Synopses & Reviews
At age nineteen, Candy Marer met up-and-coming producer Aaron Spelling, twenty-three years her senior, at an exclusive Beverly Hills nightclub. After thirty-eight happy years of marriage, raising two children in Hollywood, and helping to manage one of the largest estates in the country, Candy Spelling, now sixty-eight, is adjusting to life on her own.
In this candid collection of stories, Candy shares the most intimate details of her life with Aaron, one of the most influential producers in Hollywood; how his illness caused her to question her identity as Mrs. Aaron Spelling; and how she has ultimately reinvented herself after his death as an independent woman and a successful businesswoman. Along the way, Candy reveals all-new dishy stories from the 1970s through the present, including those of Hollywood friends Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor (they shared a lifelong rivalry over their jewelry), Bette Davis, Michael Jackson, Janet Leigh, and Dean Martin, as well as meaningful relationships with those like First Lady Nancy Reagan who supported Candy while caring for her husband at The Manor. For the first time, Candy also tells the full story of her notorious rift with her daughter Tori, their reconciliation in recent years, and their current close relationship.
Engaging, heart-wrenching, and even hilarious, Candy at Last shares with readers how family, friends, and her husbands inspiring words to “follow your dreams” has made her determined to live life to the fullest.
Review
"An explosive new tell-all book." --The Daily Mail The Daily Mail
Synopsis
The followup to the New York Times bestseller Stories from Candyland has even better stories to tell—about Candy Spellings notorious rift and reconciliation with her daughter, Tori, her misadventures in dating and sex, and her new life as a producer, writer, and businesswoman.
After thirty-eight happy years of marriage to influential producer Aaron Spelling, raising two children in Hollywood, and co-managing one of the largest estates in the country (finally selling Spelling Manor, as detailed on her HGTV series, for $85 million), Candy is now adjusting to life on her own. In her new uncharted territory, shes ready to share the most intimate details of her life with Aaron; how his illness caused her to question her identity; and how shes reinvented herself as an independent woman, businesswoman, and television personality. Along the way, Candy reveals all-new dishy stories including those of Hollywood friends Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Michael Jackson, Janet Leigh, Dean Martin, and Elizabeth Taylor (her lifelong rival over their jewelry).
Engaging, heartwrenching, intimate, and hilarious, Candy at Last shares her story of how family, friends, and her husbands inspiring advice to “follow your dreams” has made her determined to live life to the fullest.
About the Author
Candy Spelling is the widow of Aaron Spelling, mega Hollywood producer of hit TV series such as Dynasty, Charlie's Angels, and Beverly Hills 90210. A New York Times bestselling author of Stories from Candyland, she is the mother of TV star Tori Spelling, bestselling author of Spelling It Like It Is, uncharted terriTORI, sTORI telling, and Mommywood. Candy has produced the critically acclaimed Broadway musicals Promises, Promises, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and After Midnight. She appears regularly on national broadcast media including Good Morning America, Today, The View, and The Early Show and blogs for the Huffington Post and other online media.
Table of Contents
FOREWORD BY CRAIG ZADAN AND NEIL MERON
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: THE TORN RIBBON IN MY HEART
CHAPTER 2: BEVERLY HILLS CHILD BRIDE
CHAPTER 3: CAUGHT IN AARONS SPELL
CHAPTER 4: THE WRITING ON THE WALL
CHAPTER 5: OUR COMEDY OF MANNERS
CHAPTER 6: MRS. SPELLING, I PRESUME
CHAPTER 7: HOLLYWOOD-STYLE AFFECTION
CHAPTER 8: FRENEMIES
CHAPTER 9: LIFE IMITATING ART
CHAPTER 10: AINT THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD
CHAPTER 11: THE KING OF COOL
CHAPTER 12: THE MOTHER IS BORN
CHAPTER 13: FAMILY MATTERS
CHAPTER 14: STRANGERS: THE STORY OF A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
CHAPTER 15: EVERYTHINGS BIGGER IN TEXAS
CHAPTER 16: THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD
CHAPTER 17: THE ENTERTAINERS
CHAPTER 18: UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS
CHAPTER 19: THE STORY OF THE STORYTELLER
CHAPTER 20: THE END AND THE BEGINNING
CHAPTER 21: STARDUST
CHAPTER 22: BUSINESS IS BUSINESS
CHAPTER 23: BREAK A LEG
CHAPTER 24: SEX AND THE CITY OF ANGELS
CHAPTER 25: TEMPTATIONS AND FRUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER 26: MY STORY WITH TORI (AND DEAN)
CHAPTER 27: CRISIS MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 28: MY STORY WITH TORI (AND DEAN) PART II
CHAPTER 29: UP, UP AND AWAY
CHAPTER 30: THE DECORATOR
CHAPTER 31: CANDY GRAM
EPILOGUE: THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME