You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
shelfkewpie 's review for:
Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild
by Samuel Garza Bernstein
informative
medium-paced
I'm very excited that there's a book about Cesar Romero, highlighting his accomplishments and kind, respectful personality. The writing is clear and well-structured.
However, I felt that there was too much given away about the plots of the shows and movies he was in, especially the pages summarizing episodes of Falcon Crest. I understand it's a long show that's not as popular anymore (and doesn't require a spoiler alert after being released in the 80s), but I thought it didn't add to Cesar's life story. It was nice to have insight into his relationships with other Hollywood stars, but between the plot summaries and long list of names, I think it lost focus. The Chronology section at the end was great, comprehensive, and, in my opinion, a better spot for explaining the details of the drama series.
While I love that the author wants to share Romero's truth in ways that the actor couldn't during his lifetime, I worried that the speculation of his sexuality and affair with Tyrone Power being circled back to throughout the book overshadowed the things that Cesar would have wrote in his autobiography, had he gotten the deal he wanted to write it. The author's tone doesn't feel offensive or overbearing at all–it was just mentioned more than I expected and cited a couple of gossipy sources.
Thank you, NetGalley and University Press of Kentucky, for the ARC!
However, I felt that there was too much given away about the plots of the shows and movies he was in, especially the pages summarizing episodes of Falcon Crest. I understand it's a long show that's not as popular anymore (and doesn't require a spoiler alert after being released in the 80s), but I thought it didn't add to Cesar's life story. It was nice to have insight into his relationships with other Hollywood stars, but between the plot summaries and long list of names, I think it lost focus. The Chronology section at the end was great, comprehensive, and, in my opinion, a better spot for explaining the details of the drama series.
While I love that the author wants to share Romero's truth in ways that the actor couldn't during his lifetime, I worried that the speculation of his sexuality and affair with Tyrone Power being circled back to throughout the book overshadowed the things that Cesar would have wrote in his autobiography, had he gotten the deal he wanted to write it. The author's tone doesn't feel offensive or overbearing at all–it was just mentioned more than I expected and cited a couple of gossipy sources.
Thank you, NetGalley and University Press of Kentucky, for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racism