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.

Once in awhile we have to do a throwback to a novel not of this century. Yes, we have to. But that's OK because this one is about one of my all time favorites: Rebecca by Daphne Du Marurier (1938). It is the only book I have ever stayed up all night to finish just because I had to know what happened. Since then I have read it several more times but this time managing to get some sleep in.

Rebecca was inspired by Jane Eyre, written by Du Marurier in Cairo, Egypt while her husband was stationed there. This British author's bestseller was a surprising success and spawned several films, television shows, and other novels. However, as we all know, are almost never as good as the book, particularly since when the first film was made in 1940 and was required under Hollywood Production Code to change the ending in order to be shown. (Warning: Reading the Wikipedia entry will spoil it!)

Since a big part of enjoying this novel is staying wrapped up in the mystery and suspense created, I won't comment on anything that might give that away. The basic premise is a young lady while working as a traveling companion for a wealthy widowed woman meets Maxim de Winter, a handsome gentleman who makes her his bride and takes her back to his estate, Manderley. The young lady is mousy and unsure, struggling at times with why such a man as Maxim would want someone such as herself for a wife. While the reasons become more and more clear as the novel progresses, the couple can never escape the presence of Rebecca, Maxim's first and deceased wife.
Once at Manderley, the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers makes her appearance and continues to haunt, cause trouble and general nastiness to the young lady, as she was fond of Rebecca and refuses to accept her death. Mrs. Danvers earns her place in villainess history along side the Nurse Ratchets, Cruella de Villes and White Queens. She'll give you the chills as she sweeps along the long creaking halls of Manderley.

The story is told entirely from the young lady's point of view, starting a little slow, but really picking up speed mid-way through the story as the intensity in which Rebecca penetrates their lives (with the help of Mrs. Danvers) from beyond the grave. Once I hit the last third, it became a novel that could not be put down as the mysteries begin to unravel.

Because of the age of this novel there have been lots of printings, you could pick this one up at the library, used bookstore or chances are, borrow it from a friend, making it even that more attractive to pick up and give a try. This novel appeals more to women than men, I did get a male friend to give it a try, he liked it, but also referred to it as a very "feminine" story.

Rebecca / 0-380-77855-6

Not your typical romance novel, Rebecca has much more a feel of a mystery novel, with the heroine often on the tip of discovering some terrible and horrible secret. Du Marier's writing takes sudden hold of the reader, and carefully maintains the central conceit of the novel - that Maxim's idea of Rebecca contrasts sharply with the narrator's conceptualization of Maxim's idea of Rebecca. She also carefully utilizes secondary characters, providing valuable allies and frightening enemies as the narrator steps carefully along, wondering just labyrinthine mystery she has become a part of.

Especially fitting is Du Marier's choice to strip the narrator of a name, she has no identity in her own world, she is merely Rebecca's successor, for better or worse. Allies, friends, enemies, and relatives cannot see her, they can only judge the difference between her and Rebecca. And, though we might wish otherwise, the narrator eventually internalizes this attitude and sees herself only as 'Not-Rebecca'. In this way, the novel is a caution of sorts - a warning against surrendering a definite self-image to a constantly shifting self-judgment. Even the ending is bittersweet - the duo has freed themselves from the specter of Rebecca, but it is unclear whether something more substantial has taken her place (love? purpose?) or whether there is simply the vacancy, the place where Rebecca used to be and which is now empty.

Rebecca is a beautiful novel containing intrigue, romance and the exquisite portrait of the wild and beautiful lands of Cornwall, it is beautifully read by and Anna Massey.

Would certainly recommend this classic novel audio book.Rebecca

I felt sad at the end, even though it was an ok ending for the couple. However, the ending was vague and even the epilogue left some questions unanswered. I don't like unknown, vague endings. There were some interesting ideas and two plot twists, but I didn't enjoy the book enough to recommend it. I wanted it to be over. The author spends a lot of time describing flowers and details. The heroine was never given a name, I will call her "H." A lot of time is spent in H's mind, discussing things she was timid and fearful about and she imagined conversations that other people were having about her.

CAUTION SPOILERS: I have never imagined anyone being as timid, fearful and nervous as H. She would hide from the domestic staff and wanted to avoid speaking to them. A guest would come and she hid behind a door so he might leave before speaking to her. She had no desire to learn anything or improve herself. After the crisis was resolved, H desired to change and learn things, but the epilogue showed she changed enough to care for Max, but nothing else. The couple just seemed to quietly float through the rest of their life together. She didn't change. One of the more interesting parts of the book was the evil of both Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers, who was in charge of the household help.

Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting: mid 1920s England. Copyright: 1938. Genre: historical romantic suspense and mystery.

This book puts women in the worst of light. The young woman is plan out shown as dumb and even backwards. Normally I like Gothic novels. If this had been the first one I had read I would have never read another. She is unable or unwilling to see anything on the bright side. Sorry I really have nothing good to say about the book.

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.

.
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