Cary Grant: A Class Apart

Rating:
Summary: Uneven but very good overall
Review: I had recently read a horrible bio of Jimmy Stewart (by a different author) and I was afraid that this Cary Grant bio would be just as bad. But it is an intelligently written book, and best when recounting Cary Grant's young adult-hood (leading up to his getting into the movies) and the drama surrouding his mother. It also, in a very thorough and detailed manner, unravels the events that lead to rumors of bisexuality, which were untrue. Lesson - Never cross a tabloid journalist and never be the fastest gun (or the biggest leading man) in the west. The book is a little less interesting when it deals with Cary Grant's film career itself, though it picks up when dealing with Mr. Grant's mid-life crisis (for lack of a better word) but never fleshes that out as much as I'd like. I could have used more anecdotes regarding the shooting of individual pictures. There are plenty of those but I never felt as if the making of any one picture was rendered satisfactorily. Too frequently, I think, the book falls back on quotes from some star or other carrying on about Cary Grant in a rhapsodic manner. When the author digs up and weaves together details, he's masterful. When he falls back on mere Entertainment Tonight-styled rhapsodizing, he's less interesting. But that rhapsodizing stuff couldn't account for more than 1/7 of the book. Of course, there is a limit to how much CAN be known, so my critique might be somewhat unfair. One consequence of being sharp and honest as a biographer, is that you can't just make stuff up when you find a hole in the facts.

Rating:
Summary: Over-Detailed And Difficult To Stick With
Review: I wish I could say I wasn't disappointed in this book, since I was looking forward to a well-researched and engrossing book on a screen legend. However, I had to force myself to finish reading it and came away with very little enjoyment and appreciation for the subject. Very nearly ONE THIRD of the book (the latter portion) is not textual biography, but a glossary, filmography and voluminous footnote after footnote after footnote of data supporting the main body (2/3) of the book. Far too many distracting footnotes referenced on virtually every page of the book were significantly annoying, and in many instances a point was belabored ad infinitum. Many key points of detail and anecdotes relating to admired, classic CG movies weren't present, while others were - sorry - rather beaten to death. Supporting photographs were limited and failed to include more than good shots of the subject at a small, select time of his life. I expected a more linear, cohesive, colloquial narrative unencumbered by redundent grammatical 'precision.' The book was obviously well-researched, but extreme detail does not always do the subject or the audience justice.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive biography.
Review: This is a book that is just like its subject:intelligent,elegant,entertaining,stylish and charming.Read it,display it and treasure it!

Rating:
Summary: A genuine classic.
Review: This is an exemplary biography by any standards.It is incredibly thorough,insightful and engaging,and the author writes with the same kind of grace,wit and elegance as his subject.This is a beautiful,stylish,special book that you will want to read,re-read,consult,study,discuss,display and cherish.

Rating:
Summary: A good book for a great man
Review: Though I've seen quite a few of Cary Grant's movies, this is the first biography on him that I've read. I was quite impressed with the book. Since I had seen tv documentaries and read a little about Cary on the internet, I was familiar with his life but this helped flesh out the details. Cary Grant's rise to stardom is probably one of the most unlikely and fascinating stories of Hollywood. As a young boy (age 9) his mother was suddenly taken from him and Cary was left to assume that she'd died or abandoned him. As any psychologist can tell you, this would be a huge impact on anybody's life. The rest of the story, Archie Leach (CG's real name) turning into Cary Grant is interesting and the anecdotes related throughout the book give a good sense of Cary's character. He is shown to be a caring, private, and humorous man in real life as he was on the screen. He had his troubles as well and this book deals with those excellently. It doesn't gloss over bad parts in Grant's life. I would have appreciated more stories illustrating Grant's character and more background on his marriages (the author states the facts about how he met his wives, when they were married, and when they were divorced, but not much more). All in all, it is an excellent biography, not the sleazy type at all, and a fitting tribute to one of the greatest actor's the world has known. I plan on reading more about the fascinating life of Cary Grant.