Sophia Loren

An incredible story of rags to riches. She was a child in Italy during WWII and remembers the horrors, starvation and devastation of war. She describes herself as shy and knew she was unusual looking at a young age. Raised by an independent single mother and her grandmother, Sophia learned from her mother to not give up and use her beauty to her advantage and still keep her Catholic morals. Her career began at 15 in beauty pageants which earned money for her starving family and filled the show more dreams of her beautiful mother who was not allowed to be a pageant contestant in her earlier years. Very interesting childhood life in Italy and her rise to stardom. Her experiences with jewel robberies, miscarriages and her personal relationships with Hollywood actors, Brando, Newman, Charlie Chaplin, Burton, Cary Grant, Jane Mansfield etc. was very interesting but there was far too much detail about her Italian scripts which I have no interest in. Although, it was interesting learning about her most famous Italian films such as Two Women and how she got the part. Her fans in Europe may be more interested in her earlier carrier. I skipped several chapters because of the focus on Italian films which were hard for an American who doesn't know anything about it to follow. I think the book could have used a lot more editing , just not exactly what I was looking for. show less

3.5/5 Loren (and her ghostwriter?) takes a very romantic view of her memories, going deeply into some but scratching the surface with others. With each memory, she takes something with her though. The framing device isn’t one usually taken in celebrity memoirs (at least in the few I’ve read) and did keep me interested. I read this because I love her movies (and was wonderfully surprised when I found out she’d be in her first movie in a decade later this year) and do think anyone that show more enjoys her films would enjoy this book. show less

Quite an enjoyable look into Sophia Loren's life, not just her triumphs, but her struggles and strange controversies.

Sophia Loren's memoir details her incredible life; full of beauty, love, success, but also tragedy and pain. The daughter of a single mother, Loren grew up in poverty during World War II in Italy and never had much contact with her father. She received her start in beauty pageants, and soon transitioned to film after she was noticed by her future husband, producer Carlo Ponti. Loren's first Hollywood film, "The Pride and the Passion," paired her with legendary actor Cary Grant. Loren soon show more found herself the object of Grant's affection, although she ultimately chose Ponti over Grant. Despite an abundance of professional success, Loren faced her share of tragedies in her professional life. Due to stricter divorce laws, Ponti and Loren found it difficult to marry, and experienced more tragedy as they tried to start a family. Included in the memoir are many pictures of Loren with her famous costars, and personal letters and telegrams which she uses to recall her memories. Loren reveals the truth behind her expression in that famous photo with Jayne Mansfield, and her friendships with Richard Burton, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and other celebrities. Recommended for fans of Sophia Loren and classic cinema, but also for readers who enjoy tales of personal and professional success despite hardships.

Kathleen K. / Marathon County Public Library
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