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.
Rating: 
Summary: A definitive work
Review: I was very excited to learn Gavin Lambert had written this book, largely because of his excellent biography of Norma Shearer that I'd read in the past year. It's obvious to any astute reader that Lambert knows Hollywood, is informed about film-making and, best of all, can write incisively and with intelligence about both. I'd read the recent "Natasha" by Suzanne Finstad, which I thought was a serviceable biography but lacked any serious critical insight into her films or her personal life. Far from portraying Natalie as a "narcissistic, suicidal sex addict" as alleged from the reviewer from New York (who one suspects should stick to People magazine), Lambert provides a sympathetic but honest look into the actress's dark side and self-destructive tendencies, as well as her dedicated professionalism as a performer, and sensitive, generous capacity for close friendships. Another reviewer mentions "numerous accuracies" - though she cites only one - namely Lambert's assessment of the movie, Marjorie Morningstar, and describing Gene Kelly's character as a WASP. While it's true Noel Airman, in Wouk's novel, is a character in conflict with his Jewish identity; in the movie - aside from the briefest of references - he is largely homogenized into a WASP characterization, as incarnated by Kelly. I believe this was Mr. Lambert's point - and yes, I think he has seen the movie. I did find the last chapter "Something Extra" - where Lambert discusses various child actors (as Ms. Wood was) and then an overview of her career and specific film performances - an unexpected and rather unusual coda, but welcome and informative nevertheless.
Lastly, this author was personally acquainted with Natalie Wood, worked with her, and interviewed people who before had not spoken to biographers. I expect they did so knowing Lambert could be trusted to get it right. I think he did, and I for one am grateful for his efforts.
Rating: 
Summary: A more fitting title would be "Natalie Wood: A Lie"
Review: In response to the earlier review about whether one would rather read a biography of Natalie Wood written by a 20-year friend or somebody who never knew her, I'd rather read the one written by somebody who didn't know her, Suzanne Finstad. I've read both these books and at least with Finstad's earlier book "Natasha" one never senses that she is taking "sides" in telling Natalie Wood's life story and she remains an objective writer. There is no agenda with Finstad's book as there clearly is with Gavin Lambert's "Natalie Wood: A Life." It is downright uncomfortable to read Lambert's negative comments about Wood's mother Maria (who isn't alive to defend herself) or especially about Wood's sister, Lana Wood, who clearly was not interviewed for the book to respond to the negative things said about her and provide her side to the story. (When Lambert makes the crack that Lana Wood later lived in a "rented" house in recent years, in a thinly-disguised attempt to paint her as a "loser," it is downright cruel and inappropriate and un-called for. How many folks have lived in rented houses in their lifetimes? Is that supposed to be a shame or a sin?) If Robert Wagner comes off badly in Suzanne Finstad's book, it is likely because he chose not to be interviewed for that book to respond to the information she uncovered about him. It is difficult to take Gavin Lambert's writing seriously when one senses how much influence Robert Wagner had on the book. The main problem one has with "Natalie Wood: A Life" is that Lambert mainly interviews other big stars and celebrities as well as the major directors who worked with Wood. How about interviewing the "below-the-line" crew members on the films she made? I tend not to believe anything a major star says about another star, or what a director says about an actor he worked with. These people usually say nice things about one another in order not to alienate people who might hire them again. It would be more telling to find out if Natalie Wood was also a lovely and nice person to the "little people" she encountered or worked with in her lifetime that she didn't HAVE to be nice to. To quote 1960s starlet (and current Vietnam Vet activist) Chris Noel from Tom Lisanti's excellent FANTASY FEMMES OF SIXTIES CINEMA book, "I liked Lana Wood. I never liked her sister Natalie but Lana was neat. Natalie was stuck-up." The most laughable aspect of Lambert's book is how he goes into deep analysis of Wood's film acting career. With about 5 or 6 exceptions, Natalie Wood was a manufactured movie star whose 50-plus movie career was mediocre at best. When Lambert tries to justify Wood's choice of appearing in more television projects in the 1970s by arguing the cinema had degenerated into a medium of disaster epics and special effects, it is downright embarrassing. Lambert seems to intentionally forget that the 1970s was also the cinematic decade of "Five Easy Pieces," "The Godfather" films, "The Last Picture Show," "Nashville," "Network," "Chinatown," "Badlands," "Annie Hall," and other great masterworks that are undisputed classics. If Wood turned to TV, it wasn't because great films weren't being made at that time. It's because she represented a Hollywood of artifice and illusion that didn't exist in a decade that was actively making films in response to the turmoil of Vietnam and Watergate.
