maxim. He is a forty-two year old man widowed for a year; she is a naïve twenty-one year old who falls for him. The love, fortunately, is mutual, and they quickly get married and return to Manderley.

Manderley is haunted by the ghost of Rebecca, Maxim's first wife. Not haunted in a supernatural fashion but rather a psychological one. The memories of her pervade the home and are kept alive by the stern head housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. For the second Mrs. DeWinter, adjustment to married life is difficult enough, but Mrs. Danvers - who adored Rebecca - also has her sly ways of making things even harder. There are also secrets about Rebecca and Maxim that cause problems and which, when revealed, could be disastrous.

Although I am not very fond of nameless narrators (it usually comes off as a gimmick rather than necessary), in Rebecca, it works. The narrator starts out as a girl with no real identity; it is only after she become Mrs. DeWinter that she has a chance to really blossom. And as a side note, it is also a classic movie, Alfred Hitchcock's one film that won Best Picture. Although seventy years old, Rebecca continues to be an enjoyable and accessible read, worthy of the title "classic."

since my inherent proclivities lie in the romance genre, i have to admit that i was a bit frustrated with the scant attention given on the relationship between Max and the heroine (whose name, now that i think about it (duh), was never made known.) but all THAT aside, this novel expertly conveyed the pervading menace and darkness that surrounded Manderley. from the first page and literally to the last, the author still has the reader in her grasp, and you just can't shake off the feeling that something sinister has yet to come.

the insecurities that swamped the young heroine were excruciating as she found herself suddenly thrust in the role as the second wife of Manderley's master and walking in the shadow of its colorful late mistress, the beautiful Rebecca. the heroine continually feels as if she is a guest, and an unwanted one at that, in her own house. it didnt help that from the onset, she received a coldly hostile reception from the housekeeper and Rebecca's zealous champion, Mrs. Danvers.

the author masterfully unfolded the pieces of the details surrounding Rebecca's life and death, making the novel nothing less than a page-turner in a reader's morbid desire to know the truth. apparently the late Mrs de Winter was the life of the demesne, the incomparable hostess that their social group almost venerate--and no one can replace her in Manderley.

but even as she fumbles through the social mores her new life demands of her and grapples with the emotional barrage of having Rebecca's spectre in her married life, the readers can still discern strength of character in our heroine. through it all, Daphne du Maurier showed why her name remains a veritable force in the literary world as she invokes malevolence and fear brought forth by deadly secrets, and the destruction that encroaches on the soul and spreads to everything around you. provocative and memorable, Rebecca remains a true classic.

This biography was very intimate and gives you a good look at what Vivien Leigh was and went through. She was the most dedicated actress even at the cost of her mental health. We come to see the two great loves of her life: Laurence Olivier and acting. For those who want to know more about her I would recommend this book. It makes you feel like you know her personally. She is one of my favorite actresses of all time and I now have a new found respect for her.

