Customer Reviews

Natural Blonde

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

 

 

I do enjoy Liz Smith's column and like the fact that she is not nasty in print, unlike some of her compadres. She does divulge some personal secrets in this book, and gives a good account of her early years, her infatuation with movies and movie stars, and the beginning of her career in the media.

The book tends to skew after that, and I never really got the point of why Liz became so famous; something to do with the fact that, although the stars confided in her, she didn't always spill the beans in her column, much to her chagrin. There seemed to be lots and lots of alcohol and sexual mischief as Smith becomes a gadfly in the jetset herself. Almost all mention of her family in Texas stops, as if they've fallen off the face of the earth. I did not understand this, although Smith remains likeable. There are several vingettes at the end of the book, featuring some major stars -- Taylor and Burton, Sean Connery, Warren Beatty, Madonna, Bette Davis-- but nothing beyond what you'd find in any good Vanity Fair article.

Interestingly, Smith mentions Arthur Laurents several times, whose "Original Story By" has also just been published. I read that book too and like Smith's better. Laurents' book gave me the impression that he did nothing but sleep with people, or wonder who wanted to sleep with him, or who other people were sleeping with. Snore...

All in all, Liz Smith's book is a pretty good rendering of the long career of a highly likable character who, as another reviewer put it, never overshadowed the celebrities she was covering. Still, I'm left with the feeling that there was more to be told that she didn't...perhaps there's enough for a sequel!

If you learn anything about Liz Smith from her book, it would be that she is extremely well liked by the people she writes about. What a career! - invitations for great weekend getaways with the rich and famous, staying at luxiourious hotels and riding on private jets, dinners during the week with her close friends Barbara Walters and Joel Schumaker. When you get to the chapter where she reveals that she has been Katharine Hepburn's guest at Fenwick on several ocassions, the average reader may feel that their own life is pretty drab. Liz Smith does not reveal that much about herself but her engaging personality comes through in her writing. It is apparent that she is fair, honest, and extremely likable. When she does dish the dirt on a few famous names (and this happens only a few times), it is because they actually deserve it. Lee Radziwell and theater critic John Simon, for example, have been exposed by others in the press as mean spirited individuals, and Smith's quoting of their comments really comes as no surprise. What is surprising are the people that I didn't really expect to like (like Ivana Trump) and Smith allows you to see them in a different light. Smith sometimes make you wonder if she herself is somewhat snobbish toward the common people - she is irritated to find that Roy Cohn has invited a lowly tv repairman to dine with them and Barbara Walters. And one of the things that she dislikes about ballooning is the fact that you sometimes have to share a brandy with the farmer in who's field you have landed. Well, I suppose she can't be perfect. Her book is a very entertaining read and recommended for those who are curious about the private lives of the rich and famous.

This book is a fabulous read! Liz Smith recounts her childhood in Texas, her adventures during World War II and in college. Her sense of humor and good sense served her well as she worked her way up the ladder of celebrity journalism from a copy editor for movie magazines, a producer for radio talk shows, ghostwriter for columns until, through amazingly hard work and true grit, she becomes the most famous celebrity journalist in the world, more famous than most of the folks about whom she writes. She knows everyone, retains friends for a lifetime, and shares with us funny, evocative and sometimes deeply moving stories about the rich and famous. Don't miss this. No wonder people love her so much.

Okay, this is not a master autobiography or a juicy tell all. But I barely knew who Liz Smith was and found her book fascinating. More than the gossip, high life and name dropping, I kind of liked her early childhood in Texas, her brothers, her fascination with movies and Hollywood and her take on life. Liz Smith comes across as one of the few gossip trade people with a conscience. Plus, she's damned funny and these anecdotes with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Barbara Walters etc... are very entertaining. Heck, I even enjoyed the evolution of the Hamptons in the 60's and 70's. Liz doesn't spare herself either -- this book is not uncritical of her own life. After reading about all her hobnobbing, one gets the feeling that she herself was lonely and alone for a good part of the time. I liked her honest and refreshing approach. Not a work of art, but a fun read with a good look at our nation's history through the eyes of a young Texan who was literally blown out of her bed by the first test atomic blast.

