My Father's Daughter: A Memoir

Oh my. The claws come out scratching in this one. YES! This is why we read celebrity memoirs! You go, Tina! I want to buy another exclamation point!

There are dozens upon dozens of books about Francis Albert Sinatra, but if you can start with [b:Frank: The Voice|8385909|Frank The Voice|James Kaplan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327985569s/8385909.jpg|13243189], which tells us about his early life, then segue into [b:Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra|379651|Mr. S My Life with Frank Sinatra|George Jacobs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174321047s/379651.jpg|369457], which provides us the middle years, and then end with this dilly from [a:Tina Sinatra|281645|Tina Sinatra|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg], show more you would have all you need. I gobbled this volume right up, as Frank's youngest daughter presents a life in three acts. Success, anguish, decline.

First, we get the brief overview of Sinatra's beginnings, followed by the multiple marriages but always loyal first wife and offspring...and then it becomes King Lear as the famous crooner loses his way. Ooooh! Sinatra's fourth wife makes her appearance and she is the epitome of the evil stepmother. Maybe she even had a magical mirror in her Beverly Hills mansion (which she had her husband buy for her). Tina is very loyal to her father and I don't doubt her story, as I worked in the industry during his last years and the lots were abuzz about how the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century was being controlled by a Brothers Grimm character (who tells her side of the story in [b:Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank|9825816|Lady Blue Eyes My Life with Frank|Barbara Sinatra|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1302031103s/9825816.jpg|14716374]).

I will always have a soft spot for Frankie. As a teenager in the 1980s, I saw a book about model trains at a library sale. I bought it and sent it to him. Complete stranger. Two weeks later, I received a handwritten two-page letter telling me how much he appreciated the book and how it helped him update his model train layout. After that, I would receive twice-yearly calls from his office, asking me if I would be interested in attending one of his Vegas shows. There was always a front-row table and an attentive waiter. All because I sent him a book. The man was marvelous. It hurts that he lost his bearings in old age and became a tragic figure manipulated by a gold digger.

'Scuse me while I disappear

Book Season = Summer (take out the old turntable) show less

This book, written by Frank Sinatra’s youngest child, is a fascinating insight into the man behind the music. It’s also a book of two halves. In the first half, Tina describes life as a young child, with a loving but often absent father – Frank having left Tina’s mother Nancy for Ava Gardner, while Tina was a baby. Although clearly very close to her mother, Tina speaks well of Gardner, and even better of her father’s third wife, Mia Farrow, with whom she became good friends.

In the second half of the book, things take a sombre turn, as Frank marries his fourth and final wife, Barbara Marx, who was formerly married to Marx brother Zeppo. The difficulties between Barbara and Frank’s children – Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina show more herself – have been fairly well documented, but here, any gaps are filled in, and Tina lets rip at Barbara. (I have read Barbara Sinatra’s book, 'Lady Blue Eyes', which tells the story from the other side. I didn’t enjoy that book anywhere near as much as those, or take to the author, and given the stories which were flying about within the industry while Frank and Barbara were married, I tend to believe Tina’s side of the story, although obviously only those who were there know the full truth.)

Tina describes how her mother and father remained close and loyal friends for the rest of Frank’s life, and how they often talked about getting back together. It is sad to read about the troubles within the family upon Frank’s fourth marriage, and occasionally Tina makes a few assumptions about Barbara’s motives or actions, but it certainly appears that Barbara intentionally made life difficult for the Sinatra children, and caused a rift between them and their father. Toward the end of his life, Frank Sinatra suffered from various illnesses, and was also diagnosed with dementia, and there is a real sense of tenderness in how Tina talks of her father. His death and funeral were beautifully described, by a daughter who clearly loved her dad very deeply.

I would certainly recommend this book to any fans of Frank Sinatra – it’s an interesting and engaging read. It’s not the book to read if you want to find out more about his career; it’s definitely a very personal memoir concentrating on Frank’s private life, but all the more enjoyable for it. show less

Tina was previously the least known of the Sinatra offspring. Now that I read of the artistic (mini series biopic) and business trust The Chairman of the Board put into his youngest casts her in a new light. A harsh light is cast on Barbara Sinatra, Zeppo Marx's ex- and Frank's final wife. Apparently more of a parasite than a companion, she became a wedge between Frank and his family in his final years and emerged the successful gold digger with money and booty.

found today 8/2/2013 1 of 20 books for $10