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Connecting Dors
Diana Dors is a legend.Not only has she become embedded in the UK psyche but is very much alive in the UK imagination. This title explores the consequences of stardom not only on herself but on her son. The book explores her life and career.
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 21, 2016
Diana Dors, Britain’s most glamorous movie star, gorgeous, down to earth, fun and approachable.
Niema Ash gives us Diana’s story form a woman’s point of view and unlike other biographers that only focus on scandals and lies (David Brett anyone???) Ash’s biography is more sympathetic. Some reviewers think that the book is a bit one sided and perhaps this is true, but it is nice to read a book that doesn’t portray her in an extremely bad light.
Did she make mistakes? Of course she did she was a human being But no matter what, she never gave up, until cancer claimed her in 1984.
Every time life knocked her down, she got back up and just got on with it.
The second half of the book focuses on her youngest son Jason, he was 14, when Diana died , and when Alan, his father committed suicide a few months later he was left an orphan, then Jason had to move to LA and live with his strict half-brother, of course he rebelled. Jason of course comes across as a typical spoilt brat – child of star who was given everything he wanted, and he was. But reading on and learning about Jason and how he expelled his demons and eventually was able to grieve for his parents was incredibly moving.
It brought me to tears and I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him that everything is alright and he is not alone..
I’m not sure why other people haven’t liked this book and I personally found it fascinating and the writing style easy to follow. Maybe some people don’t want Diana and her family to be human, that they should be something else, something to be abused.
On a side note back in the 1950s when Diana was touring the UK with her cabaret act and still married to Denis Hamilton, my father met her in a pub in Weston-Super-Mare, he remembers her as being, gorgeous, funny and above all a wonderful person and maybe this should be her legacy.
She brought glamour and fun into post war Britain , she grew older with grace and humour., and even at the end was the most glamourous star Britain ever produced.
Niema Ash gives us Diana’s story form a woman’s point of view and unlike other biographers that only focus on scandals and lies (David Brett anyone???) Ash’s biography is more sympathetic. Some reviewers think that the book is a bit one sided and perhaps this is true, but it is nice to read a book that doesn’t portray her in an extremely bad light.
Did she make mistakes? Of course she did she was a human being But no matter what, she never gave up, until cancer claimed her in 1984.
Every time life knocked her down, she got back up and just got on with it.
The second half of the book focuses on her youngest son Jason, he was 14, when Diana died , and when Alan, his father committed suicide a few months later he was left an orphan, then Jason had to move to LA and live with his strict half-brother, of course he rebelled. Jason of course comes across as a typical spoilt brat – child of star who was given everything he wanted, and he was. But reading on and learning about Jason and how he expelled his demons and eventually was able to grieve for his parents was incredibly moving.
It brought me to tears and I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him that everything is alright and he is not alone..
I’m not sure why other people haven’t liked this book and I personally found it fascinating and the writing style easy to follow. Maybe some people don’t want Diana and her family to be human, that they should be something else, something to be abused.
On a side note back in the 1950s when Diana was touring the UK with her cabaret act and still married to Denis Hamilton, my father met her in a pub in Weston-Super-Mare, he remembers her as being, gorgeous, funny and above all a wonderful person and maybe this should be her legacy.
She brought glamour and fun into post war Britain , she grew older with grace and humour., and even at the end was the most glamourous star Britain ever produced.
January 2, 2012
Diana Dors was a far better actress than her 'blonde bombshell' image suggested, and a warm, likeable woman. In a minor way, she has become a British icon. It would be lovely to find a book that showcases her image and talent, but unfortunately this isn't it. Instead, it's pretty much a retread of previous biographies with a few family photos, and a nice read but nothing very new. It was written with the co-operation of her youngest son, who suffered from a double loss aged just 15 when Diana died of cancer, and his father committed suicide shortly after. So in that sense the book does have a unique, poignant quality, though perhaps inevitably it also comes across as rather a one-sided view.
October 10, 2017
I find this a fascinating book about Diana Dors. It gives unique insights from her son Jason's point of view.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews