Customer Reviews

The Biograph Girl

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Perhaps only ace Hollywood historian William J. Mann could have written The Biograph Girl, which not only entertains but teaches about the film industry in its embryonic, pre-Hollywood years. Mann's portrayal of Florence Lawrence, who is regarded as the world's first movie star, brims with humanity as well as suspense, making the book hard to put down. Mann is also a gifted parodist, tossing in hilarious cameo appearances by Adela Rogers St. Johns, Rosie O'Donnell, and Barbara Walters. The Biograph Girl is a fine historical novel.

William J. Mann's Flo Lawrence is a wonderful creation. Based on the original silent screen star, she's the perfect window to a forgotten world. Mann's novel is a wonderful read, atmospheric and engaging, with a skillful use of flashbacks; the novel's central narrative strands of Flo's life and the Sheehen brothers' contests works magnificently. William Mann moved us with his powerful first novel, The Men from the Boys. Now he entertains us with the brilliant, evocative, and fast-moving commercial read.

I absolutely loved this book! This is one of the best novels I have read all year. I enjoyed it even more knowing much of the book is based on actual research Mr. Mann did. Flo is my hero... and all of the supporting characters provide added depth in a story I could not put down.

This is definite movie material! I am impressed with Mann's ability to tie complex matters in both a serious and yet, lively and at times, hilarious manner. His description is excellent and dialogue is true to life. His portrayal of Oprah was larger than life (by the way, the scene of Flo with Oprah is an actor's dream...I could actually see Gloria Stuart playing the part). My next trip will be to Greece after reading of Flo's romantic escapade there. To be so young and carefree (I am referring to the cute, young Greek god--NOT Flo)! It is a rare grace to be so entertained and to fall in love with one so wise and charmed--even if she is a tobacco tooting broad!

I am an admirer of all of Mann's talents, but in The Biograph Girl he has outdone himself.

If one is fond of stories about old Hollywood, or murder mysteries, or simply want a days EXCELLENT entertainment this is the book for you. It tells the fictionalized story of Florence Lawrence, the first movie star. She is 106 years old and discovered by a journalist who, after some good investigating, finds out she is the long 'dead' star who died of eating ant paste in the 30's.

I have to say I read this 457 page book non-stop over one lovely Sunday and it kept me from glancing up at the Tv, or any of a number of disctractions...it was wonderful and magical and a thrill to read. I recommended it to anyone--young, old, interested in history or just simply needing a day or twos entertainment!

A compelling weave of past and present, fact and fiction. The Biograph Girl entertainingly illustrates the age-old dilemmas of public adoration vs. personal well-being, and principles vs. success. At the heart of all this turmoil is Florence Bridgewood, 106 ("or somewhere around there"), an intriguing old lady with a past full of secrets. She has been "discovered" by a pair of bickering brothers and their long-suffering lovers, who are determined to unravel her mystery: Is she really Florence Lawrence, The Biograph Girl? If so, who was buried and what did she have to do with that woman's death? The nun who takes care of her is just as determined to protect her, whatever truth comes out. What ensues is a wild mix of sibling rivalry, old and new Hollywood, TV talk shows and crazy stunts.

The characters are moving and real; they each have their selfish concerns which makes them all the more likeable. The glimpses of the early movie industry are interesting. My only disappointment was this: Flo wanted to talk more about her life *after* the faked suicide - and I wanted to hear it! But I guess you can only cram so much into a book already filled with so many lives (most of which are Flo's).

In the end, the resolutions are rather predictable, but it is all very satisfying and enjoyable.

Florence Lawrence, the world's first movie star. Never heard of her? Well, neither had I, as a amateur film buff, until I picked up William Mann's delightful, compelling book, "The Biograph Girl".

In this entertaining story, he weaves fact and fiction together flawlessly, creating a wonderful "what if" scenario that is very realistic. What if Florence Lawrence didn't die after ingesting ant paste, but lived out an entirely new life under another name, only to resurface as a fiesty 106 year old?

The older Flo is dynamic, witty, and easy to love. She is both honest and coy, a great character to drive the plot but also maintains her air of mystery throughout the story.

All of the supporting characters in the story are wonderfully drawn, have complete lives of their own, and are all consumed by this lady and her story. Mann steers away from stereotyping characters, for example Sister Jean, who is Flo's caregiver, could have been saintly and pristine. Instead, Mann makes her worldwise, and harbors a secret past. Richard's ex-porn star boyfriend is part of a committed relationship. Anita is an aspiring actress who holds her career back for love. Mann avoids the obvious, which is delightfully refreshing.

