In Pieces

In Pieces is a surprisingly introspective book, less a movie-star biography than the story of one troubled woman’s journey toward conquering inner demons that seldom showed on screen.

Throughout most of her life, Field sought acceptance and fought feelings that she wouldn’t be loved if she wasn’t good enough – though she struggled to define what “good enough” was, and how to get there. She found one kind of “good enough” in acting, in the capacity to lose herself in a character – or rather, to develop a character to inhabit. After beginning her career in lightweight television sitcoms, Field grew more serious about understanding and developing her craft, and spent years in various actors’ studio groups, eventually show more breaking away from the bubbly ingénue image with dramatic blockbusters like Sybil and Norma Rae.

Along the way, she acquired and shed several husbands, gave birth to three children whom she reared mostly alone, with the help of her mother, and struggled always to come to terms with a childhood trauma that would haunt her throughout her adult life.

If you’re looking for “and then I made this movie” or insider stories of the industry, or a list of Field’s lovers, you won’t find them here. And while she does discuss her well-publicized relationship with actor Burt Reynolds, it’s more as a journey of growth and self-discovery than it is a kiss-and-tell.

If some of the episodes she describes are difficult to read, if the reader occasionally wants to smack Field upside the head for some of the decisions she made, it’s all in the service of honesty and self-discovery. This one is worth the time. show less

I do not read many celebrity memoirs, but this one called to me. I have been enchanted with Sally Field, since the 1970s, (I was too young for “Gidget” and barely remember “The Flying Nun”) and it has been great to see her evolve as an actor and continue to do challenging work, right through her 60s.
The bulk of this book, focuses on her childhood and her development into a young woman, struggling to raise a family and hone her acting craft. She had a difficult relationship with her mother and suffered child abuse from her step-father, so the book goes pretty dark at times. It is also very well-written, proving Field, a natural storyteller.
The last 3rd of the memoir, deals with her Hollywood career, from Smokey & the Bandit to show more her stunning role as Mary Todd Lincoln in “Lincoln”. A totally engaging read and yes, Burt Reynolds comes off as a friggin' jerk.

Field narrates the audio version, and unsurprisingly does a stellar job. I highly recommend that format. show less

Sally Field's "In Pieces" is not a run-of-the-mill celebrity memoir. The two-time Academy Award winning actress does cover expected territory, discussing how she got her first break in show business, took less than scintillating parts in order to become known, and as so many actors do, struggled with feelings of insecurity. However, she goes far deeper in this candid and wrenching book, furnishing disturbing details about her dysfunctional childhood, distressing adolescence, and troubled adulthood. We learn that Sally's mother, Margaret, had two marriages that ended in divorce and often relied on alcohol to help her cope; Field had an overbearing, abusive, and sometimes sadistic stepfather, Jock Mahoney; and Sally made one poor choice show more after another in romantic partners. Although Field eventually had three sons (two with her first husband, Steve), she reluctantly left the kids in the care of her mother while she worked. There was a great deal of unfinished business between Sally and Baa (the nickname she uses for her mom) that the two skirted around, but avoided discussing for many years. Field sadly reveals, "There was always something thorny between us."

Readers who admire Field for her impressive body of work may be shocked at how different her private life was from her public image. Sally Field appeared to be wholesome, cheerful, and upbeat when she appeared on such shows as Gidget and the Flying Nun. In reality, Field was unhappy, frightened, and filled with guilt, self-loathing, and rage. She speaks out about her tumultuous personal experiences: as a child she was an anxious little girl with few friends ("I wanted to hide from everyone"), her family was frequently short of money, she changed boyfriends and/or husbands again and again, and had to repeatedly earn respect from skeptics who thought she could not handle challenging roles. Acting and therapy eventually helped her to integrate the different parts of her personality into a cohesive whole. However, she waited a long time to get the psychological help that she desperately needed.

