Arts and Entertainment Books

I grew up watching Fred MacMurray on My Three Sons and in the Disney films of the '60s. Later, I saw him in films such as The Egg and I and Murder He Says. Later still, I was stunned by his performances in The Caine Mutiny, The Apartment and Double Indemnity. What a remarkable actor, and what a nice man. This book is a real tribute to Mr. MacMurray. My only quibble is that it really needed a good editor.

This book was a quick and easy read. It's loaded with information about Fred MacMurray's life and is presented in a clear chronological order with a good assortments of photos, much like Tranberg's Agnes Moorehead biography. It's clear a lot of research and interviews took place to amass this collection of data on my favorite Disney dad. I'm always glad to read when an actor is how I imagined them to be in real life. MacMurray's life story will not disappoint fans.

Charles Tranberg's new biography of movie icon Fred MacMurray is a class act - just like the man himself. Extremely well-sourced and filled with lively interviews from friends and associates who knew MacMurray best, we get to see not only Fred MacMurray the prolific and popular movie star but, more importantly, the very nice man himself. From his formative years as a small-town boy in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin to his touring band days as a saxophone player to his on-screen years in film classics such as "Double Indemnity" and "The Apartment" to his long-running role as the Dad on TV's beloved "My Three Sons," it's a fascinating journey so well-told. One of the best books on a Hollywood legend to be published in years - highly-recommended!

One of the biggest challenges facing biographers who venture into telling the stories of stars from Hollywood's Golden Age is getting input from former co-stars and co-workers - most of whom are no longer with us. Charles Tranberg has accomplished a difficult task admirably. MacMurray's biography is filled with ample commentary from actors, producers, and directors who worked alongside him in films and television. Although MacMurray may have referred to himself as a "boring" subject, this biography is anything but. Background details on some of MacMurray's classic offerings (Alice Adams, Double Indemnity, The Caine Mutiny, The Apartment) make for a very interesting and informative read. Tranberg acquired interviews with MacMurray's TV sons, who give an honest portrait of a talented if often insular man. MacMurray's children were also involved with the telling of this story and they detail their father's passion for the outdoors and their ranch-life in Sonoma County California. Nicely illustrated, this is a wonderful addition for anyone's film library.

A thoroughly researched bio on Fred MacMurray, who was always underrated as an actor, and more known to folks today as Steve Douglas on the long running tv series "My Three Sons". This book has plenty of interviews with colleagues and a lot of great photos. The forward is by Don Grady, who played Rob Douglas on My Three Sons. The only thing I would have liked, as with all biographies, is to know what his kids and grandkids are doing.

I own a few Tarot books and enjoy working with the cards on occasion. Girl's Guide to Tarot is one of the better ones I've come across. While most books have something to their credit, Tarot is a complicated subject and I confess I did not expect this amount of depth in an intro book for young girls. I took it out of the library for a book club meeting where the book involved Tarot.

Parents will appreciate Ms. Olmstead's careful use of language when she describes the kinds of answers a person can get from the Tarot and her sound advice about using the cards. "Be careful that you don't rely too much on the Tarot to handle the little things in life. If you are asking if you should wear the blue or the green sweater, you know you've gone too far. The Tarot should be an extension of your daily life, not a controlling force."

This attitude is reinforced throughout the book, which I think a very responsible thing. A young girl could easily get sucked in to thinking Tarot will tell her future. The author makes it clear the cards can present possible resolutions to problems, but the future is something to be created by the reader. This point is restated several times in various ways.

The book contains an overview of the varied history of the Tarot, descriptions on how to shuffle, ask questions --excellent advice here-- "put a positive spin on it" "Don't ask, 'why can't my mom stop giving me such a hard time?' Rather "What can I do to increase understanding between Mom and me?" A section of very good, accurate card definitions, a wonderful section with very useful spreads spreads. Teens may find the "what can I do to increase my self esteem" spread helpful. A section on journaling and caring for the cards, etc. Also some projects, even advice on making your own deck for the ambitious!

