Reviews (8)

Bad subject, great presentation
Madonna is the ultimate emperor in new clothes (all pomp, no circumstance), but these Rolling Stone Files collections are well organized, easy to follow, and fascinating in their ability to let us follow a career via some of the best writing in the business. Madonna is a fascinating anomaly because of her almost freakish ambition combined with an appalling lack of real talent. That makes this a very readable collection, even if I never listen to the music or see the godawful movies.

Awesome
Great if you love Madonna, as I do. Also, good if you are just interested in reading about her. She is fascinating....always has been, always will be. Madonna is a living legend! Also recommend, Encyclopedia Madonnica.....Madonna is absolutely fabulous!

The 3 best books about Madonna
1. This one (Rolling Stone Files) 2. Encyclopedia Madonnica (Matthew Rettenmund) 3. Madonna Unauthorized (Christopher Anderson)

With these 3 books you will learn more about Madonna then she even knows about herself.

Mandatory for any fanatic who wants to know more about this show-biz lady, other then what they see and hear on radio, TV, onstage, and onscreen.

Viva Ciccone!

Triumphant!!!
Rolling Stone and Madonna?Why not.Her being in the cover on all reincartions deserves a compilation.Essential to all Madonnaics,here we could trace her humble begginings,rise to fame,the endless critical scrutiny...it's all here and more.Missing though are the tongue in cheek covers,picture,and one liners.(Perhaps,one need to buy RS coffee table book Covers,to totally enjoy the moment).Concise,right on track and enjoyable!!!

madonnaology
Being a Madonnaologists in my own write, I enjoyed this history. I also found the Madonna stuff in POSTMODERNISM FOR BEGINNERS, intriguing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

What's the best part of Madonna: An Intimate Biography? The sex part! According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, Madonna tried to insure her breasts for $6 million each. Prince dumped her because "he wanted to savor every second [of sex]; she was into multiple orgasms." Sean Penn demanded she get an HIV test. "Screw you," she said. "Not until you get tested," he said. When Penn found out about Madonna and Prince, he punched a hole in her wall. Madonna demanded that Prince plaster it ("You're responsible!"), and he did. JFK Jr. refused to give her a baby, and Jackie objected to his affair with someone called a "Material Girl." "Who in this world has been more materialistic than you?" JFK Jr. asked his mother. When he and Madonna dumped each other, he said, "Easy come, easy go." She compared her Broadway debut in Speed-the-Plow to "having really good sex." After their first kiss, Warren Beatty said, "Houston, we have lift-off." Madonna's tune "Hanky Panky" reflects Beatty's favorite sport, spanking. But Barbra Streisand helped convince him to dump the "floozy," so she picked up Tony Ward on Malibu Beach by putting out a cigarette on his back and pinching his nipple. When she realized he was more of a floozy than she was, she spent 21 and a half hours in the Carlyle Hotel trying to convince the married Penn to father her child. Rebuffed, she picked up Carlos Leon, a fitness trainer at Crunch, in Central Park, and presto, she had a baby. Dennis Rodman (whom she called "Daddy Long Legs") was a dud in bed, but she found true love in the daddy of her second child, Princess Diana's cousin Guy Ritchie, director of Snatch.

There's stuff about her career in the book, but Taraborrelli is a lousy music and film critic. I can't vouch for the accuracy of his dish, but I promise you that as a gossip he's the real thing. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Tabloid Style Is Out-Of-Touch With Madonna's Current Image
As the "Madonna historian" refered to four times in this book, I have to say I am a little dissapointed with the final result of this biography considering it took 10 years to complete. The amount of information collected was probably enormous, but it's editing and delivery leaves much to be desired.

Madonna: An Intimate Biography, is an excellent compilation of the various media news reports spanning Madonna's entire career, but most fans have already heard these stories and there is not much "new" offered. Many of the stories originate from Madonna's sensationalized tabloid past which is not really very current with Madonna's present image and relationship with her fans. The author tried to end on a positve note only after spending much of the book showing every negative trait of Madonna's former persona. I would have liked to have seen more focus on the new exclusive interviews with people surrounding Madonna's career. The author did do some of this, but did not present very many new details unless they were of a negative tone. This style of bio would have been better suited for circa 1990-1992.

