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ame_why's review against another edition
1.0
I've always been a fan of Cary Grant and there's no denying that he was a class act and great actor. But I can't say I enjoyed this book very much. It's always a risk reading about the personal lives of iconic figures that you'll see a whole different side of them. And while I understand this book was meant to allow his daughter a medium for her to share memories of the man she knew and loved, I was a little uncomfortable with some of the ways she described their relationship. What may have seemed a normal and close knit relationship to her, seems a bit obsessive and awkward to me. To each their own I guess, but as for me, I wouldn't recommend this book.
jay_jade736's review against another edition
I will be rereading this sometime in the future but rn, I will categorise it as dnf
minsep's review against another edition
3.0
Cary Grant was as likeable in real life as he was on the big screen.
gallydoll's review against another edition
4.0
Such a sweet homage to a father. The love really shows with every word. I loved reading about this side of Carey Grant. It made me love him even more.
tomaind's review against another edition
4.0
Cary Grant is one of my favorite actors & "Penny Serenade" is one of my all time favorite movies. Jennifer Grant wrote a wonderful book about the love she had for her father and the amazing love he had for her. Jennifer filled the book with beautiful memories of the time they spent together. It was nice to read a book where the child didn't trash the parent after they had died and were not able to defend themselves. She only lightly touched and then dispelled on the rumors of her father. One of my favorite comments in the book came from Cary's third wife, Betsy Drake. When she was asked if Cary was gay, her reply was, "I don't know, we were always too busy f****** for me to ask."
Since Cary became a parent late in life, he retired from acting so he would be able to spend as much time as he could with his child. He made the most out of the 20 years they had together. By saving little notes and recording their conversations, he left Jennifer with some beautiful mementos of their time together. I think Cary would be proud of this book. In real life, Cary seemed as funny, romantic and charismatic as the characters he played in his movies. I didn't think it possible, but this book made me like Cary more than I already did!
Since Cary became a parent late in life, he retired from acting so he would be able to spend as much time as he could with his child. He made the most out of the 20 years they had together. By saving little notes and recording their conversations, he left Jennifer with some beautiful mementos of their time together. I think Cary would be proud of this book. In real life, Cary seemed as funny, romantic and charismatic as the characters he played in his movies. I didn't think it possible, but this book made me like Cary more than I already did!
halfcentreader's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed being allowed to share Jennifer Grant's memories of her father. Perhaps his age at her birth and childhood help him be such aseemingly wise, outstanding and patient father. He wasn't perfect as she assures us, but pretty darn close to it. Her memories inspire me to be a better mother to my own, nearly grown children.
kerryanndunn's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know how I feel about this book. Ms. Grant just isn't a very good writer. Her reminiscences are repetitive, convoluted, random, and too glowing. I always wondered why Cary Grant stopped acting after 1966's Walk Don't Run and now I know. When his daughter was born he chose to devote his entire life to her and he archived practically every moment of her life in an almost creepily obsessive way. I was hoping she would tell some stories of Cary that he told her about all his years in Hollywood, but no. Apparently they only lived in the present and she never learned about his life before her. So weird. The one thing about this book I did like was the picture of L.A. it painted. It was a little time capsule of 70s/80s Los Angeles: Madame Wu's Garden, Hollywood Park, Malibu Colony, Brentwood Country Mart. Rather wonderful. I give this book three stars for that aspect, for the bit of illumination of Cary's last 20 years of life, and for the photos and letters and transcripts of live recordings from their life together as father/daughter. But it loses two stars for the jumbled writing, the creep factor, and the lack of anything penetrating or deep about her father.