Chris Welles Feder

I've always been fascinated by Orson Welles. His larger than life career with the tragedy of being banned from Hollywood because of Citizen Kane just seems to play out like a movie of its own.

This book is very different from every other book written by or about Welles. His oldest daughter, Christopher, tells the story of her life and how she tried through the years to remain in his life. Not an easy task as her father and mother divorced when she was very young with Virginia remarrying show more twice, as did Orson. Orson also had two more daughters, Rebecca with Rita Hayworth and Beatrice with Paola, an Italian Princess. Chris has to compete with wives and other daughters as well as a storied career for any attention she was to get from her famous (or infamous) father. Life was complicated by the fact that Virginia showed classic signs of depression and worked hard at times to keep the two apart, while at other times seemed to work just as hard to have them maintain a relationship.

There is no "storybook" ending to this story, although Chris and Orson eventually reached a point where their relationship was friendly and they were able to converse as adults. All in all it is a fascinating look at Orson Welles, the man - not the movie maker. show less

A stunning autobiography written by Orson Welles' eldest daughter, Christopher! Through her memories, stories, pictures, and letters both her life and her father's come to life on the page. She writes of how her father's absence affected her life and also how the moments they shared impacted her in lasting ways. It is a heart-wrenching tale of a daughter's desire to see her father proud of her, of her struggles to be near him, to deal with his absence, to overcome his death, and finally, to show more come into herself. Through her autobiography we are able to see the man behind "Citizen Kane" and "Othello"; she has separated the Hollywood man from the artist and genius. A masterpiece of autobiographical writing! show less

Chris Welles Feder--named Christopher by her somewhat eccentric father--was the product of two show business parents. They split while Chris was young and while Orson was around, he was usually busy working. While always calling Chris his "darling girl", he would forget to turn up for lunch dates and be away on movie shoots for months at a time. Chris grew up idolizing her father and idealizing him because of his genius even though he was sometimes unkind to her in little ways. Through two show more more wives and two more daughters, Chris remained the most important woman in his life for many years until they had a falling out. When she reunited with him years later, he was living with a mistress -- the true love and partner of his life who he remained with for twenty years until his death.

This was a very difficult book to read. Orson Welles was a genius in many ways but not in his personal relationships. Chris endured many things and they all affected her and her development. This memoir has a depressing tone throughout most of it but it was honest and believable. Still, her love for her father comes through and she certainly always wished the best for him as he apparently did for her. As this was really Chris' memoir, there is not much biographical information on many of the players. I think this book is most appropriate for someone who has already read an Orson Welles biography and for those curious about the pitfalls of being in a celebrity family.

http://webereading.com/2009/11/new-release-in-my-fathers-shadow.html show less

Revised 3rd Edition, Ages 6-7, Grade 1, Deck 1