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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
WHO IS THE "REAL" MADONNA?, December 15, 2007
Who can properly explicate the woman who is arguably the most famous female pop artist of our time? Many have tried; some have failed. Music critic Lucy O'Brien has a good go at it with Madonna Like An Icon.
O'Brien has been researching the phenomenon that is Madonna since the 1980s, fascinated by what appears to be unbridled ambition and the ability to repeatedly reinvent her image. This biographer's summary judgment is "The only place where she seems truly herself is when she is doing her work. Away from that she can be self-conscious, status-conscious, everything-conscious. Only in performance are those layers stripped away and it's just her."
Whether or not we agree with O'Brien's assessment this biography is meticulously written and researched, taking readers from Madonna's childhood in Detroit, Michigan, where she later danced at gay clubs to her almost fearless pursuit of success, through her tumultuous marriage to Sean Penn, to her Like a Prayer video, her movie roles, her stage appearance as Evita, her embrace of Kabbalah, and finally her marriage to Guy Ritchie.
Noting that Madonna's theatrical shows have made her a "quasi-religious icon", O'Brien cites friend and actor Rupert Everett who called Madonna the "Immaculate Conception." He describes his impression upon first meeting Madonna: ".....there was an energy field around her, like a wave, that swept everyone up as it crashed into the room"
Madonna once said of herself, "I am the work of art."
Who is the "real" Madonna? The answer may not be found in Madonna Like An Icon, but it is fascinating reading and sure to be devoured by her legions of fans.
- Gail Cooke
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Book About Madonna, February 9, 2010
"Madonna: Like An Icon" is probably the most insightful book about Madonna that I've ever read. It's not a trashy unauthorized biography, it is a serious look at Madonna as an artistic force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, that may not be something everyone is into, because many people would rather buy into the myth of Madonna as a man-eating, sex-crazed control freak. The author of this book, Lucy O'Brien, has said that too many biographies of the icon have focused on her sex life and her image-changing at the expense of her work. Beneath the sometimes superficial facade, Madonna's work has a depth and sociological resonance that many people underestimate or fail to understand.
However, to be fair, this is not exactly a biography. But what's the point of a "Madonna biography" by now? Her life is the stuff of myth that even casual fans are familiar with. Instead, O'Brien only focuses attention on Madonna's personal life when it relates to her art, her passion and her identity as an artist. It's more of a character study, and a very insightful one. Her mother's subservience, religious fanaticism, and untimely death made Madonna reject traditional values. Although this is well-known by now, O'Brien adds dimension and legitimacy to this theory. The sexual assault she faced in New York compelled her to project an image of assertiveness and control, in order to prevent losing control and facing attack again. This dominating attitude was reflected in her work, constantly turning the tables on men in the game of sex. The details on her love life were also only mentioned when they related to her music. The vulnerability and loneliness she encountered during the crumbling of her marriage to Sean Penn made her create the confessional "Like a Prayer" while a string of disappointing lovers afterwards contributed to the cynical tone of "Erotica". There is also a great deal of attention that focused on her tours, her creative process, her cultural impact, and her artistic influences. I found this very refreshing. It showed how much the author respected and admired her as an artist, not just a "controversial chameleon". While O'Brien is a big fan of Madonna's, she is fair and objective when needed. She is rather critical of her "Sex" book and questions her interests in Kabbalah.
Something that I also enjoyed were the interviews from her collaborators and friends. They portrayed Madonna in a light that is very different than the "queen bitch" Madonna of legend. Many people remark on how warm, vulnerable, and sweet she can be in unguarded moments. Those intimate moments with close friends and trusted colleagues. I've always suspected that this version of Madonna is closer to the real thing than the controlled, imperious image she often presents to the world. The interviews with her collaborators also revealed how focused, savvy, direct, and, yes, wildly talented she is when working. Her work is her safe haven, the place where she can freely express herself and reveal herself and explore new territories. "Madonna: Like An Icon" drives that point home like no other book that I've ever read before.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More re-hash than definitive, January 7, 2008
I've almost reached the end of this book. I feel kind of cheated. This was supposed to be the "definitive" Madonna biography. Instead, what you get are the same old stories re-hashed with maybe a bit of extra totally extraneous information. For example, I don't really care to know the exact address of Madonna's family home in Pontiac, but would've liked a bit more insight into what really makes her tick. This book basically runs methodically through every album release, every tour and throws in comments from some people who knew her. It's lazily written, there's no real analysis going on here. O'Brien makes statements about Madonna and just leaves it hanging (or makes comparisons to herself). I did kind of enjoy reading the book anticipating some new information - and there were a few morsels, but not nearly enough. Her family are barely mentioned, but we get what seems every detail of every album she's ever recorded! It just feels impersonal - I wanted to read about Madonna, not about everything I already knew about her career. Only buy this if you know almost nothing about Madonna's life and career. You'll end up knowing alot about her career and chart positions etc. But you'll learn almost nothing about the woman herself. This is the biography of a career, not a person. I think I'll wait for the autobiography....
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