Customer Reviews

Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Kathleen writes about her experiences on screen and stage in this interesting memoir. She's always been a favourite of mine, so it was a no brainer to read this. She needed some convincing to write this, feeling it was egotistical to write it, but I'm glad it got done and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There is plenty of information in here that I never knew. One of those things, is that when she had just finished her debut film role Body Heat, and while waiting for it to be released, she went back to waitressing as she was broke. She talks about her co-stars like Danny DiVito, Jack Nicholson and Burty Reynolds. She writes about Nicholas Cage and how he caused so many problems and drunk driving and the theft of a dog. She talks about her rhumetoid arthritis and her alcoholism. She uses strong language here and there and goes into great detail about how she feels onstage throughout perfomances. She talks about her joy of motherhood and the sadness of infertility.

I bought this because as a fan, I wanted to read about her life and see more of what she's like as a regular everyday person rather than only a character. I have to say, it's interesting if not a little self-congratulatory in parts. I'm glad I bought it, but I just couldn't give it the 5 stars I'd have liked to because I felt it was a little over the top in parts and it's (as she says) the truth as she remembers it, while I've read and heard about some of her fellow actors swearing that what she wrote isn't true at all.

I think it's a good book to read as a fan, although not the best biography/memoir I've ever read.

When I was younger, Kathleen was one of my favorite actresses and I was keen to read her take on her Hollywood career. What I liked about this book is that she is very frank and actually dishes the dirt, which is quite rare in a Hollywood autobiography! Because let's face it, we want to know what really went down rather than the glossed over version you usually get in celebrity autobiographies.

I enjoyed reading about her positive experiences with her co-stars (including Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas and Danny de Vito) and also the not so positive (Burt Reynolds, Nicolas Cage). I hadn't realized that she and Michael had an affair while filming "Romancing the Stone" - although I guess, given Michael's reputation, that shouldn't have come come as a surprise to me! When she filmed "Peggy Sue got married" with Nicolas Cage, she claims that he was frequently drunk, was in fact arrested twice for drunk driving and also stole a chihuahua. Perhaps that explains the lack of chemistry that they had in the movie. She and Burt Reynolds also took an instant dislike to one another and their working relationship was extremely acrimonious. Again, Kathleen is more than happy to give specifics.

Kathleen also talks about her battles with rheumatoid arthritis and alcohol, which is interesting because at the time I just thought that she had let her career go and piled on the weight, rather than there being reasons behind it.

Ultimately the book kind of lost me though because I got tired of Kathleen telling us how wonderful she is all the time. Confidence is good, but she doesn't seem to have a modest bone in her body! Yes, she's had an interesting life, but any interest that I ever had in meeting her has gone.

Nevertheless, if you enjoy Hollywood biographies, there is still a lot of juicy material in here and it is a very entertaining book to read.

I love Kathleen Turner, love what she's done and her films and certainly appreciate all she's gone through. God knows, I've got crippling arthritis as well and know how bad and painful it is.

But. And I really hate to say this. I found the book soft. Maybe dull. I think a whole lot of emotion was left out of it, and I know that emotion had to have been there but wasn't explicated. It was made bland.

Maybe it's just me, I dunno. Not a bad book, certainly, but berift of the kind of emotion I expected to find in such a memoir. Maybe Kathleen should have just written it on her own, with all the explitives she wanted to use and all the violence she felt. As it is, I felt it kind of a cheat. I know there is more to her than this Kodachrome, and I really wish she had talked about it.

Compare this to Sybil Shepherd's bio, which is an absolute hoot. Sybil just tells all, and tells it with great brio and lots of laughs.I know this is all there in Kathleen Turner's life, but it is missing in the book.

This is kinda hard. I don't want to not recommend the book. It's okay, as a kind of "just the facts, ma'am" kind of bio." In that way, it works. But it is not literature, not emotional, not something spectacular. I figure Kathleen Turner can do much better, if she does it on her own and just goes her own way.

I don't really like my review, but, so it goes. I don't really like saying the things I said, but it is how I feel. I really wish I had liked this book better than I did.

I love biography. And I have always big a big Kathleen Turner fan. What a disappointment! I liked her much more before I read her book!

"One of the problems of having started my career as a younger beautiful woman known for her sexuality..."

"The most important lesson I learned from Body Heat is how brave I could be...

"Managing and protecting the Kathleen Turner brand can be tricky."

Are you kidding me? This is the tone of the whole book! If the world thought Ms. Turner was as fabulous as she does, she'd still on the A list! I gave it two stars only for a half dozen or so semi-interesting Hollywood gossip stories, most of which you could get from reviews.

A painfully bad memoir!

I've always loved Kathleen Turner, but as another reviewer has already noted, BOY does she love herself. Every sentence in this increasingly tedious book seems to begin, "Of course, I've always been beautiful," or, "I'm a very good speechwriter, people tell me I should publish them," or, "Ever since I began volunteering at the age of 12 ..." She's in love with herself, and since there's not much else in the way of commentary or insight, the only thing left of interest would be the "dirt." But there isn't much of that, either, and what little there is has been disputed by the other people involved.

Might be worth a flip through, but don't get your hopes up.

What this book highlights is how little the public really knows about the true personalities of actors and celebrities until they reveal themselves in autobiography.

I did not expect such openly egocentric rambling.