In short, lots of good information here set out in a manner that encourages the reader to be non judgmental, to think carefully about problems and take positive action to solve them. Also the book does not have any Wiccan/religious viewpoints. These would not bother me, but this might be a concern for others. There are longer books out there for older audiences that are not nearly as good as this one. I wish I'd bought it sooner!

If it wasn't for this book, I still wouldn't know how to read tarot cards. This book was nice and simple and easy to use. I had no problems understanding it!

I really find that this is one of the best books on tarot that I have seen. I haven't had much luck with a lot of books because they tend to give lots of definitions and many of them are really vague. This book, however give straighforward and most importantly accurate meanings to the cards. It in one of the few books that makes the cards really usefull. Quick and easy but don't think that means fluff. This is a book that I will recomend to others, no matter what the age.

I was very engaged by this book... as an older "girl," I appreciate the way in which Olmstead presented tarot as a way to explore one's goals, hopes, and dreams. Through the self-examination encouraged by the excellent spreads, any girl can start her own journey towards wisdom. The explanations of the Rider-Waite deck are clear (well, as "clear" as tarot gets!) and the descriptions of little rituals and ways to learn the art (especially the "card-a-day" suggestion, brill) are reasonable AND fun. A great gift for a girl learning to read her own life and live with confidence.

We ran across this delightful book at our local library during a routine trip with the wee ones, and what a wonderful find! It is written for girls ages 12 and up, but we think its appeal is much farther reaching. All 126 pages are brightly and softly illustrated; there is nothing dark, scary and mystical here. It starts with a brief introduction and history, and gives a novice reader a good idea about what Tarot is and is not. There are simple step by step instructions, and sections on how to pick out a deck, storing your deck, and how to create your reading environment. The Major Arcana descriptions are a page each, using the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for illustration, and the author refers to these as the "Destiny Cards". The Minor Arcana descriptions are two per page, and are referred to as the "Free Will Cards". There are fifteen pages of spreads, from the most basic using 2 cards up to using 18. We were pleasantly surprised to find a section on designing your own spreads as well as finding your birthday Trump card. The closing section will appeal to those crafty sort, with instructions on how to make your own Tarot decks and bags. We thoroughly enjoyed this book - it presents such a fresh, new approach. Our only wish is for a bigger section on reversals, but overall this is a good beginner book for a young reader, and one we wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

Berg does a great job, and the subject is absolutely a fascinating one.

A. Scott Berg does an excellent job in capturing the life of one of the American cinema's first industry moguls. From his tough beginning as an immigrant to his phenomenal success as an independent producer, this entertaining and fascinating biography delves deeply into the man with the "Goldwyn touch." Berg also effectively captures the spirit of early cinema and its rapid rise in American culture. Along the way, we also learn about many of Hollywood's colorful personalites, including Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford. This book is a must for any fan of early American motion pictures.

What a story! A remarkably easy to read account of Sam Goldwyn's rags-to-riches life. Did you know "Goldwyn" was not his real name? Did you know he was thrown out of the MGM company after a few years?! Goldwyn worked at some stage or other with just about every famous name in the business, and also fell out with just about everybody he ever met. A cantankerous and perverse character who loved contradicting people. When people quit because he made their lives intolerable, he sometimes felt personally attacked and betrayed. The book is full of colourful characters, and Scott Berg has done a wonderful job of using quotations and dialogues to really bring these people alive: Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lillian Hellman, William Wyler, Billy Wilder, and the remarkable Hilda Berl. It reads like a movie! By tracing Goldwyn's history, the book also covers the story of many of the other famous movie companies that are still famous today: United Artists, Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO and of course MGM. Goldwyn also came across many young actors and actresses before they were stars: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Marlon Brando, John Wayne, etc. And of course the famous Goldwyn malapropisms are here, though limited to the ones actually traceable (as far as possible) to Goldwyn himself: "Anyone who sees a psychiatrist should have their head examined! Include me out! A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on," to pick just a few.

