Audition: A Memoir

over written but an interesting read. I never cared for Barbara Walters but this made me feel more sympathetic. I do think she may have erred in her priorities. It seems like it was career first and Jackie, her child second. Those are choices one makes but it seems like she now has regrets.

Before reading this, all I knew about Barbara Walters was that she was famous for making celebrities cry and she was on "The View" sometimes. Now I appreciate her so much more for the way that she opened doors for women in the field of journalism. Insights into her personal life are interesting too - unlucky at love and family but one beautiful daughter seems to make up for all of that. I really, really enjoyed this book and it was perfect to read as the 2008 presidential election wound down.

Fun, informative read very much in the voice of the author. So many autobiographies do not reflect the personality of the subject (mainly because they were actually penned by ghost writers) but Barbara Walter's personality flows from each page of this delightful book.

Well written, often in a conversational style, this book was interesting for all of its 600-plus pages. Walters does a great job examining her background as a source of her drive and ambition. The book takes us through the 7 decades that she has lived, examining her personal and professional lives, in addition to current world events. She has a wonderful ability to summarize a time period, such as Watergate, clearly and succinctly. I was struck by her sense of guilt, particularly with regards to her daughter and the demands of her career. I found it a very thoughtful book - well worth reading.

The fact that I read 624 pages of a memoir gets this book 3 automatic stars. The fourth star was earned by her extraordinary life and the quality of the writing (why was I surprised by this, duh...she's a "journalist" - and a really good one - after all). I've heard people (all right, my mother) complain that she shouldn't have "named names" (Ed Brooke). Actually reading the book, as opposed to hearing "news speak" reviews, reveals her "warts and all" portrayal of herself, which I feel gives her license to tell it like it was. It can't be easy to truthfully open up your life to the world. The sense of honesty that runs throughout is the factor that rates the extra 1/2 star and gives me a new appreciation for the "icon" that I thought I show more knew. show less

After more than 40 years interviewing heads of state, world leaders, movie stars, criminals and murderers, inspirational figures and celebrities of all kinds, the most influential woman in the history of television journalism finally writes her memoir. Barbara Walters's perception of the world was formed from a very early age. Her father, Lou Walters, was the owner and creative mind behind the legendary Latin Quarter nightclub, and it was his risk-taking lifestyle that gave Barbara her first taste of glamour. It also made her aware of the ups and downs, the insecurities, and even the tragedies that can occur when someone is willing to take such great risks, for Lou Walters not only made several fortunes - he also lost them.

Barbara show more learned early about the damage that such an existence can do to relationships - between husband and wife as well as between parent and child. Throughout her roller-coaster ride of a childhood, Barbara had a constant companion, her mentally-challenged sister, Jackie. True, Jackie taught her younger sister much about patience and compassion, however Barbara also writes honestly about the resentment she often felt having a sister who was so "different" and the guilt that still haunts her.

All of this - the financial responsibility for her family, the fear, the love - played a large part in the choices Barbara made as she grew up: the friendships she developed, the relationships she had, the marriages she tried to make work. Ultimately, thanks to her drive, as well as a decent amount of luck, she began a career in television. And what a career it has been! Against incredible odds, Barbara has made it to the top of a male-dominated industry. She is a true trail-blazer within the industry, becoming the most trusted television journalist of all time. She has not only interviewed the world's most fascinating figures, she has become a part of their world.

I really enjoyed this book! After having it on my bookshelf unread for almost three years, I finally took the plunge and read it. At 579 pages, I was somewhat daunted to begin reading, despite really wanting to read this book almost from the moment it was published! Overall, it was an incredibly interesting and engaging book for me to read, even though there were one or two chapters that were slow reading. I must say that Barbara Walters has lived an incredibly exciting life and has done much to be admired for by her peers. Ultimately, I give Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters an A+! show less

i was never a big fan. but i didn't realize how hard it was to be a woman tv journalist and how many firsts she had. i enjoyed her sense of humour, often at herself. she is very careful who she speaks badly of, no one in her personal life gets any flack but maybe that's best. she was always very busy and famous and i'm sure that wasn't easy for her daughter. but they seem to get on very well together and she seems proud of her. all in all much, much better than i expected.