She Made Friends and Kept Them: An Anecdotal Memoir

Rating:
Summary: Excitement for Down-Times
Review: Five stars-- this book entertains as well as educates even if the education is mostly on a superflous level.

While on bed rest with one of my pregnancies, one of my girlfriends loaned me this. Like Kirkus Reviews indicates, it is full of triavialities and stupid tidbits. But what fun they are to read! No, I couldn't call up my girlfriends and gossip about these things-- not many 25 year olds know a lot about Gloria Swanson or have heard about the movers and shakers of two generations ago. It was fascinating to read of someone's life while in the midst of the people who were defining her era (including Fleur Cowles, herself.) Her contemporaries were true stars, people whose influence is still looked to by the flash-in-a-pan celebrities of today. She dined with Royalty when they were still powerful and knew people who had affairs that would make Bubba blush, but had enough class to be discreet about them.

From someone who lives on "the other side" I cannot help but wish I had some of this woman's problems and scrapes, not to mention her panache at dealing with my own! Martha Stewart, on gracious living, doesn't hold a candle up to Fleur Cowles and for that matter-- I don't think that anyone does or ever will!

Rating:
Summary: Skim every surface; delves into none
Review: Not one of the "cameos" in this book is more that a page or two or (rarely) three. Many are less than one page. After a while, this book becomes simply frustrating; lacking depth, completeness and continuity. I found it monotonous and superficial.