Getting Along Famously: A Celebration of Friendship [Hardcover]

Melissa Hellstern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2008

Where would we be without our friends? If we are truly fortunate, we each have one special friend in our lives—the one who cheers every accomplishment no matter how small, who lifts spirits in even the darkest hour, and who knows our deepest secrets and will never tell.

In a look at six of the most iconic best friends of our time, bestselling author Melissa Hellstern crafts a charming celebration of strong women and the enduring bonds that unite them. With pairs like Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren, Coco Chanel and Madame Misia Sert, and Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett, Getting Along Famously brings these famous friendships down to earth and explores the precious the art of friendship and the many forms it takes. These women walked the world side by side building friendships that not only withstood all the joys and sorrows of life, but often encouraged them to reach the top of their professions. Whether through laughter or tears, these dynamic relationships illuminate the importance of friendship in every woman’s life.

Part surprising biography, part tribute to the unique bonds of friendship, Getting Along Famously will remind you of your delight in your own friends and is the perfect book to share with those woman that mean so much you choose to call them family.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melissa Hellstern is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life, which has been translated into seven languages. Hellstern’s thoughts on Hepburn have been featured in many print interviews and on the television show “The Greatest Fashion Icons on Film” which aired on A&E.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (October 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052595080X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525950806
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,696,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Friends for Life, November 3, 2008

By 

Story Circle Book Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Along Famously: A Celebration of Friendship (Hardcover)

Getting Along Famously has a lot going for it, from the stylish book jacket with its clever title to wonderful photos and glossy pages (all 193 of them). The subtitle, A Celebration of Friendship, sets the pace for what is to come. In her introduction, author Melissa Hellstern, writes: "Men may fix things, but women fix each other." Thus, we are led to the main focus of the book: stories of the friendships between twelve famous women that endured through divorce, rivalry, miscarriages, other struggles, until, in some cases, the death of one. Hellstern highlights friends of varying ages, talents, and dispositions, including a remarkable mother/daughter bond that thrives despite many years of strife.

The force that guides all these relationships is the women's ability to laugh at themselves. This is illustrated in an incident with Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance during the filming of their television show. The two have a spat on the set and stop talking to each other for a full day until just before show time, when Lucy breaks the silence to coach Vance for an upcoming scene. Vance asks: "Why didn't you say so before?" Lucy replies: "We weren't speaking, and I'd be damned if I'd tell you!"

Interspersed within the text are brief vignettes of other well-known friends that I found distracting, although, some readers may welcome the break. Inspiring and easier to digest are the quotations scattered throughout the chapters like handfuls of confetti.

Hellstern's book prompts me to examine my own friendships to see whether they need repair, attention, or simply gratitude. This is an enjoyable read about women we know as celebrities, but thanks to Getting Along Famously, we see them as friends.

by Diana Nolan
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book, December 21, 2008

By 

Michele S. Techman (IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Getting Along Famously: A Celebration of Friendship (Hardcover)

I really enjoy reading this book. Since it has two of my favorite actresss

in it.

I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-warming and Funny!, November 4, 2011

By 

Natarielle Powell (Savannah, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Along Famously: A Celebration of Friendship (Hardcover)

This book displays beautiful portraits of famous friends and stories of their friendships. It is uniquely crafted to allow the reader to find herself and her "BFF" in one of the stories.

I was given this book for a birthday present by my best friend, and I could not have asked for a better gift! The focus is mainly how the pairs became friends and remained friends throughout their careers and various life experiences. Among those highlighted are Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren, and Coco Chanel and Misia Sert.

Their stories reveal their mutual trust, personality differences, and bonds that transcend the grave. So, whether you are sharing pasta or changing the world, you will probably end up having a conversation about Metamucil, lol. You'll have to read the book to get that one.