Customer Reviews

Life with My Sister Madonna

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(63)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

This is far from being the most well-written book that I've read, but it does make fascinating reading, both as a fly-on-the-wall view of Madonna's life and for the very raw exposé of a highly dysfunctional brother/sister relationship. It's also rich in gossip, though not as much as I expected: a lot of famous names make appearances (Gwyneth, Demi, Warren Beatty, Kate Moss, John F Kennedy Jr etc) but you don't get much sense of what they are like. The screaming fights between Madonna and Sean Penn are described but there is less insight into her relationship with Guy Ritchie (who clearly doesn't get on with Christopher), other than it evidently being a relationship that Madonna put considerable energy and effort into.

There is nothing impartial about Christopher's account and while that's to be expected, it does get a little tiresome. He's full of anger and hurt at the way she treated him and so it never feels like a balanced interpretation of events. For example, he is very scathing about her motivations to adopt a child from Malawi (essentially he says it's about trying to one up Angelina Jolie). Nevertheless, Madonna comes across pretty much as you'd expect her to: extremely charismatic but also highly self-centered, demanding and narcissistic with little sense of how normal people behave. As an example, she invites Demi and Ashton to dinner and then tells them that she and Guy are going to the cinema but they are welcome to stay behind and make themselves at home. She uses people and then discards them, but it's also evident that everyone around her is happy to go along with this behavior.

Nor does Christopher comes across particularly well. Every job he does for Madonna is a "favor", he complains about staying in regular hotel rooms rather than suites and doesn't hold back from telling unflattering stories about supposed friends, like Trudi Styler.

The book tears along and makes a fast read. It includes a number of photographs from Madonna's childhood and early career that I had never seen before.

Life with My Sister Madonna, by Christopher Ciccone, is a revealing look into the life of Madonna, the "global icon". It is also about Christopher, their relationship, family, friends and fans.

The book begins with a prologue that takes place in London in 1993 and portrays the good times between brother and sister. Christopher explains that Madonna is an insomniac: "unbridled desire for fame and fortune, you see, is incompatible with sleep."

Madonna is portrayed as someone with both a massive ego and riddled with insecurities. She was very nervous about performing for the 1991 Academy Awards, because it was in front of established actors, "whose respect she desperately wanted to win."

Those who worked for her--including Christopher--knew to praise her during and after performances and movie premiers--no matter how poorly she acted, no matter what. When Madonna hired a new person to dress her between performances, for example, Christopher told him to keep quiet, except when Madonna asked, How do I look?" The reply: "Wonderful Madonna, wonderful."

Ciccone writes that Madonna wanted to be a great movie star: "I wish her well, but secretly believe that the only part that she is truly capable of playing is that of herself, Madonna, a part that she has created and curated."

Ouch.

The first chapter begins with their childhood in Rochester, Michigan. Tragically, their mother died when Christopher was 3 years old and Madonna, 5. The father remarries and there are 8 children.

The children are expected to do daily chores and are punished for transgressions; all save Madonna. Christopher writes that she rarely had to do chores and was virtually never punished. He wrote that Joan, his step mom, even seemed a bit afraid of Madonna.

Turns out, Madonna looks like their mother and is dad's favorite.

The book progresses though their lives. In high school, Madonna secretly took ballet classes and got Christopher involved as well. He explains that it was not for his company--which he desperately wanted; rather, the instructor, who Madonna adored, needed a male dancer.

Christopher believes that the disputes between brother and sister come with the addition of Guy Richie into Madonna's life. Richie is portrayed a homophobic jerk and it is obvious that there is no love between the author and Richie.

Ciccone writes that in 2001, Madonna: "treats me as if I am nothing other than a serf paid to decorate her house." He writes about how cheap Madonna is, especially in light of how much money she makes. In 2001, Richie and Madonnas worth were said to be worth $260 million. And Madonna had the highest female annual income in Britain of $43.8 million dollars. Ciccone writes that Madonna perpetually underpaid him, disputed payments and blackmailed Christopher over money. For example, he would not get paid unless he took Kabbalah classes with her.