I did find the John Kennedy Jr. stories more detailed than what was previously reported due to the authors research into the Kennedy clan, but I don't have 100% confidence in the author's quote accuracy considering that his references to my work were close to, but not quoted 100% correct. This is not a big deal, but it makes it hard to believe that these stories happened exactly as described in the book.

I saw what might be considered expressed bias aginst Madonna with this book by the publisher (Simon & Schuster) on page 221 where the author claims that Madonna stole her "Sex" book idea for Time-Warner from Simon & Schuster editor Judith Regan. If this story is true, it might have been better for this book to have been published by another publisher. Otherwise the appearance of a negative "pay back" to Madonna with this book does cross the readers mind as it did when I read the story.

I would also like to have seen more detail on the production of Madonna's recordings which is why she is so famous in the first place. There are many juicy stories about the production of her albums that have not yet been told in detail. The author missed an opportunity to explore this, particularly with her former collaborators Shep Pettibone, Stephen Bray and Tony Shimkin and Junior Vasquez.

As much work as the author put into this book, perhaps he didn't ask enough questions or the right questions when speaking to the interview subjects. More likely, these details may have been edited away by S&S as too boring?

At any rate ,this "intimate" biography just doesn't seem very intimate with sources credited to People Magazine, The National Enquirer and the Globe. Sure many other sources were also used, but the tone of this bio for the majority of the first 2/3'rds of it, reeks of the style of these publications.

Perhaps the publisher would consider publishing a volume two
using the rest of Taraborrelli's research using a different delivery style and tone more current to Madonna's more mature fan base and current public image? ...

very interesting
This book is very thick, but its an easy read all the way. I know this book can't all be true, but it sure feels like it. Very well done.

A Fun Read
Madonna is one of the most successful artists in the history of pop music. A key to her success was her single-minded determination to become a star no matter what it took. Along the way she used a lot of people and bruised a lot of egos. Not surprisingly, many of those whom she stepped on were very willing to talk to Taraborrelli, a modern day Kitty Kelly whose biographies/victims include Diana Ross (the delightfully nasty Call Her Miss Ross) and Michael Jackson (The Magic And The Madness). This makes for quite a fun read.

Taraborelli does a good job of detailing Madonna's turbulent childhood (the loss of her mother, her strained relationship with her father, even the loss of her virginity!?!) but the book really takes off when Madonna goes to New York in 1978 in search of stardom. We are introduced to Camille Barbone, a talent agent who is the unsung heroine in the Madonna story. Camille invests every cent she has into Madonna's career only to be dumped by the Material Girl when she finally secures a recording deal with Warner Brothers. Early on, we also see Madonna go through a series of male musical collaborators who double as lovers, ensuring their professional devotion to her until she moves on to bigger and better things (among them Jellybean "Holiday" Benitez).

As Madonna's career takes off, the men she chooses to date are inevitably celebs themselves. The book is most entertaining in dealing with her many relationships, including hothead first husband Sean Penn, wishy washy JFK Jr. (who dumps Madonna on Mommy's orders), old fart Warren Beatty (as much a user as Madonna), and superfreak Dennis Rodman, who kissed and told about his relationship with Madonna in his own tell-all book (a big no-no in Madonna's world).

Where the book falls short (and is kept from meriting five stars) is in its frequently contradictory assessments of Madonna's music. After raving about the contents of Madonna's third album TRUE BLUE (and its five major hits), for instance, he sums it up by saying it "wasn't a great album. A less intriguing artist might not have survived it." Even though Taraborrelli wrote for music magazines early in his career, he is not a strong analyzer of pop music.

This book ends in mid-2001, at a time in Madonna's life when her personal and professional life were seemingly at her peak (the birth of her son Rocco and marriage to Guy Ritchie, the release of her two strongest albums RAY OF LIGHT and MUSIC had all occured within the previous two years). As her wedding unfolds on the final pages, we are introduced to a kinder, gentler Madonna who has reconciled with her father and seems to finally appreciate the little things in life. For Madonna fans, it was a great time to end the book (since then, her professional life at least has not been so successful, with the universal panning of her film Swept Away - which Ritchie directed - and the subpar AMERICAN LIFE album). For all of the entertainment this amazing woman has provided, she deserves a happy ending.

PERFECT!!
I wasn't even a Madonna fan until I read this book. Taraborrelli does an INCREDIBLE job and has converted me to Madonna 'fanhood'. Revealing, exciting and most of all addictive, I read An Intimate Biography cover to cover in two days.
Excellent book choice for any Madonna fan, or like me,pepole not even interested. You'll be pleasently suprised what the combination of Madonna and Taraborrelli have to offer. You won't be disappointed!

A good biography
This book by J.Randy Taraborelli is a quite interesting biography of Madonna, providing information on her personality in various levels. We read about her relationships with her parents, her friends, love partners and collaborators, about her views on many issues, her growth as a person and an artist.
If you want to know about her, then this book is definetely worth your time.
Madonna is certainly an important personality of modern culture, and this book is fast and enjoyable and cleverly the author does show Madonna's negative aspects, and does not try to create her psychological profile.
The book is simply based on facts and accounts of Madonna's acquaintances.
I just gave it 3 stars because I found it was interesting, but it simply isn't a favorite of mine. ... Read more

Book Description

Madonna has long been accepted as a pop culture icon, but this text postulates a greater cultural importance by analyzing her as a postmodern myth.

This work examines how Madonna methodically discovered and constructed herself (often rewriting her past), the nature and extent of her ambition and the means she used to reach her goals. It also details the way in which she organized her own cult (borrowing from the gay community), devised her artistic output, and cunningly targeted different audiences. It also studies the fundamental contradiction—virgin or vamp? saint or prostitute?—that fuels Madonna’s career and describes how Madonna reflects today’s society, its contradictions and its attitudes toward sexuality and religion. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Makes Madonna Make "Postmodern" Interesting
Like so many, I find Madonna interesting. And I agree with the positive reviews of this book -- I really like it. The unique contribution here is the way the author discusses Madonna in ways that make "postmodern" an interesting, understandable, ans useful concept. And believe me, I am no fan of academic writing of or about the posrmodern. But this book can be highly and widely recommended.

Very Interesting Overview of Madonna
Madonna:alot can be said about Her but Boring isn't one of them.thsi Book Explores the Many things that relate too the Artist&personna that is Madonna.this Book is Challenging&also puts Madonna into a Complete Perspective from start too finish.just like the Woman Herself it will keep you wondering more&what lays around the Corner.

Final evidence of Madonna's superior intelligence
In this book GC Guilbert shows how absolutely everything Madonna has ever done is packed with clever references. He doesn't mean that she's a plagiarist, far from it: she just uses her vast knowledge of (popular) culture, in a "postmodern" way. A fascinating read.

A MADONNA BOOK FOR INTELLIGENT FANS
At last a book about Madonna that can be enjoyed by academics AND fans. There have been two or three collections of highbrow essays by various university eggheads that were a bit too hermetic. "Madonna as Postmodern Myth" is "intellectual" but crystal clear.The subtitle pretty much sums it up: Georges-Claude Guilbert does show the way the diva "rewrites" just about everything -- always cleverly -- and especially old Hollywood stars. Besides, it's a very feminist book, but a sexy feminist book (yes, it is possible). I'm sure every Cultural Studies professor is going to want to read it, as well as every Madonna fan who's ever wondered why it is exactly that makes her / him adore the "self-constructed" star, beyond the obvious: she's unique. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

She just...didn't get it.
I read this as a Madonna fan--not a rabid, love-everything-she-is fan, but an fairly discerning, admiring fan. And all I have to say is this: if you don't really get Madonna, and want one woman's opinion on her impact, this book might be alright for you. But if you have any opinion on her at all, or are any kind of fan, this lady (the author) is probably going to get under your skin. I found myself cringing continually at what she said about Madonna's body of work. She obviously hadn't understood what Madonna was trying to do with many of the career moves she made, an understanding that I think is pretty easy to reach if you read the interviews, watch/listen to the work and take the public reaction into account. She overanalyzed the simple moves and brushed over the motives and purposes behind the most important ones, and this drove me crazy. By the end of the book I felt that I was no better or worse for reading it, though I felt a little inclined to do my own Madonna commentary, the right way this time--by disagreeing with her, I formed some of my own opinions more fully, but to be honest, this book does not take any huge stands to disagree with. The author just simply doesn't get Madonna. Perhaps she'd do a better study of Cher or Barbara Streisand.

