Irving Berlin: A Daughter's Memoir [Paperback]

Mary Ellen Barrett (Author), Irving Berlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

In this book, Irving Berlin comes to life as a father, a husband and a friend - as well as the most enduring and beloved songwriter of this century. We see his good times and his bad, his public life and his private one. Mary Ellin Barrett, Berlin's oldest daughter and the author of three previous books, puts her father's work into perspective and reveals the truth behind certain darker and more mysterious elements of the Irving Berlin no other biographer has understood. "The bulk of the memoir concentrates on the half-century of triumphs that began with Alexander's Ragtime Band and included White Christmas, God Bless America, and There's No Business Like Show Business. Touching, wise, gracefully written." - The New York Times

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Irving Berlin's (1888-1989) oldest daughter here tells of growing up with the composer of some of America's most popular songs, including "White Christmas," "God Bless America" and "Easter Parade." Barrett (An Accident of Love) details her parents' well-publicized romance and marriage, which scandalized her mother's family, and describes life in a household with a Catholic mother from one of the country's wealthiest families and a Jewish father who earned millions with his music though his parents were penniless Russian immigrants. It was a storybook childhood, with loving parents, governesses and innumerable servants; homes in Los Angeles, the Catskills and New York City; and daily contact with the rich and the famous. Yet there was a dark side: the death of the Berlins' infant son; "dry spells" when the composer could not write; and periods of depression for both him and his wife, culminating in his later years as a virtual recluse. Barrett's bittersweet memoir is affectionate yet candid. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Songwriter Irving Berlin's eldest daughter (American Beauty, LJ 9/15/80) provides a memorable look at growing up in a multicultural yet privileged family in New York and California during the 1930s and 1940s. She recalls cultural and personal milestones of that era both from an adult perspective and from the perspective of the sometimes spoiled child and adolescent she claims-convincingly and with good humor-to have been. Her father lived to more than 100 years of age, and Barrett continues her narrative through her own adulthood and his final years. Although Berlin's marriage to a non-Jew was considered a major media scandal, his later family life seems to have been eminently wholesome though not without problems and troubling creative dry spells. Barrett's writing is exceptionally good, providing a unique look at a creative life while maintaining the high interest level one would expect from a first-rate novel. Highly recommended for public libraries and music collections.
James E. Ross, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879100788
• ISBN-13: 978-0879100780
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,645,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars God Bless Irving Berling, September 3, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Irving Berlin: A Daughter's Memoir (Paperback)

This is a beautifully written remembrance of one of the world's greatest songwriters. Berlin fans will welcome the personal insight, warmth and vivid detail that author Barrett provides. A recluse for the last 25 years of his life, Berlin has been an enigma to many, and this book provides many of the intimate details so sorely lacking in other biographies of this American treasure

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Subject, But, Finally, A Missed Opportunity, August 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Irving Berlin: A Daughter's Memoir (Paperback)

A memoir by the daughter of Irving Berlin, arguably the best of all American composers and indisputably its premiere songwriter. I read this book hoping that certain nagging mysteries would be solved, especially about Irving Berlin's compositional/creative processes. For who could but wonder how a musically "illiterate" man (he could neither read or write music, hadn't studied harmony, etc.) could create so many timeless masterpieces, so many miracles of musical invention? And who would better be able to answer these questions than the songwriters first born? Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the absence of any insights into these matters. Instead, Ms. Barrett deals with the mundane, the day-to-day stuff. We learn what it's like to be a rich seven year old in New York City instead of how "How Deep Is The Ocean?" came into the world. The book is about her, not about its title character, and that was a disappointment.

1.0 out of 5 stars Contains none of what you're looking for, January 14, 2012

By 

Ralph Cinque (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irving Berlin: A Daughter's Memoir (Paperback)

Lots of people can sing, and lots of people can play instruments, but very few can write music. And the number that can write it at the caliber of Irving Berlin is exceedingly small. I would say that he was one in a million, but that would be a gross understatement. There isn't one in ten million who could do what he did.

So, when you read about a person like Irving Berlin, a gifted genius, you want to know where the genius came from. How did he get started in music? When did he write his first song? When did he realize that he had a talent for it? At one point did he know that he could do it? Who were his inspirations as a child? What was his education and training in music, both formal and informal? Did his career involve any kind of lucky break?

None of these questions get answered in this book. The author starts when Irving Berlin is already a successful, world-famous composer. What about his childhood? What about his evolution into that rarified world? How did he transition from Russian immigrant to one of the most famous musical figures of all time?

The book says nothing about those things. It's more about the author (his daughter) and her mother than it is about Irving Berlin. You learn nothing about his method, his approach, and his grasp of songwriting. You get none of what you want, and lots of stuff about relatives, in-laws, family vacations, blah, blah, blah.

Doesn't the author understand that, for us, it's about his gift, his talent, his music? How could she be so egotistical as to put 1000x more about her childhood in the book than about his? And when I say 1000x, I am not exaggerating because she had practically nothing about his childhood. What a waste.