A remarkably well-written and well-researched biography that brings this vigorous, infuriating, yet oddly attractive ugly duckling to vibrant life. This must rank amongst the best biographies, up there with Ron Chernow's book about the Morgans. Anyone at all interested in movies and movie history will enjoy this.

I picked this book up at the library not knowing what to expect and was amazed! Although it is indeed a biography of Sam Goldwyn, it is also a very well told piece about the studio system and Hollywood in the first half of the century (with an emphasis on the 20's) Not only insightful but entertaining; it makes for a read more gossipy than the trashiest celeb autobiography while maintaining class and style.

I recommend this book to anyone the least bit interested in the classic hollywood days. It is the best book I've read thus far on the era, and it will get you down to the video store hunting down old movies just to see the actors and actresses you've read about.

Great book! I enjoyed reading about a man who literally came from poverty to be on of Hollywood's pioneer filmmakers. He was a rough man to work with no doubt, but knew what worked and lasted in an industry that is hard to last in! A. Scott Berg did a wonderful job of writing a respectful book about this man!

I have admired Grace Kelly all my life and this is by far the most beautiful book about her. The pictures are all stunning, and truly depict what a glamourous and classy woman she was. There is not a great deal of information - or pictures - of Grace, and this compilation is simply wonderful to look at. Definately recommended for any fan.

Jenny Curtis' "Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures" is a must for Grace fans. Lovely reproductions of some of Kelly's most enchanting photos fill the book. It is a pleasant addition to any collection, and it is exactly what it is entitled, a life in pictures...nothing more and yet, nothing less.

Along with Ann-Margret, I firmly believe Grace Kelly is the most beautiful woman to ever grace the silver screen. As a kid, I had a huge crush on her, and was sad to learn she was dead (a scenario similar to The Who song "Pictures Of Lily", but that's a whole differnt story). YHowever, I was still transfixed at how beautiful she was, and I bought this book looking for great photos of her.
This book does not disappoint. The photos in this book paint a far more entetaining and accurate portrait of the life of this beautiful and talented woman who became a princess who devoted her life to charity. The photos in this book are breathtaking. It's sad to read this book, not only because you'll be reminded of her tragic death in 1982, but also because it you'll remember who elegant and classy Grace was, and then you'll remeber how trashy all the "beauties" of modern Hollywood are, and you'll be reminded of the steap decline the entertainment industry today. Even so, a defintite must have.

Lovely pictures and interesting text make this book well worth buying. It showcases Grace's life from early childhood to her untimely death.

There are far too few books available about Grace Kelly, but this is the cream of the crop. Not only is it bargain priced, it has over 120 high quality photos covering all aspects of her life, from her childhood to her tragic death. Despite her rather short film career, she'll always be remembered for her great performances in classics like "High Noon", "High Society", "Dial M for Murder", "Rear Window", "To Catch a Thief", and especially her oscar-winning role in "The Country Girl". Just when she was America's leading lady she threw her career away for a marriage to Prince Rainer of Monaco. Her charm, elegance, and incredible beauty captured the hearts of people all over the world. This book is a definite must-have for all her fans whose hearts are still captured!

This truely is a great bass tab book for a great album! Beginners to experienced players could do alot worse than learn from the basslines Duff McKagan plays on Appetite!

Buy this book!

In Appetite for Destruction, Gene writes about how guns and roses emerged from an LA club that legends Van Halen, Motely Cure and poison, also emerged from. Gene gives an excellent point of view of how hard they had it when they first started. He continues to write about how even know they had numerous albums and concerts, the luck for the band, just kept on getting worse. From someone's head getting stumped in ar a mush pit at one of their concerts, to alcohol and drug overdoses.
It talks of how slash tried to over came his drug problems and how Axel had a huge control issue over the band. This band was created of friendship and ruined by greed, corruption, drugs and alcohol. It even tells you secrets of songs and stories of them. I would give it 5 stars.