I have followed the career of fellow Texan, Liz Smith for a long time. Often her name would pop up in conversations about celebrities as one who had an inside track. When I picked up Natural Blonde, I knew I was in for a good read. Beginning with her growing up years in Texas, her stint at Hardin Simmons, her short first marriage, and journalistic study at the University of Texas, she weaves a great tale of growing up in a small town where she first caught the celebrity bug. The stories of starting off in New York, the life long friendships made with both the people in front and behind the spotlight. The stories of living young in New York are priceless. As the story continues into the halcion days of the 70's and the excesses, and the all out gossip business. This is a skillfully told story. She chronicles the evolution of gossip, with all its twists and turns, and big personalities. You can tell how Liz became the widely read columnist, for her personality never overshadows the celebrity's story .. That is the only fault I can find. The very ability that makes her a favorite with the famous....not being too big a "personality" on her own, being a good old girl, keeps her from spilling some stories that she must know. There are plenty of names dropped, spanning from the old studio days to the celebrities of today. The focus on the celebrities, is at at the expense of telling about herself(or perhaps to keep from having to divulge too much about herself). One has to believe she is that way...putting the story before herself. An asset that has served her well. This is a great read and another tribute to the strong, smart cult of Texas women.

Couldn't put this down--it was like being invited to a party honoring one of the most intriguing women in the world, and then being placed in the seat right next to her. What follows is a froth of a book that quietly contains a great deal of depth, ruminations on decency and kindness as well as the morality of gossip. In the process, Ms. Smith proves that her reputation for being nicest of the gossip columnists is well-deserved. She's been on a hell of a ride, and she's had little difficulty maintaining the precarious position of participant blended with observer. Along the way, she met everyone who mattered in the second half of the 20th Century, and with skill, she names names and shares anecdotes. Some of the people she includes are long-forgotten, but many still are the stuff of tabloid headlines. She counts among her nearest and dearest Liz Taylor, Barbara Walters, Helen Gurley Brown, Elaine Stritch, Donald Trump, Katherine Hepburn and several hundred others. Of course, the subtext is that Liz, herself, has led a fascinating life. This book is like eating potato chips: once you get started, you won't be able to stop!

Liz Smith is a truly brilliant woman. She posseses grace, class, and intelligence. And all of that comes across in her memoir "Natural Blonde". If you're fortunate enough to read her column every day, you will see Liz Smith as a friend not just some columnist. And just like a friend I sometimes disagree with her columns or the way she is so close to celebrities. But her standards and beliefs amaze me, daily. This book is a fun read. I can assure you, you'll finish it in less than two days.

There is only one word to describe this book and it is vacuous. In case you don't know what that means, let's say that in some 464 pages there is a distinct emptiness and lack of personal reflection on Ms.Smith's part. Read at your own risk. Had I the chance to do it over, pay for the book and try to read it or write the publishers a check without ever having had to come in contact with Natural Blonde, I would have preferred the latter. Ugh.

Go. Go now and get this book. Lots of lovely yummy tidbits from a sweet-spirited, good writer. I'm not usually keen on memoirs, but not one page of the book bored me. A fabulous read and a great gift--for yourself.

I listened to this audio book because I had a long ride and I heard an interesting interview with Liz Smith about this book. After hearing the audio book, I guess the interview was interesting because of the interviewer's skills, not Smith's.

I don't recall ever reading a Liz Smith column, but, as she has been writing gossip for 30 years, I naturally assumed that this memoir would summarize 30 years of gossip. Greatest hits, stories behind stories, embarrassments, stories that were bigger than mere gossip, follow-ups to scandals past, etc. Sadly, this was not to be.

NATURAL BLONDE is a straight-up autobiography. This book is about Liz Smith and her life, not the lives of her columns many subjects. The book is told chronologically, giving equal weight to each stage of Smith's life. Consequently, the first two tapes - half the audio book - is about her largely uninteresting early life. Sorry, but who cares?

At the end, as she sums up her life, she asks herself a series of "was this a life well spent" questions. They're mostly along the line of "I wanted to make money" and "I wanted to meet famous people." Missing is any sentiment of leaving the world a better place. Granted, Smith raises money for literacy, but at one point she admits that taking care of two dogs is too much responsibility for her (in terms of caring for others). If the impression is that a gossip columnist must lead a shallow life, this book confirms it.

Finally, in the second half of her book, Smith gets into some expanded stories about famous people. This unfortunately short list includes Truman Capote, Donald and Ivana Trump, Malcolm Forbes, Katherine Hepburn and a few others. Unfortunately, the stories she tells about these personalities (and it is their personalities, not their accomplishments, that she covers) are anticlimactic. I was left was left wanting more substance - or at least more of a reason to be interested.

Smith is more interesting discussing the newspaper industry. Her story about Kitty Kelly seems to go somewhere. Her commentary about New York City's tabloid wars was insightful if all too brief. More of this would have strengthened the book.

The audiocassette version probably has two advantages over the print edition. The first is Smith's narration. Her voice adds something to the words. The second is that I can't imagine slogging through the print version of the first half of the book. In this case, the edits help the story. In sum, NATURAL BLONDE is NOT the real thing