It felt uncomfortable reading some of the passages where she and her ghost writer wax lyrical about how fabulous she is. A responsible editor would have had the whole thing toned down because it is gut wrenching reading even for the most ardent fan.

There is plenty of meat in this memoir. My problem with it was that it was all over the place. I prefer things to be chronological, but this is quite disjointed, and she never really goes very in depth about anything, which leaves you disappointed much of the time. For instance, there is nothing in detail about her failed marriage, motherhood, specific films. The only details are in reference to her arthritis and theater work. However, she is clear on her opinions and feelings for the most part, and Turner fans will certainly like it--it's better than nothing. I like her sense of independence and confidence, and I think she's a much better actress than she is often given credit for.

I liked Kathleen Turner a whole lot more before I read her autobiography. Turner was powerful in "Body Heat." She was amazing in John Waters' "Serial Mom," and I loved her performance in "Romancing the Stone." However, "Send Yourself Roses" portrays Turner as arrogant and egocentric, which colors the entire story.

Turner's autobiography should have been entertaining and interesting due to her varied experiences and famous friends and acquaintances. Instead, it became boring due to overuse of "I," as in I'm so sexy, I'm so attractive, I'm so talented, I'm so funny, ad nauseam.

Turner complains of the burden of starting her career "as a younger beautiful woman known for sexuality" that creates "an inherent dismissal of her as an individual." Chapter 3 has the subheadings: "Finding My Talent Early," "Awakening to My Passions," and "I Owned the World."

"Send Yourself Roses" has lots of interesting substantive content. Unfortunately, its "in your face" attitude detracts from the actual story. The foul language feels out of place and unnecessary. The book opens with: "I am f****** exhausted. Wonderfully, joyfully exhausted, and filled with such extraordinary happiness and gratitude." Turner refers to the reader as "babe," "honey," and "baby," which simply feels offensive.

Turner's autobiography compares unfavorably to "My Life So Far," by Jane Fonda, and "Me, Stories of My Life," by Katherine Hepburn. Fonda and Hepburn demonstrate that it is possible for an actress to write a literate, interesting autobiography without the overriding egotism that mars "Send Yourself Roses." Perhaps this major flaw is attributable to Gloria Feldt, coauthor of the book, but Turner certainly would have approved the text prior to publication.

In short, the Kathleen Turner movies are far more enjoyable than her unfortunate book.

Note: the first thing I noticed about this book was the cheap, thin, paper used by the publisher. A minor matter, yes, but it just reduces my enjoyment of the reading experience.

When the Kathleen Turner movie "War of the Roses" was released, the promotional trailer made it look like a madcap Marx Brothers movie with Turner & Douglas swinging from a chandelier to the tune of a rollicking orchestral fanfare (not even used in the actual film). Anyone who has see this movie knows that it is a dark comedy much richer for its nuances than its farce. Disliking it at first for the discrepancy, I came to appreciate it after repeated viewings and it has since become one of my favorite films. So it is with this book--much of the critique has centered around Turner's supposed trashings of her co-stars and her self-congratulatory tone. Having finished this book recently I found quite the opposite; Turner is extremely positive when speaking about the actors she has worked with when you read in entirety what she wrote. When taken out of context though, it is easy to see how these reviews can make their point. Even with Nicolas Cage, she manages to be positive about his growth as an actor, and is quick to point out the reasons for his juvenile behavior on the set of "Peggy Sue Got Married." Her comments on Steve Martin have also been taken out of context, and it is a shame as most likely this is what the book will be remembered for. If you are expecting a traditional memoir or autobiography, you will not find it here. Although she does a follow somewhat of a chronological format, Turner bounces around a bit, but she always comes back to front and center, which is her career and growth as an actress. This book is a must-read for those in the acting profession; one of the most intriguing parts of her memoir is finding out how she finds a character and her own method of acting. Turner is a true professional and artist, and although she has made a few questionable choices ("V.I. Warshawski," "A Simple Wish"), overall, she is much to be lauded for the daring and diverse roles that she has played and created (her tackling of the role of Martha in "Virginia Woolf" is revelatory). Yes, her tone is a little much at times (a lot of "Honey...") and her language is quite frank, but I found it very refreshing. She is discrete where she needs to be, and upfront and honest where you would not expect it. You may not agree with some of her opinions or choices, but let's remember this book is about her, and with her sense of survival (she has conquered many demons), she should be allowed to write whatever the heck she wants to. I also enjoyed learning about her sense of volunteerism and positive attitude about making a difference. Turner's maternal feelings and the raising of her daughter are also enlightening to read; besides acting professionals, this book also makes a great read for women who try to juggle a career and family. How she overcame Rheumatoid Arthritis and got her life back is another testament to her strength and can-do attitude. Sure, there is some repetition and a little editing would have helped, but the content definitely compensates for this, and nothing that a little self-skimming can't take care of! The title is fantastic too, and very appropriate for her philosophy in life. So, for a non-traditionally interesting read, Kathleen Turner's "Send Yourself Roses" is a must-read.

I bought this book as a fan of Ms. Turner's acting. Geez, it seems she is her biggest fan. I can't think of an author I've read that was more self-congratulatory. At the start of the book, it was just odd. By the middle, it was so laughable, I found myself quoting the book to see people's puzzled reactions. By the end, I wanted to just chuck the thing out of the window. Where was the editor on this one? Must have been one star-struck fan.

I give it 2 stars just for the story itself and for her frankness.