Leslie Zemeckis's Blog - Posts Tagged "biography"

Well, better make that a double dirty martini: 3 oz good vodka (you'll need it good) chilled, 1 oz dry vermouth, just slightly more than 1/2 ox olive brine, stirred, strain sip and forgive this ultimately disappointing read. Ava Gardner, notorious drinker, man-eater, beauty. I was already to hear from her own lips tales about her affairs with Howard Hughes and marriages to Artie Shaw, Mickey Rooney (that needed explaining) and Sinatra. What this book is instead is mainly an ongoing page after page argument with Ava and her ghostwriter Peter Evans. Okay after the fourth or fifth argument "are you sure we should write that honey?" I wanted Mr. Evans to step out of the way, stop interrupting her late night rambling conversations where he could have gleaned more, possibly finished the book (before she quit) but he insisted she keep to a chronological order which she did not want to do. A mess of a book, as much of a mess as the woman herself, a sad, fierce woman who cannot sleep because of her guilt and her regrets. Someone needs to pick up her story and complete it, martinis, hangovers and one-night stands all.

I learned so much from this book by Leslie Smith Dow. The beautiful daughter of Victor Hugo was cultured, privileged and ultimately schizophrenic. Her end was sad. Surprisingly Adele is considered a feminist role-model because of her independence and thwarting of women's traditional roles.
Settle in with a Hugo:

Champagne
fresh lemon juice
a sugar cube
dash of absinthe

Fascinating history of murder, prostitution, and corruption in Crescent City during the early-twentieth century. Though difficult to read, and a bit slow the characters are worth the wading through.
This one deserves a pairing with a twist on the classic Hurricane:
rum
orange juice
lime juice
fresh passion fruit or syrup
splat of melted butter
serve over ice and read about corrupt politicians, and how the free wheeling color blind New Orleans became a place of divided race and economic lines.