Customer Reviews

Walking With Garbo: Conversations and Recollections

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

 

 

At the time that I stumbled upon this book, not only had I read a couple of biographies about Garbo, I had also found the images of the older Garbo walking the streets of New York fascinating. I decided to take a chance and add it to my collection. I am glad that I did, in fact, once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down.

The very private Garbo said, "I've always wanted two lives - one for movies, one for myself." While Walking With Garbo contains quite of bit of biographical information, beautiful photographs, and interesting trivia and quotes about Garbo in relation to her film career, what I found most fascinating was the look this book gives into Garbo's private life, her life after her film career had ended, her likes and dislikes, her habits, her sense of humor, her very human longings, her observations of the anonymous others who were so busy observing her. The author extensively quotes from conversations with her, and getting to know a bit about the private Garbo was fascinating. Unlike other books I have read about her, this book does not dwell on Garbo's sexuality, which I found refreshing and which is one of the things I most appreciate about this book.

I found this book to be very well written and a joy to read. It is one of my favorites, and in my opinion, it is worthy of Five Stars.

While this book doesn't go deep enough in getting to know the real Garbo, it does come close. People don't seem to be able to distiguish between Greta Gustafsson (her real name),the person, and Greta Garbo, the actress. She has been depicted as stupid, lazy, a sexual pervert, and strange. Even in this book, some people who knew her have said that her eating habits were strange. What is so strange about liking Swedish food? Or preparing your own breakfast or lunch? What is so strange about going window shopping, going to flee markets, or taking a walk in Central Park? What is so strange about going out with friends, or going to bed early and getting up early? She was a former movie star who gave it up for a normal life-as normal as she could make it considering that she was followed by paparazzi and fans for the rest of her life. It is to her credit that she didn't allow her fame to turn her into a complete recluse. I think she was shy and thought by giving up her career, her celebrity would go away, but it never did.