Swoosie Kurtz

I think Joni Rodgers is officially my favorite celebrity memoir collaborator. I loved Kristin Chenoweth's A Little Bit Wicked and Part Swan, Part Goose is just as beautifully written and readable. I've loved Swoosie Kurtz since the television show Sisters and then the amazing, but underrated Pushing Daisies (with Chenoweth). I was aware that she was a well-known stage actress also, but really had no idea how accomplished until I read this book.

Swoosie, an only child, has said the book was show more written as a love letter to her parents and I believe she absolutely accomplished this. I think I'm as big a fan of theirs now as I am hers. Her mother wrote a book in 1945 (My Rival, The Sky) chronicling her relationship with Olympic high-diver and accomplished Air Force pilot Frank Kurtz which Swoosie excerpts a good deal here, meshing her own life story with that of her parents' love story. It is very well done and I see her mother's book has now been re-released for Kindle with an intro from this book.

Swoosie's career and relationships are written with just a touch of sentimentality, but mostly with humor and perhaps a few regrets. Throughout the memoir, she speaks of the present as she (and a small army - no, family - of helpers) take care of her mother, Margo, who is in her nineties and has dementia. She speaks of no longer being the daughter, but sometimes the mother, husband or just a stranger in their relationship. She writes truthfully of her feelings about this shifting role and how much she loves, but sometimes needs to escape being the caregiver now.

From aquacades with her father to stage, television, big screen, and most recently the hit sitcom Mike and Molly, Swoosie Kurtz is an amazing performer and person. This memoir was a pleasure to read and I really enjoyed it. show less

Spoiler: This is a gorgeous book.

In lieu of a traditional review, I was privileged to chat with Swoosie about the book and her life. Here is a snippet from that chat. Read the full Q&A at The Frisky.

“I forgot to get married and have babies” is often a line women with successful careers hear from their peers as a warning to reprioritize their lives. Yet this is exactly how Swoosie Kurtz, currently starring in “Mike and Molly” with Melissa McCarthy, explains why she is 69-years-old show more and never married and without children. But never fear, Swoosie has no regrets.

How did a girl with an unconventional name grow up to conquer stage and screen— starring on ”Sisters,” “Pushing Daisies,” and “Nurse Jackie,” as well as taking home multiple Tonys, Emmys, Obies and Drama Desk Awards — and still be happy without “a family?” Well, her family.

In her new memoir, Part Swan, Part Goose: An Uncommon Memoir Of Womanhood, Work And Family, Kurtz carefully outlines a parent-child love story that is the foundation for her successful career. Named after her World War II war hero father’s B-17 bomber (the Swoose), her childhood was filled with travels across the world showcasing his accomplishments from the war and his Olympic diving skills. Her mother’s successful writing career culminated in a memoir about being a military wife called My Rival, The Sky, which Kurtz weaves into her own memoir.

Read the full Q&A at The Frisky. show less

Check out my review at:

http://shannonsbookbag.blogspot.com/2014/05/part-swan-part-goose-kurtz.html