Customer Reviews

Will There Really Be a Morning?

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This book is not only my favorite autobiography, but it's also one of my favorite books of any genre. Francis Farmer, the infamous movie star who ended up institutionalized, was a tortured woman. This autobiography, which she wrote shortly before her death, is an extremely well-written, brutally honest, and mostly unflattering self-portrait. She tells of her relationship with her controlling and insane mother (who committed her), her unintentional rise to fame in Hollywood (she wanted to be a theater actress, and found Hollywood mostly empty), her emotional breakdowns, run-ins with the law, drinking problems, loveless marriages, and her time spent in a horrific state mental institution. Despite it all, Francis Farmer doesn't seem to feel a lot of self-pity, and she admirably takes responsibility for much of what happened to her. What really makes the book touching is Francis' description of what ultimately saved her: her friendship with Jean Radcliffe (who published the book after Francis died). Toward the end of her life Francis was able to find a lot of love and happiness, mostly due to the unconditional support she received from Jean and her family. This makes the book not only a juicy tale of a fallen Hollywood star and a disturbing memoir of a mental hospital, but an ultimately inspiring story about the healing power of love and friendship.

It is a definite fact that this book was not written by Frances Farmer at all, but by Jean Ratcliffe, whose close relationship with Farmer was chronicled in the final chapters of this book. For legal reasons subsequent pressings altered the subtitle from "an autobiography by frances farmer" to an "autobiography of frances farmer." It's very disappointing that there really is no definitive biography by or about Farmer. I was deeply moved & horrified every time I read this book, but since Farmer isn't the author, it gives credibility to the many disputes that have arisen regarding the book's veracity. The same can be said about "Shadowlands," on which the 1982 film "Frances" is based. Farmer's sister wrote a biography of Frances entitled "Look Back in Love," but she had as much of an agenda as Ratcliffe may have had, only hers was to exonerate the Farmer family from the beating they'd taken in "Morning" & "Shadowland." Keep this in mind when you read the book(s). Frances Farmer's life is ripe for authentic documentation. This just isn't it.

If you're looking for a book that will keep you interested from cover to cover, never able to put it down, this is the book for you! This is the autobiography of movie star, Frances Farmer, and her demise. It tells of her nightmarish mother (I found myself wanting to hurt her mother more than Frances herself wanted to), her tirades and outlandish temper, her many terrible years in a pit hole of mental institution where she was mistreated and abused and treated like an animal (literally), her struggle with drug and alcohol abuse and her experience with cancer. Whew! All in one book! There were times when I had to divert my eyes (which made it difficult to read) or set it down because I was ready to slap her mother around and my blood pressure was rising.

The most incredible thing about this story is, I believe, that Frances was fair. By that I mean that she told the story as it was and didn't make herself out to be completely blameless or less "violent" than she was. She told about her outbursts and her stupid behavior made from no-thought decisions. She never said, "Poor me," without adding something more justifiable to the pot.

The reading is incredibly easy. Her style (and that of the one who helped her write it) is very smooth and it seems as though everything she has to say is written in an interest-grabbing way.
So, if you want a good, heart-felt, blood stirring read, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It truly is one of the best I've been lucky enough to find. :o)

This is a very important work as it documents the abuses of the mental health industry in America during the time Frances Farmer stayed in a psyciatric institution in the 1940's. It is frightening as Frances tells us that anybody can declare someone is insane, and this person could be brought before an unsympathetic judge and sent to an insane asylum, and once you are declared mentally incompetent, all your civil rights are stripped from you, and you have no say so in the matter. Reading Frances's book, you see that perhaps she wasnt really insane but tired from overwork & in need of rest. By reading this book you will also be shocked of the methods of controlling the mentally ill at that time; endless shock treatments, hydrotherapy, insulin therapy - and you sometimes wonder who the insane people are, Frances or the people who are caring for her. A book like this is important because it chronicles how such a thing could have happened to a person, especially a person like Frances who was gifted & intelligent & had everything going for her. Thankfully, treatment of the mentally ill has much improved since then, but I still hear people say that the mentally ill homeless should be locked up. After reading this book you would have second thoughts about saying such a thing.

This book was sold initially as an autobiography by Frances Farmer. Later paperback versions titled it an autobiography "of Frances Farmer" or left out the credit altogether. Book was written by Jeanira Ratcliffe,late author who figured prominently in Farmer's later life in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is this part of the actress' life that is dealt with most definitively in the book. It is here you can find details of the life of Frances Farmer in her last years. I enjoyed the book very much upon publication and return to it often as a story of the strength of the human spirit. The Emily Dickinson poem chosen for the title is especially appropriate and poignant. Although somewhat inaccurate, the book's publication in 1972 ingnited great interest Farmer. This book is a great place to start. Other books of interest include Shadowland by William Arnold and Look Back In Love by Farmer's sister Edith Farmer Elliot (published privately). A great read...but not the whole story.

