"Rosie" is the first full-length biography to present the complete, captivating story of how a girl from Commack, Long Island, became the first-class jokester she is today. Following Rosie's path, from her childhood and troubled relationship with her Irish-born father to her successful career in TV and films, this biography uncovers the Rosie fans want to know. of photos.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
James Robert Parish delivers the first ever biography of Rosie O'Donnell in the matter of fact tone of a seasoned entertainment journalist. Rosie O'Donnell's Biography is a comprehensive story of this dynamic woman's life on both the public and private fronts. Parish digs deep to provide background on Rosie's tragic early years when, as a young child, she lost her mother to the triumphant adoption of her son in 1995. He follows her career too as it developed from the comedy clubs and into television appearances that paved the way to Rosie's success in films and her own wildly successful TV talk show. Throughout the book, Parish skillfully reveals the humanity of this complex star. He dedicates the biography to its subject, "New Queen of All Things." And after reading the book, it is clear the term is nearly apt, for O'Donnell clearly is queen of many things: acting, comedy, parenting, friendship and honesty.
From Kirkus Reviews
A prolific biographer of Hollywood's famous and forgotten, Parish (Liza! The Liza Minnelli Story, not reviewed, etc.) pieces together the usual celebrity rehash, together with some original interviews with some of the peripheral people in Rosie's life. Parish has combed the Net, the Reader's Guide, and a fair amount of videotape to present the chronological events of the life of TV's new talk-show queen, accompanied by lots of psychological conjecture and analysis, including a chapter that discusses whether or not Rosie is a lesbian. O'Donnell was born in Commack, Long Island, one of five children born to an Irishman who designed cameras for spy satellites. Her mother died of cancer when Rosie was 10, in what she has described as the defining event of her life. Her father dealt with his grief by withdrawing from his family, and Rosie took on many of her mother's responsibilities at an early age, including the care of a diabetic grandmother. Her father has remained distant and emotionally unavailable; they have not repaired their relationship. As a child, Rosie buried herself in television, made heroines of her favorite stars, Barbra Streisand and Better Midler, and dedicated herself to making it in the biz. Parish traces Rosie's career from Long Island comedy clubs, where she began at 16, success as a stand-up comic, to movies (A League of Their Own and Sleepless in Seattle), and finally on to her highly successful TV talk show. There is a little about the famous friendship between Rosie and Madonna, who met while making League; and a wrap-up with Rosie's single-parent adoption of her son, Parker Jaren. A few steps up from supermarket tabloid, but with no juicy gossip; and for those following Rosie coverage in the media or at her Web sites, there's not much news here. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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More About the Author
I have the privilege of doing work (i.e., writing books) that I thoroughly enjoy, so it is no real chore to be active on my book projects seven days a week. Doing research is much like being a detective, bringing as many elements of the subject's life to light and assessing how each piece fits into the puzzle of a celebrity's biography.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent look at Rosie's past,
By A Customer
This review is from: Rosie: Rosie O'Donnell's Biography (Hardcover)
Those wanting to know a lot about Rosie O'Donnell's earlier work,especially her movies, will enjoy reading this look at her life. Parish has done a fairly complete look at her past, although it is lacking on some of the more recent work like her show, and her online activites. The writing is excellent, and was an easy read, but the author seems to use exclamation marks a few too many times for my taste... The book also lacks colour photographs of Rosie, but has an excellent picture of Rosie (from 1994 Academy Awards) on the cover. Fans of Rosie (like myself) who want to gain a better understanding of the context around which the "Queen of Nice" has become the multi-media phenomenon that she is should definitely pick up a copy of this book. I loved it!
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Her fans will buy and enjoy this book" - Publishers' Weekly,
By A Customer
This review is from: Rosie: Rosie O'Donnell's Biography (Hardcover)
In this unauthorized bio, seasoned Hollywood journalist and author James Robert Parish (The Liza Minelli Story etc.) has reserched O'Donnell's climb to fame drawing on print and TV interviews, critical reviews and press releases, as well as interviews with her colleagues. O'Donnell's comic career, feature films and Broadway show are well detailed here and her story is an inspiring one.
Until O'Donnell writes her autobiography this bio may be the most thorough we'll get.
Publishers' Weekly March 17, 199
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing I didn't already know,
By Shan McG, (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rosie: Rosie O'Donnell's Biography (Hardcover)
If you watch her show then this book is waste of time and money. Mostly the book focuses on Rosie's experience of losing her mother, her rocky road to stardom and her hush hush love life. Just by tuning into her show, and seeing/reading a few of her interviews, anybody could write this biography of Rosie with great ease. If you are looking for the juicy tabloid stuff, this book isn't for you. If you enjoy endless jiberish about Tom Cruise, I believe there are a few chapters devoted to this tired old topic. Happy reading
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