i thought ''Appetite for Destruction : Bass Guitar'' was reallya great transcription for bass guitar of a great album. i has musicand tab for all the songs. my favorite song is "Sweet Child of Mine" the bass line is modereratly easy and fun to play. i gave it a 5 because it is well written and easy to figure out

All the songs from Appetite for Destruction, with detailed transcriptions, song notes and an introduction at the face of the book, lyrics, and more! I also bought THE STYLES AND TECHNIQUES OF SLASH, which was a breakdown of some of the songs from Appetite with a bonus CD. Both are recommendable but this is definitely more straightforward. If you want to learn Gn'R, start there. If you're already good at guitar, get this book. It's hard, and takes practice, but the songs are ALL great. Even Think About You is fun to play, and it's my least favorite song on Appetite.

i think this is the best book in the world, i didn't buy it, but one of my dad's friends gave it to me. I'm such a fan of GNR, it is not even funny, so i realy enjoyed the book, i can't single out any spot that i like the most, beacause all of it is great

I LOVED THIS BOOK! All right, so the author went to Princeton, where he played on the basketball team. We won't hold that against him, especially since the team he played on almost beat #1UCLA in the NCAA's(lost by a point.) Perhaps that near victory prepared him for life as a Hollywood screenwriter, where he suffers the "plight of intermittent reinforcement": every once in a while he'll get a rat's pellet of reward, just enough to keep him "bashing his head into a cinder-block wall."

See the way I'm quoting the author? This is the kind of book where you underline all the time. (Mine is NOT a library copy, I own it.) Some samples:
Comparing how men and women cross a dance floor differently when they're drunk. A man will "do these flanking motions, like a sailboat tacking upwind, stumbling left...then heading back right, like you improve your odds of finding your destination by covering more territory somehow..." A woman will cross "like she's on a mission, walking that straight line.. putting one foot in front of the other, steps short and quick, knowing as long as she keeps leaning forward and staying focused she's gonna finally get there."
Or his example of "due diligence:" "When people are young, they sleep together before getting married to find out how good the sex is gonna be. Second time around, it's to find out how bad's the snoring. Due diligence."
Quoting a teacher friend of his: "Moviemaking is the slow disintegration of a good idea."
Quoting another friend's mother: "Closed mouths don't get fed."
Quoting a doctor on why his friend developed a lump in his scrotum (non-malignant--this book is for laughs, not for downers): "Forget firefighters, forget steelworkers. Writing's the worst--high stress, constant rejection, alcoholism, drug abuse, heart disease, phlebitis, self-contempt, you name it, plus you sit around on your balls all day."

Part of the book is based on columns the author wrote for espn.com. That means he writes short, snappy chapters, which make it an easy read. He also puts in web addresses that will help writers and others with their work. And he's not afraid to personalize the book, be it his relationship with his wife (Where did he find such an angel?!), his sons, or his genuine feelings about our troops in Iraq (sadly, though the book chronicles the year 2005, the troops are still there.) But mainly it's funny. Who knew watching some other guy face constant rejection could be so entertaining?

Finally, Ryder actually had me hooked so much that I HAD TO KNOW what happened to the one screenplay he finally managed to sell. What's the exciting climax? I won't tell you, because you'll have such a great time finding out yourself. You'll also learn a whole lot about the in's and out's of the screen trade, viewed through the lens of a sports consultant, but, most enjoyably, as seen through the eyes of a sensitive, funny, compassionate writer who's been there, done that. If you're anything like me, once you've finished this book, you'll quickly give it to someone you care about so they can love it, too.

Hollywood Jock is an easy read, filled with the amusing adventures that Ryder has encountered in his quest to write screenplays of interest in Hollywood. Anyone even remotely interested in sports and show business will find the book entertaining and funny. This book seems like a natural premise for a TV sitcom. Maybe Ryder will get lucky and HBO will agree.

This book is a gem!

HOLLYWOOD JOCK should be mandatory reading in every college Screenwriting class. Every starry-eyed writer heading to Los Angeles needs to know what to expect, and Rob Ryder's experience is what so many LA scriptwriters confront. Had I read Ryder's eloquent book before spending my dozen years in Hollywood, I would at least have been prepared for the experience.

