Rating: 
Summary: I wanted more information
Review: I was eight years old in 1969 when Sharon Tate was murdered, and the Manson family was first heard of. This horrific crime left an impact on me even at that age. I had first read Helter Skelter, and found it fascinating. I was always intrigued by Sharon Tate though. I was interested in this book, and anxiously awaited it. I found a lot of the information about Tate's life as being repetitive, and I agree with another reviewer that the photos inside could have been better. There is one particularly gruesome photo of Tate in death. This photo, while graphic, is a reminder at the brutality of her murder. I don't think anyone reading about the murder can understand the impact as this one picture makes. Horrible. Overall, the majority of the information is repetitive from other sources I've read, but it is still a good read. I would have liked the book to have gone more into depth with Sharon's earlier years. The author does do a great job of recreating the final hours of Tate's life, in chilling detail. What a horrendous death for Tate and the other victims. For the most part, if you are interested in the Manson Family murders, and in Sharon Tate, you'll find this interesting, to say the least.
Rating: 
Summary: sleazy, empty rehash of a sad story
Review: Vacant Sharon Tate remains unknowable in this clip-job of a biography -- that's really more of a gruesome rehash of the Manson murders than a biography of Tate. Tate is the excuse for King to recount the killings in gory detail. Alas, Tate has been exploited even after death. Icky!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful writer; not so wonderful publisher
Review: I've long been a fan of Greg King and knew this would be a well-written, extensively researched biography--and so it is! King is one of our best non-fiction writers, and he does a bang-up job with Sharon Tate. I can't be quite so happy about the job Barricade Books did with his work, though. No bibliography? No index? And the photo section is brief and poorly chosen (all the photos were from one source, so I suspect they just picked the cheapest one and said, "Give us everything you have on Tate and Manson"). I hope to see a lot more of Kings' work in the future, but I hope for his sake he finds a better publisher.
Rating:
Summary: Sharon Tate: Out of the Shadow of the Manson Murders
Review: ...a thoroughly-researched, informative depiction of her brieflife and enduring light. Never-before-published facts about Tate'schildhood, adolescence and career are included, along with a presentation of the Tate family's dynamics and strengths. The book falls slightly short, however, in its chapters devoted to the actress' final four years. Too many quotes are taken from earlier works, giving the narrative the accelerated, Quick-Time patina of an on-line video montage. But kudos abound for King, who presents a balanced, respectful description of Tate's personality and talents. Succumbing neither to hagiography nor tabloid-era speculation, the author outlines the late actress' myriad attributes as well as her weaknesses (which invariably harmed only Tate herself). King also conveys, with devastating clarity, the malignancy and malice which defined the Manson family; moreover, he deftly chips away at, and finally destroys, the self-serving veneer of transference employed by Charles "Tex" Watson and Susan Atkins during their bids for parole. Ironically, it is Manson himself who scathingly indicts these flights into born-again religiosity, a fact King does not flinch from revealing. Credence is also given to the lives of all those lost in the carnage of 1969. Special mention must be afforded Jay Sebring, Tate's former fiance, who exhibited more moral courage and innate spirituality during his final three years than most biblical scholars ever have. King includes a heartbreaking detail of the famed hairstylist's final hours, a powerful and poignant fact that has never before been revealed. The arduous and groundbreaking efforts of Doris and Patti Tate, the actress' mother and youngest sister, respectively, are given respectful attention. Largely due to the Tates' tireless work for victims' rights, changes have been enacted in our criminal justice system, and King scrupulously details them. But it is a quote from writer/actor Gerald Malanga, relayed by King in the book's final chapter, that aptly mirrors my own visceral reaction to the late actress on that long-ago August afternoon in 1976: "Sharon. . . contributed to a high and joyous quality to the lives of others. . . She made her actions count. . with a scope . . . that the finality of death cannot defeat." Disdain must be heaped upon Barricade Books for allowing an image of Manson to be superimposed perilously close to Tate's heart on the book's cover. And a beautiful heart it was.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, detailed biography of 60s starlet
Review: No doubt about it. And it's a shame to admit this, but Sharon Tate may have never achieved her rank in the annals of historical infamy if it wasn't for the band of brutal murderers who slain the poor goddess and her friends on the hot summer night of August 9, 1969. Many historians claim the 1960s - the highly praised, if most tumultuous decade - ended that night when a very pregnant Tate was killed in her home. However, very little about the life of Sharon Tate has been paid attention to, and here, for the first time, is a biography of the beautiful starlet taken before she could shine. Well-written and extremely well researched, Greg King offers us much in-depth information into the life (both pre- and post-murders) of the gorgeous model/actress. For all you who think you know all there is to know about Sharon Tate, think again. Most of the time, books such as "Helter Skelter" focus primarily on the murders, the trial, and the life of the insane Manson "family." And so, because there hasn't been too much written about Tate's life, this is both a refreshing and pleasurable account. And, while it does give a detailed account of the horrendous killing, there is much to be discovered about this beauty. "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders" is sure to become one of, if not THE, hottest reads of the summer.
