Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace

Rating:
Summary: Candid View of Liberace from a Former Lover's Standpoint
Review: This book is a great read--full of dish and gossip. Yet it provides readers with a view of Liberace's personal life as seen through the eyes of former lover Scott Thorson, only 18 years old when he met the famous entertainer. Liberace went to outrageous lengths to protect his public image as that of a confirmed heterosexual bachelor entertainer, yet ironically Thorson and the gay community watching one of Lee's Vegas shows knew the truth right off the bat. I believe Thorson's book is the first one that spoke of Lee's lifestyle, dispelling all the carefully constructed myths by Lee's PR people and by the entertainer himself. Thorson writes about how Liberace's circle of friends and employees always jostled for position with the entertainer; how these cronies resented Scott's position with the famous star. You can see that Thorson developed a great affection and love for Liberace; however, Liberace, ever the Svengali, goes to extremes to remake Scott in his own image with fancy clothes, jewelry, and plastic surgery, which proves to be Thorson's undoing. A life of excitement, mega-shopping sprees, expensive gifts and largesse, turns into one of isolation, betrayal and drug addiction. Thorson was responsible for exposing Lee's true lifestyle to the public and was entangled in a 4-year lawsuit which he settled, upon learning that Lee had HIV. It would be easy to look upon this book as a celebrity trashing by a bitter lover, but fortunately Thorson never stoops that low. He still maintains great affection for Lee, even when he details the bitterness and battles of their relationship.