No matter how badly Madonna treated her brother, he always came back for more, incapable of stopping himself. Madonna's power, so the book indicates, strong from childhood, only got stronger as she aged--making her a powerful, successful magnet that nobody--not even her brother--could resist.

A compelling read.

By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

Those are the two main lessons from this quite entertaining account of Madonna's career, written from her brother's perspective.

She comes across as extremely egotistical, self-centered, and quite boring. However, anyone who has seen her interviewed on television will have witnessed those qualities so no surprise there. Perhaps the biggest surprise is how miserly she is. Numerous examples of her penny-pinching ways are offered, including her refusal to pay for her sister's airfare to her lavish wedding in Scotland, despite the fact that her sister does not earn a lot of money.

Christopher's inability to forge his own life outside of Madonna's bubble seems to be his main problem. It's hard to sympathize with him when he could have established his own business and worked for other clients - especially if he as talented as he claims to be.

Clearly the allure of celebrity kept him going back for more; something he has in common with his sister.

If nothing else, this book will reduce any envy you may feel towards celebrities. Madonna's incessant and insatiable need for attention is ultimately quite sad and somewhat pathological. The book reveals the limits that fame places on the lives of those who have it. A worthwhile and enjoyable summer read.

First let me begin this review by saying what a huge Madonna fan I am. HUGE. I buy her music, go to her concerts and at times find myself worshiping her. That being said, I think it's pretty clear to the masses what a money-hungry, attention grabbing, deeply insecure person she is. The depth of these qualities is equal to the amount of her success. Christopher's book is not sleazy (as I thought it might be), but simply fills in the details of what Madge is famously like. I am not surprised nor shocked at anything he reveals and honestly, it seems like he holds back most of the juicy details we'd all love to read about. It's clear that he still respects his sister but it's even more clear how hurt he is and, like everyone else in Madonna's life, he longs to bask in her light rather than live without her in the shadows. This book is really about Christopher's life and just as you might expect, his life is reduced to just being "Madonna's brother", a role he falls into more deeply as the years go on. I think he is incredibly brave to write this book and I recommend it to anyone with a curiosity into life with the most famous woman on the planet. Oh, and there's plenty of delicious stories about other famous people sprinkled throughout, one of the best things about this book.

I'm giving this book four stars---not because it's the most beautifully written book out there but because it's honest and took some bravery on Christopher's part to write. My heart goes out to this adult little brother, who clearly still loves his big Sis but really does need to work through his issues with her and certainly won't be able to in this lifetime. She is indeed a narcissistic piece of work. Christopher needed to realize his boundaries with her a long, long time ago but that's one of the great things about this story. It illustrates just how complicated, compelling and hopeless sibling relationships can be. Especially when that sibling has their worst behavior excused at every turn. Good luck, Christopher!!! Keep on with spiritual studies and therapy---and follow your own gifts! (Oh--and study up on Narcissistic Personality Disorder. You'll recognize someone you love there.)

I felt sad for both Chris and his sister Madonna after reading this book. Despite all of the joy she brings to the world as an artist through her spectacular music and exuberant shows, the private Madonna makes every single person around her miserable with her ruthless insensitivity. The only person she can't push around is her husband, Guy. Christopher can't blame Guy for the deterioration of his relationship with Madonna. They had numerous disturbing issues long before Madonna even met Guy.

Christopher became just another enabler for Madonna, reinforcing her bad behavior by succumbing to it. They are both emotionally scarred individuals, stemming from the loss of their mother at an early age. Still, that is no excuse for Madonna to be a heartless sadistic monster (is it any surprise that she wore a fur coat made from hundreds of animals and once hunted birds for sport as an excuse to wear her "stylish" new hunting gear?); nor does it excuse Christopher for being a doormat. He would have been better off putting her in her place, abandoning the ostensibly glitzy lifestyle, and finding his own path in life.

