Susan Hayward: Portrait of a Survivor
by Beverly Linet

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Book Reviews of Susan Hayward: Portrait of a Survivor

Book Review: Adequate if somewhat one-sided biography.
Summary: 3 Stars

Covering her life as a poor girl in Brooklyn with big dreams it moves on through her tempestuous years as a starlet unable to get the lucky breaks. Her torrid personal life, marriage and divorce to Jess Barker are the main focus of her life in the 1940s-50s. Susan (born Edythe Marrenner) finally achieves success and recognition as an actress with her Oscar nominated portrayal of an Alcoholic in "Smash-Up" and achieves happiness in her personally life with marriage to Eaton Chalkley. After four nominations she finally winners the coveted Oscar in 1959 for "I want to live". Tragically, he beloved husband dies in 1966 and after several years in seclusion Susan begins a comeback which is cut short by her death from cancer at the age of 57.

Throughout it all Susan remained intensely private. Her aloofness was a combination of myopia, nature and the years of struggle. But this only helped to make he as mysterious off screen as she was on it. This does present some problems for her Biographer.

This book is an adequate pop biography. The author is frank in revealing her admiration for her subject right in the introduction. However, that would soon be evident even to the casual reader in any event. Ms Linet has spoken to some family members who never before gave interviews, but she is all to willing to not pursue lines of questions that make those people uncomfortable. This does tend to create a one-sided view of controversial events. Too many interesting things are left inadequately covered for the book to be well rounded. It is however, interesting and informative within these limits and it gives a nice picture of Hollywood during the heyday of the "Studio System".

While I enjoyed this book well enough, I think that Susan Hayward is far more entertaining as an actress than this book was as a biography.

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