Rating: 
Summary: A Flop
Review: As a devoted Natalie Wood fan (she was my childhood hero), I looked forward to reading a bio filled with new information and written by a friend who enjoyed a "twenty-year friendship" with Natalie. What a disappointment!
The book is a bore from start to finish. There are far too many stories about Hollywood wannabes and an endless rehash of details about her mother, father and sisters. There are no meaningful insights, no interesting details revealed.
Lambert's writing is so awkward frequently had to reread the sentence page. Paragraph transitions are disjointed as well, and there are many disconcerting examples of odd word useage such as: "Everett Sloane...had sounded authentically Hebrew in the small part of a rabbi in Morningstar." Authentically Hebrew?
His numerous inaccuracies are disturbing as well. One wonders whether Lambert actually watched Natalie's films before writing the book.
The premise of "Marjorie Morningstar," for example, concerns a wealthy Jewish girl's dreams of breaking away from family tradition. Marjorie's lover, played by Gene Kelly as the the son of highly respected Jewish parents (his father is a judge), tries, in his own way, to escape family expectations.
Had the author bothered to see this film he would never have written "For Wouk to make Marjorie (nee Morgenstern) Jewish seems more a gimmick than an essential part of her star-is-not-born story, and in the movie the Jewish element is so diluted that it has no effect on her WASP lover, who's only momentarily restive at the Morgenstern's Passover dinner."
Skip this one. Suzanne Finstad's "Natasha" is a far more interesting and well written exploration of Natalie's life.
Rating: 
Summary: Natalie Wood: A Life
Review: As a fan of Natalie Wood's movies and as someone who has great respect and admiration for her as a person, I've been waiting more than half my life for Robert Wagner and his daughters to participate in a book about her or write one themselves. Sensationalism and contrived melodrama have no place in a good biography, and thankfully, you won't find them here. What this book delivers is a snapshot of the woman (flaws and all) without the exploitation of the other biographies. Natalie Wood wasn't perfect. She drank too much and took too many pills (the downfalls of countless studio greats). Mainly, though, she suffered the mental and emotional effects of a youth that made it difficult for her to define herself separate from the movie star. But those imperfections aren't all that she was. She was also a talented, charming, witty, kind, and compassionate woman who empathized with the underdog, used film to expose and confront taboos, loved her husband and daughters tremendously, and spent her short life trying to rise above the demons that haunted her. That's what makes her so interesting. And it's only the author's respect for his subject and the participation of Robert, Courtney, and Natasha Gregson Wagner that make it possible to clearly portray that classically human contradiction. No one can ever tell a complete life story, not even the person who lived it. But how can you even strive for accuracy without talking to the people who knew her best and loved and respected her most? I have only two complaints (hence the four stars and not five). Although competent and often engaging, Gavin Lambert isn't a great writer. His prose shifts tense, which is distracting, and he editorializes when he should quote the people he's describing. And yes, I also wish we could have heard more from Natalie Wood herself. Perhaps she didn't leave many interviews to choose from, but Lambert refered too much to that AFI interview without using enough of what she actually said.
Rating:
Summary: A tawdry betrayal......
Review: For me at least, this book is a huge disappointment. Who could possibly be interested in reading about Natalie Wood's gay male secretary Marty Crowley's sordid encounter with a call boy? Or page after Page of cruel unsubstantiated attempts to character assassinate and "out" Scott Marlowe - an actor the young Natalie Wood was in love with, who is not alive to defend himself?
Gavin Lambert, who has written about his own homosexual affairs, goes to extreme and transparent lengths to try to establish that his friend Robert Wagner (for whom I believe, he wrote this book) is a virile heterosexual - even including a sleazy account of a supposed encounter between Wagner and a (Japanese?) prostitute. Who are they kidding?
There are innumerable tasteless and pointless disjointed incidents of Natalie allegedly drunk and "swishing her tail" in front of men - a nasty ruse by Lambert, on behalf (perhaps?) of Robert Wagner, to try to shift the blame to Natalie for her horrible drowning and to deflect attention away from Wagner's suspicious and disgraceful behavior that night. What kind of "friend" of Natalie Wood's - as Lambert claims to be - would write a book about her to make a case that her father, who she loved dearly and who looks just like her, was not her biological parent? Lambert also trashes Natalie's mother and her sister Lana with tacky family gossip apparently provided by Wagner.
This book is a disaster: ditto its ghost writer.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, left so much out
Review: Having read 'Natasha' by Suzanne Finstad and 'Natalie, a memoir by her sister' by Lana Wood I was very disappointed with this book. The two books I mentioned were both great, and gave in detail many new and suprising facts on Natalie and her life. This book by Gavin Lambert is horribly boring. The ending chapters on her death make no sense, it sounds as though Robert Wagner himself wrote the end, in which it only defends Wagner, and brings nothing new to what the public already knows. The author also goes on to throw out all of the evidence that pointed to something 'more' then just an accident. The only good thing about this book was the gorgeous pictures of Natalie throughout the book. Bottom line- this book was awful, one of the worst bios I have read. If you want a book on Natalie buy 'Natasha' by Suzanne Finstad.
