Me And My Shadow: A Family Memoir by Lorna Luft

***Purchased through Barnes and Noble

Synopsis

The question follows Lorna Luft to this day: "What's it like to be Dorothy's daughter?" Although by appearances glamorous and truly thrilling, growing up as the daughter of Judy Garland was anything but a journey over the rainbow.
With unsparing candor, Lorna Luft offers the first-ever insider portrait of one of Hollywood's most celebrated families: a rare story of a little girl, her half-sister Liza, and her baby brother trying desperately to hang on to the mother whose life seemed destined to burn brightly but briefly. Lorna makes an extraordinary journey back into the spiral of love, addiction, pain, and loss that lurked behind a charmed facade.
Filled with behind-the-scenes dramas, hilarious untold stories, and little-known details of Garland family life, Me and My Shadows is a tribute to Lorna's victory over her own past, a story of hope, of love and its limitations, and a deeply moving testament to the healing powers of embracing one's past and charting a course of self-love and discovery.

My Comments:

My favorite actress is Judy Garland and when I saw this book, I knew that it was a must read. Especially, being able to read what life was like through her daughter’s eyes. Judy Garland was so talented and gifted and achieved so much fame. But, she also paid a high price for it and there were lots of sacrifices that she made along the way. Even with everything she went through she was a very devoted Mother and loved her family with all of her heart. It was amazing to me to read about what life was like to be her daughter, and the many movie stars that came in and out of their home on a daily basis which was common place. What was great about this book is that it went inside the studios of the Golden Age era and got you to see what they expected from their movie stars. She will always be known for movie classics such as, “Meet Me In St. Louis,” “The Harvey Girls,” “Easter Parade,” & “A Star is Born,” just to name a few. Of course Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz,” was her most famous role. It just makes me wonder if she was ever able to click her ruby slippers together and find her own way home. I will always have admiration for the legacy that she left behind, and it's testament to the life that she lived. She has blessed us with her many talents to enjoy for a lifetime filled with our own special memories.

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Untold Story by Monica Ali

*** Courtesy Simon and Schuster

In honor of what would have been Princess Diana’s 50th Birthday, I would like to present this book that I recently received to review. Her memory and the mark that she made on this world will never be forgotten. She was truly an inspiration for everyone’s life that she touched. I have and will always admire her and the dignity, respect, and faith that she displayed with her touch of grace. She was and will always be the People’s Princess.



Synopsis

When Princess Diana died in Paris’s Alma tunnel, she was thirty-seven years old. Had she lived, she would turn fifty on July 1, 2011. Who would the beloved icon be if she were alive today? What would she be doing? And where? One of the most versatile and bold writers of our time, Monica Ali has imagined a different fate for Diana in her spectacular new novel, Untold Story.

Diana’s life and marriage were both fairy tale and nightmare rolled into one. Adored by millions, she suffered rejection, heartbreak, and betrayal. Surrounded by glamour and glitz and the constant attention of the press, she fought to carve a meaningful role for herself in helping the needy and dispossessed. The contradictions and pressures of her situation fueled her increasingly reckless behavior, but her stature and her connection with her public never ceased to grow. If Diana had lived, would she ever have found peace and happiness, or would the curse of fame always have been too great?

Fast forward a decade after the (averted) Paris tragedy, and an Englishwoman named Lydia is living in a small, nondescript town somewhere in the American Midwest. She has a circle of friends: one owns a dress shop; one is a Realtor; another is a frenzied stay-at-home mom. Lydia volunteers at an animal shelter, and swims a lot. Her lover, who adores her, feels she won’t let him know her. Who is she?
Untold Story is about the cost of celebrity, the meaning of identity, and the possibility—or impossibility—of reinventing a life. Ali’s fictional princess is beautiful, intrepid, and resourceful and has established a fragile peace. And then the past threatens to destroy her new life. Ali has created a riveting novel inspired by the cultural icon she calls “a gorgeous bundle of trouble.”