Field is a fine descriptive writer, who expresses herself lucidly and eloquently. She uses flashbacks well, relieves the book's somber tone with occasional flashes of dark humor, and speaks to us intimately, as if we were sitting across from her in our living room. Of particular interest is Sally's work in the Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg, from whom she learned a great deal about the fundamentals of her craft. Strasberg told his acolytes, "You are your own instrument of expression and you have to keep it finely tuned." Field has complimentary words for Martin Ritt (who directed her in Norma Rae), and expresses her joy at portraying Mary Todd opposite Daniel Day Lewis in "Lincoln." Ms. Field is modest about her many fine performances in films and on television. Be warned that "In Pieces" is not easy to read. Field's emotions are so raw that it is difficult for us to bear witness to her angst. This talented individual carried far too much baggage on her long and difficult road to maturity, self-esteem, acceptance, and fulfillment. show less

As a 70-year-old, it’s hard for me not to see the Flying Nun when I look at Sally Field. Even as I watched her in the various roles she played in some great and some not so great movies, I saw that crazy nun’s habit and her flying with that Sally Field grin. This memoir, essentially a coming of age memoir, takes Sally Field from Gidget through that nun all the way to the sunset of her career where she is playing parts she deserves: Mary Todd Lincoln and Norma Rae among them. The memoir, like most of those written by celebrities, contains more personal stories than I cared to hear about. One was of her brief relationship with the famed song writer Jimmy Webb. The incident she recounts reeks of gratuitousness. When asked about it, show more Webb said he didn’t mention Field in his own memoir because what they shared wasn’t especially noteworthy or memorable. Field’s relationship with Burt Reynolds toward the end of the book was especially sad given the energy the man sapped from her. And finally, Sally’s relationship with her mother, at the heart of her torment her entire life, was once and for all peacefully cemented nearly on her mother’s death bed. Do I recommend this autobiography? I can say I enjoyed most of it, and I think most people who respect Sally Field’s work over the past seven decades will enjoy it too. show less

I read this only because it was a book club pick. I do enjoy almost all memoirs; and this did have a good narrative arc, watching Field's acting career progress in "seriousness". But I never would have picked this book on my own, mainly because, I really just don't care about actors. I don't find acting interesting as an art, and I don't find actors intrinsically interesting as people. And I had a hard time nailing down who exactly Sally Field was. Funny true story - when we were considering doing this book, someone in book club said that Sally Field was "so good in 'All in the Family.'" After some puzzlement, we all protested, "That was Sally Struthers!" Then someone added, "Yes, Sally Field was Coal Miner's Daughter." Then we all show more protested, "No, that was Sissy Spacek!" And I'm really embarrassed that I went home chuckling at this, and then read the book the whole time waiting for her to get to her big break playing Major Houlihan in the movie version of M*A*S*H. That, of course was, Sally Kellerman!

But seriously, I think I've at least got straight now who Sally Field is and was. She was Gidget, then the Flying Nun. She enjoyed being Gidget but hated every moment of the Flying Nun, and longed to be seen as a serious actor. The book climaxes effectively with her winning the Academy Award for 'Norma Rae'.

Of course, there's abuse along the way. Field's childhood was dominated by sexual abuse by her slimy stepfather while her drunk mother looked the other way. I'm glad she seems to have achieved some degree of closure on those issues by book's end. show less

I have said this time and again – there are times when what I am reading is exactly what I need in life at that moment. This book hit the mark on a deep level for me. Sally Field is an extraordinary actress and has been in some of my favorite films, but I never really considered myself a big fan. Something drew me to this memoir, and now I appreciate her in a more complex way.

She talks mostly about her family and her internal struggles. While she does dedicate a bit of the book to her work, it is focused on her craft and career rather than on the specific projects. Much of the book is about discovering herself piece by piece, memory by memory. She found in acting what she could not adequately express in her real life.

She had a show more strained and co-dependent relationship with her mother that allowed me to glimpse a new perspective of my own relationship with my mother. Her mother was an alcoholic, her father was estranged, and her step-father was abusive. I see my own mother and her relationship with her mother in the book. Generations of damaged women raising and damaging their daughters is a common story, I suppose. Still these stories need to be told so we can learn from each other and piece ourselves together. show less

Sally Field wrote this without a ghost or "as told to" co-writer. It is obvious she has had many years of therapy as the honesty shows on every page. She tells an amazing story from a very real (not glamorized) perspective about how she grew up and how she got into "the business." Her moments of insight about the craft of acting are great, and she is humble and realistic about her ups and downs through her career and marriages. It is a very satisfying read.