Bette: An Intimate Biography of Bette Midler

by George Mair

Recounts how the singer and actress went from a pineapple factory worker to a Broadway star in less than one year, discusses the family tragedies that shaped her youth, and profiles her relationships with her husband and business associates

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

312 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Aihpos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of Bette Midler. Saw her on Hocus Pocus and thought would be interesting to read up on her biography seeing that she has been a long time actress. However, this book was a disappointment to me. It isn't really the type of biography book I was meaning to read up on. This book does have quite details about how she got into the acting line. The way I see it, she is one of lucky ones who have a gift in this line and that is why she always have that luck without having to go through much hurdles to survive so long. The interesting part to know was that she was born in Hawaii and in the military family.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in March, my mother, sister, and I went to Las Vegas to see Bette Midler in concert. It was an incrediable show, something I have never seen before. After seeing her, it made me want to learn a little bit more of who she was. One day when I was at the library and was looking around, I found this book about her, and decided to give it a try. It was pretty interesting to learn about her childhood (she grew up in Hawaii), and her first taste of fame was when she had a small movie role where some of the filming took place in Hawaii, and others in L.A., and from L.A. she moved to NYC to go on Broadway. From there she started singing in clubs and bathhouses, teamed up with Barry Manilow, and soon became famous, putting out records and going on tour. In the public eye she's a wild crazy person who wanted to put joints under all the seats at 2 of her concerts and when they wouldn't let her, she sang a song topless-she's quite fond of her 'tits'. But behind closed doors, she's pretty mellow, likes to garden, and read, and cook. There's nothing really juicy or shocking in her life, so that kind of made this book a bit boring. I skimmed the last few chapters, but once she got older, the boob flashing stopped and she became a mother and started making films for the Disney company. I decided that I don't want to read a book about a person unless that actual person wrote that book, because that would mean that you get all facts, and not just fluff, which I'm sure there is some in this book. Plus that means that the person actually wants to tell their story. Sure, there are quotes from Bette in here, but I kind of felt like a person's life should be kept to themselves unless they want people to know it. If you ever get the chance to see her perform, do it. It was a wonderful show.

[Brian Saul]

Fun reading, but I went through enough of it to decide that Bette would have been a too strong a personality for me to relate to on a personal basis. I appreciate her verve, her nerve, her drive, and her jive,but (pardon me) from a distance. I think the author, though closer to Bette, felt somewhat the same and conveyed that in his writing. That is to say, it's not a tome of pure adulation; he makes plenty of his own critical notes about her as she rose from rejection to stardom. Even so, I love her! The book...well, not so much, but it's a fun read - as I mentioned at the outset.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Bette Midler Good book. Found some things I did not agree with.

[Felicia]

KInd of a hatchet job. Don't waste your time