Reviews

My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall

megansgc's review against another edition

3.0

I nearly quit this audiobook. The first half was not great for me. It got better when I got to the second half, where she talks about directing but I still didn’t love it.

guitarlisa's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed the book. I listened to the audio version read by the author and actually enjoyed it even more hearing Penny read her work. Sure, there's tons of name dropping. I'd drop those names to if I knew those people. It's a fun little book.

offbalance80's review against another edition

2.0

I seem to have this habit of picking up the really dull memoirs of people who have lived interesting lives. Penny Marshall has had an incredible career as an actress and director, and has rubbed shoulders with some of Hollywood's A-list for years. You'd think someone who was best friends with Carrie Fisher, the sister of Gary Marshall and the ex-wife of Rob Reiner would be able to put together a memoir that was engaging, but I've read more exciting grocery lists. Maybe you had to be there?

kellyldriver's review against another edition

4.0

So funny and interesting. Even funnier because Penny Marshall read it herself and her accent is great.

timeywimeybooks's review against another edition

3.0

Listened on audio. Penny Marshall reading this herself is pretty funny.

emp1234's review against another edition

1.0

Ugh. Tried listening to this one. Her scratchy voice drove me crazy and her stories weren't good enough to get me past it. I didn't finish and have no desire to pick up the book to read the rest. Sorry. I love her film/TV work.

judyward's review against another edition

3.0

A candid, funny memoir in which Penny Marshall tells stories about her life that reveal her to be a fun-loving, hard-working person with problems just like the rest of us. While complaining about her mother during her childhood in the Bronx, Penny also admits that while she often secretly wished her mother would have a heart attack, her mother was a popular dance teacher who was successful enough to get her students on the Jackie Gleason Show in 1955 and who was adored by her students. Marshall also reveals that she married too young because she got pregnant and then abandoned her daughter to be raised by others during the early years of her life. Much of the book focuses on life in Los Angeles where she found success in show business largely because of the interventions of her brother. His philosophy is if you can give someone a life, do it. And Penny follows the same philosophy. With success in Laverne and Shirley and as the director of such movies as Big, Awakenings, and A League of Their Own, Penny Marshall has cemented her place in Hollywood history. A fun read filled with stories of her friends and some fabulous adventures.

phaedosia's review against another edition

3.0

I seldom if ever read celebrity bios and only picked this up because I'm book grouping it with a friend. No idea how much of this Penny wrote herself, but it sounded like her voice and I really enjoyed it.

Did not know:

-she was married to Rob Reiner
-she was with Art Garfunkel
-she was best friends with Carrie Fisher
-she was the first female director to break the 100 million mark at the box office (Big)
-her daughter, Tracy, dated Gio Coppola before he was killed in a boating accident caused by Griffin O'Neal

So, this summer I'll have to watch:

Awakenings
Renaissance Man
Jumping Jack Flash

and re-watch:

Big
A League of Their Own
The Preacher's Wife
Riding in Cars with Boys
Laverne & Shirley

thepinkladylazarus's review against another edition

5.0

I first came across Penny Marshallwhen my local library obtained the complete series of Laverne & Shirley. I instantly loved the show and its actors. Looking for more of Penny's work, I happened upon this memoir. This actress and directorill always be a favorite of mine, as will this funny, open memoir.

morgcxn's review

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, Abortion, and Death