I did not want to read this book but my friend kept talking about it and one rainy Saturday afternoon I decided why not? Turns out that I actually liked the book a lot, finished it in two days and immediately downloaded Mommywood to my Kindle. I'm not a huge Tori Spelling fan although I did watch 90210 but reading her books made me like her even more. She gained a lot of respect from me. It was great to see how she deals with things in a normal way and it was sad to see the relationship with her mother. It was really easy to read and I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter before I could go do anything else. Needless to day not much got done around my house until the book was finished. ( )

Regardless of your opinion of Tori Spelling, you will love her by the time you finish this book. She's open, honest, and funny - and most of the time, not at all what you would expect. ( )

sTori Telling by Tori Spelling with Hilary Lifton
Before I start my review I need to preface this with a few things. Although I did watch 90210 for a long time I have never seen either of Tori Spellings reality shows and actually got kind of sick of the back and forth feud in the tabloids between her and her mother. That said I was intrigued when I came across this book on the shelf at the library and checked it out and I am very glad that I did. The first two chapters were nothing special and I put the book down and, as mentioned in a previous post, I might not have picked it back up again except that it was due back on Tuesday and I knew it was a now or never kind of deal. Yes, I could have requested it and waited for it be returned or looked for it again, but if I check a book out once and don't get to it chances are I won't be bringing it home again unless there is some reason why I have to read it and this one would have been unlikely to be a book I would have to read for anything.This book was a great read, after the first two chapters the pacing moved very fast and I could almost hear her voice in my head telling the story. It was like she is talking to her friend and dishing about her life, catching up with someone she hasn't seen in a while and filling in the gaps left between what came out in tabloids and what really happened. Although celebrities may deal with slightly different problems than most of us encounter every day (when was the last time you had to worry about being photographed in the same outfit you had worn on a different shopping trip) they still worry about money and safety and their families and health. They still get their hearts broken and make mistakes and instead of being able to nurse those wounds alone they also have to deal with it being written about and speculated about. Tori covers a lot of moments from her childhood on up to after her son was born. She did release another book about motherhood probably after this one but I've never read it (I guess I'll need to be on the lookout for that at the library!). I know that this story is just told from her perspective so it would be unlikely for her to paint herself too negatively, but she does take responsibility for things she did during her first marriage, she does admit to making mistakes, and a lot of times she tries to see where her mother was coming from when they disagreed about things. One of her big points is that she grew up in a family with a lot of money and as a child and young adult she never thought about it or how much she was spending. No one at home taught her how to be responsible because there was always enough for everything. When she went into debt she had to change her way of thinking and living and learn how to be fiscally responsible which is tough for everyone. She is at time funny as well as candid and easy to read. A fun escape from everyday life! ( )

A frank and funny story of Tori growing up, her years on 90210, her first marriage, and her second marriage. ( )

Synopsis: TV producer, Aaron Spelling's daughter Tori grew up with every thing handed to her. She had lavish birthday parties, expensive presents, vacations in Vegas, and snow made for her at Christmas. Her famous name got her onto the 90's television show 90210, but also got her a lot of negative attention as well.

This is her life in her words. It is funny, seems honest, and was enjoyable. She is able to make fun of her faults and the way she grew up. I went in expecting it to be what it was - a light biography of a TV actress. The book appealed to me because I grew up watching 90210. If I hadn't, this would not be a book that I would read. I had to add my name on the wait list at the library because apparently this book is quite popular. My major complaint is not enough 90210 talk. ( )

This is a generally light-hearted and witty look at the excesses of celebrity life. Tori is unsparing about her shortcomings and generous to many. Thoroughly enjoyable--although I think that she still hasn't worked through how angry she really is at her mother, and it shows. ( )

I was always a fan on 90210, which meant I was always a fan of Tori Spelling and Aaron Spelling and anyone else associated. I vaguely remember all the drama surrounding the family, but never really paid too much attention to what tabloids said. Reading this book made a me empathize with Spelling for the way her parents raised her and all the trouble she had with the press. It’s not easy being a child to a star, much less trying to live your own life and become a star yourself.

I think she did a very good job of telling her own story of her life, even admitting to her own faults and actions, leaving nothing out, to convince the world that she is just like everyone else despite who her father was.

I enjoyed this book. Tori Spelling is intelligent, and witty, and can tell a great story. I found myself frequently laughing out loud, or bookmarking sections to read to DH when he was around. In conversations I would hear myself saying “Did you know that Tori Spelling…..?” or “had you heard that Aaron Spelling….?” I really enjoyed the behind the scenes peak into her life. My one complaint, it that Tori isn’t exactly….linear. She would start telling a story, and I would think, “Are we back to 90210? I thought she was married to Charlie? How old is she?” A couple times I would be lost, but in the end, it didn’t really matter, it was an entertaining story none the less. I will definitely be picking up the sequel Mommywood. ( )

Tori Spelling's first memoir is always extremely self-aware: making comments directly to the reader drives the prose downwards, creating an increasingly flippant narrative. What makes this nonchalance acceptable is the wit with which Spelling (with the help of a co-writer) writes. She's a down-to-earth and very funny person, a fact that becomes evident as one gets further into the book. She doesn't sugarcoat matters and never comes off as haughty; she uses years of hindsight to uplift the story from mere gossip to psychological portrait of not only herself, but also her complicated family situation. The ins and outs of trying to succeed in Hollywood is particularly enlightening, and while the end of the book drags a bit (there's only so long she can talk about how in love she is), it never strays far from Spelling's overall theme of perception vs. reality. Read this for the juicy gossip, stay for the interesting insight she gives into a childhood and life that far exceed people's comprehension of who Tori Spelling really is. ( )

I found this to be a quick, light and fluffy read. It is a memoir of the life so far of Tori Spelling.