Writing about Vivien Leigh's life is a difficult task, as I'm sure any author would tell their reader contemplating the idea of researching this fabulous woman's life. The reason is because those who know details about her and knew her best don't say much, leaving a lot to be desired sometimes. However with that said, `Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh' by Alexander Walker is a tremendously satisfying read about an actress's life `Gone with the Wind' all too soon from us all. I find this work exemplary and worthy of anyone's attention. Still there is comfort to be found in the films she leaves behind. I've only seen three of them so far, those being `Gone with the Wind', `A Streetcar Named Desire' and `Waterloo Bridge'. I have read that `Waterloo Bridge' was a favourite film of Vivien's. I absolutely adore her in it as well so that will continue to be a favourite of mine too. I'd love to see more of her films but I am so happy with the films of hers I do have. Before reading this, I read `Audrey: Her Real Story' by Alexander Walker and loved it. I loved `Vivien' equally. I could see a lot of myself in Vivien. I found we shared some of the same interests. She loved to act on the stage and I do too. She really didn't enjoy making films or her time in Hollywood she really loved the theatre more, but not really suited to musicals. However I'm sure she was fabulous in whatever she pursued as her rather short but worthwhile film career suggests. The novel `Gone with the Wind' remains to me one of my all time favourite books. Margaret Mitchell was an author without equal. I do enjoy however like Vivien William Shakespere, and Charles Dickens. Vivien read all of Charles Dickens's work. When it comes to Shakespere Laurence Olivier and Vivien seem to have just about gone through his entire work on the stage as well as some on the screen. They were like royalty. I think they would have made a wonderful couple for the twenty years they spent together. Before Laurence Olivier, Vivien was married to Leigh Holman and Leigh became her stage name instead of Vivien Hartley. Vivien had one child called Suzanne Holman, and two miscarriages. Later in her life Jack Merivale was very important in her life. Joan Plowright interested me with Laurence Oliver, and Vivien's school friend later actress like Vivien, Maureen O' Sullivan. Maureen was Jane Bennet in `Pride and Prejudice' in 1940 with Laurence Olivier and many other films I'd love to see. Another marvellous edition to an already spectacular book is the introduction to each chapter with a quote by Vivien Leigh, with I believe two or three exceptions "Walking Corpses" being really a joint description of both Laurence and Vivien and "What time is it in London?" In any case I find them an added touch of genius to an already incredible biography. A chronology of Vivien's life is another excellent feature of a busy life included here. I would have loved to see the `Romeo and Juliet' play Vivien and Olivier put on. The pictures are excellent! I love them all. The shot from `The Skin of Our Teeth' play in 1945 is one picture I find particularly wonderful and Olivier's favourite photo is absolutely stunning! Vivien wanted the lead in `Rebecca' but didn't get the part. Other films that interest me are `Anna Karenina', and then there is `Ship of Fools' Vivien's final film. I'll watch anything of hers I can find. There is so much packed into this book but it's all good. I read this when I was twenty-six a very exciting year for Vivian Leigh. The year she got the role of Scarlett O' Hara, a role always disputed and unclear how she exactly got the lead. The explanation in `Vivien' seems perfectly fine to me. When I was twenty-six I thought I had a pretty lucky year too. If anyone were to write a biography on me and if Alexander Walker were still alive I'd want it to be him. Instead I'd like Beverly Gray to write a biography on me or better yet I'd try my hand at my own autobiography. I truly believe this is the best biography on Vivien Leigh's life. Alexander Walker was very fortunate enough to meet Vivien Leigh for this biography an outstanding accomplishment for him, worthy of praise, even though she was in ill health at the time, and had electroshock therapy throughout her life. I love Vivien's gift giving. I'm sure Vivien and I would have got on famously together. It was very difficult for me to find a copy of `Vivien', because they were out of print. Now that I have one I can't imagine living without it. Vivien lived an outstanding life on stage and screen worth emulating. I hope to find other Vivien Leigh fans who admire her life as I do. Irreplaceable.

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In this seemingly fair and accurate portrait, common pitfalls of a celebrity biography are avoided, such as a gossipy tone, sensationalism, and gushing admiration. Such writing shows respectable restraint, as Miss Leigh's life has all the makings for a tawdry tale.

The only faults are that at times the business end of Ms. Leigh's career is overemphasized, such as contract and agent negotiations. However, facts more interesting to a movie fan take up less space. For example, there are only a few backstage stories on the making of "Gone With the Wind", with even less on "A Streetcar Named Desire". One interesting story told is that Vivien Leigh refused to perform Scarlett O'Hara's retching sounds, as it would be undignified.Olivia De Haviland therefore filled in the sounds. Perhaps the author felt this kind of backstage story is available elsewhere and does not belong in a biography. Though I accept that, I would have preferred more backstage stories than the business end of Ms. Leigh's career, which slowed down the reading.

Also, Ms. Leigh's erratic behavior is often understated. Some incidents are told as if a friend was telling you dinner recipes, then informs you that her daughter set fire to the school, followed by more recipes. In the way you would say, "She did what?" to your friend, I found myself rereading certain paragraphs, because I did not fully capture the extent of Miss Leigh's behaviour on a first read due to its factual presentation. More vivid descriptions would have been appropriate, without necessarily being sensationalistic.

Perhaps the author was too restrained for this fan of both movies and Vivien Leigh. But I felt this to be a worthwhile read, because more importantly, I felt as though I had gotten to know Ms. Leigh, as a woman who loved deeply, suffered much, worked hard and at times acted thoughtlessly, while happening to act in movies.

This book is a great journey into Vivien's life. It describes her life from beginning to end in a delicate and true way, making the reader really feel her struggle against her desease, so little known at that time. I have always loved Vivien as an actress and after reading this biography I got to love her even more. She was a great actress!

As a fan of Vivien Leigh, I was hoping for a biography that would delve more into her personal life. Instead, it dragged with pages and pages dedicated to mostly her career. However, if you can breeze through the boring parts, the rest is worth it.

