Rating: 
Summary: Save your money. I wish I did.
Review: I gave in and bought it. (Yes, I AM such a sucker!!! It mentions Barry? OK, here's my wallet). I had my doubts when the author admitted in the preface that she has attended only one concert back in the 80's and has not bothered to see a single show since. So much for research.Actually, it started out OK. It provided a few more details than Sweetlife about Barry's time with Jeane Lucas and describes the studio on 27th and how he used to hang with his neighbors in the garden they shared....Butler's actually fairly good on the really old stuff. Fun trivia on his attempts to win a dance contest for American Bandstand, his first Jazz group when he was in high school (I didn't realize that group lasted several years), a few details on some of the other shows he produced besides the Drunkard. I didn't know Barry had been drafted either, or that his dad only had part of a foot.... However, after the end of the 77 tour, she just breezes through stuff. Paradise Cafe gets only a couple paragraphs at the end of the book, and Harmony gets ONE LINE on page 232 of a 235 page book!!! Hunh??? That's inexcusable. Even "Copcabana the Musical" gets a paragraph or two. It's clear she talked to a lot of the "old" people in Barry's life, but apparently no one since 1980 will even speak with her. Therefore, her book essentially ends after 1978--at least Sweetlife goes up to the mid-80's! She had another 13 years to discuss, yet she has nothing to say. Even his mother, Edna, who figures prominantly in the beginning, is never mentioned again after she enters the sanitarium and sends him a letter. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was never released! Butler also goes ON and ON and ON about his dad. Obviously the one person Butler spent the most time talking with was Annie Kelliher, Barry's dad's second wife. She spends WAY too much time discussing his father. While I'm sure all this shaped him as a child, I really don't think it was the defining point in his life. Move on.... Also, Butler spends the last few chapters trying to explain why the critics didn't like him....it goes on forever but she never makes her point. Finally, she copies pages and pages directly from the book Starlust. These pages describe the two absolute worst fanatics as typical fans---people with severe mental problems. Any woman who cries after she has sex with her husband because he isn't Barry or one who talks to Barry ALL day long (she imagines he's working in the other room and offers him coffee) is clearly MENTALLY ILL and needs immediate treatment. If you abolutely MUST have this book to "complete your collection", do yourself a favor and stop reading after the first 75 pages-maybe sooner. Better yet, save your money. I wish I did.
Rating:
Summary: Inaccurate Information
Review: I have been a life long Barry Manilow fan and fan club member, so when I came across this book, I thought it would be a nice addition to my small collection. It appeared to be giving me information into the life of Barry's parents and grandparents for which I had not known of previously. I was intrigued up until the second chapter where the author listed Barry's birthdate as June 17, 1943. Barry was born in 1946, so now I question all content in this book. If the author cannot get the most simple of facts straight, then I cannot feel confident in any of this book's facts or content.
Rating:
Summary: Stay Away From This Book
Review: I have witnessed the antics of the author of this book numerous times on the internet. I had already decided that I really didn't like her but that, out of all fairness, I would read her book since I AM a long time Manilow fan.
The author didn't let me down, the book was exactly what I had expected...a waste of time. I had a hard time even getting through the book, it was written so poorly.
the author appears to have read every newspaper clipping and magazine article she could find...believed them as gospel..then copied what she read into the pages of this book.
While there are a few interesting anecdotes included in this book, overall it's a waste of the paper it's printed on.
My advice? buy another book.
Rating: 
Summary: For those who don't believe in Santa Clause
Review: I read the reviews before I read the book, and expected to see the author trash Mr. Manilow. I found none of that. Unlike many of the fans who've reviewed this book, I found it to be fairly balanced. And unlike a lot of the other fans, my world does not come crashing down around me to find (as I suspected) that he is gay. It's comments like one of the previous reviewers, "I'm so disappointed," that has kept this man in the closet for 30 years, and that is just sad that he has to pretend to be something he's not just to keep his fan base of middle-class, middle-age, suburban housewives who seem to harbor the fantasy that Manilow is going to swoop down and rescue them from their boring, mini-van existence. (I've been to his concerts and judging from the first three rows, this is a fairly accurate portrayal). I read "Sweet Life," and it sounded a little too rosy to be believable. Most people's autobiographies reflect what they want you to know. This biography went over many things "Sweet Life" didn't cover. If you want to read a fairly balanced book about Barry Manilow, and don't mind having any delusions you may harbor shattered, I found this one to be excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: If the fans are mad, you know it's good...
