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colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not a huge Madonna fan but I was in the mood for a biography and thought this one of her brother side of the story would be interesting. This one is hard to think about. In one hand Indo agree that Christopher should have had more time to heal and get a little more "me time" before writing the book as it came across very "I'm the victim" which don't always go well in a memoir or an biography? More fitting for a therapist session. But in the other hand I do understand that he was hurt and for what I've read, been emotional abused for many years and probably needed space to tell his side of the story, and for that I thought he was very brave and strong
vgk's review against another edition
3.0
I don't usually read tell-alls, but this was an OK one. I was a fan of Madonna's work from the very first release up until Ray of Light, after which I lost interest in her completely. While I enjoyed this early work, I have always suspected that personally she is an utter bitch, power-hungry, entirely self-involved and supremely egotistical - a view that I have come to from viewing her work, reading her interviews and also informed by a friend who interviewed for a dancing role with her and said she was weird, controlling and unpleasant. This book confirms all these suspicions about her character and behaviour. Somewhat alarmingly though, these characteristics appear to be her starting point, and over time the complete lack of resistance from those around her causes this ugliness to swell, until by her marriage to Guy Ritchie, she is a complete, unmitigated (and somewhat unhinged) monster. Beyond this, I was a tad surprised at the extent of her miserliness, which is truly overwhelming. Christopher has his own problems, and it was pleasing to see by the end of the book (2008) he is in therapy and dealing with them. Madonna on the other hand, as history has shown (I write this review in 2023), just goes from bad to worse.
snarkytorta's review against another edition
3.0
It held my interest because I’m a Madonna fan. Hearing About Madonna through her brother’s does lend humanity to the pop music icon but the overall takeaway seems to be a brother who is really good at playing the victim. Is he jealous of his sister? I don’t know, but he does seem very unhappy.
melissakuzma's review against another edition
2.0
Too much whining, not enough dirt. She's cheap, so what? Christopher, get your own life.
feralreader's review against another edition
2.0
It was probably two or three years ago that I first heard that Madonna's brother was writing a book. “Sounds delish!” I thought to myself, although I had no intention of reading it. While it sounded like a page turner, I generally avoid anything that might be considered trashy, if for no other reason than sheer pretentiousness. I worry too much about what others will think. It's not just that I don't want to read such things in public, but I also have difficulty either purchasing them or borrowing them from the library. The opinions of bookstore and library employees are just too important to me.
In my defense, it's not entirely fear-based snobbery that dictates my literary preferences. I generally do not enjoy trashy books even when I do manage to get my hands on them. Shoot me, I prefer good literature.
However, three weeks ago, when I saw “Life With My Sister Madonna” on clearance, I thought “Why not indulge myself? It's only three dollars.” I threw caution to the wind and decided that I just wouldn't worry about the judgments of the stranger behind the counter, although, much to her indifference, I probably made a half-hearted attempt to explain my purchase.
I've always been interested in why a tell-all by the family member of a celebrity seems to invoke such disdain. Many people seem to think that even abusive parents should be protected by their victims, so long as the parent is famous. My own take on the matter is that these people have every right to do what they want to with their own stories, as long as they truly are their own stories. An unauthorized biography is another matter. So there was absolutely nothing wrong with, say, Christina Crawford writing an autobiography that just happened to include her mother. If Joan Crawford wanted to be remembered as a good mother, she should have been one.
Of course, many would argue that no one would care about Ciccone's biography if he weren't Madonna's brother, which is absolutely true. Furthermore, he's treading into questionable territory, writing almost exclusively about the parts of his life that were lived with his ultra-famous sister. Other siblings play only small parts, and his own career, friendships and relationships are only discussed in the context of how they were influenced by Madonna—the friends he met through her, or the way his relationship with a long-term partner suffered because his sister was his priority. He is, at best, walking a fine line between writing about his own life and writing about hers.
Even so, from a moral standpoint I have a difficult time being too hard on Christopher. First of all, someone else has told his story. His mother's death, his upbringing, all of it has been broadcast (shall I stop short of “exploited”?) by his sister. What if he doesn't agree with the picture she's painted? What if he doesn't want his sister's version of their family story to be common knowledge, easily called upon by much of the world's population? I'm not a fan, but despite myself I could have told you that Madonna's mother died when she was a child, that her father was very strict, that they were devout Catholics, that Madonna isn't a stage name, from the time I was probably ten years old. So what is a brother or sister to do? What if they want their story told the way they see it? There is nothing to do but write a book, and no other way to generate interest in it than to latch onto their sister's fame. Christopher and Madonna's shared story is as much his as it is hers.