I was pleasantly surprised at how great this book was. It's what can be a semi-serious topic but was written so well that you laugh along with the unpleasantness and awkwardness of seeing Leigh visit with her mom for the first time.
I will definitely read the next in the series.

Leigh is sent off to Ireland for the summer to spend the summer with her actress mother, Annika Anderson, where her mother is currently starring in the upcoming film Danny Boy, and where she is expected to have "mother-daughter bonding time" while being her mother's personal assistant. Leigh excepts to spend her time there being bored, but Sean, her mother's twenty-one-year-old, and hot, co-star, and her bit part in the movie make the summer a little more interesting. But Annika doesn't want to share the spotlight with her newbie, unexperienced daughter, and tension gets even higher between them. Annika and Leigh have to learn to separate the actor sides of themselves from their roles as mother and daughter. This book, though it emphasizes mother-daughter relationships, is far from cheesy, and teaches good life lessons while still entertaining.

This book was good. It was about Leigh, a girl with a movie star mom. She rarely sees her mom, and doesn't like her. Thats the part I didn't like. Leigh constantly thinks about how she hates her mom! I was annoyed about some parts of the book, it was too cruel for a kids book. Its not fun reading about a girl who wants to strangle her mom! I know its about a teenager and the rough stages she goes through...but still.
Everything else was good, I thought it was funny and creative! I learned a lot of Irish stuff! The book takes place in Ireland, where Leighs mom, Anika, is filming a movie. Leigh imediatly falls in love with an Irish boy named Sean. Before she knows it, Leigh lands a small part in the movie, Sean's sister Sinedad! She soon learns that acting is harder than it looks! I better not say anymore!

This is an amazing book, but not just because it has romance, tears, laughter, culture of an Irish nature, relationship building, and much much more. It is because it touches the reader personally. There are so many characters that you can love and hate but it is extremely fun doing both. It all starts in the summer when Leigh is sent Ireland to a movie where her mother (known as the woman that left Leigh and her father for a not so great acting career) is playing the leading lady. Leigh starts off on what seems like a train reck of a summer but she will soon find her place on set, literraly. A fun and fabulous tale of boyfriends, love, right and wrong, friendship, and of course the mother daughter battle of the century, over more than one thing. By the end of her summer she has had the experience of a lifetime and has gained a new relationship with the mother she never really felt connected to. Other than the fact that Leigh has the same beauty mark her mother has. You'll read it in a flash and be begging for more, which is okay since we are all awaiting the sequal. I loved Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of A Diva it just had everything that makes a great book great.

Vivien Leigh Reid hasn't spent quality time with her mother, a b list movie/telivision star, in years. So naturally she is less than thrilled about her father shipping her off to Ireland, the location of her mother's new movie, for the summer. When she arrives, there is no surprise. Her mother is being her typical diva self....she even insists that Viv pretends to be her sister so that no one will guess her real age. However, what Viv was expecting to be the worst summer ever brightens up as she lands a bit part in the movie. She also develops a crush on her mother's hunky young costar. Just when she thinks life is getting interesting, her mother steps in. She tries to sabatoge her daughter in the movie, and flirts with Viv's new crush, even though he's old enough to be her son! Viv, sick and tired off her mother, the selfish diva, decides to take off on her own. Revenge isn't so sweet when you're lost and penniless in a foreign country, though. Will Viv patch things up with her mother...or will she leave the diva behind for good?

This is the first of Tom Tierney's paper doll books I bought--probably a decade and a half ago!--and I've become a big fan of his paper dolls in general for their beauty and accuracy. Unlike many of his later paper dolls (Garbo, Joan Crawford, etc.) the Vivien Leigh book contains only one "doll," and the likeness, while good, doesn't quite capture her incredible beauty. (Do, however, note the brunette doll in his Southern Belle paper doll book, who is a dead ringer for Leigh--perhaps Tierney decided to have another go?) This book contains many costumes from _Gone with the Wind_--the green-sprigged dress, green velvet "drapery" dress, scandalous red dress, and mourning dress from the Atlanta bazaar sequence among them. There are also plenty of beautiful costumes from many of VL's other movies (including two from Waterloo Bridge and two from Streetcar). The color in some editions is a little washed-out (I have gone through several copies over the years!) but fans of Vivien Leigh and GWTW should really enjoy this. I only wish it could have contained _all_ VL's costumes from GWTW.

