Customer Reviews

Intermission: A true story

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I just re-read this book, after having read it about fifteen years ago. I remembered what a strong woman Anne Baxter was and how she gave up a glamorous life in Hollywood simply to be a wife and mother. Little did she know what lay ahead of her at Giro, her new home in Australia. She put up with so much to make a home for her new husband, her daughter Katrina, and the two babies she was to have by Ran Galt. I re-read the book because I felt it would mean more to me, just having returned from a visit to Australia. Anne and her family lived in a very remote area of the bush. It amazed me just as much the second time to see how willingly she gave of herself to make the marriage succeed. The way she totally turned her life around and tried to live as an Australian was incredible to me. She was one very tough lady. I enjoyed the book also because it is extremely well-written. Anne is an intelligent, perceptive person who writes equally well whether describing the scenery or the emotion she was feeling. Never is there a lull in the telling. She also weaves in something of her relationship with her famous grandfather, Frank Lloyd Wright, and something of her film-making experiences. I would like very much to read what transpired in Anne's life from the book's ending in 1963. I would bet that, from that time on, she lived life on her own terms.

I read this book when it first appeared, then later after having lived in Australia(1980-1984.)and having experiences of my own there. It is a haunting book - her struggles to find the right balance of being a strong woman who knew past successes, to blending into a society where none of this was appreciated or accepted. The choices she made sometimes for the sake of her new marriage and happiness in her new environment. I know she gave it her best shot, and she came away a wiser person for it. I want to read this again, and to share it with my book club. _

I read this book over 20 years ago & have read many books since then but this is still a favorite. I have given copies as gifts & have several copies of my own just in case one is lost. It seemed so incredibly insensitive for her husband to ask her to give up her glamorous life & move with him to "The Outback" but then I don't know the entire situation. Perhaps she was wanting to do just that & waiting for the opportunity. How sad that she didn't write a sequel but hopefully one of her daughters will someday. I would highly recommend this wonderful book & also think it would make a fantastic movie.

In short, this was a tale of and by a major movie star who fell in love and moved to Australia's outback with her "man." What happened to her as she tried to adjust to being 'merely a woman' in a totally male-dominated, nature-dominated environment is fascinating. As is her way of writing and dealing with it.

I read this many years ago but it stuck with me for several reasons: It was the first of the outback-struggles books I'd read. Also, Anne Baxter is a 'real' person I could picture while she was going through one level of Hell. The small things she turned to in order to make life bearable struck a chord with me and she wrote of them so movingly.

If you can find this book, it's a worthwhile read and is STILL current in the struggle it describes.

I read, INTERMISSION 15 years ago and every so often I pull it out and read it again from cover to cover. Her honesty and sense of humor are a joy to read. I often wonder what happened to her children and Ran Galt. I had so looked forward to the next book.

A Georgia Fan

I found and read this book in a box I bought at an auction. Her descriptions were so real and sccurate it left me wanting to read more from her. I highly recommend reading this book for a glimpse at a "real" actress, talent, wife, and mother. Her life was really amazing and I think this would make a great read for anyone who is interested in life in Australia. She shed the bonds of Hollywood and a career for the freedom of the Australian sky and country. She captured pieces of a personal history that I have never seen another author do. I am interested in reading any other book by her or about her.

Anne's book was a stirring, moving recollection of a brief period of her beautiful life. The only negative aspect is that there were no pictures of Anne. Of all the movie actresses of the Golden Era, Anne Baxter was hands-down the loveliest and one of the most talented! All her movies are fantastic!! Although, as I type this, I find that having no pictures of her just added to the mystique of this dark and attractive lady. Anne- we miss you dearly!!!!!!

I have this book in paper back and it's very old and yellowing, but I have held on to it, even though it's being held together with a rubber band. I just love this book so much and have read it once a year since it came out, long ago. One of the reviews in the front of the book says" read this book, and pray it's writer is at work on another". Yes, Anne was a wonderful actress, and a great writer. This book details her marriage to Randolf Galt, a terrific guy who led Anne on the greatest challenge and adventure of her life, living in Australia on a ranch. She details in the book about redoing an old ranch house into a dream home, sending tons of home goods across the sea to the ranch. She talks about marriage, home schooling her 2 daughters, dealing with various nannies, and the daily grind of running a home in the outback. When she can catch her breath, she takes the occasional movie role, just to get away for awhile. Throughout the book she reminices about the movie career she so enjoyed. It was her gift for detail and her use of words and her wit which make this book so special.
Sadly, her marriage eventually faded out and her life ended years later on a street in San Francisco, where she was filming a tv series. If you can get a hold of a copy of this book, don't let it go. It's a great read.