Rating:
Summary: Sharon Tate: Out of the Shadow of the Manson Murders
Review: In August 1976, I was a 17-year-old college freshman, recently transplanted at the University of Kansas from Hays, a tiny, repressive, Neo-Nazi subculture straight out of "Splendour In The Grass." Schooled by nuns who resembled Alfred Hitchcock in drag and co-existing with secular males whose respect for human sexuality made Larry Flynt seem like a vestal virgin, I was no stranger to horror. Nevertheless, I had passed through the 1960's as a preadolescent cherub, blissfully ignorant of the decade's championing of freedom at the expense of personal accountability. Throughout the Summer of Love, I assumed the psychedelic opus "Incense and Peppermints" really WAS about a kid in a candy store. I firmly believed the Doors' "Love Me Two Times" was an ode to the Doublemint Twins. I was wholly convinced that the Plaster Casters were a cluster of drunken casting agents for the "Beverly Hillbillies." Seven years to the week after the Tate/LaBianca murders, it was against this paradoxical precedent that I first read "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi, the prodigiously talented attorney who convicted Manson and his maniacal minions. At once compelling and terrifying, Bugliosi's narrative was a tale of manipulation, rank exploitation and tragedy. Throughout the teeming atrocity, one shining light transcended the prevailing evil: Sharon Tate. As related by those who knew her, Bugliosi conveys the late actress' exquisite heart conjoined with her exceptional attractiveness - a vibrant and rare combination. Touched by her incandescent beauty and gentle sensitivity, I soon longed for the day when her biography would be written - and therein liberate the actress from the shadow of Manson. Thankfully, Barricade Books has now published "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders" by Greg King, a thoroughly-researched and solicitous depiction of her life and light. King includes never-before-published details of Tate's early life and adolescence and provides insightful glimpses into the Tate family's dynamics and strengths. Sadly, however, the book falters somewhat throughout the chapters devoted to the actress' final four years. Too many quotes are derived from earlier works and are not expanded upon, giving the narrative the accelerated, Quick-Time patina of an on-line video montage. Kudos abound, however, for King, who deftly exposes the malignancy and madness attendant to the Manson family. Skillfully, he chips away at the veneer of self-serving transference employed by Susan Atkins, Charles "Tex" Watson and Leslie Van Houten during their quests for parole. (Ironically, these flights into born-again and platitudinous religiosity are scathingly indicted by Manson himself, a fact King does not shrink from recounting.) King also presents, with devastating clarity, Manson's persistent influence. (Do you think only those on the "fringes" of society pay him subtle homage? Think again. . .) To his credit, the author pays tribute to all of the victims in the carnage of 1969. Special respect must be afforded Jay Sebring, Tate's former fiance, who demonstrated more moral courage and innate spirituality in his last three years than any cloistered biblical scholar and/or acclaimed film director ever has. King includes a shattering, never-before-revealed detail of the famed hairstylist's last moments, and it is heartrending in its power and poignancy. Succumbing neither to hagiography nor tabloid-era speculation, King presents a balanced picture of 1960's liberalism and gently notes the late actress' weaknesses, which invariably resulted in harm only to herself and not an embracing of narcissistic self-indulgence. Admirably, the author also honors the arduous and courageous efforts of Doris and Patti Tate, Sharon's mother and youngest sister, respectively. With perseverance and dignity, these two women sublimated their own pain and outrage into a far-reaching and formidable crusade to aid those similarly afflicted. Largely due to their efforts, favorable changes have been enacted in our criminal justice system, and King delineates them meticulously. Convincingly, this advocacy is presented as a