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Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh
'This is the best book we have had on Vivien Leigh, the most thoroughly and shrewdly researched, the most acute in its realization that Leigh was an actress who had to find herself in her parts if she was to do well, but who invariably began to destroy herself in the process.'--The Boston Sunday Globe
342 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 1987
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About the author
Alexander Walker
27 books18 followersAlexander Walker was a film critic and author of a number of biographies and books on the film industry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 19, 2010
I have seldom been more disappointed with a biography. I felt it should have been wonderful, considering the authority of the sources and the expertise of the author. However, it was dense and often dull in its repetitiveness. Other times, he left out key facts. For instance, Vivien suddenly has a relapse of her tuberculosis, and yet we were never told when she contracted it to begin with!
Walker continues to draw conclusions based on vague facts, painting a very two-dimensional image of a remarkably three-dimensional woman. She was mentally ill. She was beautiful. She was Mrs. Olivier. And that's all he seems to think we need to know about her. I despised the way he broke the book into three parts, named for her two husbands and the companion of her later years. It was as if she wasn't a woman in her own right, just someone's girl. This was especially apparent in the Olivier and Merivale chapters, where the author repeats over and over again how integral the Oliviers were to each other's careers and how she loved him until the end of her life, as if loving him was all she had time for.
The account was unemotional and detached, and remarkably devoid of detail considering how verbose he was. It read more like a list of film and stage engagements (and even more roles she turned down) than an account of her life. It is possible to find hints of the real Vivien Leigh behind the flat portrait Walker paints, however. For instance, she seems to have been a bookworm and a cat lover. One interesting line mentions Leigh's use of her two Oscars as a doorstop and a weight to hold down tissue in the loo. However, these intimate and charming puzzle pieces were nearly lost in the Olivier-worship from which the poor reader cannot escape.
Walker did Vivien Leigh, a great actress and probably fascinating person, a great disservice in writing this substandard biography. I probably could have gotten more insight from a Wikipedia article, and I intend to find a better biography of Lady Olivier. It shouldn't be hard.
Walker continues to draw conclusions based on vague facts, painting a very two-dimensional image of a remarkably three-dimensional woman. She was mentally ill. She was beautiful. She was Mrs. Olivier. And that's all he seems to think we need to know about her. I despised the way he broke the book into three parts, named for her two husbands and the companion of her later years. It was as if she wasn't a woman in her own right, just someone's girl. This was especially apparent in the Olivier and Merivale chapters, where the author repeats over and over again how integral the Oliviers were to each other's careers and how she loved him until the end of her life, as if loving him was all she had time for.
The account was unemotional and detached, and remarkably devoid of detail considering how verbose he was. It read more like a list of film and stage engagements (and even more roles she turned down) than an account of her life. It is possible to find hints of the real Vivien Leigh behind the flat portrait Walker paints, however. For instance, she seems to have been a bookworm and a cat lover. One interesting line mentions Leigh's use of her two Oscars as a doorstop and a weight to hold down tissue in the loo. However, these intimate and charming puzzle pieces were nearly lost in the Olivier-worship from which the poor reader cannot escape.
Walker did Vivien Leigh, a great actress and probably fascinating person, a great disservice in writing this substandard biography. I probably could have gotten more insight from a Wikipedia article, and I intend to find a better biography of Lady Olivier. It shouldn't be hard.
November 15, 2014
Poor, poor Vivien. That's what kept circulating through my mind as I read this. Last night I had only 30 pages left, but it took me two hours to read them; I could not stop crying over how tragic the last few years of her life were.
The author writes most eloquently about her life and feelings, painting a vast panorama of Vivien's life and providing insight into not only how professional she was, but how brave. This biography reads like a novel, and Walker places the same emphasis on character as a novelist would. Alexander Walker had access to Vivien's letters to Leigh Holman, Larry Olivier, and Jack Merivale, as well as interviews with her surviving relatives, friends, and loved ones--all of which enabled him to write an accurate, poignant biography. I love reading biographies, and this is the only one that made me cry.
