livrad's review against another edition
3.0
To start, this book published 14 years after Newman's death is a book Paul Newman never meant for you to read. It was compiled from hours and hours of interviews he did with a screenwriter friend decades ago, and after that session, he decided to burn all of the recordings. However, this book was compiled at the wishes of two of his daughters from the transcripts. Much of this is revealed at the end of the book in an afterward.
Throughout Newman's account of his life (narrated very well in audio by Jeff Daniels), there is a sense of real loneliness, at feeling like he wasn't always in control of his own life, and that he resented the intrusion of fame. He found it boggling how women eventually found him to be such a sex symbol, as he couldn't get a girl to even talk to him until after he had been discharged from the military. There were a lot of fascinating moments in this book: reading about his relationship with his parents (his mother treated him mostly like a prop and once he was married to his first wife, insisted they sleep in twin beds), his family's complicated relationship with Judaism and how he was the rare actor who chose not to change his name, his time working with Lee Strasberg and the Actors Studio, his relationship with Joanne Woodward, the comparisons to Marlon Brando and James Dean, etc., plus the information from his daughter about his philanthropic efforts.
Despite that, there was a clear message that Paul Newman wanted to live a private life, and finding out after reading his story how much he didn't want other people to invade his privacy complicated my reaction to this book. I feel a little resentful that I was unwittingly someone else trying to get a piece of him, and that definitely affects my opinion of this "memoir."
Throughout Newman's account of his life (narrated very well in audio by Jeff Daniels), there is a sense of real loneliness, at feeling like he wasn't always in control of his own life, and that he resented the intrusion of fame. He found it boggling how women eventually found him to be such a sex symbol, as he couldn't get a girl to even talk to him until after he had been discharged from the military. There were a lot of fascinating moments in this book: reading about his relationship with his parents (his mother treated him mostly like a prop and once he was married to his first wife, insisted they sleep in twin beds), his family's complicated relationship with Judaism and how he was the rare actor who chose not to change his name, his time working with Lee Strasberg and the Actors Studio, his relationship with Joanne Woodward, the comparisons to Marlon Brando and James Dean, etc., plus the information from his daughter about his philanthropic efforts.
Despite that, there was a clear message that Paul Newman wanted to live a private life, and finding out after reading his story how much he didn't want other people to invade his privacy complicated my reaction to this book. I feel a little resentful that I was unwittingly someone else trying to get a piece of him, and that definitely affects my opinion of this "memoir."
cheriekg's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
A quick, easy fascinating read that fleshes out the myth with his darker sides. I understand why those who compiled the book didn't update it with more recent information--they wanted this to stand alone--but it was disappointing to not get even an epilogue to round it out.
pemuth59's review against another edition
3.0
Not being especially interested in the lives of celebrities, I don't read a lot of books about movie stars. The story behind this one (see synopsis above) caught my attention. I must admit that, as a huge fan of Paul Newman's movies, I found this book both fascinating and depressing, mostly the latter.
Without getting into the many intimate details Newman shares, his memories of a truly evil mother, a disinterested father and his ceaseless doubts about his own talent combine to paint a difficult profile. That's not to mention his lifelong struggles with alcoholism. But he is justifiably proud of his wife, children and his many charitable works. In general, though, the book is a good example of why we might not want to get too close to the real-life troubles behind those wonderful on-screen portrayals.
In some ways, the most interesting aspects of the book are the many recollections about Newman from his friends, peers and family. For the most part, they contradict Newman's stated viewpoint in their celebration of a warm, generous and extremely talented man. We all have times when we don't feel great about ourselves. Maybe Newman's personal thoughts come from a especially difficult time in his life. We're don't really know.
Having said all the above, the book's (often quite funny) stories and personal honesty combine to create a rare tale of the price of celluloid fame. And I'll still enjoy every minute of "Butch Cassidy," "The Sting, "Cool Hand Luke," "The Verdict," and many, many others.
Without getting into the many intimate details Newman shares, his memories of a truly evil mother, a disinterested father and his ceaseless doubts about his own talent combine to paint a difficult profile. That's not to mention his lifelong struggles with alcoholism. But he is justifiably proud of his wife, children and his many charitable works. In general, though, the book is a good example of why we might not want to get too close to the real-life troubles behind those wonderful on-screen portrayals.
In some ways, the most interesting aspects of the book are the many recollections about Newman from his friends, peers and family. For the most part, they contradict Newman's stated viewpoint in their celebration of a warm, generous and extremely talented man. We all have times when we don't feel great about ourselves. Maybe Newman's personal thoughts come from a especially difficult time in his life. We're don't really know.
Having said all the above, the book's (often quite funny) stories and personal honesty combine to create a rare tale of the price of celluloid fame. And I'll still enjoy every minute of "Butch Cassidy," "The Sting, "Cool Hand Luke," "The Verdict," and many, many others.