Synopses & Reviews
The wickedly candid andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestesller that Ava Gardner dared not publish during her lifetimeand#8212;and#8220;the heartbreaking memoir of the ultimate heartbreakerand#8221; andlt;iandgt;(Philadelphia Inquirer).andlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Ava Gardner was one of Hollywoodand#8217;s biggest and brightest stars during the 1940s and and#8217;50s, an Oscar-nominated leading lady who co-starred with Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, and Humphrey Bogart, among others. But this riveting account of her storied life, including her marriage to Frank Sinatra, and career had to wait for publication until after her deathand#8212;because Gardner feared it was too revealing.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;I either write the book or sell the jewels,and#8221; Gardner told coauthor Peter Evans, and#8220;and Iand#8217;m kinda sentimental about the jewels.and#8221; The legendary actress serves up plenty of gems in these pages, reflecting with delicious humor and cutting wit on a life that took her from rural North Carolina to the heights of Hollywoodand#8217;s Golden Age. Tell-all stories abound, especially when Gardner divulges on her three husbands: Mickey Rooney, a serial cheater so notorious that even his mother warned Gardner about him; bandleader Artie Shaw, whom Ava calls and#8220;a dominating son of a bitchand#8230;always putting me down;and#8221; and Frank Sinatra (and#8220;We were fighting all the time. Fighting and boozing. It was madness. But he was good in the feathersand#8221;).andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;Her story is a raw-nerved revelation. . . . A vivid portraitand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Chicago Tribuneandlt;/Iandgt;). Witty, penetrating, unique in its voice, it is impossible to put downand#8212;and#8220;A complete delightand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Philadelphia Inquirerandlt;/Iandgt;).
Review
"[Makes] you feel as if you're eavesdropping. . . . Watching this Venus ply her mind games, sensuality and stubborn will on [her coauthor, Peter] Evans, it's easy to imagine what it was like to be a love object jerked on her marionette strings in her prime. You wouldn't have a chance."
Review
and#8220;I read andlt;Iandgt;Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations andlt;/Iandgt;in a delirious gulp. It is absolutely terrific. I couldnand#8217;t put it down. Gardner comes across as a flamboyant but tragic figure who always spoke the truth no matter how painful. And the way writer Peter Evans has shaped their conversations is truly remarkable.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Jaw-dropping anecdotes about film legends and the studio system in its heyday make this an irresistible read. . . . Gardner is funny and frank, and Evans's diligence makes the book not only one of the more revealing celebrity autobiographies published recently, but a candid glimpse into the world of a ghostwriter, star handler, and late-night confidante.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;An unvarnished account of [Gardnerand#8217;s] marriages and affairs in golden-age Hollywood. . . . Give[s] a vivid sense of Gardnerand#8217;s salty, no-BS personality. . . . Juicy.and#8221;
Review
"A complete delight. . . . [Gardner's] quotes exude the musk of a woman supremely indifferent to the social proprieties and expectations of her era. . . . Hers is the heartbreaking memoir of the ultimate heartbreaker."
Review
"As a siren, [Gardner] held her own with [Marilyn] Monroe. And to judge by andlt;Iandgt;Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations,andlt;/Iandgt; Gardner was a more interesting woman. . . . A little jewel of a book."
Review
"Profane, freewheeling. . . . Earthy, uncensored. . . . A tough and provocative look into the life of the compelling temptress who, though bruised, managed to stay afloat."
Review
and#8220;Her story is a raw-nerved revelation. . . . A vivid portrait of Gardner.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A bristling look at Hollywood attitudes and sexual manners.and#8221;
Synopsis
The wickedly candid New York Times bestesller that Ava Gardner dared not publish during her lifetime--"the heartbreaking memoir of the ultimate heartbreaker" (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Ava Gardner was one of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars during the 1940s and '50s, an Oscar-nominated leading lady who co-starred with Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, and Humphrey Bogart, among others. But this riveting account of her storied life, including her marriage to Frank Sinatra, and career had to wait for publication until after her death--because Gardner feared it was too revealing.
"I either write the book or sell the jewels," Gardner told coauthor Peter Evans, "and I'm kinda sentimental about the jewels." The legendary actress serves up plenty of gems in these pages, reflecting with delicious humor and cutting wit on a life that took her from rural North Carolina to the heights of Hollywood's Golden Age. Tell-all stories abound, especially when Gardner divulges on her three husbands: Mickey Rooney, a serial cheater so notorious that even his mother warned Gardner about him; bandleader Artie Shaw, whom Ava calls "a dominating son of a bitch...always putting me down;" and Frank Sinatra ("We were fighting all the time. Fighting and boozing. It was madness. But he was good in the feathers").
"Her story is a raw-nerved revelation. . . . A vivid portrait" (Chicago Tribune). Witty, penetrating, unique in its voice, it is impossible to put down--"A complete delight" (Philadelphia Inquirer).
About the Author
Ava Gardner was born in Grabtown, North Carolina, in 1922. Her films include andlt;iandgt;The Killersandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Showboatandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Mogamboandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Barefoot Contessaandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Sun Also Risesandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;On the Beachandlt;/iandgt;. She died in London in 1990.Peter Evans was a columnist and foreign correspondent with the andlt;iandgt;Daily Expressandlt;/iandgt; (UK), and wrote for the andlt;iandgt;Los Angeles Timesandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Vogueandlt;/iandgt;, as well as every major newspaper in Britain. His books include andlt;iandgt;Peter Sellers: The Man Behind the Maskandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Nemesisandlt;/iandgt;. He died in 2012.