I have a couple of critiques, which are minor considering the book's success. First, I disliked Walker's dividing the book into three sections named after the man she was with at the time: "Leigh," "Larry," and "Jack." The only reason I can fathom of why he did this was too show how she changed in each relationship. I don't know. My other criticism is Walker seems far too entranced by Olivier's career and ends up making comments like this one:
"It was during these months that Olivier's artistry immeasurably outgrew hers. She had neither the talent nor the stamina to keep pace with him" (181).
I disagree wholeheartedly with this base comment; I always thought Vivien was infinitely better on film than Olivier. I also disagree with Walker's assessment of Vivien's performance in Anna Karenina. I've read the novel twice and seen most of the movie versions; Vivien's is my favorite. Lastly, I thought he rushed through discussing her two most famous roles, which was irritating. I'd heard Brando loved working with her, and it would have been nice to read his thoughts on Vivien, as well as Karl Malden and Kim Hunter's. Alas.
Despite these criticisms, this is an excellent biography. One thing I really treasured from it was the images Walker paints of Vivien to show us who she was. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch the Bazaar scene in Gone with the Wind in the same way now that I know she always listened to a record of the waltz music when she was weeping inconsolably. Another is when she performed Duel of Angels on stage (she was no longer with Olivier by this point; I think she chose the role because she played a woman getting back at an adulterous husband, to put it lightly. Revenge fantasies?), but had to get ECT treatment. The fool doctor botched the treatment and burned her temples. She was so weak she could barely walk. Nevertheless, that SAME NIGHT she went on stage and did not miss a word, receiving excellent reviews. I had to put the book down and fetch some tissue upon reading that. There are so many stories like these two, and I wish I could include them all here. But that would take away the point of reading, no? :)
All in all, I highly recommend this biography. It's sensitive and accurate, and beautifully written, without romanticizing anything. Excellent.
The author writes most eloquently about her life and feelings, painting a vast panorama of Vivien's life and providing insight into not only how professional she was, but how brave. This biography reads like a novel, and Walker places the same emphasis on character as a novelist would. Alexander Walker had access to Vivien's letters to Leigh Holman, Larry Olivier, and Jack Merivale, as well as interviews with her surviving relatives, friends, and loved ones--all of which enabled him to write an accurate, poignant biography. I love reading biographies, and this is the only one that made me cry.
I have a couple of critiques, which are minor considering the book's success. First, I disliked Walker's dividing the book into three sections named after the man she was with at the time: "Leigh," "Larry," and "Jack." The only reason I can fathom of why he did this was too show how she changed in each relationship. I don't know. My other criticism is Walker seems far too entranced by Olivier's career and ends up making comments like this one:
"It was during these months that Olivier's artistry immeasurably outgrew hers. She had neither the talent nor the stamina to keep pace with him" (181).
I disagree wholeheartedly with this base comment; I always thought Vivien was infinitely better on film than Olivier. I also disagree with Walker's assessment of Vivien's performance in Anna Karenina. I've read the novel twice and seen most of the movie versions; Vivien's is my favorite. Lastly, I thought he rushed through discussing her two most famous roles, which was irritating. I'd heard Brando loved working with her, and it would have been nice to read his thoughts on Vivien, as well as Karl Malden and Kim Hunter's. Alas.
Despite these criticisms, this is an excellent biography. One thing I really treasured from it was the images Walker paints of Vivien to show us who she was. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch the Bazaar scene in Gone with the Wind in the same way now that I know she always listened to a record of the waltz music when she was weeping inconsolably. Another is when she performed Duel of Angels on stage (she was no longer with Olivier by this point; I think she chose the role because she played a woman getting back at an adulterous husband, to put it lightly. Revenge fantasies?), but had to get ECT treatment. The fool doctor botched the treatment and burned her temples. She was so weak she could barely walk. Nevertheless, that SAME NIGHT she went on stage and did not miss a word, receiving excellent reviews. I had to put the book down and fetch some tissue upon reading that. There are so many stories like these two, and I wish I could include them all here. But that would take away the point of reading, no? :)
All in all, I highly recommend this biography. It's sensitive and accurate, and beautifully written, without romanticizing anything. Excellent.
November 26, 2013
I'm still seeking the definitive biography of Vivien Leigh. Unfortunately, this wasn't it.
Alexander Walker's take on Vivien's life is superficial, perhaps by necessity. Laurence Olivier and Jack Merivale were still alive when it was written. I was immediately annoyed by the separation of the book into three categories: "Leigh, Larry and Jack," as if Vivien could only be viewed through the prism of the men in her life. It's a disservice to her as an individual, and an opportunity for Walker to worship Olivier at her expense.
It is comforting to read that, while she had flare-ups of her manic-depressive disorder in her later years, and died tragically young, her last few years with Jack were as pleasant as they could be. He seemed to have watched over her with great care, and it's good to know that he was in her corner.
Alexander Walker's take on Vivien's life is superficial, perhaps by necessity. Laurence Olivier and Jack Merivale were still alive when it was written. I was immediately annoyed by the separation of the book into three categories: "Leigh, Larry and Jack," as if Vivien could only be viewed through the prism of the men in her life. It's a disservice to her as an individual, and an opportunity for Walker to worship Olivier at her expense.
It is comforting to read that, while she had flare-ups of her manic-depressive disorder in her later years, and died tragically young, her last few years with Jack were as pleasant as they could be. He seemed to have watched over her with great care, and it's good to know that he was in her corner.
January 18, 2008
I always loved Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, because she is so charismatic and such a beauty; you watch no-one else while she is on screen. And the story of how a virtually unknown English actress bumped out of the running hundreds of hopefuls for Margaret Mitchell's very American story demonstrates Vivien Leigh's determination.
Her life story and love affairs were interesting reading because the intensity of her presence on the screen seems to match that of her personal life. She is described as having a real joy for life, a gift for living it.
Her life is also intriguing because her passion and intelligence were tripped up by an untreated illness, manic-depression, which affected her self-worth, friendships, her loves, and her career.
I found her story really sad. I wanted to whisk her into the 20th century (when I was reading it) and get her some proper help, because I think she died too young of a broken heart, not chronic TB. The photos of her aging face are so sad because her eyes are sad, even when she smiled her beautiful smile.
Her life story and love affairs were interesting reading because the intensity of her presence on the screen seems to match that of her personal life. She is described as having a real joy for life, a gift for living it.
Her life is also intriguing because her passion and intelligence were tripped up by an untreated illness, manic-depression, which affected her self-worth, friendships, her loves, and her career.
I found her story really sad. I wanted to whisk her into the 20th century (when I was reading it) and get her some proper help, because I think she died too young of a broken heart, not chronic TB. The photos of her aging face are so sad because her eyes are sad, even when she smiled her beautiful smile.
September 15, 2021
God! This biography made me so sad. Here was a woman who seemingly had everything: beauty, class, and undeniable talent, and yet mental illness robbed her of so much, including a life with the man she loved. This biography was clearly painstakingly researched and hauntingly beautiful. One of the best biographies of a film actress I have ever read. This book does so much to explore the woman behind the legend and really gives us, the reader, a terrifying and painful look at a woman in pain.
February 22, 2025
It was on reflection of what would have been Vivien Leigh's hundred and tenth year, 2023, that I revisited Alexander Walker's biography, one I had previously relished, but which had triggered disappointment in some. I've said before: if it's a movieography you want, click on Wikipedia or the Internet Movie Database. There isn't much to see. Leigh didn't make a long list of films comparable to other legends of her standing. This serious actress was at heart a great theatre performer, like her husband Sir Laurence Olivier who, likewise, made some celluloid epics but less than you might think.
So obviously this is no beginners' handbook on Vivien Leigh's movies. It's hardly news that she won two Best Actress Academy Awards for her performances as 'Southern belles': Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in the screen adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a role she had played on stage in London's West End in 1949. Unsurprisingly, she also won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway version of Tovarich (1963).
This biography is about the person more than her films. Like many extraordinary talents, Leigh lived with bipolar disorder, no easy thing for any sufferer to work with let alone a star of stage and screen with those impossibly demanding schedules. This affected her twenty-year marriage to Sir Laurence Olivier so much that it ended in heartbreak, Olivier taking up with the great Joan Plowright who became the next Lady Olivier.
This multi-award nominee and winner of Oscars, New York Film Critics, Golden Globes and Tonies struggled with major health issues beside her mental ones. Her life and career were marred by those episodes. Recurrent bouts of tuberculosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1940s, claimed her life at 53. Understandably, she had earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, her career suffering periods of inactivity.
She was born in India, daughter of an English army officer in the Indian Cavalry. The family returned to their native England, Vivien later attending London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She cut short her studies to get engaged to a man who disapproved of theatre work. She had therefore already been married, had a daughter and separated before she resumed her career, doing numerous quality but low-profile acting jobs for several years as she honed her stagecraft.
Then along came Olivier, her great love, and in turn came her brilliant career. Olivier really was her life more than anything, hence this biography's pronounced emphasis on her private life. She was utterly devastated by her divorce and never recovered.
The reader wonders whether it might have been some small consolation to Vivien being posthumously ranked 16th greatest female movie star of all time, in 1999, by the American Film Institute.
A more tragic private figure than any she publicly portrayed, here was a soul we feel for yet celebrate as we work our way through her life, care of this ever-reliable biographer of screen goddesses. I could not help wondering, on my second reading, whether a hundred-and-one-year-old Ms. Leigh might have eventually driven out her demons and made peace with her life, time healing all things and wisdom a natural product of years passing. She would surely have become one mightily wise dame. But as with all the great tragediennes, her life was cut short in her prime, which was perhaps her ultimate preference. She was, after all, quoted by US journalist Radie Harris as confiding that she 'would rather have lived a short life with Larry [Olivier] than face a long one without him'. Once more, I finished this book hoping this great star and tortured soul is at peace, if not for having kept her great love in life, then in the compensatory assurance of how treasured she will always be by her fans.
So obviously this is no beginners' handbook on Vivien Leigh's movies. It's hardly news that she won two Best Actress Academy Awards for her performances as 'Southern belles': Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in the screen adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a role she had played on stage in London's West End in 1949. Unsurprisingly, she also won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway version of Tovarich (1963).
This biography is about the person more than her films. Like many extraordinary talents, Leigh lived with bipolar disorder, no easy thing for any sufferer to work with let alone a star of stage and screen with those impossibly demanding schedules. This affected her twenty-year marriage to Sir Laurence Olivier so much that it ended in heartbreak, Olivier taking up with the great Joan Plowright who became the next Lady Olivier.
This multi-award nominee and winner of Oscars, New York Film Critics, Golden Globes and Tonies struggled with major health issues beside her mental ones. Her life and career were marred by those episodes. Recurrent bouts of tuberculosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1940s, claimed her life at 53. Understandably, she had earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, her career suffering periods of inactivity.
She was born in India, daughter of an English army officer in the Indian Cavalry. The family returned to their native England, Vivien later attending London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She cut short her studies to get engaged to a man who disapproved of theatre work. She had therefore already been married, had a daughter and separated before she resumed her career, doing numerous quality but low-profile acting jobs for several years as she honed her stagecraft.
Then along came Olivier, her great love, and in turn came her brilliant career. Olivier really was her life more than anything, hence this biography's pronounced emphasis on her private life. She was utterly devastated by her divorce and never recovered.
The reader wonders whether it might have been some small consolation to Vivien being posthumously ranked 16th greatest female movie star of all time, in 1999, by the American Film Institute.
A more tragic private figure than any she publicly portrayed, here was a soul we feel for yet celebrate as we work our way through her life, care of this ever-reliable biographer of screen goddesses. I could not help wondering, on my second reading, whether a hundred-and-one-year-old Ms. Leigh might have eventually driven out her demons and made peace with her life, time healing all things and wisdom a natural product of years passing. She would surely have become one mightily wise dame. But as with all the great tragediennes, her life was cut short in her prime, which was perhaps her ultimate preference. She was, after all, quoted by US journalist Radie Harris as confiding that she 'would rather have lived a short life with Larry [Olivier] than face a long one without him'. Once more, I finished this book hoping this great star and tortured soul is at peace, if not for having kept her great love in life, then in the compensatory assurance of how treasured she will always be by her fans.
March 7, 2012
A beautiful and tragic tale of one of the most beautiful and tragic women in Hollywood.
January 30, 2022
Vivien Leigh has always fascinated me, and I would think, generations of moviegoers, film critics, cinephiles, and students of all ages from high school to college because of the two big roles she has become iconic for. Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche DuBois are immortal, primal opposites of each other. But I think today, it's safe to say her Blanche is more well known to young people, because "A Streetcar Named Desire" is studied so often.
Her life seemed like one beautiful, yet heartbreaking tragedy from the beginning to the end. It seemed she was meant to accomplish and immortalize herself through art, which she succeeds with Gone With the Wind and Streetcar, and win Oscars for both movies. She has the love affair and marriage of a lifetime with Laurence Olivier that seemed destined to be its own Greek tragedy. Plus her life was surrounded with loves, friends, and so much talent.
Mr. Walker's biography is a respectable one, yet it felt too restrained. It states the facts, but it doesn't do much analysis of her life, or her work more than mere summaries. Perhaps it was meant to be a dramatic novel, but at the end it was a bit soggy and disappointing. But reading about Leigh's work is always something to be drawn to- after all, reading about the behind the scenes summaries of her work ethic and process is something to be marveled over, especially her perfectionism and ability to inhabit her roles.
Her life seemed like one beautiful, yet heartbreaking tragedy from the beginning to the end. It seemed she was meant to accomplish and immortalize herself through art, which she succeeds with Gone With the Wind and Streetcar, and win Oscars for both movies. She has the love affair and marriage of a lifetime with Laurence Olivier that seemed destined to be its own Greek tragedy. Plus her life was surrounded with loves, friends, and so much talent.
Mr. Walker's biography is a respectable one, yet it felt too restrained. It states the facts, but it doesn't do much analysis of her life, or her work more than mere summaries. Perhaps it was meant to be a dramatic novel, but at the end it was a bit soggy and disappointing. But reading about Leigh's work is always something to be drawn to- after all, reading about the behind the scenes summaries of her work ethic and process is something to be marveled over, especially her perfectionism and ability to inhabit her roles.
October 18, 2010
If you are interested in the marriage of Vivien Leigh and Laurance Olivier, this is the book for you. I wanted a book with its main focus on Leigh's career. I thought I had read somewhere that this book was it. But I was greatly disappointed in that regard. Only 2 movies get much attention and those were her big ones, Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. But even with these the focus is off for me. We learned for the millionth time how she got the part of Scarlett. I wanted to know what she thought of Scarlett and how she interacted with the rest of the cast. Was she pleased Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar? You won't find out here. With Blanche, you hear about the costumes but that's about it. How did her stage performance differ in a meaningful way (not the clothes she wore) from the film? With the exception of the appendix, there is no mention of her Oscar.
I finished this book with much admiration for her and her courage. Also, a pretty bad opinion of a weak man named Olivier.
I finished this book with much admiration for her and her courage. Also, a pretty bad opinion of a weak man named Olivier.
December 2, 2009
There has always been that something about Vivien Leigh, and I was looking forward to reading this bio.
It started out lyrical and good, and then just turned into a monotone of bland and fairly sad. I know her life was plagued by bipolar and episodes relating to, but this bio just made it seem all the more sad and hopless.
I like downer books (ala Henry Rollins) but this one just left me feeling uninspired and annoyed.
Ah well.
Her life was terbulant and exciting and routine and sad. I want to watch Ship of Fools again though, for sure.
It started out lyrical and good, and then just turned into a monotone of bland and fairly sad. I know her life was plagued by bipolar and episodes relating to, but this bio just made it seem all the more sad and hopless.
I like downer books (ala Henry Rollins) but this one just left me feeling uninspired and annoyed.
Ah well.
Her life was terbulant and exciting and routine and sad. I want to watch Ship of Fools again though, for sure.
April 16, 2011
I've been fascinated by Vivien Leigh since my first glimpse of her as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Her life, with its ups and downs, was every bit as fascinating as her role in that legendary movie. I'm so glad I've learned more about her by reading this, but I would have preferred a faster paced writing style in this particular book. The detail, including dates and eye-witnesses, was very well done and the visual imaginary created a clear picture of her in my mind. The photos selected for the book added a lovely visual glimpse into her life.
November 27, 2012
she called sir laurence olivier, larry. i liked that. also she played a game as a child that i play with my own children in hopes of making them completely neurotic...i mean "smart."
June 1, 2025
Vivien just sounded amazing but there was something slightly flat about the biography that made it mundane when her life was so exciting
June 6, 2013
"Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh" by Alexander Walker is a comprehensive biography of one of the stage and screen's greatest actresses. The book is divided into three sections based on the three prominent men in her life (her first husband, Leigh Holman, the great love of her life, fellow actor Laurence Oliver, and Jack Merivale, who was a source of comfort to her in her final years.) This division does a disservice to Leigh by implying that she was defined only by the men in her life, which was entirely untrue. There are not that many Leigh biographies, and I read this one (written in 1987), before I started Anne Edwards's "Vivien Leigh" (written in 1977). Edwards's biography is more evenly paced, with a greater sense of empathy for Vivien and a greater attention to detail in regards to her theatre years, yet fails to reveal some of the more private stories that Walker unearths.
July 14, 2013
"Vivien had a duality in her nature, as marked as the break in the body of a rock...inwardly there was chaos".
Vivien Leigh died July 7, 1967 at the age of fifty three. She had been diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1945; a disease that had been all but eradicated. The love of her life was Laurence Olivier. They divorced in 1960 after two decades together. Jack Merivale would be the last love in her life. He supported her through some of the worst episodes of mania and depression in her last years. She endured many electric shock therapy treatments to manage the illness.
I recommend this book for all GWTW fans. Vivien Leigh was a highly complex woman. She and Olivier will forever be linked as the golden couple. She will forever be Scarlett O'Hara..a role she craved and won.
Vivien Leigh died July 7, 1967 at the age of fifty three. She had been diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1945; a disease that had been all but eradicated. The love of her life was Laurence Olivier. They divorced in 1960 after two decades together. Jack Merivale would be the last love in her life. He supported her through some of the worst episodes of mania and depression in her last years. She endured many electric shock therapy treatments to manage the illness.
I recommend this book for all GWTW fans. Vivien Leigh was a highly complex woman. She and Olivier will forever be linked as the golden couple. She will forever be Scarlett O'Hara..a role she craved and won.
May 19, 2010
Several others have commented on how uninspired this biography is, and I agree. It's bloodless, and focuses on Vivien's career, rather than her humanity.
Walker leaves out the funny, strange quotes and anecdotes that made Vivien so witty and unique. Perhaps because of when it was written, Olivier's rumored bisexuality was also glossed over. I wonder how life would have been for 'the Oliviers' if they were stars today. Perhaps Olivier would be out of the closest, and Vivien wouldn't have had to cover for him--destroying her self-esteem and sanity in the process. BP is serious, but living a lie is madness. I wonder....
Walker leaves out the funny, strange quotes and anecdotes that made Vivien so witty and unique. Perhaps because of when it was written, Olivier's rumored bisexuality was also glossed over. I wonder how life would have been for 'the Oliviers' if they were stars today. Perhaps Olivier would be out of the closest, and Vivien wouldn't have had to cover for him--destroying her self-esteem and sanity in the process. BP is serious, but living a lie is madness. I wonder....
February 23, 2010
Lovingly detailed story of the life of Vivien from her early days in England, becoming a major star and winning the two greatest female roles in cinema history, and continuing through her battles against bi-polar disorder.
Walker has crafted a biography rich in detail and quotes his sources in an appendix.
A heartbreaking story but as previously stated, this is the most impressive Vivien bio that we have (and I think I have read them all).
Highly recommended for those wanting the true story behind the greatest screen actress of them all, even if you have already read all the other material.
Walker has crafted a biography rich in detail and quotes his sources in an appendix.
A heartbreaking story but as previously stated, this is the most impressive Vivien bio that we have (and I think I have read them all).
Highly recommended for those wanting the true story behind the greatest screen actress of them all, even if you have already read all the other material.