Moreover, if even half the accusations that Ciccone makes are true (and in my estimation, most of them do ring true, or at least jibe with the person I have guessed Madonna to be), his sister has abused her power over him and everyone else she knows time and again. He doesn't have any way of grabbing for a little power of his own than to write a tell-all. Slimy? Perhaps. But when I put myself in his shoes, a book is truly the only card he could ever dream of holding.
From a literary standpoint, however, the book is awful. The writing would make anyone with benefit of a fourth-grade education blush. At first I took this as proof that at least he had, at least, written it himself, but a quick glance at the cover revealed he wrote the book “with” Wendy Leigh. Take heart, people—you don't need talent to succeed! Audacity will always serve you better. A little self-confidence and you too could be hired to write a tell-all for the angry sibling of a superstar. Which brings us full circle back to the woman at the center of it all, because where will you ever find more tangible living proof of this than Madonna herself? She was not given power, money, fame or talent — she just took it. Even as someone who finds her amoral and absurdly narcissistic, I have to admit to a fair amount of grudging admiration for that. Her unfathomable tenacity and belief in herself have turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I am not being facetious when I say that, in this way, she should be an inspiration to us all.
Ciccone followed his sister Madonna to New York in his late teens or early 20s, and stayed by her side for many years. Apparently a talented dancer in his own right, he left a respected company to work with her. He was her backup dancer, dresser, decorator, producer, and choreographer, amongst other things. Did she exploit his considerable talents, as he would have us believe? Or was she doing him a kindness, employing her ne'er-do-well little brother for decades until his drug habit finally took over, as she might tell you if she were to dignify any of this with a response?
I won't speak to Christopher Ciccone's talent, or to his drug habit, because there simply isn't enough evidence to prove or disprove either. But, as the book progresses and so does his drug habit, he starts to sound like a cliché'. Yes, he does coke, but in moderation, and he only does key bumps. And yes, he probably does too much, but he has never allowed it to interfere with his work. Sure, not only Madonna but many of the people in his life confront him about his excessive drug use, but only because Madonna is unreasonably rigid about drug use and everyone else is just doing her bidding. His constant denial is done in such a way that he seems to be actively trying to prove her point.
The bottom line is that the book is awful. But I still can't completely fault him for having written it. It comes as no surprise to read an account of Madonna that paints her as cheap, uber-controlling, self-centered, ambitious, inhumanly disciplined, cold and emotionally disjointed. In short, the kind of person who is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Her brother doesn't have the power to do her much harm, and she doesn't need anyone to defend her. That said, he hasn't done himself any favors here. Two years later, his book is largely forgotten, but there's little doubt in my mind that he destroyed his own good reputation among the people he aspires to work and socialize with, if he ever had one. He laments not having a relationship with his niece and nephews, but he's almost certainly destroyed any shot he had at that, too. Even if they grow up to hate their mother and write their own tell-alls, I doubt they will think their uncle has done them any favors.
In my defense, it's not entirely fear-based snobbery that dictates my literary preferences. I generally do not enjoy trashy books even when I do manage to get my hands on them. Shoot me, I prefer good literature.
However, three weeks ago, when I saw “Life With My Sister Madonna” on clearance, I thought “Why not indulge myself? It's only three dollars.” I threw caution to the wind and decided that I just wouldn't worry about the judgments of the stranger behind the counter, although, much to her indifference, I probably made a half-hearted attempt to explain my purchase.
I've always been interested in why a tell-all by the family member of a celebrity seems to invoke such disdain. Many people seem to think that even abusive parents should be protected by their victims, so long as the parent is famous. My own take on the matter is that these people have every right to do what they want to with their own stories, as long as they truly are their own stories. An unauthorized biography is another matter. So there was absolutely nothing wrong with, say, Christina Crawford writing an autobiography that just happened to include her mother. If Joan Crawford wanted to be remembered as a good mother, she should have been one.
Of course, many would argue that no one would care about Ciccone's biography if he weren't Madonna's brother, which is absolutely true. Furthermore, he's treading into questionable territory, writing almost exclusively about the parts of his life that were lived with his ultra-famous sister. Other siblings play only small parts, and his own career, friendships and relationships are only discussed in the context of how they were influenced by Madonna—the friends he met through her, or the way his relationship with a long-term partner suffered because his sister was his priority. He is, at best, walking a fine line between writing about his own life and writing about hers.
