No comments about BLING BLING: HIp Hop's Crown Jewels.

1 comments about Oscar: The Style Inspiration and Life of Oscar De LA Renta.

1. Oscar de la Renta is a brilliant designer and throughout this large book his talent radiates off the page. It has insightful quotes from both Oscar and his clients. It really helped my love for fashion grow with the knowledge of his struggling background and undying work ethic. A must have for any fashion student or admirer of beautiful things. Hey, if you can't buy one of his dresses, mine as well own some pictures of them.

5 comments about Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue.

1. But, the story is so tawdry & Jimmy Donahue so scurvy, it's a hard read. The author presents information about his upbringing that tries to make you feel a little sympathy for Donahue but it's hard to feel sympathy for such a loser. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor were wastes of human beings, too. The more you read about them the more discouraged you get. What wasted opportunities! They could have done so much good but were such selfish, self-centered & STUPID people. No wonder the Royal Family can't stand to hear their names mentioned. The book reads kind of like a prolonged Dominick Dunne article in Vanity Fair.



2. OK, so the author isn't going to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for this book. But why should he? It's a book about an affair. A tawdry affair at that.

   Initially, I payed attention to the other reviewers and didn't buy the book. But I have a fascination with Wallis and Edward (as vapid as they might have been...)and wanted to know more about Wallis' relationship with Jimmy Donohue. I must have read at least 10 to 15 books about the couple, and despite what the one of the reviewers said, I've only come across a few rare references to him. This book fills in the gaps.

   So is it great literature? No. Is it an interesting book? Yes, if you like the subject matter, and know something about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to begin with. I enjoyed the book.




3. This book doesn't do much more than re-hash rumor, gossip and innuendo--and some facts--that I've already read in better-written, more thorough and scholarly biographies of the Windsors. I didn't notice any glaring inaccuracies; on the other hand, I didn't notice that the author broke any new ground. He seems to have relied heavily on previously published biographies of the Duke, the Duchess, and the British Royal Family in general, all of which a serious Windsorite will have already read. Also--let's face it--we read books like this one to be titillated, and the author fails utterly to titillate us. Save your money.



4. You'd think an author couldn't go wrong with this cast of characters, ultra chic jet set locations, and deliciously lewd sex play. But Christopher Wilson took all this potential and and threw it away with the writing style of a schoolboy whose book report was carelessly dashed off before class. Repetitive adjectives, lackluster prose, and unintelligible chapter beginnings and ends - I was hollering for the editor the entire read. I kept saying aloud "OK, that's a start, but now let's unearth some real dish, and show me the proof!" Gossip CAN be transformed into history with proper scholarship. This promising biography of three fascinatingly spoiled and twisted people disappointed me.



5. 3Dancing With the Devil : The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue2 is a sweeping adventure of scandal and euphoria among glitzy cafe society, adeptly brought to life by biographer Christopher Wilson.

   In this case, the name 3Donahue,2 is directly related to a very famous name: Woolworth. When 35 & 102 chainstore mogul Frank Winfield Woolworth died in 1919, he left as part of his substantial legacy great hopes for his cherubic grandchildren. He visualized his heirs evolving into hardworking, benefic, God-fearing, and rational adults. But alas, if he did happen to look down from the heavens years later, I know that several of his descendants would have provoked a disgruntled sigh; including the spendthrift, serial divorcee Barbara Hutton...

   But the mischievous, downright extraordinary exploits of his grandson Jimmy Donahue would have sent Woolworth longing for Divine intervention. The fact is that, the only thing Frank Woolworth and his grandson Jimmy shared (other than a notable gene pool) was a compulsion for the spotlight.