Tom Tierney's "Vivien Leigh Paper Dolls in Full Color" recreates all the highlights of this beautiful woman's long career. Fans of "Gone With the Wind" will love the costumes from this film (8 in total, but it's a pity that the ruffled white gown from the first scene is not one of them). Other excellent illustrations feature costumes from "Waterloo Bridge", "Caesar and Cleopatra", "Anna Karenina" and "A Streetcar Named Desire".
The style of illustration is classic early Tierney, with bold use of colour and superb line work. The doll closely resembles the more mature Vivien Leigh.
The plates in this book are worthy of framing!

Where is that infamous red dress from Gone with the Wind. I looked from the front to the back, thinking that I had missed it to the back to front. Kudos to adding outfits from obscure movies like A Yank at Oxford, but that adds more to the question, "Where is the red dress?"

I am a HUGE fan of Vivien Leigh who collects her films and biographies. This was a terrific addition to my collection. The dolls and outfits are beautifully drawn, and capture various film roles including Gone with the Wind. There are even outfits in the book from never-before-released-on-video The Deep Blue Sea. Since many of her films were in black and white, it is interesting to see outfits from those films colorized. ENJOY!

I love paper dolls and always have! I found this book to be wonderful. I think Vivien Leigh's beauty is hard to capture exactly, though, and I've seen some terrible images of her in other books. But, all in all, this book is a winner! I just wish the creator would become familiar with another incredibly beautiful and talented young lady by the name of Natalia Melony , and create a paper doll of her! I think if she had been born back then, she would have given Vivien some real competition for the role of Scarlett! Paper doll lovers, I don't think you can go wrong purchasing this. And if you are a Gone With The Wind buff, you will treasure it for your collection. By the way, I was named after one of Scarlett's sisters! - Careen O'Brian

Vivien no sooner arrives in L.A. when she questions her decision to spend yet another summer with her actress mother. Her decision to take classes at acting school results in a role on a TV show, but Leigh finds her new summer home challenging not because of her mother, but because of Hollywood's pressures. Here's a novel billed as a teen novel but which should reach into adult circles with its swift action, mature themes, and zany atmosphere.

After visiting, Annika Anderson, on the set of her movie Danny Boy, Leigh doesn't think she'll ever be like her overdramatic diva mother. As she enters Hollywood for the first time, she doesn't know what to expect. Her first acting class turns out to be a disaster and she makes friends with Karis, the strange girl in the class. But Leigh wants more than that, and soon she's offered a role on a popular soap, Diamond Heights. Acing isn't as easy as it looks, and as Leigh gets into the rythm of things on set, she also begins to develop diva like tendencies. Her behavior tends to be the downfall of her relationship with her boyfriend, her friendship with Karis, and her newfound acting career. And Leigh has to do something to fix everything before leaving Hollywood.

This book was a great continuation to Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid. It's not often that a sequel is as good or even better than the original. Vivien again offered enough laughs and adventures throughout the book. I love the way the story is written and it's really fun to read. It goes by so fast, and once you start it, you can't put it down. I know that I'm looking forward to reading the third book about Leigh when it comes out.

Reviewed by a student for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations.

I had been looking forward to the second book in this series and it has lived up to my expectations.

While this is a "teen" book, I am an adult and find this book to be well written from both the perspective of the daugther and the mother.

I admit that the Annicka character could be a little better fleshed out. We only ever see her through the eyes of her daughter, but you can still get a good feel for the relationship between the two.

Of course, Leigh is still completely self-absorbed and sure that the whole world revolves around her (to be a teenager again!).

The basic storyline remains the same wherein Leigh is trying to figure out if acting is what she really wants to do - as her mother tries to incorporate herself into her daughter's life - while still maintaining that she is too "young" to have a daughter.

While I have mentioned in my review of the first book that really, this story is sad (mother and child trying to figure where they fit into each other's life), the authors manage to write it with a funny slant and although you "get" the point, it does not have to be slammed into you.

I really enjoy this series. One note, I HATE trying to read the cell phone messages that Leigh keeps sending her friends. Please stop abbreviating every word - I know its probably very "cell phone" acceptable etiquette, but it is impossible to decipher the texts.

BUY THIS SERIES....