I thought this book would have been much better if the author had approached it as a sort of long, personal essay about Madonna's effect on her life. I would have been able to accept that. But an in-depth study of Madonna...she simply isn't qualified.

On a more complimentary note, the title and cover art are wonderful.

What kind of fan are you?
Ok, i bought this book because it was the only title available at the bookstore. I find that this book is for one certain type of fan. If you want to look at Madonna on a global, cultural scale, this book is for you. It's purpose, in my opinion, is to situate Madonna, explain her and compare her to others. But it seems like there is soooo much talk about other people, there's no Madonna. The author throws in her name here and there, but, if you're like me, it won't be enough. If you're the kind of fan that wants to read about Madonna, and no one else, you just want info on her, this book isn't for you. Let's be honest- all we want to know about is Madonna. I don't care about other actors or singers or 1950's radio. Get to Madonna!

fh non
Iam civil engineer I live in germany and continue my postgradute studie

A New Interesting Book of Madonna Studies
As a Madonna fan with a feminist identity (I'm a member of an organization of Women's Studies), I have read so many books and articles about her. What has confused me is that most of the authors have "objectified" the artist. But Karlene Faith does not. I'm curious about what Faith thinks of Madonna's "Ray of Light" era, and of her own recent explanation about her works in the early 1990s. Anyway, BAWDY & SOUL is an interesting, recommendable book. Even if you are not a scholar of so-called "Madonna Studies", I think you can enjoy it. When it is translated into my mother tongue, I think I would tell my friends to read it. ... Read more

Book Description

From cartoons to academic essays to tabloid journalism, Madonna has been interpreted in almost every way possible. Here is an original collection of these writings that is almost as diverse as the Material Girl herself which attempts to uncover as many interpretations of Madonna's appeal as is possible. Photographs and cartoons. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The literary hodgepodge of Madonna
This book contains 51 different articles, thesis', poems and rants about Madonna, by authors varied as Camille Paglia and Vincent Canby to Henry Rollins and Liz Smith. It includes various one page cartoons and strips from "Mad" magazine and the Village Voice, and also in the mix are Rolling Stone poll results, a David Letterman top ten list about "Truth or Dare", and Sandra Bernhard writing about her Madonna dreams from her book "Confessions of a Pretty Lady". This book is chock full of more useless information about Madonna that us fans crave, new and old...The information covers roughly the 1984-1991 era (her most active IMHO) and is very entertaining, though not for the average reader. Madonna fans will find this book a great resource and companion to "The Madonna Companion", also a collection of written works about Madonna, though it is more on the scholarly edge. So this book is recommended to Madonna collectors, and all others...Borrow it from your own "Madonna freak". ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Key To My Heart
The one and only regret of purchasing this book is that I should have purchase it the time when it first came out. If I'm ever given a chance I would have rated it 10 STARS **********. It's not that I do not know everything about Madge after years of being a fan(I believe I'm not just 'some' fan), but after reading this book it gives me a revision of insightful aspect of what she has been doing to the(my) world and the kind of impact that she has had on me. All in all, it's an eye-opener only that it opens up my heart as well. (...)

Great Pictures
If you collect photos of Madonna...this is full of nice ones. As far as content it is not too extensive..but it fits its title! The style book has a lot of it!

GREAT BOOK
Awesome pictures, awesome text, AWESOME Madonna. The most famous woman on the planet...love her or hate her, you cannot deny her influence on pop culture. She is a TRUE ARTIST. If you're a Madonna fan, you must have this book!!!!

Book is alright for Madonna Wannabes
If you want to look like Madonna, then this is the book for you. It show's you the different styles of clothes Madonna wore from past to present. It's really a great book.

She's the best
Madonna is the very best! We all love her. great book ... Read more

Book Description

The explosive New York Times bestseller-- Madonna

From motherless child to wife and mother, from "boy toy" to fiercely independent diva, Madonna is one of the most remarkable women of our time. With a career that spans two decades and ranges from the scandalous to the transcendent, she is a bigger phenomenon than ever. But who is the private woman behind the public image?