   That compulsion, along with a host of others (some advantageous, most unsavory) are unveiled in this wonderful, fast-paced book. In Dancing With the Devil, we meet dashing Jimmy Donahue, a man who had entirely too much free time on his hands, and entirely too much money at his disposal. We learn that Jimmy1s access to money, along with his excessive adoration for luxury, his psychological baggage (he even witnessed the suicide of his manic depressive and bisexual father) and the questionable role model Jimmy found in his jetsetting mother --all combined to create an intriguing, complex and colorful personality. Wilson depicts an international playboy who defied reigning sexual taboos and balked at authority, yet was sometimes ridden by deep guilt. Donahue exhibited such random amounts of innocent rakishness and sensual greed; of hearfelt generosity and rash wastefulness-- that even his closest contemporaries were not sure what to think of him.

   Wilson expertly peppers his historical accounts with authentic detail, smoothly leading us into post WWII Paris, then sweeping us back to the United States to the playgrounds of Palm Beach and Long Island. Clearly, Wilson did a great deal of research on this book, conducting scores of interviews and tracking down hard to find information.

   Of course, Wilson1s readers are also treated to little known details about the odd triangle between Jimmy Donahue and the Windsors, thus providing an interesting account of the last untold episode in their lives.

   As in Jimmy Donahue1s life, there is nary a dull moment in Dancing With the Devil. (Do check out the 3Acknowledgments2 which reads like a Who1s Who in and of itself). Definitely recommended!

5 comments about Jim Carrey: The Joker is Wild: The Trials and Triumphs of Jim Carrey.

1. I have been a fan of Jim Carrey's since Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and ever since then I have been emersed in the magic that is Jim Carrey. With only "Earth Girls Are Easy" being the bad movie in his career, which was not horrible, Jim Carrey has had a great life in film in television with a lot more to come. Films like "The Cable Guy" and "Truman Show" were horribly underrated and not given much of a chance. With the dark and witty humor that the "average" Jim carrey fan would not appreciate or enjoy. So to some it all up, a great choice and a great read, Keep on laughing.



2. A JC fan, I enjoyed this well-written book very much. It's amazing what people can do with their lives with encouragement and humor. I recommend people read this book.



3. Growing up in poverty is not an easy thing to do. You wouldn't think that very many, if any, "famous people" would grow up being poor. Well, Jim Carrey is one of many who did. Growing up for him wasn't easy at all. It was always in his genes to become a comedian. But his first gig didn't go as planned, it was very disappointing. He dropped out of school at the age of sixteen, trying to pursue his career in comedy. He continued to go to the club where he was made a fool of. His comedy breakthrough came at the age of 19. His big jump off was when he got a role in a TV series, "In Living Color." This got him started for other movies such, as "Mask," and "Liar, Liar." As they all say, the rest is history.
   The thing that I liked most about Jim Carrey, was that he never gave up on his dream of being a comedian. At home, everybody thought that he was the funniest person ever. But when he went to his first gig at Yuk-Yuk's, it wasn't what he thought. It was a humiliating time for him. But he didn't let that stop him. When he was a little older, he went back to that club and performed again. He then became a regular there. This proves to show you that you should never give up on your dreams. Just because you have one bad night or act, it doesn't mean you have to give up on your dream.
   Something that disturbed me about Jim Carrey was that he dropped out of school. I mean, it was his own choice but then again it sends the wrong message to children. By him doing this, and kids reading it he is saying that you can still make even if you drop out of school. The thing is that we want kids to stay in school and get an education for themselves. But people make their own decisions in life. It is up to them and what they want to do in the future.



4. I am a big Jim Carrey Fan and reading this book I realized I didn't know as much about him as I thought i did. This biography was well written and very detailed, you get to know Jim as you go through the book, from his succeses, his failures, his life as a celebrity. you also get to know how much he struggled over the years and how hard it was for him and just how hard it is to become a comedian. I definitley reccomend redaing htis book, it is good from the minute you open and close it from cover to cover.



5. Then find another book. Mr. Knelman seems incapable of painting his prose anything but purple. I couldn't get past the first chapter. There's a good book about Mr. Carrey waiting to be written; but this isn't it.

1 comments about All the Pain Money Can Buy: The Life of Christina Onassis.

1. A great book - lots of action and interest in the jetset society of the early 70s, well recomemded

No comments about Sugar Baron: Manuel Rionda and the Fortunes of Pre-Castro Cuba.

