Britney: The Unauthorized Biography of Britney Spears (Paperback)

~ Sean Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Having amassed a fortune of over $100 million and record sales of forty million at the age of twenty-two, Britney Spears is the worlds biggest female star. This is the first biography to chronicle how the little girl, with a crucifix in each ear, has become the ultimate in tabloid fodder. Britney will follow her roller coaster life from her time on the Mickey Mouse Club, where she first met Justin Timberlake, to the moment she shot to fame and became the all-American pop princess. Somehow it all fell apartscarred by her break-up with Timberlake, roundly booed at the London premiere of her first film, the downward spiral culminated with her infamous fifty-five-hour Las Vegas marriage. Speculating on what an uncertain future holds for Mrs. Federline-Spears, Britney will be a gossipy and revealing biography of one of the most fascinating figures in pop.

About the Author

Sean Smith is one of the UK's leading celebrity biographers, whose bestselling books have been translated throughout the world. Since his internationally acclaimed biography of JK Rowling he has examined the world of the modern pop icon - Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Described by the Independent newspaper as a 'fearless chronicler' he specializes in meticulous research, going 'on the road' to find the real person behind the star image. Britney: The Biography is his tenth book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 327 pages
• Publisher: Trans-Atlantic Publications, Inc. (September 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330440772
• ISBN-13: 978-0330440776
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #535,045 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary Biography of an Extraordinary Star, August 25, 2008

By	filledemot (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Love her or hate her, I think we can all agree that Britney Spears is one of the most well-known and talked-about celebrities in the world. When I initially came across this book, I expected it to properly chronicle the astronomical fame, fortune, successes, and struggles Spears has experienced in her lifetime. I expected to read a biography that is well-written, well-formatted, and most of all, well-researched.

Unfortunately, "Britney: The Unauthorized Biography" did not deliver. Not in the slightest.

The book opens with a chapter detailing Spears' birth chart, which I felt was totally unnecessary and a complete waste of paper. There are many other instances in the book in which the author relays unnecessary or irrelevant facts that do nothing but distract from the main attraction of the book - Britney Spears.

In addition, there are a countless number of typos throughout this book, including misspellings of important names and places. This is incredibly sloppy and careless, and I'm shocked the publisher (Pan Books) allowed the book to be published with so many errors.

Furthermore, the chronology of this book is all over the place. Rather than separating the chapters into years, the author separates them into "significant" periods in Spears' life such as "Mouse Dancing" and "Mrs. Federline". While this is all well and good, the author needs to honor the chronology of Spears' life events. He jumps back and forth between years and periods in such a dizzying fashion that you never know which year he's actually referring to.

Overall, this book was a mediocre disappointment. When one hears the name "Britney Spears", one automatically expects her biography to be in the "gimme more" category (no pun intended). Perhaps the lackluster quality of this book lies in its "unauthorized" nature, but nevertheless, author Sean Smith had a ton of great material to work with, and I think he really dropped the ball on this one.

Bottom line - don't waste your money.

4.0 out of 5 stars Professionally Insightful, September 27, 2009

By	miss-independent - See all my reviews

This was a very good unauthorized account of Britney's beginnings all the way to her marriage to Kevin Federline. It goes as far as the Chaotic Reality show and her album titled, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. There are accounts of her childhood, her boyfriends, how she got into the business, the moments she shared with Justin Timberlake, her Madonna Britney smooch, and much on her parents lifestyle. Although, the book could have included more information it did a good job in depicting Britney as a very talented superstar who worked hard from her early beginning and managed to overcome many obstacles. The book has a back part that has UK Discography, Chronology, and Index. Is it the best book? I've read other books that were a bit more insightful and entertaining. One that I recommend is Britney Spears' Heart to Heart since it was more her version. However, there are numerous more current versions out there like The Truth About Britney Spears, Britney: Inside the Dream, and more.

Sean Smith also has another biography for Justin Timberlake titled, Justin: The Unauthorized Biography. He is an excellent writer and I highly recommend this book for already fans and new music listeners. It includes some color photos in the middle that are very nice. This is a great collector's item and it has a nice compact size to carry around in your purse if your a girl or in your bag if you are a guy. For up to date information you will get Kevin Federline's entrance into the rap industry very briefly in the last chapters as well as accounts of their wedding, his past relationships, and other juicy things. If the author would have written just a little bit more on this last portion I would have found it to be a lot more interesting. However, it has a very classy, style never gossipy nor degrading to Britney. She is painted pretty inside and out! On the negative side, it could have had more family interviews, acquaintance interviews, and other extras seen on other books like Britney: Not That Innocent. However, if you want a nicely written unauthorized biography with the main projections on Britney's professional, personal, and entertainment styles then this if for you.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS NOT BAD, December 30, 2008

By	COOL JEWEL (MACEDONIA, OHIO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

SEAN SMITH DOES AN OK JOB WITH THIS BOOK. WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PERSON BRITNEY IS REALLY LIKE. WE READ THAT SHE IS POLITE, NOT A BIG EGO, A DRIVER AND VERY MIXED UP. TOO BAD MR SMITH DID NOT ADD MORE TO THIS BOOK AFTER BRITNEY REALLY WENT OVER THE CLIFF A FEW YEARS AGO. THE BOOK COVERS BRITNEY'S CAREER AND LIFE IN SOME DETAIL AND ADEQUATELY DOES THE JOB. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS FOR FANS THAT DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT BRITNEY FOR MUCH OF THE INFO IN THIS BOOK HAS BEEN REHASHED. NOT FOR THE DIE HARD FANS OF BRITNEY.