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It's Always Something
"I started out to write a book called A Portrait of the Artist as a Housewife. I wanted to write a collection of stories, poems and vignettes about things like my toaster oven and my relationships with plumbers, mailmen and delivery people. But life dealt me a much more complicated story..."
Gilda Radner died on May 20, 1989, shortly before publication of her book It's Always Something. A month before her death, Gilda entered a Los Angeles recording studio to deliver what would be her final performance -- this remarkable audio autobiography, in which she reveals the inspirational story of her struggles with cancer...a private, personal battle in which the humor and humanity that has touched millions became her most powerful weapon.
Audio Cassette
First published July 1, 1989
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About the author
Gilda Radner
7 books129 followersGilda Susan Radner was an Emmy Award winning American comedienne and actress, best known for her five years as part of the original cast of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. Radner's death at 42 of ovarian cancer helped increase public awareness of the disease and the need for earlier detection and treatment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 618 reviews
January 16, 2017
Sweet, funny, lovely Gilda Radner. Her memoir is charming and bittersweet, which is just what I would have expected from the beloved Saturday Night Live performer who died too young from ovarian cancer.
I first read this book back in the early 1990s, but when Gilda's husband, the wonderful Gene Wilder, died last year, I decided to reread it as a tribute to both of them. But this time, I found the audiobook and listened to Gilda narrate it. Such warmth! Gilda talks about her love for Gene and how she got her start in show business, but most of the book is about her experiences dealing with cancer. I think anyone who has struggled with the disease or who had a loved one diagnosed with cancer would find this book helpful. Also highly recommended for anyone who loved Gilda or Gene.
Favorite Quote
"I had wanted to wrap this book up in a neat little package about a girl who is a comedienne from Detroit, becomes famous in New York, with all the world coming her way, gets this horrible disease of cancer, is brave and fights it, learning all the skills she needs to get through it, and then, miraculously, things are neatly tied up and she gets well ... I wanted a perfect ending, so I sat down to write the book with the ending in place before there even was an ending. Nov I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Like my life, this book has ambiguity. Like my life, this book is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity."
I first read this book back in the early 1990s, but when Gilda's husband, the wonderful Gene Wilder, died last year, I decided to reread it as a tribute to both of them. But this time, I found the audiobook and listened to Gilda narrate it. Such warmth! Gilda talks about her love for Gene and how she got her start in show business, but most of the book is about her experiences dealing with cancer. I think anyone who has struggled with the disease or who had a loved one diagnosed with cancer would find this book helpful. Also highly recommended for anyone who loved Gilda or Gene.
Favorite Quote
"I had wanted to wrap this book up in a neat little package about a girl who is a comedienne from Detroit, becomes famous in New York, with all the world coming her way, gets this horrible disease of cancer, is brave and fights it, learning all the skills she needs to get through it, and then, miraculously, things are neatly tied up and she gets well ... I wanted a perfect ending, so I sat down to write the book with the ending in place before there even was an ending. Nov I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Like my life, this book has ambiguity. Like my life, this book is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity."
March 30, 2022
It's Always Something
by Gilda Radner
I always liked Gilda and Gene. I read Gene Wilder's book and he talks about dealing with Gilda and her cancer. I wanted to finally get to this book and hear from her how she faced this terrible challenge in her life.
It was heartbreaking and at the same time enlightening. The many things she had to go through. The ups and downs. How Gene helped her along the way. Her frustration, naturally, was very apparent. Gene noted many things she writes about but it's funny how each write about it differently.
It made me quite tearful at times. We as readers know what Gilda didn't know at the time she was writing this, that she was going to lose her battle. Very emotional book!
by Gilda Radner
I always liked Gilda and Gene. I read Gene Wilder's book and he talks about dealing with Gilda and her cancer. I wanted to finally get to this book and hear from her how she faced this terrible challenge in her life.
It was heartbreaking and at the same time enlightening. The many things she had to go through. The ups and downs. How Gene helped her along the way. Her frustration, naturally, was very apparent. Gene noted many things she writes about but it's funny how each write about it differently.
It made me quite tearful at times. We as readers know what Gilda didn't know at the time she was writing this, that she was going to lose her battle. Very emotional book!
July 9, 2009
Few books have ever touched me as deeply as this one did.
For those of you too young to remember her, Gilda Radner was a comedian on Saturday Night Live. She played, among other things, Rosanne Rosanna Danna, the grossout queen of the SNL News scene. Oh she was funny!
When she first found out she was diagnosed with cancer, Gilda set out to write a book about how she beat the disease. The book starts out on such a positive note as this lovely, strong, courageous, and hilarious woman faces the roller coaster.
But things go wrong. The cancer does not go away. Soon she comes to realize that she is not writing a book about beating cancer, she is writing a memoir of her death for those who may find themselves following her. Gilda was courageous to the end.
Even writing this review I feel myself getting a little misty-eyed.
The end of the book is not penned by Gilda, but by her husband--the legendary comedian Gene Wilder. He loved her to the very end. Read this book and you will know he loves her still.
For those of you too young to remember her, Gilda Radner was a comedian on Saturday Night Live. She played, among other things, Rosanne Rosanna Danna, the grossout queen of the SNL News scene. Oh she was funny!
When she first found out she was diagnosed with cancer, Gilda set out to write a book about how she beat the disease. The book starts out on such a positive note as this lovely, strong, courageous, and hilarious woman faces the roller coaster.
But things go wrong. The cancer does not go away. Soon she comes to realize that she is not writing a book about beating cancer, she is writing a memoir of her death for those who may find themselves following her. Gilda was courageous to the end.
Even writing this review I feel myself getting a little misty-eyed.
The end of the book is not penned by Gilda, but by her husband--the legendary comedian Gene Wilder. He loved her to the very end. Read this book and you will know he loves her still.
January 21, 2023
“ because what could be more beautiful than Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder having a baby?” And yes, that would have been beautiful. And an inappropriately hilarious five year old
Gilda Radner was always my favorite from SNL first cast. Lisa and Todd, rosanne rosanne, Emily, and that hilarious little girl who wore a blanket like a cape and kept slamming herself into her closet doors. OMG! So funny.
And that’s what Gilda does-she makes people laugh. I believe she was one of the second city finds? If anyone corroborate please do.
Gilda looked for humor throughout her entire cancer diagnosis and treatment and i don’t think she held back. She also narrates so you can hear her vulnerability and hunt for hope, her resignation. She suffered but she played the famous comedienne as long as possible.
The world lost an angel full of laughs 30 years ago.
Gilda Radner was always my favorite from SNL first cast. Lisa and Todd, rosanne rosanne, Emily, and that hilarious little girl who wore a blanket like a cape and kept slamming herself into her closet doors. OMG! So funny.
And that’s what Gilda does-she makes people laugh. I believe she was one of the second city finds? If anyone corroborate please do.
Gilda looked for humor throughout her entire cancer diagnosis and treatment and i don’t think she held back. She also narrates so you can hear her vulnerability and hunt for hope, her resignation. She suffered but she played the famous comedienne as long as possible.
The world lost an angel full of laughs 30 years ago.
June 27, 2016
One of the most heartbreaking but strong books I've ever read. What an emotional roller coaster. Gilda was an amazing woman!
March 31, 2013
Hmm. So many people love this book. I had been meaning to read it for years. And when I finally did, I was disappointed. I loved Gilda's comedy on SNL and knew the gist of her story. I tried to get into it, but found myself skimming some pages because this book was sorely lacking something. More depth? Less neediness? I wanted to learn more about her formative years, more about her life before cancer, and much less about her co-dependency issues. (I have been under the impression that Gene had a very different view of their relationship.) Plus, it just isn't very well-written. I expected better word flow from someone with her comedic wit. I don't mean to downplay her courageous and heartbreaking battle with cancer or her foundation legacy. I know she stated that it's hard to be funny writing a book about cancer because cancer is the most un-funny thing. And I get that. I wasn't expecting much humor, but at least a better book, and while I appreciate that she told her story, it just left me saying "meh". Maybe I'll re-read again someday.
January 9, 2020
Only Gilda Radner could have written a book this heartbreaking and still have been funny. This book was so very inspirational - if I ever have cancer it will be my companion. You realize that what’s really important is finding some meaning and joy in each day, something we should all be doing anyway, of course. Fight for life. Hope.
Radner’s honesty and transparency just knocked me over - I felt every emotion she felt right along with her.
Of course all Radner fans know this book doesn’t have a happy ending - in fact, she apparently knew her cancer was still there around the time she ended the book. The ending feels distraught in that way. I’m assuming her publisher must have REALLY rushed this through print, not knowing if she’d live to see it published. Radner did, in fact, die months after its publication. She left a beautiful inspiring story for others.
And what a wonderful person her husband, Gene Wilder, was throughout her ordeal.
Radner’s honesty and transparency just knocked me over - I felt every emotion she felt right along with her.
