Customer Reviews

Tammy Wynette: A Daughter Recalls her Mother's Tragic Life and Death

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

After reading all the customer reviews concerning this book(most of them very negative) I decided to purchase this book and form my own opinion. This book is about a daughter who lost her mother in death, a death that obviously came as a surprise to the entire family, including Tammy's husband, George Richey. Understandably, at least to me, her daughter, Jackie, wanted to know exactly what the cause of her mother's death was. Is that so unreasonable? It's my understanding from reading the book that the doctor who diagnosed her cause of death did so over the telephone without ever even examining the body. This was apparently "good enough" for Tammy's husband, but her daughter wanted a more realistic explanation. George Richey refused to help resolve this very troubling situation, having the belief that Tammy's dead and what does it really matter how she died--nothing is going to bring her back. That (understandably) wasn't good enough for Jackie, so she and her sisters had no choice but to sue Mr. Richey in an effort to find the truth as to what the cause of their mother's death really was.

Despite claims by others, I don't view Jackie as a gold digger trying to cash in on the fame of her mother. She has every right to know what happened to her mother and why. If Mr. Richey would have simply cooperated, this book need never have been written. The book is a sad story about a family that has been torn apart by the tragic death of someone they all loved. The fact that Tammy Wynette was a country superstar is the only reason the public is interested in the first place. If this same situation had happened with a non-celeberty family, the same questions would have been asked and the outcome would most likely have been the same. So I say, give Jackie a break. The woman is doing the best she can to try and deal with the death of her beloved mother. Let her grieve in her own way and don't be so judgemental. My heart goes out to her.

Wynette's death will always be shrouded in mystery. She was gone long before she should have been (a lot of it brought on by herself but most of it brought on by her dependence on others who thought they knew best, namely George Richey (the fortune hunter who used Tammy's name for exploitation and furthering his own selfish purposes. And her doctor who kept filling her up with "drugs" until her body shut down because she couldn't take any more!) Jackie Daly takes us through the painful memories of the sad day of her mother's death, shrouded in mystery (WHY DID THEY WAIT SO LONG TO CALL THE CORONERS TO PICK UP THE BODY??? WHY DID THIS PARTICULAR DOCTOR HAVE TO FLY IN FROM WEST VIRGINIA OR PENNSYLVANIA OR NEW JERSEY OR WHEREVER HE WAS FROM TO CONFIRM THE DEATH??? WHY DID GEORGE RICHEY, NOT LONG AFTER TAMMY DIED BEGIN DATING A DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADER?) I give props to Tammy's daughters for standing up for the truth. The only people here who gave one star reviews were probably George Richey advocates who knew his agenda long before Tammy's daughters did. And it was clear..he did have an agenda. We certainly did not need this book to tell us that.

In my opinion, many of the reviews posted for "A Daughter Recalls" are unflattering and unfair to the author. I do not believe she is a little golddigger, self-serving or dishonoring her mom. We have to face 3 basic facts: 1) Regardless of the role George Richey (husband # 5) played -or didn't play- in Tammy's untimely death, all should agree that the circumstances of her demise were very strange and beg certain questions. I feel Jackie is merely trying to air these questions publicly. 2) This is not(!) a true biography. Such a definitive story has yet to be written. "A Daughter Recalls" is much more concerned with Tammy's later years and especially with her phsical problems and various addictions/afflictions. And Tammy's own "Stand By Your Man" deals only with her life until 1979 - in a highly "sanitized" fashion. When the ultimate story does appear, I'll stand in line to buy it. 3) Most importantly, I believe " A Daugher Reacalls" is about a girl who loved her mother-but mom was rarely home. She was always on the go. There was little "quality time". To make matters worse, there was the "little matter" of the 5 marriages to men who took advantage (#s 2-4-5) or were drunks (#3). Good old boy Euple Byrd (#1) seems like the best of the bunch. With mom gone all the time, not always in the best of health-AND saddled with 4 inadequate step-fathers- you would expect Jackie and her sisters (She must be the spokesperson) to be devastated by Tammy's death-all the more so because she died under a cloud of suspicion. Strange that I feel the need to defend the author from reviewers but I hope the 4 sisters find some peace and closure in Tammy's death. I must admit the story has one prime flaw: It gave the definite air of a book rushed to print- perhaps before a final editing job. Too bad but not fatal. Classic country fans and certainly Tammy fans can ignore this (and the various carping at the author!) and safely buy. It's not a true biography but it's well worth a hardcover price.

