Out on a Limb [Paperback]

Shirley Maclaine (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 1986

Her most controversial book is one you will never forget.  An outspoken thinker, a celebrated actress, a truly independent woman, Shirley MacLaine goes beyond her previous two bestsellers to take us on an intimate yet powerful journey into her personal life and inner self.  An intense, clandestine love affair with a prominent politician sparks Shirley MacLaine's quest of self-discovery.  From Stockholm to Hawaii to the mountain vastness of Peru, from disbelief to radiant affirmation, she at last discovers the roots of her very existence. . . and the infinite possibilities of life. Shirley MacLaine opens her heart to explore the meaning of a great and enduring passion with her lover Gerry; the mystery of her soul's connection with her best friend David; the tantalizing secrets behind a great actor's inspiration with the late Peter Sellers. And through it all, Shirley MacLaine's courage and candor new doors, new insights, new revelations-and a luminous new world she invites us all to share.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In Going Within, MacLaine asks tough questions of and gives good advice to the spiritual seeker. She has suffered, felt sorrow and anger, stress, fear, and anxiety, yet she has never allowed herself to be defined by her negative emotions. Instead she asks, "If we are not in harmony with ourselves, how can we possibly be in harmony with anyone else, much less the world that we inhabit?" MacLaine celebrates the independence that comes with the recognition of all emotions, both negative and positive. MacLaine has created many memorable roles as an actress but ironically younger adults may be more familiar with her work as a memoirist and spiritual seeker. In Out on a Limb, MacLaine reveals an intense and secretive loving relationship with a prominent politician, which sparked her quest for self-discovery. Fans of the actress's earlier works will be aware of her love of the journey. Her descriptions of her travels from Stockholm to Hawaii to Peru will stimulate even the most sedate armchair traveler wanting to see more of the world. MacLaine's exploration of life with her lover Gerry requires that she question lifelong relationships with close friends, giving new definition to the phrase "soulmate." Through it all, her candor, willingness to share her experiences, and independence take the listener into the personal life of an outspoken and interesting woman. MacLaine's books and audiocassettes have been best sellers for many years, and libraries with large pop culture, autobiography, and fiction collections should purchase this.APam Kingsbury, Alabama Humanities Fdn., Florence
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A stunningly honest, engrossing account of an intimate journey inward. Shirley MacLaine's discovery of a new sense of purpose, joy, energy, and love will touch and astonish you."--Literary Guild Magazine.

"An immensely appealing woman-bright, open, straightforward, sincere."--The New York Daily News

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (October 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553273701
• ISBN-13: 978-0553273700
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 0.9 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > New Age

More About the Author

Shirley MacLaine, Oscar winner, three-time Emmy winner, and ten-time Golden Globe winner, has appeared in more than fifty films, has been nominated for an Academy Award six times, and received the Oscar for Best Actress in 1984. A longtime outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, women¹s rights, and spiritual understanding, Shirley MacLaine has sold more than 20,000,000 copies of her nine international bestsellers, which include her acclaimed work The Camino.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 86 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and movie January 20, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I loved the book and the movie. Shirley has courage. I would also recommend the book An Encounter With A Prophet for another author with courage.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising on many levels December 8, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This might sound condescending, but this compelling account of the actress' spiritual journey is surprisingly well written. Shirley MacLaine is not just a Hollywood dancer turned New Age guru; she's a bestselling author who knows the craft of writing. What comes across immediately is the earnestness of her message. She's not out to fool her readers. She's also done her research. Each chapter has apt quotations from great thinkers about the nature of life as they saw it. There are a lot of sentences that begin with the word "Maybe," as in "Maybe the ancient thinkers had it right." Nevertheless she rightly states that what we call history is a leap of faith. Readers will have to make their own judgments about the credulity of the author, but MacLaine's testament shows us that everyone has to draw their own lines about personal beliefs based on experience, reading, and reasoning. But above all, experience. And she documents this process spendidly. She does not come off as an unreasonable "kook." On the contrary, she herself is skeptical at first and admits that the very ideas she later accepts seem "preposterous." It is this intelligence and skepticism which makes this book hard to dismiss as simply New Age pap. The chapter about Peter Sellers is genuinely moving.

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just great August 8, 2004

By Catherine Gallanti

Format:Paperback

This is one of those books that is so good that, when you finish it, you feel sad. Because you know you will be hard pressed to find a better one to follow. However Shirley wrote several books to follow this one, that if even if not as fabulous, are still great...so no need to be too sad: Shirley's adventures continue on.

The book is riveting because it describes in such an entertaining a gripping writing style, full of humour and insight, Shirley's exciting adventure of spiritual awakening. It is an autobiographic book of a very small but intense time of Shirley's life, in which, as many who have had an awakening will be able to relate to, life becomes brilliantly alive, full of synchronicities and magic. Shirley is lead from book, to teacher, to channel, to places across the globe as she follows the promtings of spirit that lead her to glimpse and explore realities that break down her previous belief structure about the world. And as she travels and learns, a completely new way of viewing life emerges for her- and a completely new Shirley!

Spiritual insights aside, just the way in which this book is written is superb - Shirley has a real gift for bringing to life her experiences on the page and the book reads as an exilarating adventure novel. I loved it and re-read it occasionally when i want to recapture that feeling.

If you like metaphysics and new age writings, this book is quite a gem and well worth reading. You will cerish it, you will love it and probably read it again and again.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and informative. March 14, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I read this book the first time while backpacking Europe and finding a shortage of English-written books to read. It changed my life. I read it again nine years later and although many of the ideas she writes of I have internalized since my first reading, MacLaine's book again inspired me to look at some spiritual ideas on a new level. I am grateful for "Out On a Limb" as my initial kindergarten book that helped me get beyond suspicion and cynicism and into openmindedness and higher consciousness, welcoming eastern philosophies, the belief in reincarnation and UFOs and provided a reading list to help me find my way. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels like "there's got to be something more going on out there."

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK! November 15, 1999

By Tiffany Westanmo ([e-mail])

Format:Paperback

I'll get right to the point: this book is a must read for anyone contemplating the meaning of existence and spirituality. Entertaining and educational all at once, MacLaine is inspiring and thought-provoking. This book has literally changed the way I view the world.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest and thought-provoking no matter what your beliefs are October 19, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Shirley MacLaine should get a lot of credit for writing this book: although fictionalized in some areas it is an honest and important part of her ongoing autobiographical series. This book is also important as a cultural milepost; it is one of the most popular 'New Age' books and aroused storms of criticism and controversy when it appeared in 1983.

At the end of the '70's actress, Feminist, and one-time liberal activist MacLaine finds herself wealthy but unsatisfied. A series of synchronous events exposes her to spiritual ideas and she discovers that many of her friends and colleagues share her esoteric interests. Others, however, are critical, especially those from political circles. This includes 'Gerry', a fictionalized version of her lover, one-time Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Impulsively MacLaine accepts the suggestion of a chance acquaintance and travels to Peru! 'Out on a limb' she bathes in mountain springs and listens to tales of UFOs, reincarnation, 'channeling' and mystic destiny.

There is a good deal of name-dropping in the book and a tacit celebration of the materialist lifestyles of the rich and famous. Nevertheless it is an honest account of a fairly common phenomenon; the awakening of spiritual aspirations in late 20th century America. Infinitely superior to, though tarred with the same brush as, the Lynn Andrews 'biographies'.