Of course all Radner fans know this book doesn’t have a happy ending - in fact, she apparently knew her cancer was still there around the time she ended the book. The ending feels distraught in that way. I’m assuming her publisher must have REALLY rushed this through print, not knowing if she’d live to see it published. Radner did, in fact, die months after its publication. She left a beautiful inspiring story for others.
And what a wonderful person her husband, Gene Wilder, was throughout her ordeal.
February 24, 2008
Not only was she one of the funniest people on earth when she was with us, she was also extremely wise.
March 25, 2013
As alot of celebrity books do, this one reveals more about the author's life than she may have intended. Her determination to beat a terminal condition is admirable and her courage never flagged. But it also shows glimpses of her husband's (Gene Wilder) struggle, his exhaustion and gives some idea of what it must be like for the family of cancer sufferers. Medically out of date but a fascinating glimpse into a complex situation. UPDATE: I wrote this review and since then, my husband has been diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. I went back and re-read the book. It's discouraging how different her experiences were with the more middle class majority of cancer patients. Since my husband's diagnosis, I've struggled with endless paperwork, legal issues and terrifying onslaughts of bills. When I got to the part where her husband brings her a very expensive bracelet, and then she goes home from the hospital with round the clock private nurses, I gave up and tossed the book out. I think Gilda's story is an inspiration to many with cancer, but most folks will not have her experiences because their background is so different from that of a successful Hollywood celebrity.
February 2, 2010
I found that I was reading this book on two levels. If you read it as a journal of someone who has cancer and is sifting through feelings arising from that, it is hopeful at times and disparaging at others. At that level, it is completely, brutally honest in its portrayal of a cancer victim.
If you read it from the point of view of someone who professes throughout to want to be a professional writer, it certainly lacks something. She goes on and on about how funny she is in certain situations and yet, we are almost never let in on the jokes. She tends to ramble and switch directions in a lot of places, which again is okay if you are reading it as a journal.
At a personal level, I found that I'm not sure I would actually like Gilda as a friend. She was definately obsessive-compulsive, and probably bi-polar as well, and that was before she had cancer. I wondered what her next obsession would have been, if she had actually gotten pregnant and carried a baby to term. It may be that I only saw parts of myself I didn't like in Gilda's character. I do belive, however, that Gene Wilder is a saint, as is my husband on occasion.
If you read it from the point of view of someone who professes throughout to want to be a professional writer, it certainly lacks something. She goes on and on about how funny she is in certain situations and yet, we are almost never let in on the jokes. She tends to ramble and switch directions in a lot of places, which again is okay if you are reading it as a journal.
At a personal level, I found that I'm not sure I would actually like Gilda as a friend. She was definately obsessive-compulsive, and probably bi-polar as well, and that was before she had cancer. I wondered what her next obsession would have been, if she had actually gotten pregnant and carried a baby to term. It may be that I only saw parts of myself I didn't like in Gilda's character. I do belive, however, that Gene Wilder is a saint, as is my husband on occasion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2019
"It’s such an act of optimism to get up every day and get through a day and enjoy it and laugh and do all that without thinking about death. What spirit human beings have! It is a pretty cheesy deal—all the pleasures of life, and then death. I think some people just can’t take the variables; they just can’t take the deal—that is why they drink themselves silly or hide away or become afraid of everything. Sometimes I feel like I couldn’t take the deal—it was just too much. Cancer brought life and death up close."
A beautiful, bittersweet memoir by a wonderful woman who passed from this earth far too soon.
A beautiful, bittersweet memoir by a wonderful woman who passed from this earth far too soon.
October 17, 2016
After reading the Gene Wilder book, I re-read the Gilda Radner one. They had completely different descriptions of their relationship. The author uses quips of her dry humor but also talks about memory loss and then goes on to describe things that happened. Kind of a sad read.
October 4, 2025
Really really really tough read for me but interesting and compelling
February 27, 2019
Excellent. Helped me deal with my sister’s battle with ovarian cancer.
August 1, 2018
I couldn't put this book down even though I know Gilda's life ended. Just like for all of us though, it is about the journey. So how is your life better off if you read this book? Well, for me, it showed me that anything can be funny. Even cancer. In fact, people going through cancer need it to be funny sometimes. They need to strip away the power that the fear of death can bring. They need to remember how they have made it through before and they can make it through again. They need to be active in their own fight. When my dad was dying of cancer, I tried to keep everything normal. I didn't want to spook him, even though we both knew that time was short. I just wanted to get the most out of the time we had left. What I might have overlooked though, was the need for patients and their families to talk about their hopes and fears. So much of what helped Gilda was going to discussion groups at the Wellness Center. We need more of that: patients, families, counselors, nurses, and doctors talking about what it is like to live with cancer. Please read this book to get an inside look at the ups and downs of what cancer can do to a person as strong and as wacky as Gilda. And don't be afraid to live in the "delicious ambiguity" that is our short time on this third rock from the sun.