Even so, from a moral standpoint I have a difficult time being too hard on Christopher. First of all, someone else has told his story. His mother's death, his upbringing, all of it has been broadcast (shall I stop short of “exploited”?) by his sister. What if he doesn't agree with the picture she's painted? What if he doesn't want his sister's version of their family story to be common knowledge, easily called upon by much of the world's population? I'm not a fan, but despite myself I could have told you that Madonna's mother died when she was a child, that her father was very strict, that they were devout Catholics, that Madonna isn't a stage name, from the time I was probably ten years old. So what is a brother or sister to do? What if they want their story told the way they see it? There is nothing to do but write a book, and no other way to generate interest in it than to latch onto their sister's fame. Christopher and Madonna's shared story is as much his as it is hers.
Moreover, if even half the accusations that Ciccone makes are true (and in my estimation, most of them do ring true, or at least jibe with the person I have guessed Madonna to be), his sister has abused her power over him and everyone else she knows time and again. He doesn't have any way of grabbing for a little power of his own than to write a tell-all. Slimy? Perhaps. But when I put myself in his shoes, a book is truly the only card he could ever dream of holding.
From a literary standpoint, however, the book is awful. The writing would make anyone with benefit of a fourth-grade education blush. At first I took this as proof that at least he had, at least, written it himself, but a quick glance at the cover revealed he wrote the book “with” Wendy Leigh. Take heart, people—you don't need talent to succeed! Audacity will always serve you better. A little self-confidence and you too could be hired to write a tell-all for the angry sibling of a superstar. Which brings us full circle back to the woman at the center of it all, because where will you ever find more tangible living proof of this than Madonna herself? She was not given power, money, fame or talent — she just took it. Even as someone who finds her amoral and absurdly narcissistic, I have to admit to a fair amount of grudging admiration for that. Her unfathomable tenacity and belief in herself have turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I am not being facetious when I say that, in this way, she should be an inspiration to us all.
Ciccone followed his sister Madonna to New York in his late teens or early 20s, and stayed by her side for many years. Apparently a talented dancer in his own right, he left a respected company to work with her. He was her backup dancer, dresser, decorator, producer, and choreographer, amongst other things. Did she exploit his considerable talents, as he would have us believe? Or was she doing him a kindness, employing her ne'er-do-well little brother for decades until his drug habit finally took over, as she might tell you if she were to dignify any of this with a response?
I won't speak to Christopher Ciccone's talent, or to his drug habit, because there simply isn't enough evidence to prove or disprove either. But, as the book progresses and so does his drug habit, he starts to sound like a cliché'. Yes, he does coke, but in moderation, and he only does key bumps. And yes, he probably does too much, but he has never allowed it to interfere with his work. Sure, not only Madonna but many of the people in his life confront him about his excessive drug use, but only because Madonna is unreasonably rigid about drug use and everyone else is just doing her bidding. His constant denial is done in such a way that he seems to be actively trying to prove her point.
The bottom line is that the book is awful. But I still can't completely fault him for having written it. It comes as no surprise to read an account of Madonna that paints her as cheap, uber-controlling, self-centered, ambitious, inhumanly disciplined, cold and emotionally disjointed. In short, the kind of person who is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Her brother doesn't have the power to do her much harm, and she doesn't need anyone to defend her. That said, he hasn't done himself any favors here. Two years later, his book is largely forgotten, but there's little doubt in my mind that he destroyed his own good reputation among the people he aspires to work and socialize with, if he ever had one. He laments not having a relationship with his niece and nephews, but he's almost certainly destroyed any shot he had at that, too. Even if they grow up to hate their mother and write their own tell-alls, I doubt they will think their uncle has done them any favors.
caat010's review against another edition
3.0
Lekker kijkje achter de schermen, hoewel niet altijd even geloofwaardig.
dommdy's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
This book wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be though there are a few things that didn’t help. The audiobook would have been better with an experienced reader. The delivery was flat and in a monotone. Chris seemed to do some self examination. Just not enough and way late. It’s no surprise to me that Madonna is a malignant narcissist. She acts like one.
It seemed to me like although Chris did take a lot of abuse and neglect, he was addicted in his own way to the orbit of her spotlight. He sounds more bitter and resentful, less forgiving and accepting than he says he is.