Review: I think the best testimony of this book's accuracy is how mad those fans who've recognized themselves in its pages have gotten; witness some of the "reviews" on this listing that are nothing more than flimsy excuses for the reviewers to insult the author. This book is well written, with lots of new and -- more importantly -- corrected information about Manilow. Fans are upset that the book honestly discusses Manilow's sexuality and some of his minor sins, like lying about his age and his marital status (annulled, not divorced) and tells the truth about his father. The book also takes an unflinching look at some of Manilow's fans, many of whom worship the man to the detriment of their own lives. In the end, the book is completely fair in its discussion of Manilow's strengths and weaknesses, and especially interesting is the author's exploration of why the critics have been so cruel to Manilow over the years, despite his legions of followers and his ongoing success. Real fans, not ruled by silly internet politics, will enjoy getting a better understanding of "the showman of our generation."...
Rating:
Summary: Not even worth one-star; save your money!
Review: I think the credibility of this "tome" is questionable as there are no "sources" quoted who are currently close to the entertainer, and the only quotes from Manilow himself are passages "lifted" from his own autobiography. Some of what appear as "fan quotes" seem to end up painting these people as less "fans" than "obsessed fanatics," caught up more in the man than the music. I admit, I only skimmed it... but it was enough to give me an idea that it wasn't worth a full read.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Disappointed
Review: If you ever decide to write a biography about someone, it should be someone you are familiar with. This book was a total disappointment. Ms. Butler only spoke with or used material from people that were no longer involved with Barry. His step mother and her daughter, Lee Gurst, etc. Where were the interviews with Marty Panzer, Linda Hall, Roberta Kent, the people that really know him. This book discussed neurotic fantasies that lonely women had over Barry, expressed his sexuality over and over and over, discussed him lying about his age by 3 years, and tried to figure out why the critics hate him, and didn't do a very good job answering that question. I started listening to Barry in 1978 and know more about the man than she even tried to put in her book. Ms. Butler tried to ruin the man's reputation and discourage us from enjoying the man and his music. I truly don't care what anybody has to say about Barry Manilow. His music has a message and for millions of die hard fans, he is who he is and we accept him for that. This book is a waste of money. It was also a waste of the author's time.
Rating: 
Summary: A Shadow of a Biography
Review: If you've never read Barry's autobiography: "Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way To Paradise", that's the one you need to find and read. Ms. Butler's book, lacking Barry Manilow as a source (along with anyone who's been close to the man since 1980), comes across as a "shadow" of a book. It smacks of a college term paper that was required to be 20 pages when the writer only had enough material to fill 10 ... thus necessitating some "creative journalism" to fluff it out. To the author's credit, she valiantly tries to fill in the holes where she can, relying almost exclusively on already-published information (thus making this a boring read for diehard fans) and anecdotes from people who knew Barry decades ago. Some of the stories as they relate to Barry's earlier years are mildly interesting, but any of value are few and far between. The book is written fairly well until the twenty-fifth chapter, at which point the structure falls apart. It seems the author couldn't figure out a good way to wrap it up, so she stumbles onward with a chapter about psychotic fans and then, at the end, with a feeble attempt to answer the burning question: Why Barry, after more than three decades, continues to be scorned by the critics and the world at large? The burning answer? Well, we don't know, because the author never really answers it. I got to the end of this one and wondered why I had bothered. I think some fans will like to own this because there are a few unique photographs, but beyond that it's a tedious read and, as biographies go, rather poorly written.
Rating:
Summary: A Shadow of a Biography
Review: If you've never read Barry's autobiography: "Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way To Paradise", that's the one you need to find and read. Ms. Butler's book, lacking Barry Manilow as a source (along with anyone who's been close to the man since 1980), comes across as a "shadow" of a book. It smacks of a college term paper that was required to be 20 pages when the writer only had enough material to fill 10 ... thus necessitating some "creative journalism" to fluff it out. To the author's credit, she valiantly tries to fill in the holes where she can, relying almost exclusively on already-published information (thus making this a boring read for diehard fans) and anecdotes from people who knew Barry decades ago. Some of the stories as they relate to Barry's earlier years are mildly interesting, but any of value are few and far between. The book is written fairly well until the twenty-fifth chapter, at which point the structure falls apart. It seems the author couldn't figure out a good way to wrap it up, so she stumbles onward with a chapter about psychotic fans and then, at the end, with a feeble attempt to answer the burning question: Why Barry, after more than three decades, continues to be scorned by the critics and the world at large? The burning answer? Well, we don't know, because the author never really answers it. I got to the end of this one and wondered why I had bothered. I think some fans will like to own this because there are a few unique photographs, but beyond that it's a tedious read and, as biographies go, rather poorly written.
Rating:
Summary: Mission Impossible
Review: Let's see ... your assignment, should you choose to accept it is to write a "tell-all" bio of a famous singer. Thank heavens for the internet, it's easy to copy old reviews and articles (none past 1980). Family secrets ... oh there's a few. Put his mother in a sanatarium but never mention her again. For grins and giggles, interview disgruntled family members and/or former employees who are upset that they have been ignored all these years, and while we're at it, insult your buying audience by the 2nd paragraph. Wait for the buyout sale at the Dollar Store and in the meantime, study "how to win friends and influence people".
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