Customer Reviews

Madonna

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have a simple question: Could this author not uncover ANYTHING new about Madonna? Not a thing? This is really a rip off. There is not one thing in this book people who are even remotely familiar with Madonna will not already know. At least when I read the last Madonna book (J. R. Taraborrelli's), I thought he uncovered a lot of new ground. But this guy, Morton, just ripped off the other guy's book (Taraborelli's), and didn't even try to act like he didn't. Whole passages! Come on! Enough, already. No more Madonna books, please. Wait for the paperback of Taraborelli's if you simply must buy a Madonna book -- but save your money and forget about this one. Even poor Princess Diana -- who Andrew Morton also wrote about -- would be bored to tears by this one. I can't believe this even came out!!!! I want my money back.

This book is apalling.

I class myself as a fan of her music who knows a little about her life story, but i was amazed even i could find SO many inaccuracies in this book that i found it frightening.

For example

a. Morton states at one point that Hollywood execs were nervous about letting James Foley direct Who's That Girl as his previous experience was only directing 'Papa don't preach', 'Live to tell' and 'Open your heart' ( p143 )

FACT- James Foley directed Sean Penn in 'At Close Range' prior to any of those vids.

ANYONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET COULD FIND THIS INFO IN ABOUT 5 MINUTES FLAT.

Whats even more amazing is that in the Videography section in the rear the correct video directors are named ( J.B Mondino for 'Open').

b. Morton states that it was 18 months between Guy Ritchie and Madonna first meeting and their wedding ( p226).

Hello--so there are 18 months between summer 1998 and Dec 2000?

There are so many inaccuracies like this that are even beyond what a decent proofreader should pick up.

Also there are literally lines lifted from other bios that are not even acknowledged.

And as for his analysis of Madonna, well Mr Morton, don't give up the day job.

On second thought , please do.

Avoid this book at all costs! As an avid Madonna fan, I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing new that one hundred authors haven't written about her!

Andrew Morton's approach to describing the Madonna phenomenon is interesting in that he attempts to uncover what are the motivations that drive Madonna. I think he succeeds in that -- talking about her drive and insecurity. The book is an interesting read, however it falls short of puting Madonna in a broader perspective -- as a fascinating creation of American culture, as an entrepreneur and one of the notable pop music stars of the late 20th century. Other than her earnings and desire for control, Morton spends little time on the business aspects of Madona's success, which is no less fascinating than her musical accomplishments.

I had read Andrew Morton's bio of Monica Lewinsky and found it quite interesting. I had also heard what a good job he had done on Diana's book. So when I saw this in the library I figured--what the hell. I have been a fan of Madonna from Day 1 and have read all the major bios on her. The approach Morton takes here is different than most authors of Madonna--he attempts to analyze her character--in other words, what makes Madonna tick. That would be interesting for an essay or article, but there's not enough of it for a 200-plus page bio. Every 20 pages or so, he throws in a fact that explains what makes her tick. But this kind of analyzing feels tacked on--like the editor said,"Almost everything you have in here has been written in every other bio on her, make it different SOMEHOW." The pictures are the best part as some have never been seen before. And he debunks some of the myths of the Madonna legend. (She had more tham $35 in her pocket the first time she came to NY. She's actually quite vulnerable.) But there are loads of errors, both typographical and factual, which you would not expect from someone of Morton's reputation. He repeats facts more than once and glosses over facts in an attempt to cram everything in. (Only 1 page about her affair w/JFK Jr!!! Come on!) A better approach would have been to write more about what we DONT know. If you've read a previous Madonna bio (I reccommend Chris Andersen's) don't bother with this. Just gloss thru the pics.

As a loyal Madonna fan, I tried to resist buying the book, but I gave in. Though Morton's writing is weak, his subject is interesting enough to propel the book. Although it has been criticized for not really containing anything new, it is thorough (delving into Madonna's family history on both sides) and insightful. Morton has a tendency to analyze his subjects as if they were mental cases, and he does this to Madonna throughout the novel. His findings, however, are nothing new; Madonna needs attention, and Madonna needs to mother and be mothered. Nonetheless, the book is readable and insightful, and gives the best look that the public has seen so far at the woman behind the persona. Morton has done his detective work, and done it well, his findings giving some insight into the complexities that make the world watch Madonna.

Morton writes in a pretty straightforward journalistic style about Madonna's life from childhood through to her marriage to Guy Ritchie. As a fan but not an expert on Madonna, I found the book to be very informative, particularly about her early years in NYC. I enjoyed reading about her relationships with people like the Gilroy brothers, and up until reading this book did not realize the extent of her days in NY, for example, that she had played gigs at Max's Kansas City. The info comes off as being very fair to Madonna in terms of her drive and her progress. She is often portrayed as a heartless climber, but Morton paints the picture of a bright personality who is extremely energetic, motivated, and also loving and caring, even if she does crave the spotlight and need to be the center of attention. The book is more telling about her than the typical Madonna mythology we so often hear. He details her generosity with certain friends, and with AIDS charities, her struggle to make her first marriage work, while also citing incidents of cheapness and bitchiness. Also interesting are the descriptions of her various business ventures, and her non-stop work ethic which spills over into every aspect of her life, from songwriting to running six miles and then working out with weights for an hour. My criticism is that, around the 3/4 point, Morton jumps back and forth a bit erratically in time after his initial description of the birth of Lourdes and the making of Evita. Up until that point, the format was chronological. The content of the book, including Morton's analysis of Madonna's personality, makes for a good bio despite the minor flaws of format.

Madonna... Queen of Pop
This was an interesting read about the Queen of Pop, Madonna. Obviously, Mr. Morton is a fan of Maddy's, as he treats her with relative kid gloves, as opposed to some other recent biographies. I enjoyed the book, but it's not Mr. Morton's best by a long shot! I would recommend Madonna fans to also purchase Matthew Rettenmund's "Encyclopedia Madonnica" and Michael D. Craig's "Who's That Girl? The Ultimate Madonna Trivia Book" for the real low-down on the Material Girl.

There are a lot of writing errors and problems with incorrect dates in this book. Morton also has a terrible style with no flow and too many commas.
As a Madonna fan I found that his sources were somewhat credible but that he reads too much into small events in her life. He also mentions events out of order, perhaps to tease but mostly to annoy.
Nice photo selections.

This book proved to be a completely worthy read. I could not put it down for one minute and was up the entire night, my nose buried in this book. Andrew Morton is an excellent writer. If you have already read every other book on Madonna out there, you probably don't need to read this one. But I highly recommend it to those who haven't. There's nothing cheap or sensational about the way Morton analyzes Madonna. He doesn't resort to those tactics and the result is a highly fascinating read.