Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon

This was a riveting book in that it was difficult to put down but it was incomplete. We got a good look at Taylor's childhood, life, and marriages. Most compelling was her charity work to raise funds for AIDS. We have the story of a young girl who worked very hard to get the role of Velvet Brown in National Velvet and then later in life claimed she had no childhood. If she had not been a film star, would she have had the luxurious lifestyle she led? However, the book left many things unanswered. What was her reaction on her father's death or Michael Wilding's (the father of two of her children). The book spent a great deal of time on her marriages to Mike Todd and Richard Burton (both loves of her life) but I would think the death of the father of her children would have been hard on her. We also get to hear what happened to her jewels and costumes but not to her home. There are excerpts from some letters she wrote to various people as well as interviews with friends, co-stars, and family members but I would have liked to have more in depth questions with the children. We know during the Burton-Taylor time, life was a circus for them but did their mother's multiple marriages cause them any trouble. For a more complete picture of her marriage to Burton, I would suggest the book And God Created Richard Burton by Tom Rubython. While we got some hints on what her children were doing with their lives, it would have been nice to have followed up on that as well. I would have liked to have seen a family tree with Elizabeth and her marriages, children, and grandchildren. There was no filmography or any update as to her brother or her relationship with any nieces and nephews.

Product in good shape.

I purchased this book as a birthday gift for my wife. She loved the book and said it brought back memories of watching Taylor's films. she also learned things about the actress she didn't know. Glad I got the book, well worth it to see how much she enjoyed reading it!DavidMaine

This was an enjoyable read. There is very little NOT known about Elizabeth Taylor. Her life, husbands, children, jewelry, charities and men have been chronicled for decades. She is one star/celebrity that many grew up with and felt they knew. Her humanity and normal personna in spite of a lifetime of iconic fame and infamy was what made her likeable in addition to her Super Star stature.If you are an Elizabeth Taylor fan you will love this book. Ignore the author's need to extol her allegiance to the Democratic party. Apparently if one wants to get a book published these days, that is a requirement.

excelent

Always been a fan of Elizabeth Taylor, book didn’t disappoint

One of my favorite movies was Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor's beauty was captivating but that's only a movie the real person was much more. This book really helps you understand the struggles and the triumphs of her life. I truly respected her strength during the beginning of the AID's epidemic but respect her so much more after reading this book. It was done with respect and most importantly real stories from those who knew her best.

Learned some things I didn't know

Produto em perfeitas condições

I didn't learn that much from this bio, because I've read nearly every other bio of ET, but it was good. New info about her last ten years or so. I recommend it to people who want an encapsulation of her life.

Kate Anderson Bower's Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour Icon is the definitive biography of an incredible lady, the likes of which we'll not find outside of royalty. Everyone who met her fell in love with Taylor, and while I'd never met her, I too fell under her spell over a centrefold picture I'd purloined from a magazine while at boarding school in 1948. She could be beautiful as in Cleopatra and ugly as in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf. She loved her friends and gave short shrift to anyone who attempted to take advantage of her. She loved animals and on the humanitarian front she took she up the HIV/AIDS cause raising millions for research, campaigned right up to the White House for it to be recognised as an urgent health issue. She love jewellery and of her seven husbands, Richard Burton was never far from her thoughts. It's a different world from the one Elizabeth Taylor came into, we'll never see the likes of her again, but then she probably wouldn't have liked the world it's now becone

This book corrects a lot of misinformation published about Elizabeth over the years, and is the only authorized biography that has been published. The author conducted many interviews with the various Taylor/Burton family members. An excellent read throughout.

Loved it