Forever Young : The Life, Loves, and Enduring Faith of a Hollywood Legend ; The Authorized Biography of Loretta Young [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Loretta Young, New York, Polly Ann (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Loretta Young defied the years better than any actress I can think of." -- Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times, Aug. 16, 2000

From the Publisher

The life story and faith journey of one of the last of the legends of Hollywood, Forever Young is an unforgettable, moving, funny, poignant account of a film and television star many admired for her grace, poise and beauty. Loretta Young's faith and determination come to life in this carefully researched biography of her life. For 30 years, Miss Young had refused overtures from biographers. In 1998, she met New York Times bestselling author Joan Wester Anderson and commented to her daughter-in-law Linda Lewis, "That's the woman I want to write the story of my life." When Linda queried Miss Young about the choice, her comment was, "Who better than a writer of angels and miracles to tell the story of my life?"

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas More Publishing; illustrated edition edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883474670
• ISBN-13: 978-0883474679
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At Long Last!, November 26, 2000

By	Diana Schafer (Centerville, OH USA) - See all my reviews

I never thought a biography on my hero would ever be printed and now that it has happened, I am not disappointed. It would be a difficult task for any writer to chronicle 87 years of anyone's life, but the life of one of Hollywood's most productive actresses would be a formidable if not almost impossible task for most authors. Joan Wester Anderson rose to the task; she presents Loretta in a straight forward no-nonsense manner. Joan captures the essence of a great lady who avoided most of the pitfalls of Hollywood while striving to live according to her faith, the one constant in her life.

You do not need to be a Loretta Young fan to enjoy this book. If you know nothing about Loretta Young, this book will probably lead you to acquire a couple of her movies or episodes of her Television shows to see the mesmerizingly beautiful actress for yourself. If you are an old fan of hers like me, it will bring back memories of a Sunday night in those innocent 50's when a beautiful lady opened her door to bring you a half-hour of entertainment with an uplifting theme.

Just like its subject, Loretta Young, who was both beautiful inside and out, "Forever Young" is both beautifully written--easy to read--and beautifully packaged. "Forever Young" would make a great Christmas gift for yourself or the reader in your family.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Limited Scope, March 30, 2001

By	Suzanne Smith (Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book primarily to learn more about Loretta Young the actress (as the cover states "A Hollywood Legend"), but found myself instead reading the story of a woman and her deep faith. While this is inspiring, and Young was indeed known and loved for her christianity, it isn't much of a movie star biography. It's obvious that Young chose Anderson knowing that the focus of her book would be religion and not really the story of her life. I think a better format would have been serialization in a magazine, rather than published as a biography.

While the author does relate the truth about Loretta's daughter with Clark Gable (Judy Lewis), she also makes backhanded assertions, like Spencer Tracy's daughter Susan telling Loretta, "There were only two women in my father's life. My mother, and you," in essence an attempt at de-legitimizing Tracy's long association with Katharine Hepburn.

I've never read this author's work before, but it does seem to me that she's got her own agenda going with stories of angels and miracles and spirituality. I really wanted more about Young's life in Hollywood and less about the religion, but this is not the book for that (and the cover is a bit misleading).

Bottom line: if you are a Loretta Young fan who wants to know more about her deep faith, this is the book for you. Hollywood fans, look elsewhere.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Beauty both Physically and Spiritually!, December 23, 2000

By	Robert G. Waldron - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Joan Wester Anderson's biography of movie and TV star Loretta Young is an inspiration to Christians and non-Christians alike. What comes across to this reader is Miss Young's pure integrity, one she would not sacrifice to Hollywood's worship of power, prestige and money. Anderson addresses sensitively the issue of Miss Young's daughter Judy, the child of Clark Gable amd Miss Young. Stars at that time would either have had an abortion or given the child up for adoption. Miss Young, the breadwinner for her family of mother and three sisters, kept her child and raised her the best she could. An admirable solution to a dilemma that could have destroyed two burgeoning careers: her own and Gable's. One of the most touching stories is that of her love for Spencer Tracy: her letter breaking off her relationship because Tracy was married and they were both Catholic, is a tribute to her and illustrates the beauty of her soul. How poignant it was when Tracy's daughter returned the note to Loretta after her father's death. He kept it all those years! If one had to describe Anderson's biography of Loretta Young, one could say it is a story of Love: Loretta's love for her family, church and God. No doubt about it: in an age when belief blows thither and yon with every new wind, Loretta Young kept the faith and fought the good fight. Hollywood won't see her kind again.