Rating:
Summary: Suspicious circumstances
Review: I do not understand why certain critics who are acquaintances of Mr. Lambert's have described this as an affectionate book about actress Natalie Wood. It is not a sympathetic portrait of Miss Wood' in fact, Mr. Lambert blames her for the tragic events in her life when she's not alive to defend herself. He also goes out of his way to attack her mother and her sister in what seems to be a personal vendetta while at the same time falsely glorifying rv actor Robert Wagner, who he admits is a long time friend of his. There would be no need to remember Miss Wood in a book at this time had she not drowned under suspicious circumstances that Mr. Wagner obviously wishes to conceal. It is clear that Mr. Lambert's true loyalty is to Robert Wagner, not to Natalie Wood.
Rating:
Summary: A touching a revealing tribute
Review: I eagerly awaited for this book to come out, just like its predecessor, Natasha. I found this book to be less gossipy, dramatic, and interesting than Natasha. Having said that, though, I believe this Natalie Wood biography is much more accurate of her life, considering the author personally knew the actress, and was able to have the cooperation of her family. I was disappointed that he was not able to interview Robert Redford, Lana Wood, or other family or cast members from Natalie's life. Perhaps because they had already been interviewed for Natasha, there was nothing new to be said. But the author was able to get important interviews from Robert Wagner and her children, and the most revealing quotes are from her husband, who truly seems to be dedicated to his family and Natalie's legacy.
The beginning chapters focused too much on Natalie's mother (just like Natasha), and it's still hard to judge whether "Mud" was "Mommie Dearest" or just plain odd. I was also disappointed that the author did not include clearer pictures of Natalie. She was so beautiful and prolific-why not include colored photos, or pictures from all the public events that she attended (which he talks about many times). My favorite chapter is the last one, in which he highlights her most defining film roles and discusses their importance. Altogether, this is an insightful, haunting, and beautiful portrait of the late great actress, who died just as her life seemed to be withering and growing professional and personally at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm....... interesting
Review: I found it novel to be able to post a review on a book and subject I've always found interesting (my thanks to you for the opportunity) so I've come back today to "vist" my review and in doing so, I read some of the others of course! The suprise was that you've posted two reviews that are identical save the title: one dated January 17th and one January the 18th. Have a look. Even knowing as little of the publishing industry as I do, I'd still call that plugging! Surely one review per person is enough. Had it been me I'd at least changed up the title a bit. regards,
mitch wilkins
Rating:
Summary: Natalie Wood
Review: I waited to read this book and was totally disgusted with it. It was more of a history about her mother (who was no doubt certifiable). Ms Wood dedicated her life, for good or for bad, to the Screen. The least this author could have done was not to write it like someone was standing over his shoulder!
Rating: 
Summary: Lambert's Slide
Review: I was very disappointed with the author's version of Natalie's life. I think it can be sumed up by the fact that "Robert Wagner" gave his full cooperation to the author. In other words, all the real nitty gritty details of Natalie's life were deleted. Wagner I do not believe is as sentimental and as wounded by his wife's passing as he leads us to believe. I feel he has far more sinister reasons to remain silent. If you want to read a far more indepth, honest portrayal of Natalie's life, read "Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Woods" by Suzuanne Finstad. Once you have read her book, I think you will understand why this author has short cheated all Natalie's fans by misleading and avoiding the truth in her unfortnuate death. Natalie's death should never have happened. I hold Wagner responsible. His actions that evening will be his down fall when he faces his final curtain call. My heart breaks for Natalie. The one person that should have protected and loved her, failed her miserably. In fact, her whole life she was let down by those that supposedly loved and cared for her. What a tragic ending to such a beautiful and talented woman's life. Skip this watered down version of her life and read the book I mentioned above. You will never view Natalie or Wagner the same.
Rating:
Summary: Natalie Wood: A Life
Review: I was very disappointed with the author's version of Natalie's life. I think it can be sumed up by the fact that "Robert Wagner" gave his full cooperation to the author. In other words, all the real nitty gritty details of Natalie's life were deleted. Wagner I do not believe is as sentimental and as wounded by his wife's passing as he leads us to believe. I feel he has far more sinister reasons to remain silent. If you want to read a far more indepth, honest portrayal of Natalie's life, read "Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Woods" by Suzuanne Finstad. Once you have read her book, I think you will understand why this author has short cheated all Natalie's fans by misleading and avoiding the truth in her unfortnuate death. Natalie's death should never have happened. I hold Wagner responsible. His actions that evening will be his down fall when he faces his final curtain call. My heart breaks for Natalie. The one person that should have protected and loved her, failed her miserably. In fact, her whole life she was let down by those that supposedly loved and cared for her. What a tragic ending to such a beautiful and talented woman's life. Skip this watered down version of her life and read the book I mentioned above. You will never view Natalie or Wagner the same.
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