5 comments about American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr..

1. Richard Blow is a good writer (see Harvard Rules, Greatest Game). This is a very strange book in which the author waxes more about him and his place in JFK Jr's world, than the Man himself. Blow comes across as an educated posse; he thanks Bernard Bailyn in the acknowledgment section. But unfortunately, the author is no Kennedy. He is a Blow (now Bradley).(At one point, the author waxes poetically about how he wanted his own wedding to be as good as John's, a wedding which Blow was never invited to). In the end, Blow writes as if nothing would make him happier than being John John's full time jock strap sniffer.
   
   As for George Magazine, the advertisers fled in droves for a reason.
   
   This book will entertain you for the three hours it takes for you to read.
   If you buy this book for a $1 (plus $3.99 shipping), the book is worth your investment.
   
   On the other hand, I highly recommend Harvard Rules and the Greatest Game.



2. Richard Blow is a former coworker of Joh F. Kennedy Jr. who seems to be attempting to make a couple of bucks off of a respected celebrity who has passed on with this book. While Richard obviously knew John, after reading this book it is apparent that he barely knew him outside of work. Judging by the cover and name of this book one would suspect that it is about JFK Jr. In reality this book is about George magazine and Richard's experience working there, with tales of dinner with John placed randomly about. If you are looking for a book that will give you an idea of what type of person JFK Jr. was, I would recommend "The Men We Became" by Robert Littel. He was John's best friend and knows far more about John than nearly anyone else ever did.



3. After reading the sleeper by Robert Littell"The Men We Became", this book wins hands down. First "Littell" criticized "Blow", because he (Blow) signed a confidentiality clause when he signed on for George Magazine. First Littell was a friend of JFK Jr.'s, and he NEVER should have written about him.(He should have had his GOOD friends sign waivers too I guess) As I stated in my review of his book, his REAL friends would never write about his personal life and I do not think that John every alluded to him (Littell) that he wanted him to write about him, he threw that line in to cover himself. However, Mr. Littell is the reason I read the book by Mr. Blow.He trashed his book, so I had to read it. This book I bought, the book by Littell I borrowed. Richard Blow does not hold himself up to be John's best friend, but rather a friendship developed through work.( He was not one of the people invited to the wedding, but certain relatives were not invited because of the small place where it was held.) Mr. Blow does not delve to much into the private life of John, or his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. What is written about Carolyn and John's marriage to her, I think were positives in the book. He painted Carolyn as a nice woman, taken off guard by the complete fasination of her. She seemed to be a helpmate in the beginning of the magazine, but is not portrayed as an overbearing instigator,( again Littell makes her out to be a shrew, weeding out friends, calling people freaks etc..) nor does she come off as cold and indifferent again, the way I felt that Mr. Littell had portrayed her. He showed that the world of journalism is a tough nut for anyone to crack, even with the Kennedy name behind it.After awhile it seemed that even the staff of George were coming to terms with their "celebrity boss". Would the magazine went on if John had lived? No one can ever answer that....but all that were involved really tried to make it work, everyone, not just JFK...



4. This book was a non-exploitive story of JFK's last few years in relation to his "George" efforts and peripheral personal and professional life. There are no shocking revelations or cutting evaluations, just an honest presentation of an interesting piece of that young man's life. Be forewarned, however (and the reason I rated this as 3 stars instead of 4): there is not one single photo within, and I believe this is a serious oversight in any biography.



5. Is this book about JFK, Jr. or is it about Richard Blow? After reading this book, it appeared to me that the author just wanted to make sure that in remembering JFK, Jr., that we all remembered that Blow worked with JFK, Jr. It's sad that someone like Blow, who is obviously talented in his own right, would decide to cash in so openly on his association with Kennedy.

3 comments about In My Own Voice: Memoirs.