This book is a very easy read, and one that you won't want to put down. In fact, I hope this book propels people to start looking at the early history of film once again, not as an archaic dinosaur, but as a living, thriving, and very real entity as symbolized by the lovely Flo.

I heartily recommend this book!

This is far and away one of the best books I have read this year. I recommend this book to anyone who is fan of "Old Hollywood." The story is brilliant and while fiction, parts of it are based in true history. If only the first movie star ever did live until the present and could tell us all her tales! The small facts and details that I have learned while reading this book have inspired me to read more books on other celluloid heroes of the past. Don't pass this one up!

By 1910 Florence "Baby Flo" Lawrence was the first superstar ofcinema. Everyone wanted a piece of the BIOGRAPH GIRL. However, hermeteoric rise was only matched by the speed of her descent, as Baby Flo was a quick has-been, who occasionally got bit parts in films. In 1938, she regained the headlines when she committed suicide.

Almost six decades later, Richard and Ben Sheehan discover that Baby Flo never died. Instead, she is alive and well, living in Buffalo. The ambitious twins see Flo Bridgewood as a means of gaining fame and fortune, but as rivals and not as a team. If Ms. Bridgewood is in deed the BIOGRAPH GIRL than who is the individual buried in her coffin and why did she execute her fake death?

THE BIOGRAPH GIRL is a strange, but well written historical fiction work centering on a real person, movie's first star Florence Lawrence, who killed herself in 1938. The story line is fascinating for its wonderful glimpse into Baby Flo and, as a bonus, contains a compelling mystery. The siblings are an entertaining duo who are part snake oil and part charm. Anyone who enjoys a novel focusing on Hollywood past and present will devour William J. Mann's homage to a forgotten silent film star.

Harriet Klausner

I'M NOT A FAN OF ANY KIND OF HISTORICAL FICTION OF ANY KIND BUT I TRULY ENJOYED THIS READ. THE WHOLE SCENARIO OF WHAT IF WORKED. LOVED THE PLOT LINE WAS GREAT AND IT REALLY MADE ME WANT TO TURN THE PAGES.....I LOVED IT1

A friend of mine and I were in L.A. on vacation and decided to take one of the cheesy Hollywood movie star tours just for kicks. It was cheesy, but also insightful on rare occasions. It was here that we first learned of the forgotten Florence Lawrence, the "first movie star."

After returning from that trip, I decided to seek out information about Florence Lawrence, as I was curious to read her history...and also loved the rhyming of her name. Lo and behold, I discovered William J. Mann's THE BIOGRAPH GIRL. The book arrived in the mail, and what a book it was: 450 pages long. That's got to be some detailed biography, I thought. As I began reading it, though, I suddenly realized that it wasn't a biography of the Biograph Girl at all, but a "what if?" scenario. What if Florence Lawrence didn't die when she was young and lived to the ripe old age of 107 and was living in a retirement home, hiding her identity all these years? Huh. I kept reading, figuring the author had done his homework on Lawrence, so it would at least be historically accurate.

The more I read, though, the less I learned about Lawrence. Mann focused the book on the story -- and not a great one at that -- of two brothers, one a gay writer and one a straight wannabe film-maker, and was using people's interest in Florence Lawrence to lure in readers to his mediocre story. I'm guessing his first draft of the story about two brothers didn't go over well with his editor and publisher, so he incorporated this made-up story of Florence Lawrence just to appease them. How very sad. It reminded me of two books that I absolutely hated: A Boy I Once Knew: What a Teacher Learned from her Student and My Little Blue Dress. The first ended up being about the author and not about the boy whose diaries she was given. The latter was written from the perspective of this old woman who...well...it's hard to explain because the book didn't make a bit of sense. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy either one.

Furthermore, although the chapters alternated between the past and present, the first person viewpoint within each chapter kept changing, which made it very difficult to read. The basic skills of writing were practically ignored.

William J. Mann is not a bad writer. He can certainly write. And he can certainly write a lot of words, but he seems to have trouble focusing on one story. There was Florence as a girl, Florence as a young woman, Florence as an old woman, the brothers as young boys, the brothers as men, the brothers with their respective partners and careers, etc. At 150 pages into the single-spaced 450-page book, I wasn't sure what the real main story was supposed to be and wasn't interested in any of the characters, young or old, so I gave up. Life is too short to read bad literature (unless you're the made-up 107-year-old Florence Lawrence!).

Here's hoping someone else one day provives a better, realistic biography for the "The First Movie Star."