Sam Kashner

Long before "Bennifer" became "Brangelina", to the dismay of Jennifer Anniston fans and the delight of the tabloids, there was the shock and awe of the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton affair of the early 1960s, which scandalized the world and drew the scolding of everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper to Pope John XXIII.

Those who were around in the 60s and besotted by Hollywood royalty will relish wallowing once again in all the juicy details and the conspicuous consumption that marked show more an era when people could still be shocked by the marital hijinks of screen idols. Those who have come late to the party will get a peek at a world of self-indulgence and high passion -- all played out on the public stage.

This is a long book, and probably lingers overlong on detail, but under all the gleeful shock and voyeurism, a portrait emerges of two very flawed and needy people who each thought the other would make their life perfect and complete, but who, in the end, were separately unable to make the kinds of sacrifices required by an enduring relationship. show less

I've never been a particular fan of either Taylor or Burton's careers, nor especially interested in their romance -- but I was unexpectedly caught up in this excellent account of their passionate, enduring, ferocious love for each other. The author, who was given access to Taylor's letters from Burton, walked a nice line between revelation and discretion. We see both Burton and Taylor up close, warts and all, but always with a sense of affection and respect.

Kashner makes a plausible case show more for the damage their public "Liz-n-Dick" partnership personna had an increasingly damaging effect on the private relationship between Elizabeth and Richard. Their drinking, particularly Burton's became increasingly damaging as well. (Taylor was blessed with a much greater capacity to drink with become drunk, or to suffer as much physically from it.) Unfortunately, when Burton tried to get sober, Taylor didn't quit her own drinking in support, and in fact often chided him for having become boring. Kashner takes pains to remind his readers that all this played out in the sixties and early seventies, before "alcoholism" was recognized as a disease.

What shines through the tragedy, the extravagant lifestyles, the ups-and-downs of their theater and film careers, is their enduring love for each other. They were not always good for each other, but they were passionately in love and remained so all their lives. In the end, I think that was the most compelling aspect of the book: an up-close look at so great and consuming a love, despite its terrible aspects. show less

Road trip audiobook! My daughter was moving out of Wisconsin, and my wife was riding along to help pack and say goodbye, so I had to pick a book we might both be interested in. It outlasted the trip so I ended up finishing the book on my own as my wife sees no point to audiobooks if you're not trapped in a car.

Eric Roberts can be very charming, but he also has a dangerous streak, usually running just under the surface but sporadically breaking through thanks to ongoing issues with substance show more abuse.

I was engaged when he was talking about the early part of his career and the movies I was more familiar with. But he kept me hooked even when he wandered off into the weeds talking about some of his lesser roles in the other 700+ movies and television shows he has appeared in during his very long and prolific career.

His family issues were slightly less interesting as they tended to get a bit repetitive. Abusive parents, estranged sisters, beleaguered spouses. Some problems thrust upon him, others brought upon himself by being an asshole drug addict.

There's a lot about him to dislike, but damn if his drawling voice and occasional chuckle doesn't suck you in anyway.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• I. Born Broken – 1956-1974
• II. Escape to New York – 1974-1977
• III. King of the Gypsies – 1977-1982
• IV. Lisa and "Hulie" (aka Julia)
• V. Star 80 – 1983
• VI. The Pope of Greenwich Village – 1984
• VII. Long-Ass Marriage
• VIII. No Beast So Fierce: Runaway train – 1985-1987
• IX. To Bedlam and Part Way Back: Sleep and Drugs – 1987-1994
• X. In Cold Blood: From The Specialist to Fatal Desire – 1994-2006
• XI. Works Hard for the Money – 2000-2015
• XII. Celebrity Rehab – 2011
• XIII. The Best and the Worst – 2008-2015
• XIV. The Golden Joining
• Acknowledgments
• Index show less

This book has a built-in bias in favor of Lee Bouvier Radziwill, as the authors were able to interview her in person before her 2019 death. Meanwhile, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is only seen through historic documents and other people's recollections. And yet the younger sister comes off much worse - jealous, materialistic, spendthrift, and bitter. Jackie is not without her own flaws, but at least she didn't bankrupt her ultra wealthy husbands, and she had an actual job for a while, show more working for several major publishing houses until her health deteriorated.

My rating isn't solely related to my distaste for its subjects. The book is boring too, unless you like long descriptions of interior decor and couture dresses. Even the thousand days of JFK's doomed presidency are presented without much impact. I blame the recent "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" miniseries on Hulu American television (also Calista Flockhart, who played Lee) for giving me the false impression that snooty WASPy ladies who lunch might be vaguely interesting. Ugh, what was I thinking? show less