What's most instructive is that Ryder has such a masterful command of both story and prose -- and deep insight into sport. His so his insider story of how Hollywood actually works at the script level helps explain why we see so few quality studio films.

But most of all, HOLLYWOOD JOCK is simply a crackling great read, whether or not you plan to be a Hollywood writer. It's the real deal about Hollywood, and it's about time someone told that story and so well. Kudos to Rob Ryder!

Hollywood Jock is the kind of book that needed to be written. Most other books are by better known screenwriters that only highlight the ups of their careers, while Hollywood Jock reviews it all. At times you just wish someone would drop some money into his lap to see what he can do, and by the end you're surfing the net finding out what he's up to now. If you're intrested in movies and the people behind the camera, pick up this book. If you don't care at all, still, read this book. The stories alone are worth the read.

If "Hollywood Jock" were a movie, the log line would run: "A sports-mad writer gets a shot at redemption when his wife gives him a year to sell a project to Hollywood."

This book collects the 34 "Hollywood Jock" columns written wrote for ESPN.com, and another 19 that continues the story of Rob Ryder, Hollywood Hustler. We follow him as he tries to sell anyone he can get ahold of on the merits of scripts such as "Zulu Wave," about a black surfer in apartheid-era South Africa, "94 Feet of Hell" that takes you inside a fictional college basketball game; and businesses such as a 4-on-4 summer pro basketball league. He's calls on agents for pro athletes who want to get into producing, directors he has worked with (such as Rob Shelton, who directed "Bull Durham" and "Tin Cup"), production companies, money managers, agents, anyone who knows anyone with two cents to rub together who might be able to get a movie launched.

When he's telling his war stories, Ryder is a genial companion, and you can sympathize with his struggles to get his projects off the ground.

But "Hollywood Jock" is also a mess, a shapeless diary that's as chaotic as the way Hollywood puts together movies. The "wife gives him a year to make good" conceit holds no drama or emotion -- and once he loses his paying gig at ESPN.com, the chapters move away from the look at Hollywood and pro sports and becomes a recitation of e-mails, meetings, appointments and cancellations, writing sessions and what Elmore Leonard would call stuff readers would skip over.

If you can handle that, "Hollywood Jock" is a good example of how Hollywood works and how it doesn't.

a great visual journey into john lennon's life with plenty of intimate photographs

All I can say is that this book is the best I've ever owned on any member of the Beatles. Jammed full of pictures and a detailed bio, this book is everything that you need to know about John Lennon's life, work, and social standings. I give it an A++++. Forwarded by Yoko Ono.

The perfect coffee-table book for fans of John Lennon and his music. Lots of lovely photos and illustrations, plus commentary from Lennon & those closest to him. Includes a very useful chronology & dscography. Highly recommended, as is the film upon which it is based.

i bought this book after seeing the rave reviews it got, thinking it was a real reading book. turned out to be a HUGE, glossy pictorial account..... but it's just as good probably better. awesome rare photos and quotes by the man and friends, and packed full of priceless memories. get it.

This is really a great book. It gave me allot of facts. Not just about the working John but also the person John Lennon. The picuters are big and very well taken. It's pictures we have seen before from the Beatles time. But also pictures from his personal life with his sons and wives. It's a wonderful book and a great tribution to John. I loved it.

I found the book to be a great information resource into her life and career start. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the out of order details, found to much jumping forward then back, or back then forward, but other than that, I thought is was a great book and I still love jenny in a big way, she is the greatest.

When my boyfriend gave me this book as a joke for my birthday, I didn't find it very amusing! You see, up to this point, I was one of the hopefully few "Jenny-haters" out there. But I decided to give the book the benefit of the doubt and give it a whirl, and I have to say that I was more than just pleasently surprised! Jenny McCarthy is not only very down-to-earth, but she's witty, hilarious, and quite frankly...normal! It was so refreshing to read that she isn't perfect after all - that she had acne, and stretch marks, and bad hair days, and bozo boyfriends. This book flys by, and I really didn't want to put it down. I am so glad I decided to read this book, not only because it was 100% entertainment, but because it gave me a chance to meet the "real" Jenny McCarthy. I loved it!