March 31, 2009
When I first read this I was hoping to get some eternal truths or revalation of wisdom from it, or at the very least some juicy gossip. That didn't happen and I was vaguely disappointed.
But over time I've come to appreciate it for the less-is-more version of truth: there aren't always tidy endings. Sick people aren't always noble and uncomplaining. Desperation sometimes makes us do things that keep us busy and make us believe we're going to get well. Sometimes Zen moments are what sustain us:
Buddha told a parable in sutra:
A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.
Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!
But over time I've come to appreciate it for the less-is-more version of truth: there aren't always tidy endings. Sick people aren't always noble and uncomplaining. Desperation sometimes makes us do things that keep us busy and make us believe we're going to get well. Sometimes Zen moments are what sustain us:
Buddha told a parable in sutra:
A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.
Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!
August 23, 2018
Objectively, this was not a brilliantly written book. Radner does a lot of telling instead of showing; I did this, then I did that...
But that's understandable. And despite that, this book moved me more than any I can think of. I suffered every setback and celebrated every gain. This book, while it is her story, is also the story of anyone who has endured the horrors of disease and the importance of fighting every single step of the way. To take a day off is to lose. And Gilda would not let that happen. This book is 269 pages of fighting and half a page written by Gene Wilder after the fight was over. That's the breakdown I want for my life.
But that's understandable. And despite that, this book moved me more than any I can think of. I suffered every setback and celebrated every gain. This book, while it is her story, is also the story of anyone who has endured the horrors of disease and the importance of fighting every single step of the way. To take a day off is to lose. And Gilda would not let that happen. This book is 269 pages of fighting and half a page written by Gene Wilder after the fight was over. That's the breakdown I want for my life.
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May 16, 2019A person as beautiful and marvelous and genuine as Gilda did not deserve to suffer through such a horrific disease. No one does. I have chosen not to give her heart-wrenching memoir a star rating, as it feels inappropriate to put a rating on her experience. In the almost 30 years that she’s been gone, I hope she knows that she hasn’t been forgotten. Even more so, I hope she knows that young people who were born years after her passing, such as myself, grew up looking to her as a role model and inspiration. She will always be one of the people I admire most. Gilda, you are missed beyond words.
July 29, 2025
Gilda Radner tells about her battle with Ovarian cancer.
I loved Gilda in her many characters of SNL and enjoyed her in a few movies. I loved her sense of humor. I was saddened when she died and when I found a paperback book called "It's Always Something" I got it. Of course, I got it years ago and only now read it. It was a hard book to read, finding out about the pain and suffering she went through.
I loved Gilda in her many characters of SNL and enjoyed her in a few movies. I loved her sense of humor. I was saddened when she died and when I found a paperback book called "It's Always Something" I got it. Of course, I got it years ago and only now read it. It was a hard book to read, finding out about the pain and suffering she went through.
September 21, 2011
What a courageous, brave, funny woman Gilda Radner was. This story is touching, funny, and completely breaks your heart. The new edition, which goes on to explain that not longer after writing this, she passed, will make you cry. One of the first books I can remember crying over. Years later, when I go back to re-read a story of a smart, funny, brave woman, I always read this.
May 15, 2021
A great book. Gilda died too soon.
February 24, 2019
I think this should be required reading for everyone, regardless of your gender and regardless of if you’re sick. It’s illuminating and frustrating how much second-guessing her doctors did and subsequently how much they made her second-guess herself. What a loss it was to the world when she left.
February 12, 2023
“i wanted a perfect ending […] Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. […] Like my life, this book is about knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”
November 8, 2022
When you hear of someone's passing, you seldom find out the details, such as: how long their illness lasted, what exactly the illness was, or how they handled it. Here, we get a very candid view of Gilda's long-fought battle with cancer. Her emotional struggles with depression, hope, and despair, her ups and downs with treatment. Just when things were looking up, there would be another disappointment. I don't know if I would have the strength she had to fight it for as long as she did. She really wanted to share her story to help others. She was a very talented comedienne who never failed to keep us laughing. We still miss her.
