Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.92 You Save: $29.03 (97%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Audition: A Memoir
Book Review: A complete history of a great life
Summary: 5 Stars
This was one of those books I got totally lost in. I would read it in the Y and before I knew it, I was on the bike for 7 miles and it felt like only 1.
Barbara Walters was like a fixture on our shelf in our living room as a kid. Always there, but I didn't pay much attention to her. Looking back, I remember that fixture and I am reliving my childhood and all the memories of my family and the history of our time during the 60's and 70's.
Yes, Barbara does a little bragging about her success in TV, as she should. However, she is also a very honest and down to earth celebrity. Although she felt comfortable in front of the camera, she did not always feel comfortable in her own skin, especially in her personal life. She felt a lot of guilt when it came to her family. Especially with her father and sister, Jackie.
I admire her for her success as a woman. She paved the way for the opportunities that women have today. I also admire her for her candidness. She does not hold back in this book. She tells you the celebrities she liked to interview and those she did not. She was very honest about her professional relationships with her colleagues like Harry Reasoner, Frank McGee, Star Jones and Rosie O'Donnell.
This book is a very thorough look at her life from beginning till now. It is a complete history of her life with humor sprinkled through out each chapter. I am so glad I read this book. It makes me want to learn more about her, watch "The View", listen to her new radio show that is replaying her "Specials" and google every name mentioned in her book. I also feel like I have completed a history lesson. A lesson through the eyes of one of the best female journalists of our time.To the woman who traveled everywhere, met almost every important person there was to meet and achieved more than ever imagined, thank you for setting an example for the woman of today. Bravo!!
Book Review: A fantastic book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved it! I will admit that I needed a lesson on most of the historical facts that were in this book, which was a lot. I found it interesting and written with a sense of humor. I am 33 years old, so I have only known Barbara Walters as the success she has become. I had no idea what she went through to get there. I watch "The View" and I watch her Specials, I occasionally watch "20/20" (if I see a preview for something that interests me). The only negative thing about this book is that it was my nighttime reading material, so because of it's size it was a litte hard to manage while laying down...minor complaint. Women should know what she did for the business, whether your in journalism or not. I think setting a precedent like she did HAD to trickle down to other careers as well. We all, as women, owe a thank you to Barbara.Book Review: A fascinating memoir
Summary: 5 Stars
Once I started reading this book, it was hard to put down. I found it fascinating to read about a woman who has had a front-row seat at many important historical events and who has known many history-makers either personally or professionally.
Her story begins with her early life, growing up as the daughter of Lou Walters, the show business producer, her mother Dena, whom Barbara thinks was married to the wrong person, and her older sister Jackie, who was mentally retarded and whom Barbara says had the biggest impact on her life. Her childhood was a roller-coaster ride, with several moves and the ups and downs of her father's financial successes and failures.
This early life seemed to have left her with fear of financial failure and a burning desire to succeed at her chosen career. She describes long hours and less than ideal conditions and co-workers, but somehow she managed to shine brightly in her chosen career in television. She had to contend with a male-dominated field and her rise from a writer on the Today show to an anchor spot was unprecedented in television history.
She is not shy about sharing opinions of the many people who have passed through her life. She found Hillary Clinton more interesting than Bill. She loved working with Hugh Downs, but had problems with Harry Reasoner. She loved interviewing Bette Midler, but had a hard time with Warren Beatty. All of this and much more is contained in the book.
Her success did not come without a price, most of it in the areas of her personal and family life. At an early age, she became the sole support of her mother, father, and sister. She bravely took on this responsibility, but as her fame grew, she didn't seem to spend much time with her family. She states that she really regrets the fact that she was not with her mother when she died. She left her daughter for long periods of time with 2 live-in babysitters and seemed surprised later when she found out that her daughter missed her. She admits to being bad at marriage, and her three failed attempts bear that out. Sometimes she seems to take her role as a journalist a little too seriously, but then she disarms the reader by being brutally honest about some of her failures. This is her life as Barbara sees it, but it is a fascinating life and is well worth the time to read it.
Book Review: A great and interesting read
Summary: 4 Stars
I never guessed what an interesting life Barbara led!
This book is a joy to read and Barbara's writing style is pleasant; it's as if a friend is telling you a story. Very personable. Despite its length, she keeps you captivated and interested.
I found it inspiring as well: especially the part when she moved from Today to ABC. As a woman in a man's world, Barbara had to really work her way to the top. She was regularly confronted with hurdles and she handled them with grace and dignity. Reading about her experience helped me tremendously whilst I was dealing with a similar situation. She gave me hope and really made me feel that everything would turn out OK. It eventually did...but Barbara's story certainly kept me going and entertained me at the same time.
Absolutely worth reading.
Book Review: A little shocked about Babs
Summary: 4 Stars
About a tenth of the way through this book, when she was in her early 30's, I lost count of the number of men she had slept with. Then this picked up again when she was in her 40's. I think it was crass of her to include this in the book. Also, I don't understand what these famous and not so famous saw in her.
The book is extremely well written and that's why I gave it 4 stars but I'm half way through and starting to get bored. She's repetitive in how great and special she is, how she's so friendly still with all her lovers and even their spouses, how she resented her sister and regrets it and how she supported her family. She doesn't sound like such a great mother either although she seems to be convincing herself.
Frankly, I don't care about her and never did. The most interesting parts of the book are her interviews with the famous and that's what's keeping me reading.