Andrew Morton, whose #1 New York Times bestsellers about Princess Diana and Monica Lewinsky have proven his ability to gain access to insiders who won't talk to anyone else, answers that question in this decidedly unauthorized new biography. Morton's extensive, in-depth interviews with members of Madonna's inner circle-- lovers, friends, and business connection, many of whom have never spoken out before-- allow him to go beyond the carefully constructed myths to unmask the real Madonna. Andrew Morton is able to make startling revelations, among them the real story of Madonna's family background; the events behind the violent attack that changed her views on sex and men; her relationships with Michael Jackson, Prince, John F. Kennedy Jr., Vanilla Ice, and other rock and Hollywood stars; the mystery man she wanted to marry; and the darkest days of her career when she threatened to quit show business. In this fascinating, richly detailed biography, Andrew Morton reveals Madonna in an entirely new light.

With 16 pages of photographs
... Read more

Reviews (29)

Call Me Crazy...But I Think Its Very Well Written
I was shocked to see so many readers dissing this book. Granted, its the first Madonna bio I have read, but I felt that it was written with a lot of care and balance. And I couldn't put it down for five seconds. Mr. Morton is not a weak writer, rather he uses restraint, refusing to sensationalize his subject. Yet, Madonna is a sensational character and her life is dramatic enough to enthrall the reader without the overbearing massaging of the author's touch. I think the author achieved a perfect balance between delivering the goods and respecting the privacy of Madonna's intimate encounters, i.e. he does not go into graphic sexual detail concerning her exploits--and that is fine with me. I don't need those fine details, I have an imagination. In short, I think it was okay that he analyze Madonna psychologically, otherwise, where is the content, where is the meaning? We need to remember that she is a struggler, a survivor, that she cuts and bleeds--that she is not larger than life and inhuman. I would have been much more dissapointed to just have been given sensationalistic gossip and facts with no attempt to tie it altogether in a meaningful way. Morton obviously cared about his subject, repects her ballsy choices, though he never fails to point out the concequences, good and bad, that have come from them. I am a fan, but not insane enough to deny that Madonna has come off as a total fool and embarrasment at times. Morton's analysis offers explanations as to why she is simultaneously irresistible and over-the-top annoying. I totally resonate with his insights and highly recommend this fascinating and well-researched book.

Andrew Morton can even make Madonna's life seem boring
I am a huge fan of Madonna and was looking forward to an entertaining read...the keyword here is entertaining. Like others have said, Morton's writing is terrible. I know that he is a respected writer of biographies... but this was terrible! I don't know how he did it but he even made Madonna seem boring. The writing didn't flow. Details of later events were thrown in previous chapters and then completed ignored later when they should apply. I felt it was poorly organized and poorly written. Even huge fans will be disappointed. Hopefully Madonna will write her own one day.

Even-handed and relatively informative
Morton writes in a pretty straightforward journalistic style about Madonna's life from childhood through to her marriage to Guy Ritchie. As a fan but not an expert on Madonna, I found the book to be very informative, particularly about her early years in NYC. I enjoyed reading about her relationships with people like the Gilroy brothers, and up until reading this book did not realize the extent of her days in NY, for example, that she had played gigs at Max's Kansas City. The info comes off as being very fair to Madonna in terms of her drive and her progress. She is often portrayed as a heartless climber, but Morton paints the picture of a bright personality who is extremely energetic, motivated, and also loving and caring, even if she does crave the spotlight and need to be the center of attention. The book is more telling about her than the typical Madonna mythology we so often hear. He details her generosity with certain friends, and with AIDS charities, her struggle to make her first marriage work, while also citing incidents of cheapness and bitchiness. Also interesting are the descriptions of her various business ventures, and her non-stop work ethic which spills over into every aspect of her life, from songwriting to running six miles and then working out with weights for an hour. My criticism is that, around the 3/4 point, Morton jumps back and forth a bit erratically in time after his initial description of the birth of Lourdes and the making of Evita. Up until that point, the format was chronological. The content of the book, including Morton's analysis of Madonna's personality, makes for a good bio despite the minor flaws of format.