1. Christa Ludwig was, in my opinion, the greatest German mezzo of her time, in both opera and lieder, and, as someone else says in an opera review on Amazon, the greatest Elektra that never was and the greatest Brunnhilde that never was. And she is also, as you can see from her engaging book "In My Own Voice," a person of wit, honesty, an exuberance for life, and and with an ability to talk about her gifts and her life that both recognizes what she has and puts it in perspective. As she quotes from the Schubert lied "Geheimnis," in the close of her book:

   So geht es auch dem Sanger,
   Er singt, erstaunt in sich;
   Was still ein Gott bereitet,
   Befremdet ihn wie dich.

   So it is also with the singer,
   He sings, amazed at himself;
   What in silence a god made,
   Amazes as well as you.

   Ludwig talks about her early life, born into a singing family, in Nazi Germany. She takes us through her career, but she tells us much more than a recital of what she sang, when and where. The most fascinating part of this book for me was the description of each of her major operatic roles - which ones she especially enjoyed, the joys and the challenges (and the roles she would like to have sung). She doesn't indulge in gossip, and is generous about her colleagues. She talks about conductors, houses, preparation, and the often lonely and difficult life of a singer.

   And she shares with us her introspection about herself and her art. "Was it worth it? What was the meaning?" I am so greatful to be able to read about Christa Ludwig "in her own words."




2. Christa Ludwig is inarguably one of the greatest singers and musicians of this or any time. A mezzo-soprano who also made at least one classic recording of a great soprano role (Beethoven's Leonora in FIDELIO), Mme. Ludwig was, in addition, a probing and insightful recital and concert artist. Mme. Ludwig's memoir, expertly translated by Regina Domeraski, reveals a deeply committed artist who is also a human being who has lived a full life, and has no reservations when it comes to talking about either. If you have read any of Mme. Ludwigs's numerous interviews, you will know that she is a frank, uninhibited, witty and no-nonsense person. She is as comfortable talking about Harry Belafonte in Carmen Jones as she is talking about Schubert and Brahms lieder. Very few autobiographies by celebrated opera singers tell you as much about their subject as this one does. If you've read this far, you'll want to have it. Trust me....



3. Christa Ludwig's powerful performances of Carmen, Ortrud, the Dyer's Wife, and others are treasured memories of many opera lovers and record collectors (including me!). And so it's most welcome to have her memoirs and even more so because of her refreshing directness and candor. She tells about her career with honesty, humor, pride, and humility. A very nice selection of photos are especially welcome to those of us who enjoyed her onstage.

   Regina Domeraski's translation is an admirably smooth-flowing narrative that lets Miss Ludwig's personality come through clearly.

   Most highly recommended.

5 comments about Kate Moss: Model of Imperfection.

1. Despite what people may say about Kate Moss she is an amazing model and fashion icon her style is like no one else out there and her bad girl image is also here. she is a business woman at that she not only has her own clothing line for Top Shop by Kate Moss . She also has her own fragrance. She is comming out with her own makeup line as well:). I really like her alot she is an amazing model and I adore her style.:) You will love this book she talks about her relationships with rocker Pete Doraty and the Actor very cute Johnny Depp.:) It is a good book.



2. of this book is one of the greatest authors ever for unauthorized biographies of super models who used to be famous.
   
   I read the book, it was very informative, I liked it.



3. This book should be called "Johnny Depp" because it is more about her relationship with him than about herself. I expected a biography on her life but it's about how this super-waif got famous and then those who made her famous turned against her. Then the rest of the book was about her unhappy relationship with Johnny Depp. I really like Kate Moss and would like to have read a book about her...not her ex-boyfriend.



4. my friends all just read this and we're all disappointed in it, maybe someone who knows less about kate moss would get more from it. it IS articulate and factual, and it's not that it's BAD writing, it just didn't give us anything new to talk about. i wish there were other biographies - even if totally sensationalized! - about kate moss out there!
   
   my recommendation? maybe a good beach-time or bus-ride read, but don't expect anything revealing.



5. My friends and I just read this as part of our new "Fashion-Group Book Club"...I didn't dislike it as much as they did, but it does give one reason to marvel at how much completely unspectacular writing and recycled bollocks make it to publication. It even came to us recommended so I'm surprised at how just-not-good it is. Even the pictures, the best part, are all ones I swear I've seen a million times before. So, if you're looking for photos of Kate, I remember a book that came out on her in the nineties, a lot more expensive of course, but that one was excellent. "Model of Imperfection": not recommended!