I hope he has continued healing and created his own life detached from Madonna. I doubt she’s either willing or able to self reflect or do genuine healing work. She doesn’t have to. She has an endless supply of sycophants.
It seemed to me like although Chris did take a lot of abuse and neglect, he was addicted in his own way to the orbit of her spotlight. He sounds more bitter and resentful, less forgiving and accepting than he says he is.
I hope he has continued healing and created his own life detached from Madonna. I doubt she’s either willing or able to self reflect or do genuine healing work. She doesn’t have to. She has an endless supply of sycophants.
rhaedae's review against another edition
5.0
Another Madonna biography that I enjoyed, and another side of Madonna that is behind closed doors. While I'm not surprise by what her brother, Christopher, said, their father said it best: "I think what Madonna is going to be most upset is that you've portrayed her as a human being at last."
anxiousrage's review against another edition
1.0
This book was INCREDIBLY bad. Perhaps the worst I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books!
I'll qualify this review by telling you that I chose this book at the airport because I wanted something simple and fun to read on my 14 hour flight to Tokyo. So, it's probably my own fault for ending up with such a worthless book.
My two main criticisms of the book are as follows:
1. The quality of the writing in this book was completely sub-par and even what I would call lazy at times. Christopher might not be a writer by trade, but he was assisted in this effort by Wendy Leigh. I've never read anything else by Leigh, but she she wrote quite a few other books before this one. This book was littered with typos, lousy sentence structure, and entire paragraphs that barely made sense. Was there not an editor or an intern available to help with proofreading? Did Leigh just record Christopher's ramblings and then transcribe them word for word? I just don't know.
I can only assume that the publishers knew that this book would sell just on the basis of having Madonna's name on the cover, and so really didn't bother to do much oversight on the effort. Whatever the reason, an amateur with a good grasp of Essay Writing 101 could have made reading this sloppy piece of literature quite a bit better in just a weekend, in my humble opinion.
2. Christopher (perhaps unconsciously) decided long ago to play the role of victim in his relationship with his sister, and showed few signs by the end of the book of changing.
Madonna's brother detailed working for his sister as her dresser/interior designer/assistant, wherein she would always become emotionally/verbally abusive and withhold payment for his services. Then, when he would threaten to quit or stop talking to her for a while, she would throw him a few crumbs of perfunctory kindness. Inevitably, he would go back to working for her, and the cycle would repeat itself over and over again. For more than 350 pages and 20 years!
Christopher describes Madonna to be a super diva bitch. That may be true, or it may be exaggerated for the public. Only the two of them can know what the true dynamics of their relationship are. But if even half of what Christopher says is real, this book made him look like a pathetic hanger-on, rather than someone I could feel sorry for. About halfway through the book, I wanted to scream, “if she's so awful and not paying you, FIND ANOTHER FUCKING JOB, ASSHOLE!”
One of the more annoying aspects of this book is that he makes it clear that he and his sister never talk to each other about their feelings, or even resolve any arguments that they have; he says that is not how their family does things. He has no idea why Madonna treats him the way she does, so he persists in taking us through pages and pages of "Why Does My Sister Treat Me So Badly?!?"
He's obviously quite emotionally immature, and it reminds me of when I was a teenager and my girlfriends and I would sit around and try to figure out why the boys we liked were such idiots--a useless, perpetual, impossible waste of time.
You know what, Christopher? If the things you have told us are true, maybe your sister is just a selfish egomaniac, and should worry a bit more about your own masochistic need to be close to her rather than trying to figure out what makes her tick.
That's another thing! The guy goes on and on throughout the book about how he and his sister were so “close” in the early part of her career, and he wants to be “close” to her again. In my estimation—from what he's described—the two siblings were never tight. He was PHYSICALLY around her a great deal, going on tour with her, designing her houses, etc. But, he never gives any evidence that the two of them ever shared any type of intimate emotional bond.
As a result, there's really nothing new to learn about Madonna from this book because Christopher doesn't know squat about his sister's thoughts or feelings about anything, much less about her relationship with him. And he doesn't really give any interesting details about her private life, so all he has accomplished is having a very monotonous catharsis about his sister in public.
And what a f*&king NAME-DROPPER!! There are so many side stories littered throughout this book where he details his relationships (or just one-time run-ins) with other famous people for no reason at all. The vignettes have absolutely nothing to do with the story, and really became obnoxious.