August 26, 2014
From the beginning this biography read more like a novel. Vivien was a larger than life character rather then an actual flesh and blood woman. Beauty, determination and grace with a mad energy and dark underbelly. For such a short life Vivien lived it like the dramatic characters she often played on stage and screen. For those who said she was an unaccomplished actress who simply fed off her beauty and fame watch 'A street car named desire'! Also she was too often compared to her actor husband Lawrence Olivier and it would have been hard for any actor to live up to that level of genius! In the end Vivien was a personality in her own right.
December 31, 2011
I was (candidly) looking for a book more comprised of sordid details, but that was my only minor complaint with this engrossing book. Walker treats Vivien with the utmost reverence, by being truthful about her flaws and almost lovingly framing her as an exciting, amiable, but tragic woman. Walker acts as a researcher, a psychologist, and even a friend in providing a comprehensive study of Vivien Leigh supported by documents, interviews, personal anecdotes from Vivien, and a true admiration for the actress.
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January 30, 2011Since a new unauthorized bio is coming out on her next month I had to read the favorable one first.
If this bio is accurate she was more than just the brilliant actress behind Scarlett O'Hara, but a very generous and caring person. What made her all the more human to me, and even more of a fan was her love of cats. Apparently she was always taking in strays. She was very much a consummate professional - always looking to improve herself as an actress. So sad she died so young at 53.
If this bio is accurate she was more than just the brilliant actress behind Scarlett O'Hara, but a very generous and caring person. What made her all the more human to me, and even more of a fan was her love of cats. Apparently she was always taking in strays. She was very much a consummate professional - always looking to improve herself as an actress. So sad she died so young at 53.
June 28, 2012
I loved this book as it allowed more than a glimpse into the starlit's life. I remember watching "Gone With The Wind", as a young girl and being completely captivated by Scarlette's beauty and strength. While reading this book you are given access to a behind the scenes look of a life of a beautiful actress and her real life battles. This book me feel for Vivien Leigh, for the battles she fought, the talent that she was, and the life that could have been.
December 28, 2010
A very good and intelligent story, but I never felt the accounts in the book really matched the excerpts of " her tragic and troubled life". Certainly a good read, but it did leave a lot of questions unanswered. I was actually more interested in reading more about Katherine Hepburn from the very brief mentions in the book.
May 19, 2013
I enjoyed this biography of Vivien Leigh. I thought the author did a good job of describing her life including her bouts of manic-depression and tuberculosis, as well as her two marriages and other relationships. I was also impressed by her tenacity in getting the roles she really wanted to play (i.e. Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche DuBois).
February 20, 2014
This was a very well written and in depth biography of a woman about whom I knew very little when I began reading. Interesting depiction of bipolar disorder from a time before it was a well known mental illness.
January 18, 2008
Well written for a Biography. It read more like an entertaining story than like a history of Vivien Leigh's life. Though it is from one man's perspective, it allowed for a deeper understanding and appreciation of Vivien and her career.
August 4, 2008
I learned a lot of stuff about Viv that I wished I didn't know. Mostly that she cheated on her husband and wasn't always there for her daughter. But people aren't perfect and it is fascinating to read into lives. People are just interesting. I love biographies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2010
okay.. she was crazy. This was a pretty depressing story, I'm sure if Leigh was live today she'd be one of those stars in and out of rehab and hounded by the press.
It is heartening to read how her friends stood by her and tried to protect her, but were ultimately unable to help her.
It is heartening to read how her friends stood by her and tried to protect her, but were ultimately unable to help her.
August 12, 2011
very much enjoyed this book but its the only book i have read so far on vivien leigh so i have no other comparisons. I found this book easy to read. Although some things are described vagualy, its still a good book.
October 4, 2012
It was a great book, very enlightening. I didn't know much about her other than Scarlett in gone with the Wind. She had a very interesting life, mainly in theater. I was surprised that she was so young, only 53 when she died of TB.
October 19, 2012
I actually liked this book quite a bit. I would have given it more stars, but the style of writing was kind of difficult for me to get into. Other than that, a very interesting and informative book about Vivien Leigh.
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