Customer Reviews

Beverly: An Autobiography

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I REALLY enjoyed this! I must say that this is a captivating and extremely well-written book. It's so conversational and light-hearted. She's delightfully frank and writes about every rumor and story you've heard about her. No frosting the truth here. She discusses in wonderful detail every experience, good, bad, scandelous, embarrasing happening that contributed to her fabulous career. After reading this, I found myself completely admiring this woman's strength, stamina, and courage. She had a lot to deal with in her life and got through it all admirably.

Beverly Sills retired from singing when I was a child. I picked up this book at a public library on sale for fifty cents. Once I starting reading it, I couldn't put it down. Beverly never led the kind of life that was scandalous. On the contrary, she led a very dignified life with class, elegance, and grace that so few true celebrities possess today. I understood where she came from and was surprised to discover hardships like anti-Semitism in Cleveland, Ohio where she lived for 5 years when she married Peter. She became a young stepmother to three girls whose mother had suffered from mental illness. She also became a mother to a deaf daughter Muffy and autistic Petey Jr. But yet, she went on and became an inspiration for so many mothers out there. I was puzzled that she didn't dedicate something to her son but I'm sure it was an oversight. I was touched by her married life. I couldn't believe that she had such a wonderful, supporting husband like Peter alongside her. She is the heart and soul of Lincoln Center now and forever. But I have one complaint is that she doesn't write about Kennedy Center Honors Tribute. Maybe in the next biography since this book is about 20 years old.

True story: I was in the middle of reading __Beverly__ when it was announced she was gravely ill and hospitalized.

Anyway, when __Bubbles__ first came out, I was ten years old. I devoured it and believed, totally, every word. When __Beverly__ was first published, I didn't even look at it, because what more would she have to say?

I re read __Bubbles__ recently, and was able to read between the lines: there was the idea implicit in __Bubbles__ that her life was one of unbridled joy: ok her children had challenges, but she was up to them! La, la, la... I believed that as a child, but as an adult, it seemed obvious that there's no way two such different families blended easily, no way it didn't hurt to be repeatedly rejected by Dr. Rosenstock, etc. etc.

So I finally read __Beverly__. __Bubbles__ was enjoyable, but __Beverly__ is magnificent! It's the difference between a pop tart and a homemade berry pie. It's more intense, more flavorful, and if a pit sneaks in there it just reminds you that that's what authenticity feels like. __Bubbles__ was when she was younger and still eager to please; __Beverly__ was what you see is what you get.

On to the details of her life: raised in a musical, multilingual family, with a seamstress mother (in a time when opera companies liked you to bring your own costume) and happening on one of the world's best voice teachers, growing up so that the only way she ever earned money was by entertaining--she darn well __better__ have become one of the world's great performers! She never had to sweat her way through French 1, or clean houses to pay for her lessons. On the other hand, she so changed the musical scene that you can lose sight of the fact that in her time opera stars were NOT Americans.

The tragedies of being rejected by her extended family for her marriage, and of bearing two children with handicaps, of naively becoming the head of a bankrupt arts organization are, in __Beverly__, not glossed over. They are used to illustrate Sills's resilient and complex personality.

I sincerely hope that __Beverly__ will come back into print, or that it will be used as the basis for the ultimate Sills biography now that her amazing life has ended.

Beverly Sills was born in New York in 1929. She is now in her seventies and Chairman at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She epitomized the iconic American opera singer, bringing the pleasures of opera, which has always been the stereotypical European pasttime to America. And what's more, Beverly Sills made opera fun, accessible and highly entertaining. Her career was obscure before she hit it big in the 60's and 70's. She had sung on the radio and on television in much the same manner as Shirley Temple did (though we know that Shirley outshone Beverly on this) and she began to tour with American operetta companies, like the Schubert Opera Company, singing Viennese operettas such as The Merry Widow and the more famous Johann Strauss operettas, Die Fledermaus, etc. Eventually, as all true sopranos do, she moved up into other roles, her first non-operetta roles were Micaela in Bizet's Carmen. In her candid biography, Beverly admits that she was turned down for The New York City Opera several times before she was finally acknowledged. This is a good lesson to sopranos everywhere who are trying to make it. Don't give up. Persistance and a confident attitude is highly important. Beverly continues to tell us about her life and opera career in this engaging biography, well-written, smart, funny and conversational.

BEVERLY'S LIFE was blessed with a successful opera career, a loving husband- journalist Peter Greenough and children. When Beverly's children were diagnosed with impediments- such as deafness, Beverly had to put her career on hold to raise her children. She is not only an excellent opera singer but a first class human being, selfless and hard-working. Beverly has advocated human rights and has participated in The March Of Dimes as well as other causes and charities, has won a Grammy award for her performance in the opera Manon, and has won two of the highest awards in the world- the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion Award. In addition to her opera career, her biographies (other than this one there is also her other biographies including "Bubbles"), Beverly has done a lot of "tv" time- she appeared in the Ed Sullivan Show singing Donizetti, substituted for Johnny Carson one time when he fell ill, and hosted her own tv talk show in the late 70's "Lifestyles With Beverly Sills" in which she was often paired with actor Danny Kaye, singer Julie Andrews and comedian Carrol Burnett. She was in "The Muppet Show" singing duets with Miss Piggy and one time even appeared in the San Diego phone book. What a life it's been.

BEVERLY'S CAREER: All the nuances and backstage stories of her opera performances are to be found here. Beverly talks of her dislike for the role of The Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute. The character has only two high-calibre arias and a finale ensemble but for the most part the Queen is backstage waiting her cue. Beverly amazed audiences at the Vienna State Opera singing the Queen's high F's in late 1960's. Her performance in Handel's Julius Caesar launched her career. It was her Cleopatra, with the taxing coloratura and lyricism that got her officially recognized. She had sung in English before in Douglas Moore's original opera of the late 50's "The Ballad Of Baby Doe". She would continue singing lyric coloratura roles such as Lakme, Zerbinetta (Ariadne of Naxos) Lucia Di Lammermoor, Manon, Thais, Marie from "La Fille Du Regiment", Violetta from La Traviata and Queen Marguerite from Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots as well as Queen Shemakha from "Coq D'Or." But this was only the beginning. From 1970 to 1973, Beverly performed a revival of Donizetti's Tudor Queen Trilogy- Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux for the New York City Opera, her beloved home company. These roles are demanding and risky for a light-voiced soprano, but although Beverly admits to having shortened her opera career because of these heavy roles, she reaped its benefits because they were sold-out, sensational performances that no other soprano has since surpassed. It was the role of the fiery Queen Elizabeth that landed her a cover in Time magazine and marked her best moment in her opera career. Other fiery, challenging roles Beverly tackled included Lucrezia Borgia and Norma, all to great acclaim. Beverly recorded several operas on LP's in the 70's several of which have been reissued on cd- including a lush box set of the Tudor Queen Trilogy of Donizetti, compilation albums of bel canto arias, Mozart and Strauss concert arias and her performances in brand name operas. We will never forget the glorious life of Beverly Sills.

Appreciate the prompt shipment and service. Enjoying the book also.
Thank you. Glad you still had a copy as I believe it is out of print now.

To be honest, even if it wasn't an interesting read (which it most definitely is), I would've purchased it anyway since she not only is my idol but she has one hell of a sense of humor. That being said, the book lived up to my expectations completely.

She starts from the very beginning, chronicling pretty much every moment of her life. I especially liked reading about her experiences in showbiz when she was younger. It's also a very intimate look at her family life, when her father passed and her struggles raising two disabled children.

I especially love when she talks about Eileen Farrell and how funny she was.

Just buy it, you won't regret it.