Customer Reviews

This 'N That

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book tells about Bette as only she herself could. She had a sense of humor, and she's honest. This was her second autobiography, the first being called "The Lonely Life." She talks about her failed marriages, the movies she hated, and her costars in various movies (i.e. Faye Dunaway.) I strongly recommend this book.

SO glad that Bette Davis stepped forward and defended herself after he daughter's APALLING book. And what a fun read! I couldn't put it down. As far as "My Mother's Keeper" goes,

Shame on you, B.D. Hyman.

B.D. Hyman would like to come off as a victim who doesn't have any flaws, but her book about her mother, Bette Davis, has the opposite affect. B.D. Hyman comes of as a spoiled rotten, selfish, cold-hearted, and mean teenager and then woman, who has no tolerance for other people and their flaws.

So Bette Davis was a dramatic women, eh? What a shocker. It took her way too long to make Stouffers Macaroni & Cheese for you when you came over? How terrible. She got frustrated carving a chicken and ripped the meat apart with her hands? How obscene. She was irritated her 16 year old daughter wanted to spend their entire vacation in Europe with a 30 year old man? How dreadful. She sent a doctor over to see you when you were sick? What a witch. She spanked your son and put him in his room when she was baby-sitting him? How appalling. Your mother was eccentric? What a BOMBSHELL. She thought you were completely perfect and flawless? What a crime. She wanted you to say thank you when she brought you lobster from Maine? How very dreadful, and what a horrifying life you must have had.

It is clear from this book that Bette Davis had lots of faults. We all do. But none of them could be considered child abuse. And most of us don't have our faults written about extensively for all the world to see, in a fictional, exaggerated novel.

Poor Bette Davis, may she rest in peace. What a thing to have happen to you in your old age. She probably never recovered.

I've been a huge Bette Davis fan and it makes me upset that some of the reviews think that this is a book that isn't worth the paper its written on. I mainly wanted ti read this book to know more about Ms Davis, to know more about the last decade of her life with all the sickness she went through. I loved it, and i think that any Bette Davis fan would enjoy it greatly!

Obviously the one star reviewers aren't very big fans of Bette's. This is an honest and real account of some of the movies, struggles she faced with all her recovery from her surgeries. This is an important read to a bette davis fan and I would highly reccomend it!

Jonathan goldis

I was not a fan of Bette Davis until I saw her being interviewed by Dick Cavett in 1972. The Dick Cavett Show - Hollywood Greats The second she walks on stage you know you are in for a collossal treat. I have watched it over and over. That is what made me a fan and prompted me to get this book (and fill my Netflix queue with Bette Davis movies). I found the book to be very entertaining and loved the letters concerning and reviews about her daughter's hideous back-stabbing stunt at the very end. I think if you are a fan of Bette Davis that you would enjoy this book.

I was never a big fan of Bette Davis, but I am always interested in reading what others have written about their own lives. This book had it's moments, but it would have been better if they would have given more of a chronological history. Instead, she jumps around from story to story, as each one pops into her head. This made things a little confusing for me. I did feel like she had an ulterior motive for writing the book. That motive was to get back at her daughter for a nasty book she had written about Bette. I have not read the daughter's book, but it obviously shook up Bette Davis and ruined a mother/daughter relationship. For me, this made the book end in a sad fashion. It also leaves the reader hanging, wondering if this mother and daughter ever worked out their differences. I can't really recommend this book unless you are just seeking more information on the life of one of Hollywood's biggest stars. One last positive thing I will say about the book is that Bette Davis does not get into a lot of the dirt she could have told about Hollywood stars. I do respect her for this.

This amazing book is not a true autobiography but a memoir-type collection of anecdotes, stories, and observations by the immortal Bette Davis. Fans of Ms. Davis, and of vintage Hollywood, will be delighted.

So many things one wonders about Ms. Davis and her time are answered. She once and for all settles the long-standing rumors about the feud between her and Joan Crawford. She reminisces about other actors, comparing their personalities at the time she knew them with their contemporary personas. She professes admiration for some, disdain for others. Priceless insight is given into all things cherished by classic film fans.

More importantly, Ms. Davis writes with such intelligence, humor, and candor that reading this book will make a fan out of any reader. I always knew she was no dummy, but her skill at writing amazed me. Perfect Yankee diction and common sense, and lots of acerbic wit blend marvelously. Her lessons learned concerning her children, her opinions of the world at the present; Bette was truly an amazing woman.

Bette Davis tells the second half of her own story close to the end of her life. She tells the difficult story of her battle with breast cancer, multiple strokes and her valiant fight to comeback to acting in films - which was her life blood. She also responds her daughter's trashy book. It's Bette at her finest hour, gutsy and proud. Michael Herskowitz did a great job at assisting Miss Davis with this effort. I could not put it down.

The book arrived much earlier than expected, it was so very interesting.
Thank you and I will buy from you again !
C.K. Urban

I think Bette Davis's biography was just okay. She talked a lot about what she was doing at the current time, not her life. Well, she did talk about her achievements and awards, but very little about her early career, her movies, etc.. I did however finish the book, and I found it to be a okay read.