Isabella Rossellini. Some of me. (Paperback)

~ Isabella Rossellini (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Piper (November 1, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 3492228895
• ISBN-13: 978-3492228893
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #927,106 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some of her, March 29, 2005

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Isabella Rossellini lays bare some of her life in "Some of Me," an autobiography that reads like a prism -- it splits her life into many images, while never really forming a whole. It's an intriguing read, with plenty of interesting details about a unique life, but somehow Rossellini never quite bares her soul.

Rosselini writes about her childhood in Italy, with movie icon Ingrid Bergman as a mother, and revolutionary filmmaker Roberto Rossellini as a father. She reluctantly entered acting -- and almost stopped forever when her first film was a flop -- and became a Lancôme cosmetics model, only to be fired for her age. She tells of her son's adoption, her battle with scoliosis, her failed marriage to Martin Scorsese, and the background of her vast mixed family.

"Some of Me" is less like an autobiography than snapshots of Rossellini's life. It's non-linear, darting from adulthood to childhood to adolescence with no order. She doesn't explain much about her husbands and lovers, but explains plenty about the wet nurse who cared for her and her twin sister as babies.

Rossellini gives the feeling of being at peace with the world -- she's gotten past her initial heartbreaks and problems. Some strong emotions -- grief at her mother's loss, anger at Lancôme's attitude towards her -- seep through. But Rossellini never really bares her deeper emotions or her soul. This book is like having a deep conversation with her: you will hear about her life, but won't be able to really get down and deep.

Despite that, Rosselini has a bright style, full of melancholy and humor. She relates conversations with her now-dead parents, talks about pelting the paparazzi with rocks, and Audrey Hepburn's dirty fingernails. She lets readers see another side of Ingrid Bergman -- a loving neat-freak, who calmly tells her daughter that she's acquainted with the F-word.

"Some of Me" is an apt title -- it gives us part of the picture, and leaves you feeling that parts of it are still hidden. Isabella Rossellini's book is engaging, but somehow feels unsatisfying.