An Affair to Remember: My Life with Cary Grant [Hardcover]

Maureen Donaldson (Author), William Royce (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Putnam And Sons; First edition (February 16, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399134506
• ISBN-13: 978-0399134500
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,854,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading Past Midnight, January 1, 2007

By 

Ms_Scout (Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Affair to Remember: My Life With Cary Grant (Hardcover)

I give this book 5 stars because there are not too many books that keep me awake at night. Usually even a good book puts me to sleep sooner or later. Not this one.

Maureen Donaldson had a four year relationship with legendary Hollywood actor Cary Grant from 1973-1977 after he had retired from film making. Her descriptions of meeting and first getting to know Grant made me feel like I was almost experiencing it with her. I could definitely identify with her feelings of awe and being overwhelmed that Cary Grant was interested in her. I would have felt the same way. As she got to know him and spend more time with him, she saw that he was only human (aren't we all). In fact, he was very human, with many of the same fears, insecurities and childhood hurts that so many of us have to deal with ourselves.

I agree with other reviewers who feel this book is not a trash Cary Grant book. I don't think that was her intention. I don't think less of Grant now than before I read the book. From everything I have read about Grant in this book and elsewhere, it seems he had a very rock-solid core to him. He comes across as a very loyal friend, surprisingly generous at times (when the mood struck him), tender-hearted and kind.

Maureen tells in her book how Grant read a daily devotional each day of the year out of a Christian booklet he had a subscription to. After they broke up Maureen said she continued the practice of reading those daily selections herself.

She took Grant to an Alice Cooper concert (with Grant in disguise). He hated it, but the fact that she talked him into going proves to me that he really cared about her. A man his age going to an Alice Cooper concert? That is love.

I do wonder why she wrote this book. I guess I should not try to speculate. According to Maureen, Grant tried to get her to marry him and even enlisted Jennifer Jones and her last husband to offer their home as a wedding site.

Even after reading the whole book I still can't help but think Maureen was nuts not to marry him.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ..., May 10, 2006

By 

Ms. S. Harper (North East England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Affair to Remember: My Life With Cary Grant (Paperback)

I've just finished reading this and i'm a little shellshocked. Not because I feel Grant has been villified but perhaps merely because it shows such a debonair and enigmatic idol of mine as a true fallible human being.

Like the other reviewer commented, I too thought it seemed to be written with a fair amount of objectivity. It did not come across to me as a bitter and delibrate attempt to trash or undermine Grant. It does come across, however, as a bit of a tacky and harrowing romance novel, even the presentation of the book conveys such an image.

I think if you're a Cary Grant fan that wants to find out a little more about Archie Leach and is willing to accept the fact that their view of Cary may be tarnished in the process; then go ahead and read this, it is an interesting and (from what I can tell) balanced read.

Let's all hope he was happy in the end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, November 8, 2003

By 

missdsr (Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Affair to Remember: My Life with Cary Grant (Hardcover)

I felt like I knew Cary Grant much better after reading this book. It seems to have been written with some objectivity. The book makes you feel as though you are right in the middle of their relationship. I really enjoyed reading about the details of the most dashing man of the classic movie era. There will never be another Cary Grant, unfortunately.