This book is an absolute must for anyone who is (or isn't) a fan of Tammy Wynette. It was so riveting that I finished it the same day I received it. It tells the story of Tammy's life--and extremely mysterious death, focusing on the latter. It also clears up some myths and misconceptions that have built-up over the years. One example is the "kidnapping" which occured several years ago. While the finger of blame was pointed at certain individuals (and as a personal aside, I never believed a particular individual was at fault, and that is confirmed here) the REAL story about the kidnapping is shocking and will jolt you. I recommend this book to anybody and everybody. There are still unanswered questions about Tammy's death, but short of a confession, we may never know the truth.

This book is a must for all Tammy's fans, friends, and curiosity seekers! It describes much of what went on behind the scenes in Tammy's life. It is so well written that I completed it in 2 days!

Both Daly and Carter wrote the text in such a way that the reader wants to know more about Tammy's story. Whether it's the lost original copy of Tammy's will, the "unusual" way Tammy's "newly-revised beneficiary designation" on her million-dollar life insurance policies were signed, the drug addiction (and the lengths Tammy went to to get a 'fix', the kidnapping, the physical and verbal abuse Tammy suffered, or the abundance of mystery sorrounding her death---including the treatment of Tammy's closest friend's at the private memorial service and the actions (or inactions) of those closest to her---it's all here. And so much more.

It must, however, be left up to the reader to determine fact from fiction. However, I cannot believe that a writer of Tom Carter's stature would put his name on something that is inaccurate or that Jackie Daly would wish to trash her mother's reputation for the sake of money. It does seem strange, however, that Tammy's husband does not address all the damning details of the book regarding his treatment of Tammy, her children, her relatives, her friends, and her career! After all, one is led to believe that he is a control freak that masterminded her demise and controlled her (with the help of narcotics) all for his benefit---as well as personal and financial gain!

Buy this book, read it for yourself and you decide!

I think the book brings out the important point that no mother/daughter relationship is perfect. Jackie could no more forsee what an ungrateful wretch George Richey is than her mother could. And it's obvious that Tammy wouldn't have listened anyway. This is the story of a daughter who has come to understand her mother's love and her struggles. It's about the hard choice mothers face when they have to balance being sole provider for their children while providing for their emotional needs as well, and coping with their own ambitions in their career. It's not an easy thing.
I admire Jackie's portrayal of her celebrity mother in a loving and honest way...

Believe it or not, what Jackie Daly wrote is nothing but the truth. George Richey did not love her mother the way he claims he did. Tammy's daughters are her blood. George Richey was the 5th in a long line of husbands who was only a stepfather to the girls if he was even that. God Bless Tammy and her daughters.

I have always been a Tammy Wynette fan. Three months after Tammy's passing George RIchey marries a "Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader"? So much for the grieving widower. Tammy's death was shrouded in mystery and no one will ever know for certain what happened. But even Loretta Lynn states in her new autobiography "Still Woman Enough" that she thinks its sad that Tammy never found true love in real life. Tammy was fragile, vulnerable and naive. Its obvious she let George Richey use her and milk her until she could take no more. I do not blame her daughters for wanting to know the truth. The sad thing is that people don't want to know the truth or the truth to be told. If my mother had died under such circumstances I would want to know the truth too. This book is a must read...Jackie truly cuts to the chase and George RIchey should be ashamed to show his face anywhere. Its obvious he never loved Tammy the way he said he did.

I enjoyed most of this book. It was very informative. I didn't care for the part where she went over the same things that her mom did in her autobiography. They could of left that out and told it more from their perspective. I felt bad for the girls because of George Richey being greedy. Money parts friends and he must of decided to keep it all. I don't think he liked her daughters. I am glad they did uncover the cause of her death and they must of got a wrongful death settlement which is good. I know how it is to have your mother leave due to medical errors. I related to these girls. I understand how it is to have your dad remarry so quick after your mother's death. I think men don't like to be alone and they are looking for someone else to fill that void.

This book is an absolute must for anyone who is (or isn't) a fan of Tammy Wynette. It was so riveting that I finished it the same day I received it. It tells the story of Tammy's life--and extremely mysterious death, focusing on the latter. It also clears up some myths and misconceptions that have built-up over the years. One example is the "kidnapping" which occured several years ago. While the finger of blame was pointed at certain individuals (and as a personal aside, I never believed a particular individual was at fault, and that is confirmed here) the REAL story about the kidnapping is shocking and will jolt you. I recommend this book to anybody and everybody. There are still unanswered questions about Tammy's death, but short of a confession, we may never know the truth.