The book is plainly written in an odd, present-tense narration. Christopher continuously interrupts the storytelling with his own negative opinions about Madonna (he clearly has very little esteem for her artistry). Many facts have been mixed up (e.g., Madonna was NOT singing "Holiday" while wearing the blonde afro wig in the Girlie Show; she was in a military costume for that song). But this was never meant to be an accurate historical account. Rather it is Christopher's redemption after a lifetime of humiliation and emotional abuse at his sister's hands. And on that level, he succeeds brilliantly. Madonna will never dare to hurt her little brother again.

I am intrigued by Madonna's public persona, but indifferent to her talents. I've only heard Madonna's music by accident, and I've never seen her act. I thought Christopher Ciccone's story would be interesting, and it was. Unfortunately, Christopher never takes full responsibility for his dependence on his sister. He laments that he can't be appreciated for his own talents, but that's not precisely true. He could have lived his own independent life anytime he insisted on it. He could have changed his name [as Paul McCartney's brother did] and stayed away from show business. If Christopher had done this, he would have led a quieter life. In that life, there would be no super models, no snorting cocaine with Donatella Versace and Courtney Love, no dinners with Sting or Warren Beatty. He had every right to choose life with the glamourous crowd, but it's bad sportsmanship to complain afterward that he was used by his bitchy, stingy sister. He knew, better than anyone else, what to expect from her. He wanted into her party, and he knew the price of admission.

I really enjoyed reading this book book very much. It's fun, interesting, and a little catty, but I expected that because of the topic. Granted I am not a fan of Madonna's music or her as a person, I don't know her but with this book I feel like I have an idea of what she's like. There is one in every family! If I had to choose between having a drink with Madonna or her brother Chris the author I would pick Chris. At least I know he won't yell at me for something stupid.
My only gripe is some of the fact checking, or lack thereof. It stated that the Charlie Chaplin studios were built "in the thirties" when in reality it was 1919. Formerly A&M RECORDS, now HENSON PRODUCTIONS located at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, California. Am I being petty? Sure some may say I am, but if this fact isn't actually factual what else got overlooked?

Maybe it's all the media hype, but when I ordered this book, I expected something ... else. The story is fairly benign -- no salacious details of Madonna's affairs, certainly no mention of her women lovers like Jenny Shimizu. No real discussion of Madonna's relationship with her brothers and sisters -- one gathers she has no relationship with them at all; and given that her father still hasn't seen her adopted son David after nearly two years, she probably does not have much of one with him either.

Mostly it's a book about Christopher Ciccone and his codependent relationship with his sister. Madonna comes across as an extremely self-centered, miserly, insensitve boor who cannot maintain healthy relationships with others, and will do anything for publicity -- no surprise there. Still, the story about Madonna's scripted visit to her mother's grave for "Truth or Dare" is pretty revolting, even for her.

For his part, Christopher comes across as thoughtful, although somewhat petulant, and certainly with a sense of frustrated entitlement -- witness his continuing complaints throughout the book that when he went on tours with his sister, he never got a suite in the hotels. Mon dieu!

Or when Demi Moore apparently asked him to decorate her house for free, so he "taught her a lesson" by ordering a bunch of crap from Ikea and having it delivered to her home unassembled. Mind you, this is the same Demi Moore who used to fly him all around on a private jet and paid for his hotel rooms. You know, maybe you owed her one, Christopher.

He acknowledges that most of his professional opportunities came as a result of being Madonna's brother, although he believes his innate talents deserved recognition. And, of course, since he and Madonna are on the outs, he may not be getting much work in the future, hence the book.

All in all, this is a good book for the beach, but not much else.

I took this book for what it is - a chance for a bitter sibiling to finally get repayment for a lifetime of neglect by his self-absorbed celebrity sister.

Was it entertaining? Sure. I'll freely admit that I didn't want to put this book down most of the time. Jack Nicholson just did coke? Can't stop now. Gwenyth and Madonna ignore J.Lo? That's too funny to resist. I keep reading and reading and reading...

Eventually though, the whining becomes overbearing and I close the book, take a break, and resume a few hours later. Take note: that's how this book should be read in order to preserve sanity.