Customer Reviews

Self-Portrait

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this book. Gene Tierney tells her story and comes acrossas a brave and intelligent woman. She speaks candidly about hermental illness, her marriages, her family. Poor Gene...her first daughter was born retarded and had to be institutionalized. Her first marriage fell apart and she lost her grip on her sanity, but she bounced back. She married Howard Lee and her second child (by first husband Oleg Cassini) was born healthy. Today Gene might not be a household name, but she should be...if you read this book you will see why. Great book beginning to end!

When I asked Amazon to locate this book for me it was as a result of watching Biography on A & E. After presenting their program on Gene Tierney, they told viewers about the book. I was extremely pleased that Amazon located a copy for me even though it was out of print. Not only was I pleased to obtain the book but I was extremely pleased with its content. I have been a fan of Miss Tierney since first seeing her in movies. I especially liked "Laura" and "Leave Her to Heaven" and have videos of both. But nothing can compare with the intimate details she revealed in her life story and I shall treasure the book always. Unfortunately she was swept up in the dark side of the motion picture industry where she was taken advantage of in so many ways. Although we, her fans, were cheated when she retired from motion pictures so soon, I cannot help but feel she did the right thing by turning her back on the sad memories brought about during those years and seeking a happier life. The book ranks high on the list of treasures in my personal library.

Called the most beautiful woman in movie history by Darryl Zanuck (founder of 20th Century Fox), actress Gene Tierney also proves herself a good and insightful writer with this accomplished "self-portrait". I purchased this on a whim in an antique store, and have read it several times. I appreciate her honesty regarded her psychological problems and the fun tidbits about Hollywood life in the 1940s. It's unfortunate that the name Gene Tierney is so unfamiliar these days. She was a talented actress and writer, and I enjoy her work very much.

It's a shame that this book is out of print, as it is a very brave autobiography by a remarkable woman. Gene Tierney, one of the most stunning-looking actresses to come out of the Hollywood studio system, had a bright and privileged start in life, and made many high-quality--and a handful of true classic--motion pictures, but her middle life was beset by tragedy, divorce and mental illness. She holds little back in this book, and includes details of her 30-some-odd electroshock treatments, her daughter's mental retardation, her many affairs (with some surprisingly well-known names, including Howard Hughes and John Kennedy), and her hard-found happiness in her later years. Tierney writes simply but effectively, and the net effect is a picture of a courageous woman fighting against the odds and winning. Highly recommended for all fans of the actress and old-timey movies in general.

This book is told by Gene Tierney herself. She tells about her childhood through her later years living in Houston, Texas. She lived an exciting life but paid the price for it with many terrible tragedies. She shares her deep, dark secrets of her life. It is an extremely wonderful book. I am a huge fan of Gene Tierney. You must read this book. You will not be able to put it down!

I got this book because I am very interested in manic depression (or bipolar disorder) and I knew Gene Tierney had gone through the illness. My purchasing this book also had to do with my admiring Miss Tierney as an actress, for giving astounding performances in films like "Leave Her to Heaven". What I found was not only a fascinating read written by an honest and courageous lady, but also a very well written account of a victim of MD. I learned many things from this book and I must say, Miss Tierney was extremely honest, chose her words well, and most of all, wrote about famous celebrities like her former husband Oleg Cassini as well as former boyfriend John Kennedy without showing any negative feelings towards them. She writes with such class and frankness, making this a must for every fan of her work.

This is a lovely autobiography by a beautiful woman and one of my Daddy's favorite actresses. Dealing with depression myself, I can certainly relate to her trials of trying to continue with a "normal" life by all outside appearances, but constantly struggling on the inside. Lovely and touching story. Highly recommended.

Excellent! Seems honest and revealing. Great insight into one of my fave stars. Tierney was elegant, breathtaking in LAURA, beautiful and demonic in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN. I think she's under-appreciated now. Unfortunately, Tierney's life was rife with sorrow and bouts with mental illness. This book seems like an unvarnished, sensitive account of that life. Highly recommended for film buffs and faithful fans of TCM.

Candid self revelations. She voted for Nixon after dating JFK. Good on the movies and her mental illness issues. Certainly one of the most beautiful movie stars ever.

Self Portrait was a little thin but throughout I felt Gene Tierney was talking to me and she was honest. I also felt I learned something about mental illness. It was a good read.