Interesting approach; average execution
Andrew Morton's approach to describing the Madonna phenomenon is interesting in that he attempts to uncover what are the motivations that drive Madonna. I think he succeeds in that -- talking about her drive and insecurity. The book is an interesting read, however it falls short of puting Madonna in a broader perspective -- as a fascinating creation of American culture, as an entrepreneur and one of the notable pop music stars of the late 20th century. Other than her earnings and desire for control, Morton spends little time on the business aspects of Madona's success, which is no less fascinating than her musical accomplishments.

...
This book is so poorly written it's shocking. I lost count of the factual errors, there were at least one on every page. Many of the dates and "facts" are erroneous, he places her in Miami for Thanksgiving 1993 when in fact she was in Australia on tour. One of his so-called 'sources', ex-boyfriend Jimmy Albright, is shown in a photograph with Madonna but guess what? It's not him, it's one of her dancers from the Blond Ambition Tour. If he can make such an obvious mistake like that then how much of the rest of the book are you supposed to believe?

His psyhcoanalysis of Madonna is tiresome to say the least. How can he make such judgments about her character having never met her?

Wait for Madonna's own memoirs. ... Read more

Book Description

Quotes from the woman hailed as the voice of the 80s. "Do you really think I’m a material girl? I’m not." ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not quite 5 ****
Well, I rec'd this book and began reading. I didn't realize the entire book was quotes from the actress herself, which don't get me wrong, being the strong Madonna fan that I am, is great; however I was expecting a little more I think. The pictures are good, but not some of the best pics I've seen her in. So, the pics could have been better and a little more words, maybe not from the actress herself, A nice collector's piece I guess.

Love or Loath Her you always find yourself listening
one thing about Madonna then as now She has never been lost with words on People,Places,&things.She has always had something to say on everything&everyone.I applaud Her for being Herself no matter what.interesting quotes through the years from her.

Slim read, but interesting for old quotes.
Madonna, someone who rarely minces her words, has become quite the quotable legand. She's not choosey, really, as this book samples from interviews and suchlike and chunks them together in different sections. Ultimately, it's a fun read because Madonna is a fun person to hear opinions from, whether you agree with them or not. As an added incentive, the last few pages give those Mo talks about, a chance to talk back. Some can get pretty mean, but Madonna gets mean right back.

Good
This book is interesting to read because you get to see Madonna's commentary on many subjects. She's one of those people that you're never quite sure if she means what she says or if she's just trying to cause a commotion with her words, and in that sense reading Madonna in her own words was an interesting time. ... Read more

Book Description

Goddess is the book that Madonna and her entourage did not want published. Long before the star could instruct her family and friends not to talk to the author, Barbara Victor spent more than eighteen months in Michigan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, California, New York, and Florida, interviewing Madonna's father and stepmother, her grandmother and other family members, as well as friends, neighbors, business associates, and former lovers and colleagues, some of whom knew the Ciccone family from the time Madonna was a young child, many of whom have never before spoken either on or off the record.

In this extraordinary biography, Barbara Victor taps into previously unexplored sources to unmask the privet person behind the public image. As a result of her extensive research, Victor casts new light on every aspect of Madonna's career and private life -- from her childhood in Michigan to her early years in New York, from meteoric ascent to stardom to her most recent incarnation as an English wife and mother.

After almost two decades, since she first appeared in the international music scene, Madonna continues to fascinate and challenge both her fans and her detractors. With her remarkable ability to reinvent herself -- from diva to provocateur, from artist to mogul -- she continues to command more attention and arouse more controversy than any other public figure of our time. Alternately criticized and revered, Madonna consistently and dramatically sets style, social, sexual, and musical trends and yet she remains an enigma to her public, keeping her most intimate identity hidden from all but her closest friends.Goddess offers explosive new revelations about Madonna's life, her career, and the fact or fantasy of her lesbian and heterosexual relationships. Barbara Victor has written the definitive biography about a woman who gives new meaning to the term superstar. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

An Extraordinary Book
This is one of the most unusual show business biographies I've ever read. I loved it. Somehow this writer makes you understand how a phenomenon like Madonna happens, and then makes you feel as if you really are inside Madonna's head, experiencing her life as she lived it. The book has lots of gossip, but it has something I liked even more, which is a bigger picture of how Madonna reflects what's happening in the world around her, which made me understand completely the loyalty of her fans. The personal story is really moving. I especially liked the section about how the loss of Madonna's mother affected her and the direction of her life. Most books about stars don't really tell you much about the star, or how we relate to them. This one does both. It's fun to read and when I finished it I felt like every second had been worth it.

