Elizabeth [Mass Market Paperback]

J. Randy Taraborrelli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2007

For more than six decades she has been a part of our lives. Now acclaimed biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli looks past the tabloid version of Elizabeth's life and offers the first-ever fully realized portrait of this American icon. You'll meet her controlling mother who plotted her daughter's success from birth...see the qualities that catapulted Elizabeth to stardom in 1940s Hollywood...understand the psychological and emotional underpinnings behind the eight marriages...and, finally, rejoice in Elizabeth's most bravura performance of all: the new success in family, friendships, and philanthropy she achieved despite substance abuse and chronic illness. It's the story of the woman you thought you knew--and now can finally understand.

J. Randy Taraborrelli is a respected journalist, a recognizable entertainment personality, and in-demand guest on many television programs. He is the bestselling author of eight books. Taraborrelli is a reporter for the Times (London), Paris Match, and The Daily Mail (UK) and a contributor to Redbook, McCall's, and Good Housekeeping.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Ordinarily, readers might question the logic of a new tome on a celebrity who already has at least six full-length biographies (and four self-penned books) devoted to her life, but Elizabeth Taylor has never been ordinary. Readers will easily understand why tabloids have chronicled her escapades for six decades: her roller-coaster life could easily read like a high-sheen soap opera (the eight marriages, two Oscars, suicide attempts and innumerable life-threatening illnesses that led to years of alcohol and prescription drug addiction before she became the first celebrity to check into the Betty Ford Clinic). But Taraborrelli, a sympathetic biographer, rescues the subject by looking for psychological and emotional motives behind her actions. Taraborrelli can be overprotective of Taylor (he notes her reviews for Cleopatra were "so vicious that they are not even worth memorializing here") but more often, he's a superb storyteller who is also an enthusiastic fan. The book is a fitting tribute to a woman who has lived and loved with abandon but who found real passion and purpose when she embraced AIDS activism in 1985, helping to destigmatize the disease and creating her own AIDS foundation. Taraborrelli's chatty prose (and bite-size chapters) perfectly complement Taylor's glamorous life of highs and lows to create an irresistible and inspiring tale. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The breathtaking photograph on this book's cover makes it clear why no one will ever forget Elizabeth Taylor. And if her sheer beauty isn't enough, there are the details of her wild, flamboyant, and excruciatingly painful life. Taraborrelli, known for his unauthorized biographies of such celebrities as Diana Ross and Princess Grace, has done his research (or from his acknowledgments, his researchers have done their research). Certainly, there are what seem like fresh tibits of information here from a wide variety of surprising sources--family friends, guests at the Taylor-Nicky Hilton wedding (her first), and even Debbie Reynolds, from whom Elizabeth stole Eddie Fisher. But the saga of Elizabeth Taylor is practically myth at this point, so it's hard to add anything new except around the edges. Moreover, Taylor has written two autobiographies of her own, and without the cooperation of so many key figures--Taylor herself, her children, Sybil Burton--Taraborrelli isn't able to generate any insider feel to his account. (He does thank Taylor for not actively deterring people from speaking to him.) Still, despite all those built-in shortcomings, it's hard not to keep turning pages when the story you're reading is so filled with larger-than-life loves, scandals, tragedies, and, of course, stars, stars, stars. As with Lee Server's recent Ava Gardner (2006), Taraborrelli's take on Liz reminds us what movie stardom is all about. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044640036X
• ISBN-13: 978-0446400367
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Actors & Actresses
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Rich & Famous
  • #86 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Entertainers

More About the Author

J. RANDY TARABORRELLI is the author of 16 biographies, many of them New York Times' best sellers, including "Call Her Miss Ross," "Sinatra - Behind the Legend," "Madonna - An Intimate Biography," "Jackie, Ethel, Joan - Women of Camelot" and "Elizabeth." His most recent New York Times' best sellers include "Michael Jackson - The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story." (2009) and "The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe" (also 2009). He is presently at work on his 17th book.

Taraborrelli is known as the foremost authority on Michael Jackson. He interviewed him and his family members countless times and has written more than one hundred articles about him. When Michael Jackson turned eighteen, Taraborrelli was there to report the story with an exclusive interview. As he did when Michael turned 21. And then 30. When Michael recorded "Thriller," Taraborrelli was in the studio. The author also reported on his first marriage to Lisa Marie Presley and his second to Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of his children. Taraborrelli landed the first interview when Jackson settled molestation charges against him in 1993 and was in the courtroom every day when Michael Jackson was on trial for child molestation ten years later. He anchored Michael Jackson's memorial service with Katie Courice in 2009.

J. Randy Taraborrelli is also a CBS News analyst.

The author lives in Encino, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REQUIRED READING FOR LIZ TAYLOR FANS, September 27, 2006

By 

M. Alther (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Elizabeth (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Elizabeth Taylor's since I was 8 years old, and still learned more details about her life that I had not known. [...] This book is highly entertaining, well written, and excellent reading for any Elizabeth Taylor fan.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone who doesn't know a lot about Elizabeth Taylor...., January 14, 2007

By 

IssVictorian "IssVictorian" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elizabeth (Hardcover)

.....this is a wonderful book to begin. I picked up this book not knowing much at all Elizabeth Taylor. After I finished, I felt I knew not about what was written about her in the tabloids but about the real woman that she was/is. The book is written from an objective standpoint and tells the "good and the bad" about a woman who's career spans 5 decades plus. Whether the reader likes her initially or not (based on previous thoughts/beliefs), I recommend this reading to anyone who has any interest in her at all or who just wants to read about a good book about a woman who's seeminly made an inpact on pop culture from decades past to present.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth, November 9, 2006

By 

Tim Newland "Kailua-Kona" (HI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elizabeth (Hardcover)

I was not a Elizabeth Taylor fan before I read this fascinating book. I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the book itself, being rather thick. I wondered if it would hold my attention very long. To my surprise, I was so fascinated by the life of Elizabeth Taylor. She truly has had an amazing life! I was spellbound from the first chapter of this book. I hated to put it down.

This version of her life story really makes you feel as though you actually know Elizabeth Taylor personally. I am now a HUGE fan, and I admire this classy woman so much as a person, void of the Elizabeth Taylor persona she seems to turn on at will. This book brilliantly points out the extremely generous side of one of Hollywood's Living Legends.

Definitely a MUST READ for any Elizabeth Taylor fan, or just a fan of Hollywood reading. You WILL be a fan after reading it!