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Post by Admin on Oct 31, 2020 18:58:54 GMT -6
What is your favorite book about Joan?
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jack
The Unknown
Posts: 6
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Post by jack on Nov 1, 2020 13:21:50 GMT -6
I found it hard to choose between the Charlotte Chandler and Considine book, but eventually settled on the Divine Feud as it was the first bio I read of Joan and honestly found it be one of the most absorbing, fun and addictive books I have ever read. I gather Considine having all his facts straight has been questioned over the years but it’s a great book to get someone invested in Joan’s life.
The Chandler I just found to be a nice, easy, interesting read to be perfectly honest and can’t really say much more. I know some people don’t like this one but I found it a respectable read.
Now on the other hand I read Hollywood Martry and that honestly might be the biggest piece of trash I have ever clapped eyes on - a total disgrace and laughable.
Mommie Dearest... well I think the least said the better on that one. Whether you believe it or not, it’s just not a well written book in general I don’t think - I actually found it quite stagnant and found myself skimming pages, but I suppose it was the shock value of the time that made it so popular.
I have yet to read CWJC which I would love to get hold of.
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Post by TJ on Nov 3, 2020 8:22:17 GMT -6
Divine Feud is the first, last and only choice. It was like first contact with Our Miss C when I grabbed the paperback edition some decades ago. Ah, tempus fugit. But to come back to the reasons why: it was such an easy read, full of interesting stories, always one the side of make-believe, but in the long run all seemed at least plausible.
Regarding CWJC, oh how I wish to have a copy. As good second best I much of its contents thanks to Caas Enklaars' one-man(woman) show: An Evening With Joan (at least twice filmed for German TV). Really engrossing stuff. Highly recommended. Won Miss C legion of fans here in the Land der Dichter und Denker and home of the Sturm und Drang.
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Post by davidmorrocco on Nov 3, 2020 9:05:37 GMT -6
I picked Thomas, but Mommie Dearest was the book that got me started on my Joan journey. I also loved CWJC’s book. He described Joan and her love for backgammon and Bloody Mary’s made by Mamacita. His overall descriptions of Joan was so fun to read. Some parts really made me laugh out loud. He was lucky to have been able to spend that time with her. I’m so glad he wrote about it. It was a book that I didn’t want to end when I finished it.
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Post by Admin on Nov 7, 2020 0:07:41 GMT -6
I found it hard to choose between the Charlotte Chandler and Considine book, but eventually settled on the Divine Feud as it was the first bio I read of Joan and honestly found it be one of the most absorbing, fun and addictive books I have ever read. I gather Considine having all his facts straight has been questioned over the years but it’s a great book to get someone invested in Joan’s life. The Chandler I just found to be a nice, easy, interesting read to be perfectly honest and can’t really say much more. I know some people don’t like this one but I found it a respectable read. Now on the other hand I read Hollywood Martry and that honestly might be the biggest piece of trash I have ever clapped eyes on - a total disgrace and laughable. Mommie Dearest... well I think the least said the better on that one. Whether you believe it or not, it’s just not a well written book in general I don’t think - I actually found it quite stagnant and found myself skimming pages, but I suppose it was the shock value of the time that made it so popular. I have yet to read CWJC which I would love to get hold of. My personal favorites are CWJC and Alexander Walker's "Ultimate Star." (Walker's was the first I ever read, and started me on wanting to learn more about Joan---great pictures and psychologically insightful writing.) Carl Johnes's "The Last Word" is also very good, if you can find it. I also like "Divine Feud" and Chandler's book. I don't know why Considine's "Feud" is at all maligned---it's interestingly written and he's got extensive references documenting where every quote came from. Chandler's book doesn't have refs, but she's got some very lengthy, interesting quotes from personal interviews, including from Doug Jr. Yes, "Martyr" is terribly written! MD: Yes, shock value. And, as I learned later, some incidents were taken from a 1950s "Redbook" magazine article with Christina and blown way out of proportion (or, as in the case of cleaning the bathroom, from something that Christina witnessed with a maid). To me, the book is actually sad: "Mommie didn't love me." |
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Post by Admin on Nov 7, 2020 0:22:09 GMT -6
Divine Feud is the first, last and only choice. It was like first contact with Our Miss C when I grabbed the paperback edition some decades ago. Ah, tempus fugit. But to come back to the reasons why: it was such an easy read, full of interesting stories, always one the side of make-believe, but in the long run all seemed at least plausible. Regarding CWJC, oh how I wish to have a copy. As good second best I much of its contents thanks to Caas Enklaars' one-man(woman) show: An Evening With Joan (at least twice filmed for German TV). Really engrossing stuff. Highly recommended. Won Miss C legion of fans here in the Land der Dichter und Denker and home of the Sturm und Drang. Love it: "Land of Poets and Thinkers"---oh, and "Storm and Impulse." My mom is German---I like the old intense Romantic definitions of Germany, not the current meaningless mild ones. But I must disagree that "Feud" is "first/last/only"!  My canon: Conversations with Joan Crawford, Alexander Walker's "Ultimate Star," and Carl Johnes's "The Last Years." Yes, "Divine Feud" is a very good book---but please seek out the ones I mentioned! |
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yvo
The Unknown
Posts: 12
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Post by yvo on Nov 24, 2020 4:00:09 GMT -6
One can find Carl Johnes' book online. I would love to have bought it but it's out of print.. Wonderful read though, I would love to see the unedited manuscript XD
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Post by Admin on Nov 24, 2020 22:40:28 GMT -6
One can find Carl Johnes' book online. I would love to have bought it but it's out of print.. Wonderful read though, I would love to see the unedited manuscript XD I just searched eBay, Amazon, and abebooks.com: The cheapest I found for a used copy Johnes' book was $75! I bought my own paperback copy a long, long time ago (can't remember exactly when or how much I paid, but not anywhere near $75!). |
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ketvo
The Unknown
Posts: 9
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Post by ketvo on Feb 17, 2021 14:58:27 GMT -6
I need to do some reading, LOL.
what is your opingion of the fued between christina and Joan in redbook?.
what do you guess happened?.
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Post by Admin on Oct 29, 2023 22:11:50 GMT -6
I need to do some reading, LOL. what is your opingion of the fued between christina and Joan in redbook?. what do you guess happened?. I think that what Christina wrote in the 1960 Redbook article is what basically happened. (Note the bathroom-cleaning incident: Here, it's a maid that got chastised by Joan.) When it came time to publish a book, the publishers---as they always do---asked for more dramatic material. Thus the re-invented bathroom scene. I've read the 1978 "Mommie Dearest" book, and I found it kind of melancholy, overall: A wondering why her mother didn't love her. |
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My canon: Conversations with Joan Crawford, Alexander Walker's "Ultimate Star," and Carl Johnes's "The Last Years." Yes, "Divine Feud" is a very good book---but please seek out the ones I mentioned!