It tells us secrets about Jenny never evealed before.It's a little costly but well worth it.

The title should tell it all: Jen X. It should read Jen O because she is a negative interger. Take away those breasts, and she is just another annoying self serving celebrity with little talent. This book is a must read for airheads, retards, mutants and crackheads. Enjoy!

I think the book was one of the greatest books i have ever read. i could realate so much to her. she is my like idol and i was so happy when i found out she had a book coming out. i bought it the very first day i saw it at the mall. one day i hope i can meet her but i know that will never happen but all in all the book was really good~! i think everyone needs to buy this book and see just how much she is like anyone of us!!! well if your out there jenny mccarthy i just wanna say hi and maybe i will be lucky enough to see you one day! i love you! you are so cool! well people i have said enough, now you need to go get the book that i am raving about!please buy it! it will make me happy! well cya people! hope you read this jenny!!!! from: Your biggest fan in the world!!!!jenny h

If you are an opera fan, you will probably enjoy a lot of the behind the scenes anecdotes in this book. Most interesting for me were the parts that discuss working with high-maintenance divas and conductors (especially Karajan). There is also a very disturbing section about a stalker who followed Nilsson around the world for 9 years.

There are also many paragraphs of the form "In 19xx I performed such-and-such opera in such-and-such theatre alongside so-and-so who was a wonderful singer and so-and-so who was really good on stage etc etc." These get kind of boring --- except in those cases when the performers played practical jokes on each other. Because of the boring parts, I found it a little hard to motivate myself to read through the whole book, but there are a lot of good stories in there.

Nilsson fans will also appreciate the discography. She was an awesome singer.

This autobiography by Birgit Nilsson was originally published in Swedish in 1995 and in German two years later. This 2007 English translation of the German edition is by Doris Jung Popper, an American who was herself a former Wagnerian singer in Europe. It is for the most part in graceful, witty and seamless prose which catches the informal and down-to-earth way Nilsson spoke. We are taken from Nilsson's life as a farm girl in Sweden through her discovery locally, her schooling in Stockholm, her first breakthrough there and then internationally and her acclaim as the greatest Wagnerian soprano since Kirsten Flagstad. We get backstage stories about performances in New York, Milan, Stockholm, Vienna, London and, of course, Bayreuth. We read about her long happy marriage to Bertil Niklasson, a veterinarian. She shares funny and warm stories about her colleagues, not sparing those with whom she crossed swords -- most notably Rudolf Bing and, much more so, Herbert von Karajan, for whom she is particularly disdainful while admitting that he could draw magnificent music from his performers. She relates the details of her having to deal with her stalker, Miss N., a story well-known in opera circles but which may come as a surprise to some readers. One senses that Nilsson withholds some details in the interest of sparing the feelings of some opera world luminaries who are still with us. This reflects positively on her genuine concern for the feelings of others but might disappoint those who are looking for 'dirt.' There is a discography and a detailed chart outlining events in her life, as well as a compendious index. As well, there are over 60 black-and-white photographs from all periods of her life.

Warmly recommended.

Scott Morrison

This is a wonderfully entertaining read about a thoroughly gracious and unexpectedly humorous lady. I knew that she reportedly had a lively sense of humor, and this book chronicles that fact. It is especially nice to know that this book was not "ghost written," but was just translated from the Swedish.

I was never privileged to meet or know Madame Nilsson personally, but her memoir, _La Nilsson: My Life in Opera_ makes me wish I could! She was a bright spot in the world and her death in late 2005 was a huge loss. I have certainly been an admirer of both her singing and of the woman herself for many years. I do own her earlier book, _My Memoirs In Picures_, which is largely a wonderful collection of photographs from her life and career, and whetted my appetite to know more about her. If you can find a copy, I recommend that book as strongly as I recommend this longer memoir.