Rating: 
Summary: Average account of an above average lady
Review: Much of Gavin Lambert's account of Natalie Wood's life has already been explored in the 1996 "Natasha" by Susanne Finstadt. Still, there are new things revealed, and its definitely worth a read. While I enjoyed the book, its worst failure is that it doesn't give the reader a true sense of the incredible woman that was Natalie Wood. I expected more from Mr Lambert, as he was a friend of Nat's for over two decades. I longed for an intimate look inside of the tough, brave, rebelous, witty, fun loving, cute, humble, open, sweet and lovely, LONELY, hotheaded and sometimes slow to forgive and forget woman, who spent her career -- really her LIFE -- exploring all aspects of the "female" psyche on screen. Nat was far from perfect (which she herself admitted with humor many times). She had her ups and downs, personal failings, lifelong mental struggles, and phobias. But she survived a HORRENDOUS childhood, to be basically a loving lady, whose real life struggles and exploits are more passionate and interesting and compassionate than most of the plots of her films. One real downer with Lambert's book is that this is Natalie's story, NOT her sister Lana's. So, why was it necessary for the author to discuss whether or not Nick Gurdin is Lana's biological father? And on that subject, Mr Lambert seems to "out" Natalie as well. Can't the Wagner family afford DNA testing? Unless its a PROVEN fact, why bother even contemplating that topic? It was simply in bad taste to this reader. Speaking of family -- where IS the Wagner family in Mr Lambert's account? Barely there is the answer. Robert Wagner is interviewed fairly extensively (a positive for the book), but Natalie's daughters are barely mentioned. And Lana is persona non grata (Lambert should have interviewed Lana to get her side of the many awful claims about her)!!!! My least favorite part of the book is Mr Lambert's "bonus" discussion of Nat's films. Frankly, he could have skipped this entirely! Personally, I wish that the publishers had included the full AFI Interview with Nat that Mr Lambert refers to throughout the book. Why do I care what Gavin Lambert thinks of Nat's performances on film?! I wanted to know what NATALIE WOOD thought of her films and the people she worked with!!!!! Natalie was a wonderful actress (in my opinion). If a reader wants to get a sense of who Nat was -- see her wonderful films (there's nearly 50 to track down from her childhood through her final film "Brainstorm")! You'll get a sense of her from sweet and innocent but manipulated young child, to a disturbed and perhaps lonely but always humorous and loving resillient woman! That was Natalie Wood to this fan! Nancy J
Culver City, CA
Rating:
Summary: Average account of an above average lady
Review: Much of Gavin Lambert's account of Natalie Wood's life has already been explored in the 1996 "Natasha" by Susanne Finstadt. Still, there are new things revealed, and its definitely worth a read. While I enjoyed the book, its worst failure is that it doesn't give the reader a true sense of the incredible woman that was Natalie Wood. I expected more from Mr Lambert, as he was a friend of Nat's for over two decades. I longed for an intimate look inside of the tough, brave, rebelous, witty, fun loving, cute, humble, open, sweet and lovely, LONELY, hotheaded and sometimes slow to forgive and forget woman, who spent her career -- really her LIFE -- exploring all aspects of the "female" psyche on screen. Nat was far from perfect (which she herself admitted with humor many times). She had her ups and downs, personal failings, lifelong mental struggles, and phobias. But she survived a HORRENDOUS childhood, to be basically a loving lady, whose real life struggles and exploits are more passionate and interesting and compassionate than most of the plots of her films. One real downer with Lambert's book is that this is Natalie's story, NOT her sister Lana's. So, why was it necessary for the author to discuss whether or not Nick Gurdin is Lana's biological father? And on that subject, Mr Lambert seems to "out" Natalie as well. Can't the Wagner family afford DNA testing? Unless its a PROVEN fact, why bother even contemplating that topic? It was simply in bad taste to this reader. Speaking of family -- where IS the Wagner family in Mr Lambert's account? Barely there is the answer. Robert Wagner is interviewed fairly extensively (a positive for the book), but Natalie's daughters are barely mentioned. And Lana is persona non grata (Lambert should have interviewed Lana to get her side of the many awful claims about her)!!!! My least favorite part of the book is Mr Lambert's "bonus" discussion of Nat's films. Frankly, he could have skipped this entirely! Personally, I wish that the publishers had included the full AFI Interview with Nat that Mr Lambert refers to throughout the book. Why do I care what Gavin Lambert thinks of Nat's performances on film?! I wanted to know what NATALIE WOOD thought of her films and the people she worked with!!!!! Natalie was a wonderful actress (in my opinion). If a reader wants to get a sense of who Nat was -- see her wonderful films (there's nearly 50 to track down from her childhood through her final film "Brainstorm")! You'll get a sense of her from sweet and innocent but manipulated young child, to a disturbed and perhaps lonely but always humorous and loving resillient woman! That was Natalie Wood to this fan! Nancy J
