Customer Reviews

Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses

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

 

 

Very entertaining read. I've long admired Bo as a down to earth, straight shooter. Come to learn she's also humorous and more self-deprecating than I thought. I enjoyed the whole book, but found especially interesting reading her side of all those tabloid/gossip stories. Also of interest are her friendships with Ursula Andress and Linda Evans. I now have a whole new level of respect for these extraordinary women. (Reading about how Linda came through for Bo when John died almost brought me to tears). As a result of reading this book I'm now a bigger fan of Bo's than I was.

It seems that this book was put together rather hastily, as there is not much depth here. You will be disappointed if you were expecting a nice celebrity biography (or just a biography). It seems that Bo wants the readers to believe that she is more than a 'bimbo' but there is not much evidence in the book. Often, she talks about how she didn't have an interest of her own but was content to follow her husband's passion. She admits that she doesn't read much at all. There are numerous 'admissions'like this mixed with incidents that do show her wiillful self: 1)refusing the life cover 2)being a producer for a porn film and other films that she starred in 3)supporting Bush campaign.

At the end, she states that she purposefully didn't try to portray John, her husband, because she didn't want to misportray him. However, the lack of his presence in the book is just too glaring. I wish there are more indepth discussion about how she felt about him , how she saw him, what about him that she loved, how she changed over the time, etc.

Even the episode that she describes about Jane Fonda trying to be a matchmaker for Ted Tuner and herself, comes off shallow in terms of her reaction. To normal people, it is strange for Jane to try to introduce her husband (they were by then separated) to Bo. However, Bo lived an unconventional life where she was friends with all ex-wives of her husband. Even here she comes off as little airhead.

Before reading this book, I always imagine Bo Derek as beautiful, mysterious, and spiritual with lots of inner strength. But this book convinced me otherwise. I am curious how John Derek, a man of many passion and interest who married exceptional women in terms of physical beauty as well as mental, dealt with Bo who were some what plain mentally. She admits that John patiently waited for Bo to grow up to be a fascinating persona of her own but it really didn't happen.
However, one thing seems to be true: she is an honest and nice girl. So that's lot better than most celebrity of our time!

Now, I am very curious about Ursula Andress as she seems to be a woman of great depth and intelligence- what a surprise!

Bo Derek's approach to the ups&downs of life is quietly wise and very good natured. Her life story (so far!)and her relationships are fascinating. This book inspires us all to be like her: a woman of great inner beauty AND strength. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and getting to know Bo.

As my review title states, I was very displeased with this book personally. Not that Bo Derek isin't a great person with an interesting, complex life, but from the title of the book, I was expecting it to be more horse related. As a horsey krazy woman, I am drawn to any horsey book I can get my hands on, but this book wasn't what I was expecting. If you're looking to read about riding lessons of learning life lessons from horses (as the title implies), do not buy this book. However, if you just want to know more about Bo Derek as a person, then I suppose it's interesting.

From reading this book, I find myself respecting Ursula Andress and Linda Evans more than I ever thought possible. In the case of Linda and Ursula, their beauty is far, far more than skin deep. What wonderful, forebearing women they must be. The author could learn a lot from them about humility and self-effacing behavior. Bo's early years were enjoyable to read about, I was genuinely amused at some of the antics of her and her siblings. All in all, not too bad a book, really.

Bo Derek has always fascinated the world even though it appears she could care less. One of the few celebrities that didn't care to have the spotlight on her to lead a quality life. And that's what comes through this book. But unfortunately, virtually all of this was already known so there is no new ground to cover.

Yes, Bo is beautiful and a part of American film legend. And the pictures in the book again demonstrate just how photogenic she is. But she politely attempts to dispel the "dumb blonde" myth without giving us much depth. She was raised in a slightly unconventional family which spent quite a bit of time with Ann Margaret and her family. She was discovered young without much formal education but traveled widely with her Svengali husband. Living with John Derek is an education in itself. She slightly attempts to debunk the theory that he led her life. While that may be true in form, in substance, his influence was so great it altered her behavior patterns similar to his.

Bo's career was really a "flash in the pan", 10, Tarzan and Bolero followed by long periods out of the industry. Bo seemed content to lead a quiet home life in love with her husband and her animals. Frankly, I was surprised the book was not a proclamation of her devotion to John. Rather, it was a testament to her love of her animals with John more of a sidelight.

Bo has survived and enjoyed her life while the same time mentally and emotionally growing. This is a very "soft", fast read to understand more about her. It is not a deep read but does give a glimpse of the life of a celebrity. There are no life's lessons to learn here. But if you followed her career, you will probably enjoy this book.

This wasn't a bad book at all, and I admit to having been conditioned by my society to believe that Ms. Derek wasn't the smartest fish in the school. This, believe it or not, is a simple story, told simply. Although she has had fantastic encounters with the rich and famous and travelled widely the world over, Ms. Derek writes a story of a life spent just as enjoyably in a quiet world as in the fast lane variety. Her story is told honestly, with no baloney thrown in, and I was very impressed at how honestly she dealt with herself. She pulled no punches (which I liked) but didn't make herself out to be a saint either. John Derek comes across as an honest and complicated human being and not the glorified star that some people believed. All told, this was an enjoyable read.

I was a little disappointed in the title after I had read the book...hoping it would be more about how horses affected her life. I was left with the sad impression that she is a little more shallow than I believed. The stories don't lead to any deep revelations...they leave you hanging. I hope she is more colorful than these stories portray her to be.

The book was great, read it in one sitting. Bo can tell a great story, makes you feel you were there, she also is quite funny at times. I highly recommend it.

"Riding Lessons" is not worth the time to read. Look at the pictures, if you wish, but read something else. Ms. Derek certainly looks good on a horse, but her writing skills wouldn't earn her a passing grade in high school. Disjointed, self-centered and immature, "Riding Lessons" appears to have been written by a giddy, clueless teenager. I gave it two stars because it does have a section of color photographs, otherwise, it would be a "one".