The Human Side of Divinity
For any Madonna fan, or anyone fascinated by the phenomenon.
I loved this book. It is filled with insights and details from
Madonna's life that the other books missed or simply left out because they only
want to praise the Material Girl. The information from Madonna's family is worth the price of the book alone. Victor also draws amazing parallels between
Madonna's life and Evita's, but she adds many more helpful
comparisons and critiques that make this book the one to read. It's the best of both worlds--dishy and smart.

Blatant muck raking.
I think it is absolutely pointless purchasing this book, I am not interested in knowing the ins and outs of someone's private life...would anybody want to inquire and go through a regular persons dirty laundry? no of course not..So why should anyone do it with Madonna? it seems like a futile attempt to muck rake if you ask me, same with other books like it. What's more, muck raking to make $$$$ from dragging Madonna's name through the mud. I bet this lady probably didn't even speak to anyone connected with Madonna but instead trawled through all the old tabloid papers relying on those soley to fill up her stupid book. She should find another way of making money, the woman is clearly clutching at straws and is desperate to make any buck through Madonna.

Woah.
Look at the cover. Isn't that reason enough to get this?

Skip this one
This book was indeed quite a challenge to finish and would have been greatly improved by a more rigorous editing job. The writer's transitions between ideas were practically non-existent -- a frequent tactic of the author's was to describe an anecdote and then "analyze" it, but the analysis often left me totally baffled, since the writer did not take the time to explain why she came to her conclusions -- as if describing the anecdote was enough to make its (apparently one-and-only) "meaning" obvious. And I deeply distrust any biography that describes what the subject was thinking when she was alone, especially when the subject did not cooperate with or directly contribute to the writing of the book. And Ms. Victor got several of her facts wrong, which does not lend credence to her speculations -- "You Must Love Me," for example, was written for Madonna in Evita, and so it sounds silly for the writer to say Madonna made it her own, since she was the only one who has performed it so far. The writer also defines "los descamisados" as "the shiftless ones," when it actually means "the shirtless ones," although that could have been a typo -- again, something that careful editing would have caught. Evita, in fact, is referred to on almost every page and the writer's comparisons of Madonna to Eva Peron run the gamut from tedious to unintentionally hilarious.

I also bought Andrew Morton's book, and it will be interesting to read the two biographies back-to-back. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wow!
This is a well-researched, explosive Madonna biography! Great pictures well worded; cool.

This book rules
"Madonna" is a really nice book about Madonna. It has lotsa facts about Madonna. You might not have known some of the facts before. I strongly recommend it. Madonna rules

This is a great book!
This book is a absolute must for everyone who loves the best singer on earth as much as I do! Madonna makes the world go round! M-rules !!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Way way cool bio!
I bought it in 93' and it's been one of my favorite itens on Madonna. Every page has at least a picture, some have lots of pictures and no texts, and several whole page pictures. Doesn't cover Madonna's career until now, of course but it's indeed a collector's piece. The time it covers, it covers you get to know a lot about it, and those pictures.... several are really hard to find! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Book...
This is a great hard to find book. I found mine in a rummage sale. Their's not much text, but the photos of Madonna are well worth trying to locate this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Entertainers were the first group of successful women to capture the public eye, taking to the stage in vaudeville and film and redefining their place in society. June Sochen introduces the white, African American, and Latina women who danced on Broadway, fell on bananas in silent films, and wisecracked in smoky clubs, as well as the modern icons of today’s movies and popular music.

Sochen considers such women as Mae West, Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, Pam Grier, Lucille Ball, and Mary Tyler Moore to discover what show business did for them and what they did for the world of entertainment. She places each woman within the context of her time and talks about her relationship with dominant female stereotypes.

In examining how they worked within or transformed particular genres and how their personal and public lives affected their careers, From Mae to Madonna casts the spotlight on a series of remarkable women and their dramatic effect on America’s popular culture. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Madonna misses her mark
Madonna's book is bland but somewhat entertaining still. I would not recommend this. ... Read more