Culver City, CA
Rating:
Summary: Natalie Wood : A Life
Review: Natalie Wood has been dead for over 20 years, and yet this is the second biography about her since 2001. In the acknowledgments, Lambert writes, "This book owes its primary existence to Robert Wagner." It is not surprising that Wagner, Wood's husband, would want to have his side told after the publication of Natasha (2001), in which Suzanne Finstad implied that Wagner's actions on the night Wood perished may have contributed to her death. Lambert, an established writer and longtime friend of Wood's, was given full access to her private papers, letters, daybooks, family, and friends. This gives an "insider" feel to the book, and some interesting questions emerge, such as why Wood once tried to kill herself and who her father really was. However, the basic facts of her life and career remain the same as those outlined in other books, and in this, Wagner's presence looms large. There are swipes at Natalie's sister, who wrote an unflattering book (Natalie, a Memoir by Her Sister, 1984), and at Warren Beatty, who had an affair with Natalie. Ultimately, this seems to be Wagner's way of having the last word on what has been written, but the mystery of Wood's death remains.
Rating:
Summary: Natalie Wood : A Life
Review: Natalie Wood has been dead for over 20 years, and yet this is the second biography about her since 2001. In the acknowledgments, Lambert writes, "This book owes its primary existence to Robert Wagner." It is not surprising that Wagner, Wood's husband, would want to have his side told after the publication of Natasha (2001), in which Suzanne Finstad implied that Wagner's actions on the night Wood perished may have contributed to her death. Lambert, an established writer and longtime friend of Wood's, was given full access to her private papers, letters, daybooks, family, and friends. This gives an "insider" feel to the book, and some interesting questions emerge, such as why Wood once tried to kill herself and who her father really was. However, the basic facts of her life and career remain the same as those outlined in other books, and in this, Wagner's presence looms large. There are swipes at Natalie's sister, who wrote an unflattering book (Natalie, a Memoir by Her Sister, 1984), and at Warren Beatty, who had an affair with Natalie. Ultimately, this seems to be Wagner's way of having the last word on what has been written, but the mystery of Wood's death remains.
Rating:
Summary: Lambert's Slide
Review: The once witty and insightful, if not bitchy, Lambert has written
a book which, after reading, made me feel cheated and as if the KGB was in on a deal to black out truths and had preposterous quotes from a gang of bit players like Donfeld, who has a vivid imagination in regards to his closeness to Ms.Wood.As a result,
Lambert ends up depending way too much time dodging the really
"adult" Wood and how much she was loved as a person and of all the speculations by people she, in fact, disliked intensely and
how little cooperation those closest to her leant to the writing
of her life.Lambert adds tidbits of gay sex,drugs,rumors and a
hodpodge of junk which ultimately results in a "tell all" kind of tabloid piece of junk.Discussions with groups who knew her and read the book are all as disappointed that Lambert took on the task knowing full well that he was not going to get any real cooperation from those who could have filled in the huge voids of her "real" life.He puts so much weight of the book on her mother's involvement, the book is topheavy with uninteresting Russian history and mama Maria's evil ways.Another book one day will be written with the real truth behind her final days.
Rating:
Summary: Natalie Wood: A Life
Review: This is by far the BEST book written about Natalie, and not because I am also in the book, but because I know Mr. Lambert investigated all aspects of Natalie's life. I have read several books about her and most of them are trash. This book tells the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: Unlike the people who have also reviewed this book and said it was boring, I found it interesting. Unlike Suzanne Finstad, Lambert doesn't try to exploit her. This book is a very good one and doesn't tell lies like the other one. Its very worth it. What book would you rather read? One written by someone who never knew her or someone who was friends with her for 20 years??
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