themodvictorian's review
5.0
I read this last summer. It really stuck with me. Very absorbing and well-written. I was a fan of the Mamas & the Papas before I read this, but this gave more depth to their music and made me appreciate it more. Cass led such an exuberant, interesting life.
norad's review
3.0
This book is often warm, insightful and compelling. However there were some things that bothered me about it and ultimately left me a bit disappointed. The author seems to want to psychoanalyze Cass posthumously and get to the “why” of her size. I don’t find that relevant or helpful - and because of this I find the author really buried the lead: that Cass Elliot ultimately died because of fatphobia and decades of weight cycling, diet pills and depression caused by the cruelty of others because she was fat. The rumour about her death that still pervades is inherently fatphobic! Why not bring that out more in this biography??
The part that this book get very right is really bringing out the voices of people who loved Cass and describing the special things about her that made her one of a kind.
The part that this book get very right is really bringing out the voices of people who loved Cass and describing the special things about her that made her one of a kind.
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