You can hear the voices change throughout the book. Many events of her life were sensationalized, presumably with a movie deal in mind. This book was partially written by Farmer, partially by Lois Kisbee, who was initially hired to write the book in conjunction with the actress. Frances' "best friend", Jeanira Ratcliffe, took over the project after her death. The result is a heavily edited work which lavishly praises Ratcliffe and her family. It is obvious that Ratcliffe was trying to mask her financial exploitation of Farmer (with both this book and two earlier failed business ventures). The last few chapters were needlessly devoted to Farmer's supposed friendship with Ratcliffe, which borders on boredom compared to the earlier chapters detailing her life.

Ratcliffe also uses the book to dispel rumors that she and Farmer were a lesbian couple. To do so she invented a crazy character, who tried to butcher Frances with an ax. When he couldn't succeed, he spread malicious gossip about Frances' relationship with Ratcliffe througout Indiana. No report to the police were made after his attempted assault. "Frances" claimed she was scared of the authorities.

The description of her life inside the asylum in Steilacoom, Washington, was grossly exaggerated as were her fights with her mother in Seattle. With the exception of Ratcliffe and her family, all of the characters are histrionic. Moreover, there are several errors in the book that Farmer could not have made, such as her uncle's name.

It's unfortunate that we can never know the truth, since the true author of this book and "Shadowland", written by William Arnold, both use Farmer for their own means. If you want to read something closer to the truth, read "Look Back in Love" written by Farmer's half-sister, Edith Farmer Elliot.

Can you imagine being a successful, albeit opinionated, person who, through an unfortunate set of circumstances and the resentment of others, is forced into a living hell? Frances Farmer was not insane, she was merely a victim and ultimately a survivor who was shoved into a mental institution for over seven years. The description of her first day at the institution is horrific and the fact that she endured such treatment for so long makes her admirable. This book tells of her unbelievable and unimaginable experiences. After completing this book I understand the horrors that can occur in this world and can not accept that there are individuals out there who inflict the kind of torment on people such as Frances. The theme of this book is survival and I have gained tremendous respect for Frances Farmer. She truly is a survivor.

I read this book when I was an 18 year old who lacked direction or goals. I read it over two nights, and I reread it twice over the next few years. It inspired me to work in mental health, and today, 15 years and a lot of life-experiences later, I am a mental health therapist/social worker. I am convinced that this book fueled my career choice. It is full of stark, yet rich detail of how an intelligent woman who probably had a depressive (bipolar) disorder and maybe a problem with alcohol, was locked into the nightmare of being diagnosed as seriously mentally ill. Today, we see opinionated, "wild" actors/actresses who are applauded. Back in the 40's Frances was punished and endured years of hell, where her most basic needs were often not met, and when she faced the horror of being stripped of her civil rights, dignity, modesty, and volition. This is a book that will induce every emotion you can think of: fear, anger, sadness, and ultimately, happiness that she came out, wit intact. You close the cover of the book and can't help thinking: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

I had never read a book cover to cover until I read this in 1973. Never, never, has a book been more inspiring to me. I lived in Indy at the time, and later worked at the hospital in which she died. I met several of her life friends and have heard several more "details" since reading the book. I shall never forget her opening page. Yes, she survived, and so have I........KUDOS Jeanie!!!

It has been 15 years since I first picked up Frances Farmer's autobiography, and it remains by far the most powerful book that I have ever read. I must stress that this self-written work differs greatly from Hollywood's distorted treatment presented in separate made-for-TV and big screen fictionalized movies.

Frances tells her true story and while most of her life was a stream of horrors, she eventually found redemption and reached a level of peace and joy that few will ever know in this life.

Readers be warned-the actress is frank in her description of the brutality, depravity, and heartbreak she survived; much of this work is egregiously unsettling and reads like a guided tour of hell. Those brave enough to get through will be well rewarded, and left with an very uplifting high.

In later years Frances found faith and friendship. Her conversion to Catholicism would shock many in modern day Tinsel Town but gave her the fulfillment that eluded her for most of her life. Her first friendship-which she defines as the purest form of love-formed in middle-age gives further testimony to her late discovery of the wonders of God. This late embrace of religion is both ironic and extra-encouraging considering her teenage celebration of atheism. Before her movie career, the actress achieved some fame by entering a Communist organization's essay contest and winning a trip to the Soviet Union with an entry entitled "God Dies."

In her denouement which included a losing fight to cancer, she realized how lucky she was that "God Lives."