August 27, 2012
We're going to discuss this in my LIT group in October. I loved Gilda Radner as a comedienne, and I was heartsick during her battle with cancer, and I greatly admired her honesty and openness in revealing that she had ovarian cancer. Such announcements were not common in the mid 1980s (she was diagnosed, after seemingly interminable tests and misdiagnoses, in 1986. Sadly, as I understand it, ovarian cancer is still often misdiagnosed, then diagnosed after women have suffered greatly, physically and emotionally). Somehow, however, I never read Radner's book. It is a brutally honest account of her experience with the deadly disease, and she holds back nothing in terms of anger, emotion, desperation along with her valiant attempts to not give up in fighting the disease/seeking a cure or extended remission. She also tells a bit of her background life story and, very poingnantly, the story of her love for and marriage to Gene Wilder. I respect the honesty that I see emanating from her book more than anything. I hate to even say that she was not a very good writer per se, especially since she was writing this under the most horrendous of conditions. She literally saw the first hardcover copy shortly before her death in 1989. Radner was extremely gifted, bright, and admirable, and she certainly didn't have to be a good writer outside of comedic writing (which isn't even to say that she doesn't manage quite a few humorous touches in her book). I don't even like the term "like" and it's degrees to describe reactions to a book like this. But it was valuable to read this. I am sadder than ever, knowing so many details now, that she had to go through so much, and that many women still go through hideous experiences with ovarian cancer. I am relieved that she had her wonderful, loving husband and friends and support system to help her, but it still sucks that cancer diagnosis and treatment had to be so awful and barbaric by the end of the twentieth century. Wilder, of course, eventually sponsored the excellent Gilda's Place, emanating from the Wellness Community that Radner had become part of in CA and that meant so much to her. Gilda's Place has a NYC location in the Village and does tremendous work with cancer patients and survivors, and their locations are also nationwide. Radner deserves to be remembered with great respect. RIP, gifted and brave woman, Gilda Radner.
January 31, 2010
I read this when I was at home, pregnant and supposed to lay in bed for the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy. It was a page turner for me.
I laughed so much with this book and then cried like a baby at the end. I loved Radner's comedic writing in this because it felt like she was talking to me about all the crazy little things that would cross her mind as she tried to work through her experience with Cancer. She tried so many things to learn and understand her disease and made fun of herself as she struggled through her physical and emotional pain. I appreciated so much that she wrote about her intimate conversations with her husband Gene Wilder as they went through this together and how this experienced changed their lives and the lives of their friends and family.
I learned a lot about Cancer and for whatever reason at that time in my life, I was forever altered because what seemed to me like one of the scariest things to ever experience, she turned into a great healing journey that she chose to share with anyone who wanted to read it. She died before she could finish the book, but Gene Wilder finished her last chapter for her. I cried.
I laughed so much with this book and then cried like a baby at the end. I loved Radner's comedic writing in this because it felt like she was talking to me about all the crazy little things that would cross her mind as she tried to work through her experience with Cancer. She tried so many things to learn and understand her disease and made fun of herself as she struggled through her physical and emotional pain. I appreciated so much that she wrote about her intimate conversations with her husband Gene Wilder as they went through this together and how this experienced changed their lives and the lives of their friends and family.
I learned a lot about Cancer and for whatever reason at that time in my life, I was forever altered because what seemed to me like one of the scariest things to ever experience, she turned into a great healing journey that she chose to share with anyone who wanted to read it. She died before she could finish the book, but Gene Wilder finished her last chapter for her. I cried.
December 25, 2020
I like Gilda Radner a lot. It is not a bad memoir, its just I wanted to know more about her, her life, her career, SNL, etc. This is almost solely about her relationship with Gene Wilder and her cancer. Its not un-interesting, but I didn't want to read about cancer. She had some fabulous insights on life and is a good writer. One part in particular I really loved:
"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
Delicious Ambiguity."
"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
Delicious Ambiguity."
December 17, 2008
What could have been a really depressing book about struggling with cancer turns out to be touching and humorous, mostly because Gilda Radner fights to find the humor in the situation. It is sad to know that she didn't make it much longer after this book was published, but it is nice to know that Gene Wilder was there to help her through all of it.
December 31, 2018
I audio-read the book which was narrated by Gilda herself. It was such a heartfelt book and she had such a positive attitude. The book is funny, personal and talks about many things not just her ovarian cancer. I always admired her and after the book I admired her more. She is so honest and sincere in what she says. This is a great book for people going thru cancer.
April 10, 2021
Loved her story! She really was a light in the world. Her battle with cancer is raw and honest in this book - I can’t imagine the courage and strength it took for her to keep fighting, it never seemed to be easy for her. I’m glad to have learned about her story.
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