Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Even people who don't know country music from Kaopectate know Dolly Parton, the big-in-front, big-on-top blonde with the perky, little-girl voice who seems sometimes a hick Mae West and sometimes sweeter than Little Mary Sunshine. Given her obvious assets, the tabloid crowd knows her, too, which only increases the appeal of her memoirs. Well, she's more Mary than Mae here, with plenty of vanilla-lite sex-talk and spoofing of her persona ("It costs a lot to make a person look this cheap," etc.) but nary a word about extramarital tumbles or surgical augmentation of her charms. She explains that while she does indeed sleep with longtime friend Judy Ogle, it's not, never was, what suspicious minds think. She praises husband Carl Dean every time she speaks his name, and she doesn't say anything catty about Porter Wagoner, on whose TV show she found fame in the early 1970s and with whom she famously fought. In short, Dolly's so squeaky clean and nice that a reader can't help wondering why HarperCollins wouldn't countenance advance reviews and sent out no early copies. The book contains no secrets to expose, no juice to spill. That doesn't mean it's flat--coming from Dolly, how could it be? It's an entertaining country music rags-to-riches story, full of just enough humor and heart to thoroughly charm the fans. Ray Olson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

The successful country-western star discusses her life, including her first visit to Nashville at age eighteen, marriage to the private Carl, difficult partnership with Porter Wagoner, business ventures, and personal relationships. Reprint.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm) (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061092363
• ISBN-13: 978-0061092367
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #498,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REAL Lady with a heart as big as the Smokies, December 13, 1999

By	Laurie Anne Paul (Great Smokies, TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (Hardcover)

I moved here to Pigeon Forge, TN about five years ago. I live five minutes from DollyWood, and Dolly is everywhere here. Her book gave me a chance to find out just why this woman is so beloved in this area. She grew up with no money, in a cash poor rural area,and has never lost sight of her roots. She talks about being a teenager, never being able to get her hair big enough or "yaller" enough, and about dreaming of stardom. I've had the pleasure of attending a live concert, held in her suprisingly intimate Celebrity Theatre at Dollywood, and the woman speaking so candidly in her book, is the same girl giggling and having fun onstage. When I finished it, I just wanted to hug her and tell her that she's done good. She's done amazing things in her hometown,and they appreciate her.

Interesting sidenote, there's a statue of Dolly in the yard outside the courthouse here in Sevier County. Not glamourous,or fancy, it portrays a pretty country girl, in her jeans and man's shirt, playing a guitar and singing. Best picture of Miss Dolly I ever saw:)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Life Country Song, November 7, 2003

By	Steven Fantina (Phillipsburg, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (Hardcover)

Five minutes of fame has now become enough to justify penning one's self-serving autobiography. Fortunately, Dolly Parton's 30+year career is suitable for book-length, and she avoids the standard celebrity tell-all fare in favor of interesting vignettes.

Her life is a Cinderella-story that would put any fairy-godmother to shame. Her interesting existence commenced with a delivery paid via a pig since her farming parents were short on cash. From such humble beginnings she went to become one of the richest women in the world. Tantalizing tidbits about her fellow country singers and some Hollywood hotshots pepper the pages, as do tales that illumine life amidst a large Appalachian family. She has often described her brood as "only financially poor" and that positive attitude not only permeates the book, she portrays such a blessed childhood that the allegation rings completely true.

Thankfully avoiding the gory details of typical star bios (think Cybil Shepherd Whoopi Goldberg, etc.), Dolly realizes there are some facts that fans need not know. Her boasted Christianity is practiced with a few question marks, and some facets of her life do appear curious. Still she succeeds in presenting just enough (but never too much) of the private side of her ultra-public persona.

Readers see how she has lived out many of the lyrics of her enumerable self-penned country songs. Upon completion of this autobiography many will return it to their bookshelves softly singing "In My Tennessee Mountain Home."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wildly funny!, May 5, 2000

By	Linda Peters (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (Hardcover)

Ms. Parton writes a story as well as a song. You'd think it was your best friend sitting right next to you telling you her life; with plenty of kindness and humor thrown in.

Even if you're not a country music fan, this book is a wonderfully entertaining and funny account of a womans rise from a cabin with "2 rooms and a path" to wealth, while maintaining the values and beliefs she was raised with.

Her storytelling kept me laughing out loud!