Customer Reviews

Love You to Bits and Pieces: Life with David Helfgott

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4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I, too (like the first reviewer), was fascinated by the movie "Shine" and was eager to know more because it raised a lot of questions for my mental health-trained curiosity. What was his diagnosis? Could his father truly have brought this on or was it physiological? And how did a woman who was not mentally ill come to love a man who exhibited such bizarre behaviors? The author answers a few of these questions and is quite frank about her husband's unusual behaviors. I began to see that the entire story was about an awakening--a man who was in a sort of mental and emotional prison and who began to slowly emerge out of his "fog." His musical gift dominated his emergence and surely has been coaxed back into life by the love shared between David and Gillian Helfgott. This is a story that does much to promote tolerance and acceptance of mentally ill persons, and to show us that people don't have to "have it all together" to be loved and loving.

This is a genuine story of triumph over adversity, and the kind of love that makes every day a new beginning. Having enjoyed the film, Shine, was only the half of it...it is the strength and courage of these two extraordinary people that truly shines through in reading the whole story!

I recently had the honor of meeting Gillian and invited her online for a Palace chat. (members.aol.com/palacechat/helfgotts.html) I was even more moved by this extraordinary woman (in person) and sat down to re-read the story.

Living with mental illness is a challenge in the best of circumstances. With this essential foundation of love and courage, coupled with the joy of sharing each new discovery, the Helfgotts set a shining example of what life is really all about.

After seeing the movie 'Shine' I wanted to learn more about David and Gillian Helfgott. I couldn't put the book down. Whenever Gillian quotes David in my head I could hear David's voice. The book tells the chronological, factual account of David and Gillians life together and Gillian is able to shed some light on what David's early childhood was actually like. It also provides a much clearer sense of what drew Gillian to David and how their relationship actually progressed. While reading 'Love You to Bits and Pieces' I was consistently surprised by how much it differed from the movie. However both are fascinating and convey the same story and sense of hope. In the week since I read the book I've loaned my copy out, bought another copy and recommended it to countless people. I can't begin to say enough about how good it truly is.

(sigh) What a book I read. It is soo good I can't get my eyes off of it. Why do I see some reviews that say he or she doesn't like it? This is a truly romantic book about how David Helfgott and Gillian live together. I call this book a "classic biography."

This book made me laugh and cry. It describes David so well that I could hear his voice in my head. "It's a mystery" to think that some people don't love this book!

I loved this book! Written with honesty and passion, each page offeres the reader a look into the mind and heart of a most incredible man and the one true love of his life. I found that as I turned the last page, I didn't feel as though I'd finished a book, but rather that I'd made some new friends.
Every Helfgott fan should read this book for a better understanding of their hero as well as for a unique and personal look at a truly unforgetable man.

A friend recommended this book. Since I routinely read 10-15 books per week, I gulped it down . . . only to experience the mental equivalent of heartburn.

After I finished the book, I felt sorry for Mr. Helfgott, not because of his emotional problems but because he's apparently married to an overcontrolling, patronizing, astrology lover. I wondered what unexplained dynamics in the relationship gave Mrs. Helfgott the power to decide what her husband should eat, chew, smoke, and do.

I also came away from my reading quite perplexed, wondering what Mr. Helfgott's diagnosis was and what occurred during the many years of treatment that are glossed over in the text.

I've never seen the movie.

I play piano myself. I know the joys, the pleasures, the hardships, and the triumphs of piano playing every time I rest the tip of my fingers on the keyboard. David Helfgott, purely magnificent. I do not need to critique him. I know. I know music. I know Trueness. And together, he is the master that creates true music. What an inspiration.