5 comments about Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words : Marilyn Monroe's Revealing Last Words and Photographs.

1. This was one of the first Marilyn books I owned and I have to say it still stands out as one of my very favorites because it is so intimate, and the pictures show a very down to earth Marilyn that you feel like you could reach out and touch. George Barris was actually a long time photographer of Monroe, he had the pleasure of catching some of her most iconic moments on camera such as the famous shirt blowing scene from THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH and many more. These are by far his best of her though and I personally favor pics from Marilyn's later years (60's). I love the stories that Barris tells and I am getting ready to reread this book as it has been a few years, I think it is the type of book one can read over and over anyhow. As I have said all the pics are amazing especially the ones of Marilyn on the beach. These however are not the very last pics taken of Marilyn, just the last photo session. The very last shots of her can be found in the book "Mr. S.: The Last Word on Frank Sinatra" when she was on a yacht with Sinatra and at the Cal-Neva Lodge & Casino shortly before her death. Over all though this book is HIGHLY recommended and is essential for any Marilyn fan!



2. I was surprised at this book in Marilyn's own words. This interview was only a few weeks before her death. The pictures were amazing and beautiful. She did not seem at all depressed and was looking forward to the future. Makes you wonder if she was murdered. Surely seems that way after I read the book and looked at those pictures. It almost seems to say "see I want to live" and little did she know that her life was in danger! Poor Marilyn. I hope wherever she is, she knows that some people believe that she did not kill herself. And I hope she is at peace.



3. This book is unique in that it comes from George Barris's last days spent with her. I love the photos because they are candid not posed. This bok also includes the last photo ever taken of her. I'm on my way to own almost every Marilyn book and Im am pleased with this one.



4. I have to say that it is just amazing how after 44 years Marilyn Monroe is still considerd one of the most beautiful women to ever live. After seeing the photographs of Marilyn Monroe taken by Mr. Barris in this book I am not suprised that people are still captivated with the beauty of Marilyn Monroe. The pictures of Marilyn in this book are amazing and beautiful. Marilyn shows her true character in the most natural looking pictures I have ever seen of her. Each picture tells a story and shows you the woman Marilyn really was. Marilyn truely was a naturally beautiful woman and it shows in this book. This great book also lets you read and learn about the real person Marilyn Monroe was in her own words. Marilyn tells her life story in this book, taking you through her young years as Norma Jean to her Hollywood life as Marilyn Monroe. When you are reading this book it is very interesting to hear Marilyn talk about her life in her own words. Marilyn takes you along her life journey through the pages in this book. The only sad thing is when you are reading this book you wish Marilyn's life story would continue past the inevitable days of Marilyn's death on August 4-5,1962. I alreadly knew Marilyn was going to die before reading but it really made me sad because after reading this book it makes you feel like you actually knew Marilyn personally. That just goes to show how well written this book is. I have to say Mr. Barris you have done a great job writing this excellant book. Marilyn would truely have been happy with this book. Whether you are a Marilyn Monroe fan or you are just curious about this iconic Hollywood actress this book will definitely be intresting to read. Before I read this book I thought Marilyn Monroe was all Hollywood glitz and glamour. After reading this book however I found that Marilyn was a sweet down to earth woman who just wanted to be loved. I only hope Marilyn made it into heaven, because in her life most of the people that said they loved her and called themselves her friend only used and betrayed Marilyn. I hope that one day Marilyn's death will finally be proven as murder and this case of wrong doing can be closed so Marilyn can finally rest in peace.



5. This was indeed a touching tribute. I felt very connected to Marilyn while reading her stories. The photos were just as gorgeous. I could have gone without George Barris' interjections as they usually just repeated what Marilyn said. But it was his book and she was apparently his friend, so I suppose he deserves some spotlight too.
   
   Add this to your Monroe collections! It's a definite keeper.