Knee Deep in Paradise [Paperback]

Brett Butler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997

A best-selling autobiography by the stand-up comedienne and star of the sitcom Grace Under Fire recounts her coming-of-age in the South, her abusive first marriage, and her rise to television celebrity. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"You know you've lived a hell of a life when stardom is anticlimactic," declares Butler, star of Grace Under Fire, in this candid, bittersweet memoir, which she began writing years before she became famous. Aphoristic, melancholy and ultimately triumphant, it sometimes reads like a great country song. Her father, eccentric and imperious, abandoned the family when Brett was four; only after he died did adult Brett discover they shared a maverick sensibility. Books, comedy and a supportive bohemian (if depressive) mother helped Brett weather a gothic Southern childhood. As a teenager, though, she escaped with drink, drugs and sex; at 20 she married a man who began beating her the day after their wedding. Three years later, she ditched her husband in Georgia and discovered stand-up comedy in Houston, finally channeling her creativity and tendency to excess. Moving to New York City, she advanced her comedy career as she discovered sobriety, a lasting love and a grounded sense of herself. Since this memoir concerns only Butler's pre-Hollywood life, fans may be disappointed that she doesn't discuss her show, dish Tinseltown or confess to her recent plastic surgery. But her book is rich enough without that. Photos not seen by PW. $500,000 ad/promo; first serial to People; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

``Most women like you, with a past like yours, would have ended up as a clerk at Woolworth's,'' a therapist once told Butler, the stand-up comic and star of the televison show Grace Under Fire. And while Butler was understandably outraged, it's easy to see what that astonished analyst meant. This tell-all-and-then-tell-some- more memoir stands out in its genre both for its frankness and for the awfulness of Butler's early life. Her father, an alcoholic, disappeared early. Butler grew up fast, living with her mother and four sisters in a succession of southern towns. She sampled drugs and started using alcohol as an adolescent, tried college and gave up, then slipped into an abusive marriage. She's unsparing in describing the duplicities of the alcoholic, but curiously, she's less persuasive in talking about how comedy helped her tap into something essential and restorative, or in probing the sources of her creativity. By contrast with what's come before, her descriptions of her growing success (the book ends before the launching of her series) seem flat and rushed, cluttered with names. Still, a better-than-average entry in the genre, best for its vividly rendered early scenes. (b&w photos, not seen) (First serial to People; $500,000 ad/promo; author tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 394 pages
• Publisher: SOS Free Stock (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786889144
• ISBN-13: 978-0786889143
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT MY USUAL READ..., October 28, 2001

By 

"soletairre" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knee Deep in Paradise (Paperback)

But when I finally got around to picking it up and dusting it off -I couldn't put it down! What a delightful, witty, tragic, and down-to-earth telling of this woman's life! The tale was not at all what I expected it to be, and I've recommended this book highly to my friends (much to their suprise, considering what I usually read!). I loved the book, and I'm sure I'll read it again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!, May 6, 2000

By 

deeji (N Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knee Deep in Paradise (Paperback)

Not the usual glitzy Hollywood bio! Sincere and honest with a depth that goes past the usual rags to riches story. A real triumph! Love the irreverent but accurate retelling of "Southern Manners". If you are from the South you'll appreciate it! I only wish I could know more of what happened to Brett after the pages of the book were written.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars big words don't scare me, December 3, 2006

By 

CHAUNCE GARDENER "P.S." (SUNNY CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knee Deep in Paradise (Hardcover)

The previous reviewer that felt Brett used words in a pretentious fashion should stick to Nancy Drew. I found the biography enlightening as to the character and strife that molded a fine comedian.I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that she has such a versatile grasp of the English language. I read biographies for insight and that is what you get with Ms. Butler. It is not the more common joke fest that many other comic Bios proffer.

A good read and an interesting person. Thanks for your memories Brett.