One last criticism that I have about this book. Christopher is gay, and talks about several long-term relationships he's had with other men. He gives the names of everyone else that he's been friends with over the last 25 years, but he changes the names of most of the men that he's been with. Since he makes clear that his boyfriends were openly gay, it doesn't make sense why he keeps their identities confidential, and he doesn't give any clue to why he needs to.
I could say more, but I don't want to spoil the whole book for anyone who might still want to read this piece of crap.
I'll qualify this review by telling you that I chose this book at the airport because I wanted something simple and fun to read on my 14 hour flight to Tokyo. So, it's probably my own fault for ending up with such a worthless book.
My two main criticisms of the book are as follows:
1. The quality of the writing in this book was completely sub-par and even what I would call lazy at times. Christopher might not be a writer by trade, but he was assisted in this effort by Wendy Leigh. I've never read anything else by Leigh, but she she wrote quite a few other books before this one. This book was littered with typos, lousy sentence structure, and entire paragraphs that barely made sense. Was there not an editor or an intern available to help with proofreading? Did Leigh just record Christopher's ramblings and then transcribe them word for word? I just don't know.
I can only assume that the publishers knew that this book would sell just on the basis of having Madonna's name on the cover, and so really didn't bother to do much oversight on the effort. Whatever the reason, an amateur with a good grasp of Essay Writing 101 could have made reading this sloppy piece of literature quite a bit better in just a weekend, in my humble opinion.
2. Christopher (perhaps unconsciously) decided long ago to play the role of victim in his relationship with his sister, and showed few signs by the end of the book of changing.
Madonna's brother detailed working for his sister as her dresser/interior designer/assistant, wherein she would always become emotionally/verbally abusive and withhold payment for his services. Then, when he would threaten to quit or stop talking to her for a while, she would throw him a few crumbs of perfunctory kindness. Inevitably, he would go back to working for her, and the cycle would repeat itself over and over again. For more than 350 pages and 20 years!
Christopher describes Madonna to be a super diva bitch. That may be true, or it may be exaggerated for the public. Only the two of them can know what the true dynamics of their relationship are. But if even half of what Christopher says is real, this book made him look like a pathetic hanger-on, rather than someone I could feel sorry for. About halfway through the book, I wanted to scream, “if she's so awful and not paying you, FIND ANOTHER FUCKING JOB, ASSHOLE!”
One of the more annoying aspects of this book is that he makes it clear that he and his sister never talk to each other about their feelings, or even resolve any arguments that they have; he says that is not how their family does things. He has no idea why Madonna treats him the way she does, so he persists in taking us through pages and pages of "Why Does My Sister Treat Me So Badly?!?"
He's obviously quite emotionally immature, and it reminds me of when I was a teenager and my girlfriends and I would sit around and try to figure out why the boys we liked were such idiots--a useless, perpetual, impossible waste of time.
You know what, Christopher? If the things you have told us are true, maybe your sister is just a selfish egomaniac, and should worry a bit more about your own masochistic need to be close to her rather than trying to figure out what makes her tick.
That's another thing! The guy goes on and on throughout the book about how he and his sister were so “close” in the early part of her career, and he wants to be “close” to her again. In my estimation—from what he's described—the two siblings were never tight. He was PHYSICALLY around her a great deal, going on tour with her, designing her houses, etc. But, he never gives any evidence that the two of them ever shared any type of intimate emotional bond.
As a result, there's really nothing new to learn about Madonna from this book because Christopher doesn't know squat about his sister's thoughts or feelings about anything, much less about her relationship with him. And he doesn't really give any interesting details about her private life, so all he has accomplished is having a very monotonous catharsis about his sister in public.
And what a f*&king NAME-DROPPER!! There are so many side stories littered throughout this book where he details his relationships (or just one-time run-ins) with other famous people for no reason at all. The vignettes have absolutely nothing to do with the story, and really became obnoxious.
One last criticism that I have about this book. Christopher is gay, and talks about several long-term relationships he's had with other men. He gives the names of everyone else that he's been friends with over the last 25 years, but he changes the names of most of the men that he's been with. Since he makes clear that his boyfriends were openly gay, it doesn't make sense why he keeps their identities confidential, and he doesn't give any clue to why he needs to.
I could say more, but I don't want to spoil the whole book for anyone who might still want to read this piece of crap.