concurrent means of personal redemption and a gift of love for their lost daughter and sister. But it is a quote by writer/actor Gerald Malanga, included by King in the book's final chapters, which aptly mirrors my own visceral response on that long-ago August afternoon in the 1970's: "Sharon. . . contributed to a high and joyous quality to the life of others. . . She made her actions count with a scope and meaning that death cannot defeat." Thanks and appreciation go to King for allowing Tate to live again - forever - in the pages of his long-awaited book. Disdain upon disdain, however, must be heaped upon Barricade Books for allowing an image of Manson to be superimposed perilously close to the actress' heart on the book's cover. And a beautiful heart it was.
Rating:
Summary: The First Book to Focus on SHARON
Review: This is the first book to actually give the reader some history and background into who Sharon Tate was - for so long she has been famous only for being a victim of the Manson family. This book finally lets us know Sharon's history, accomplishments, and dreams told from the recollections of friends and family members. For too long her name meant nothing more than "the pretty girl murdered by Manson" - now we can actually learn who this breathtakingly beautiful woman was.
Rating: 
Summary: First ever biography on Sharon Tate!
Review: This book is the first biography on Sharon Tate ever written. Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders follows Sharon's life from her childhood through her life in Hollywood to her tragic death. It also brings to the forefront the eerie connections between Charles Manson and his Family to the Hollywood elite, including Sharon. Greg King brings never heard before information out in this book, including: •Interviews with Sharon's mother, Doris, and closely related celebrities. •Unpublished letter from Charles Manson and Family member Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme •Draws extensively upon previously unpublished trial transcripts and psychiatric evaluations of Manson Family. • The most up-to-date whereabouts of Manson Family members, and much more. Gruesome yet fascinating at the same time, this shocking biography is a must read to understand the reasons and psychology behind the senseless crime and the continued fascination with the legend of Sharon Tate.
Rating:
Summary: The House on Heaven Drive
Review: I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read Sharon's biography. This is probably the best account you'll ever get, if not the only account. Such a tragedy that her innocent name will forever be linked to Manson and his madness.I felt this book could have done without another retelling of the Manson family's horrific development into a homicidal hippie cult and why they killed Sharon and the other victims. We already know the story. Rather, this could have been a more fleshed-out bio on Sharon that could have ended with her death, and if absoultely necessary, with only a brief epilogue on the Manson family and why she died at their hands. The first third of the book is devoted exclusively to Sharon's life story. As you read it, you feel increasingly apprehensive because you know how her story's going to end. So many what-if's crop up in your mind that might have prevented her fate: What if she had become a psychiatrist instead of an actress? What if she had never married Roman Polanski? What if she had moved into another house instead of the one on Cielo Drive? What if she had stayed out a little later with her friends that fateful night in August 1969? I asked myself these questions the entire time I read the book.
Rating:
Summary: a new outlook on the murders
Review: You'll never beat Helter Skelter as the definitive book on the subject, but I liked this one because it was more about Sharon and the other victims than about the killers. It gives you a different perspective on the time, the place, the way America, especially Los Angeles, was in 1969. It also includes graphic murder scene and autopsy photos that are not in Helter Skelter. Not for the squeamish, but if you are, you don't want to read about Charlie's "family" at all...
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