That appetite has been mostly--if not completely--satisfied by La Nilsson, an easy, accessible and "can't-put-it-down" fascinating account of her life. This book is just what I would expect of Birgit Nilsson, unpretentious, friendly and conversational in tone, but awe-inspiring in terms of her artistry and long career; her great accumulation of knowledge and experience, and about comic moments onstage and off that made me laugh out loud. Some of the funniest of these deal with language barriers, and the difficulties of correctly interpreting foreign musical terms that were misheard, or misunderstood. She is never mean in spirit, although she doesn't sugarcoat her personal difficulties with von Karajan, and sometimes with Karl Bohm, and Rudolf Bing. But in all cases, she writes in detail about what she admired about them, too. She gave as good as she got in the area of verbal self-defense.

She writes warmly about all her many long-time friends and colleagues on the operatic stage, most notably Wolfgang Windgassen, Set Svanholm, Jon Vickers, Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, and Hans Hotter. She was a trouper through some harrowing experiences, and while she did not put up with a lack of professional consideration from anyone, she did not just wilfully indulge in "temperamental diva" behavior. No wonder so many of her colleagues loved and respected her!

Madame Nilsson also writes about her parents and her beloved husband, Bertil Niklasson, with great warmth, although she doesn't gloss over some of her frustrations with both parents during her childhood and adolescence. The twelve years she had to deal with her stalker, Miss N. filled me with sympathetic dismay, as I had no idea Madame Nilsson had had to endure that persistent, threatening intrusion into her life.

I highly recommend this memoir to any admirer of Madame Nilsson's in particular and of any interested opera fan in general for the insight into the career of one of the great singers of the 20th century in her own, very witty words.

Melissa Houle

At last an English translation of this wonderful biography. It is written by Mme Nilsson herself - no ghost writer here. The book is filled with lots of interesting details from one of the most spectaculare careers ever on the international opera scene. Behind every word you can feel the sympathy and warmth of a really great but also earthbound star with great intelligence and - a great hearth. When famous film director Ingmar Bergman red these memoirs he tells in an interview, that he had never laughed so much and so often when reading a memoir before. That says a lot. A must for all opera fans.

The Queen of the Nile will soon be battling for historical significance with the Queen of Pop very soon. A unique take on the influence of Madonna beyond just hit records to a whole social expression that inspired other artists, feminism, and what it means to be an ambitious woman without apology.

Like so many, I find Madonna interesting. And I agree with the positive reviews of this book -- I really like it. The unique contribution here is the way the author discusses Madonna in ways that make "postmodern" an interesting, understandable, ans useful concept. And believe me, I am no fan of academic writing of or about the posrmodern. But this book can be highly and widely recommended.

Madonna:alot can be said about Her but Boring isn't one of them.thsi Book Explores the Many things that relate too the Artist&personna that is Madonna.this Book is Challenging&also puts Madonna into a Complete Perspective from start too finish.just like the Woman Herself it will keep you wondering more&what lays around the Corner.

In this book GC Guilbert shows how absolutely everything Madonna has ever done is packed with clever references. He doesn't mean that she's a plagiarist, far from it: she just uses her vast knowledge of (popular) culture, in a "postmodern" way. A fascinating read.

At last a book about Madonna that can be enjoyed by academics AND fans. There have been two or three collections of highbrow essays by various university eggheads that were a bit too hermetic. "Madonna as Postmodern Myth" is "intellectual" but crystal clear.The subtitle pretty much sums it up: Georges-Claude Guilbert does show the way the diva "rewrites" just about everything -- always cleverly -- and especially old Hollywood stars. Besides, it's a very feminist book, but a sexy feminist book (yes, it is possible). I'm sure every Cultural Studies professor is going to want to read it, as well as every Madonna fan who's ever wondered why it is exactly that makes her / him adore the "self-constructed" star, beyond the obvious: she's unique.