You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jfjordan 's review for:
In this age of new-age studies, you would think that one had heard it all, wouldn't you? But for me, anyway, that was not the case when I read the brief author biography at the beginning of this book. The author--Anne Helen Peterson--actually "received her PhD from the University of Texas, where she studied the history of the gossip industry."
Really? When I read that, I almost didn't read this book, but since I am trying to reach my Goodreads goal of reading 52 books before the end of the year, I thought, "Oh, well, I might as well read this short 240-page book (not counting acknowledgements and the notes), so I keep on track to reach my goal."
I will say that it was not entirely a waste of time, but close to it. I've always loved movies, and as an older child, one of my favorite pastimes was watching the classic black and whites. I may have even spent some of my father and mother's hard-earned money on movie magazines. So, I knew much of what the author wrote about, but gained some new insight into the early lives of the stars she writes about. I did wonder why she chose to write about a couple of the stars and left out others, but I'm sure the length of the book was a consideration and perhaps she chose the stars she did because of personal likes. Or perhaps she chose the stars she did because all of them had tragic short-lived careers and/or lives. Stars with longer careers, like Elizabeth Taylor and Gary Grant, for example, although mentioned in this book, are not an integral part of it.
Would I recommend this book? If you are unusually curious about long-dead stars, then, yes, I would recommend it. Otherwise....
Really? When I read that, I almost didn't read this book, but since I am trying to reach my Goodreads goal of reading 52 books before the end of the year, I thought, "Oh, well, I might as well read this short 240-page book (not counting acknowledgements and the notes), so I keep on track to reach my goal."
I will say that it was not entirely a waste of time, but close to it. I've always loved movies, and as an older child, one of my favorite pastimes was watching the classic black and whites. I may have even spent some of my father and mother's hard-earned money on movie magazines. So, I knew much of what the author wrote about, but gained some new insight into the early lives of the stars she writes about. I did wonder why she chose to write about a couple of the stars and left out others, but I'm sure the length of the book was a consideration and perhaps she chose the stars she did because of personal likes. Or perhaps she chose the stars she did because all of them had tragic short-lived careers and/or lives. Stars with longer careers, like Elizabeth Taylor and Gary Grant, for example, although mentioned in this book, are not an integral part of it.
Would I recommend this book? If you are unusually curious about long-dead stars, then, yes, I would recommend it. Otherwise....