Authors Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout have followed up their teen novel Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of the Diva with Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid Diva in Training. In this sequel, Vivian is now living in Los Angeles with her C list actress mother Annika. It seems that her small role in the film Danny Boy has sparked the acting bug in our young heroine as she has enrolled in a Los Angeles based acting class, thus the reason she is now living with her mother. Vivien isn't too much feeling the acting class at first. The exercises seem inane to her and she feels like she learned much more during her time in Ireland than in the class. Vivien makes a few new friends and she still pines for her boyfriend Rory.

You can't tell Annika that she isn't A list because she truly believes that she is. Her diva like behavior is a bit over the top at times. Vivien Leigh Reid expresses a form of cynicism far beyond her sixteen years when it comes to her day to day relationship with her mother. It's really not cute at times. Their relationship seems storybook forced and lacks an authentic tone. It just doesn't seem real, for instance in one chapter after griping about her mother's habits Vivien says to her mother, "Did you change your lipstick? Your teeth look yellow." It's clear that Annika is trying to be a better mother after years of absence. What isn't quite so clear is if Vivien is still mad at her mother for being gone from her life for so long, or is this just the way she relates to her mother. Things become especially interesting when Vivien lands a sweet acting job while her mother is still looking for the perfect work opportunity.

Overall, Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid Diva In Training is a really hip books that teens interested in the entertainment world may enjoy. It paints a vivid picture of the L.A. scene and the writing is so on point when it comes to the acting world that you will feel like you are in new actor boot camp when reading the book. The book ends on such an amazing high you almost smell another sequel. Teens who are into magazines like Teen People and tabloids will probably especially dig this book.

Teen Editor Bellaonline

Vivien, once again seems to be getting herself tangled up in some of the most bizarre situations. She is back on TV, now wearing a costume, but she is eager to prove that she can avoid the diva syndrome this time. In an attempt to reform her reputation, she is thrown into a challenging role that was not quite what she expected. In her new role she is required to perform her own stunts in costume which is complicated to say the least. To further add to her problems are her complicated relationships; her male co-stars don't want to work with her, her future step sisters are determined to make her miserable, and on top of all of this her mother is in the midst of planning her wedding. Now she is falling for one of her co-stars, will her life ever not be so complicated?

Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout have a strong imaginative plot from start to finish, and have developed memorable characters. This story is laugh out loud funny, down right hilarious, and is very entertaining. I highly recommend this one without any hesitation!

While reading the story my daughter wanted to know what I was reading and I began telling her about it and since she has taken the book home and has informed me she wants all of the deuts books to read. I am so thankful she has a new found love of reading. Thank you, maybe she will spend more time reading than watching TV. I must also admit that I quite enjoyed the book and will buy the prior books and read before passing along to my daughter.

I am such a huge fan of this series. I could not wait to get the latest installment and it did not disappoint. Once again our Vivien seems to get herself tangled up in the weirdest situations - she is back on TV - wearing a beast costume no less. The description of Vivien trying to a)believe that she has to be on national tv in a animal costume and b) Vivien's attempts at "being one" with the costume (tail and all) is hilarious. Vivien also may be finding love in this one or is she?

While I really enjoyed the book, I missed the one on one moments that Vivien shared with her mother in the first book. It seems that most of the interaction between the two also included alot of other people (most of them highly irritating). For me, what works best in this series is the connection (sometimes tedious) between mother and daugher. With the twists in this book - Vivien and her mother seem to be heading towards less one on one and more family (by marriage) oriented themes - which I am not sure will work as well.

However, the book is hilarious, our Vivien is her true self and this is a great purchase.

Buy it.

In this poignant novel about our favorite diva -- now in control -- there is lots of humor and romance.

Her mother is marrying a guy that Vivien would like if it wasn't for his daughters, who are awful to say the least. They are backstabbing, conniving little brats!

Jake (Vivien's mother's fiancé) got her a job on a new show that the critics said needed a female character. That would have been all right if Chaz, the director of Diamond Heights (the show she got fired from for being a diva) wasn't the director! He is, of course, rude to Vivien the whole time, and she knows that he only keeps her there because Jake owns the company producing the show. Being an actress doesn't sound so glamorous anymore, does it?

Not only is the director a jerk but the other male actors treat her horribly because she has never done stunts before. (The show is about people who were transformed into animals and they are trying to take down the mad scientist who made them this way. Totally an action show!)

I really liked this book because it is funny and lighthearted but also has a great plot. I think almost anyone could read this book and get something out of it!

Reviewed by: Taylor Rector