I am not sure about the people who pan her and the book. Why read it then ? Its not like it was falsely advertised or made any pretense to great literature.

I only recently became interested in her by seeing the reality TV show on Oxygen with her and her husband and son. what can I say. She is rich, spoiled, and often self-centered, but she is honest about it. She can laugh at herself, and admit her mistakes. She comes across as genuine, charming and caring both on TV and in her book.

The book talks about her family life with the Spellings, her problems with her mother (I can totally empathize), and her acting career. She talks about 90210, which I never watched, though I heard about the Shannon Doherty issues. She also talks about her first husband and the wrongs she did him and his family. She talks about meeting Dean and doesn't sugar coat it. I respect her for being frank, even though it makes her look bad.

She admits that she has led a rich and privileged life, and that its unseemly for her to complain. She feels she is explaining herself and often her desire to be 'normal', I think she carries it off. Who doesn't dream of some other 'normal' (the grass is always greener syndrome).

I will read another book by her if the subject appeals to me, and I plan to watch the next season of Tori & Dean ( if there is one). ( )

I don't know why I read this-- Tori Spelling is not a celebrity I've ever really even thought about. I guess if she's one that YOU think about, this book would be kind of interesting. And I will admit that I did read it, and finish it, for what it's worth.

I stumbled upon her show "Tori & Dean: Inn Love" one day while it was running a marathon on Oxygen and I was so drawn into it. I knew I had to get the book she wrote.. I was really curious about her life behind the scenes. After I was done reading, I felt like I understood Tori and where she was coming from. She seems really down to earth and just want the same things in life that we all want. Love, happiness and family. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. Tori Spelling seems so honest, and it was great to see what a normal person she is. You have to feel for her and the relationship she has with her mother. Quite interesting, to say the least! ( )

What a pleasant surprise! I honestly did not expect to come away from this book, feeling like I could relate to Tori Spelling, but she managed to show that just because you have a "fairy-tale" childhood doesn't mean it automatically translates into a fairy-tale adulthood. ( )

After reading this book, I had a much better understanding of who Tori Spelling is. I enjoyed her on 90210. I love the showTori and Dean in Love. They make a nice couple. .The pictures that Tori included in her book are very nice. Tori has not lived the perfect glamorous life that everyone thinks she has.I am glad that she has finally found happiness and love. ( )

I have to admit I don't read a lot of biographies, but this one was a great read. I could not put the book down; I literally read it at stop lights because I couldn't wait to read the next page. Let me just state, I am not a die hard Tori Spelling fan, I do not have a blog about her, I don't read the tabloids about her, but I have watched her reality show on occasion. Like many of us in our twenties and thirties I knew her as Aaron Spelling's daughter, the girl who played Donna on 90210, but I also knew she had some problems with her personal life. I always think that it is important for a celebrity to be honest and set the story straight if they want people to know the real them. Tori Spelling was brutally honest in her book and may I say extremely funny! I liked how she wasn't afraid to tell things from her past, even how she cheated on her first husband with her second husband. That part of the book could have offended a lot of people, myself included, but I feel that Spelling did a good job of being honest and acknowledging others' feelings about the topic. Not only was she honest about her marriage, but she was honest about her family and her own drug use as well. I would have liked her to include something in there about how she doesn't do drugs anymore, but her non-mention of it kind of makes me believe that she continues to use drugs. This book was refreshing, but it did leave me wanting more, such as an honest book from her mother about their relationship or one from her husband, Dean, on his take of his relationship with Tori. Overall, well done Tori Spelling. ( )

This is such an easy and fun book to read. If you were ever a fan of 90210 you'll want to read it. I feel like I could become friends with Tori after reading this book. It's not literature, it's entertainment - deal with it. ( )

Blech! This was a very dull tell-all. I was hoping for chapters and chapters of shocking 90210 scandal. Instead, I was deluged with boring "poor little rich girl" woes.

For some reason, I don't feel all that sorry for someone who really wanted a Rabbit (or whatever kind of crappy car she wanted) but instead got a BMW. ( )

Okay - if you are even thinking about reading this book - you must have some basic expectations of what it will be like. If you are expecting the life of Katherine Graham or Queen Noor - you are barking up the wrong tree.

My perception of Tori Spellng first changed a few years back when I watched her short lived TV show NoTorious - it was hilarious and much of the comedy was derived from Tori's ability to laugh at her self and the life she has led...

She does her best to cultivate the same kind of tone in this book. There is a lot of recognition of the absurd things that have gone on in her life - for better and for worse.

I found this book a light and breezy read (except for the parts recounting the end of her first marriage as well as the beginning of her relationship with her now husband - which I found extremely cringe inducing - its really hard to spin any of her actions to her favor in those two situations) . But all in all - a quick read - perfect for summer and it will probably leave you with a better understanding of the trials an tribulations of being someone born into such a crazy lifestyle as she was. ( )