Scan barcode
bethmara's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
If you're a fan of Stories I Only Tell My Friends, you'll know that Rob Lowe is a very talented writer whose Keen recollection for obscure historical and cultural touchstones in the 80s makes reading his work a pleasure.
There are some sad and great stories about Hollywood life, but if you're looking for the sort of name dropping party stories from his debut book, you won't get them here.
Love Life is a more earnest departure written as his children are leaving the nest for college. While many of the stories he shares about success and optimism come from a good-hearted place, if you're looking for a linear narrative, this will not be the book for you. I admit to feeling some awkwardness as he's sharing things about his children, a topic that for many celebrities is off the table.
It seems as though he's not totally comfortable sharing either as book is more stilted and jumbled than his first. After skipping from bringing his son to college to reflecting on landing roles a decade or more earlier, I started to read the book as a bit more of a 'make your own adventure' kind of narrative.
Paragraphs get dropped in the middle of otherwise unrelated stories where Lowe reflects on his own childhood or share some bit of insider knowledge on restaffing television shows.
I found I could generally take a chapter and have three separate narratives running - one where he was trying to convey a family event, another where he was trying to impart some larger heavy handed wisdom and finally one where he was tying things back to his childhood.
I can't fault a parent whose children are leaving for college for wanting to convey life wisdom, but these sections are decidedly more awkward and often Ill-placed.
While only ranking two and a half stars, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone who's looking for a Sunday afternoon read. And even at his most heavy-handed, Lowe mercifully only has a paragraph or two in each chapter that will give you a bit of whiplash trying to understand why he's dropping these heavy bombs in the middle of an otherwise pretty light-hearted read.
I have great faith that whatever he writes about next will be a further evolution of his style, making the insights flow more smoothly and the timelines less opaque.
If you're a fan of Stories I Only Tell My Friends, you'll know that Rob Lowe is a very talented writer whose Keen recollection for obscure historical and cultural touchstones in the 80s makes reading his work a pleasure.
There are some sad and great stories about Hollywood life, but if you're looking for the sort of name dropping party stories from his debut book, you won't get them here.
Love Life is a more earnest departure written as his children are leaving the nest for college. While many of the stories he shares about success and optimism come from a good-hearted place, if you're looking for a linear narrative, this will not be the book for you. I admit to feeling some awkwardness as he's sharing things about his children, a topic that for many celebrities is off the table.
It seems as though he's not totally comfortable sharing either as book is more stilted and jumbled than his first. After skipping from bringing his son to college to reflecting on landing roles a decade or more earlier, I started to read the book as a bit more of a 'make your own adventure' kind of narrative.
Paragraphs get dropped in the middle of otherwise unrelated stories where Lowe reflects on his own childhood or share some bit of insider knowledge on restaffing television shows.
I found I could generally take a chapter and have three separate narratives running - one where he was trying to convey a family event, another where he was trying to impart some larger heavy handed wisdom and finally one where he was tying things back to his childhood.
I can't fault a parent whose children are leaving for college for wanting to convey life wisdom, but these sections are decidedly more awkward and often Ill-placed.
While only ranking two and a half stars, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone who's looking for a Sunday afternoon read. And even at his most heavy-handed, Lowe mercifully only has a paragraph or two in each chapter that will give you a bit of whiplash trying to understand why he's dropping these heavy bombs in the middle of an otherwise pretty light-hearted read.
I have great faith that whatever he writes about next will be a further evolution of his style, making the insights flow more smoothly and the timelines less opaque.
7kate9's review against another edition
5.0
Listen to this (and his first book) on audiobook! You will not be disappointed.
sarahbaera's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoy author-read audiobooks. I'm also currently enjoying Rob Lowe. I'm hooked on the West Wing right now so I thought his would be a good one to listen to. Apparently this is his second book so I need to go back to the first one ;-) His stories are so interesting because he lived a wild life and has crazy stories, and more recently has lived a sober life and still has interesting famous-people stories.
nightstand_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Ever since the movie, "The Outsiders", I've had a celebrity crush on Rob Lowe. I read and enjoyed his first book, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography" as much as his second, "Love Life".
Lowe's most important role is that of a father. His love for his two sons is deep and tender and I appreciate the candor and down to earth approach he uses to share his stories. If you like Hollywood types and autobiographies, I recommend "Love Life".
Lowe's most important role is that of a father. His love for his two sons is deep and tender and I appreciate the candor and down to earth approach he uses to share his stories. If you like Hollywood types and autobiographies, I recommend "Love Life".
queenbethie's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this book, narrated by Lowe, and I would let him read the fine print on my prescriptions to me. Dreamy. Content-wise, this is not as strong of a read as his previous book, however there were stories and insights to enjoy. I am particularly appreciative of how he talks about his wife of 22+ years with love and reverence. It's refreshing when so many celebrities go through wives like the go through toothbrushes. Bravo, Rob. If you put out another book I'll probably listen to that one, too.
soleilreads's review against another edition
3.0
Mostly engaging and entertaining. Some stories make you laugh out loud and some make you go awww, and of course there are some juicy tidbits (that's the whole reason anyone reads these, isn't it?). There was one disappointing bit that stuck out, though. At one point he says, "Has there ever been a more horrific barrier to reading than the Dewey Decimal System? No wonder libraries are becoming irrelevant." That line was a shot through the heart. I listened to the audiobook in my car, and I specifically remember saying, "HEY!" when I heard him read that. If it hadn't been for the library, I wouldn't have even read this book! Not cool, Rob Lowe, not cool.
peaknit's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as his first book for me, but there is something to be said about hearing it told in his own voice. Very enjoyable, guilty pleasure audio book.