Fascinating life. It shows how we think we know about famous people because we see them on the screen. This one really surprised me, in a good way. ( )

What a wasted life. This books starts off well enough as Ava describes her childhood and family, but as soon as she gets her start in Hollywood, the book made a steady decline for me. I don't think Ava had a firm grasp on how she presented herself or who she truly was. She repetitively states that she was shy and did NOT have a drinking problem, and yet every story she shares portrays her as an abrasive loudmouth drunk. I find it funny that she was so paranoid about the men in her life cheating when she herself had no problem sleeping with married men. I guess what goes around, comes around. And she states that she desperately wanted children, and then procedes to abort 2 babies, back to back. She never did have any children.

I actually did enjoy the personalized writing style, but the stories (except a few), were really, really boring. Ava gives a summary of all the films she starred in (boring) and then describes how she mouthed off, drank, and antagonized the people around her. Then she starts talking about husband number (fill in the blank) and how they drank, mouthed off, and fought. Rinse and repeat. To clarify, I am not blaming her entirely for her failed marriages; from her description alone, most everyone in Hollywood were not faithful and got a new spouse every year. I think for her part, she could have been less impulsive with matrimonial decisions.

There were moments she was gracious toward someone, but for the most part, the book was one big repeat of drunken behavior (or rude and sober behavior), poor decisions, and colorful language. I honestly don't think many people could be around her long, because it does say that she did not have any female friends, and she didn't have any lasting relationships with men. She died alone with her dog and housekeeper. Overall, I didn't care for the book and I didn't care for Ava Gardner. ( )

Purely enjoyable smut. I like her no-nonsense writing and the tales she told re: Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, etc. She was a sultry, spirited girl.......sad towards the end, but.... ( )

I read this book in one day because I couldn't put it down. It was so interesting, unlike more monotonous biographies I've read, owing perhaps to the fact that it is Ms. Gardner herself who voices this biography. The only problem I had was that some of the info contradicited with Mickey Rooney's account of their marriage, which makes me doubt the authenticity of both biographies. One of them is lying, and that kind of takes away from the biography. ( )