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Mama Rose's Turn: The True Story of America's Most Notorious Stage Mother
Hers is the show business saga you think you already know--but you ain't seen nothin' yet. Rose Thompson Hovick, mother of June Havoc and Gypsy Rose Lee, went down in theatrical history as "The Stage Mother from Hell" after her immortalization on Broadway in A Musical Fable . Yet the musical was 75 percent fictionalized by playwright Arthur Laurents, tailored to fit the larger-than-life personality of Broadway star Ethel Merman, and condensed for the stage. Rose's full story is even more striking.
Born fearless on the North Dakota prairie in 1891, Rose Thompson had a kind father and a gallivanting mother who sold lacy finery to prostitutes. She became an unhappy teenage bride whose marriage yielded two entrancing daughters, Louise and June. When June was discovered to be a child prodigy in ballet, capable of dancing en pointe by the age of three, Rose, without benefit of any theatrical training, set out to create onstage opportunities for her magical baby girl--and succeeded.
Rose followed her own star and created two more in dramatic and colorful "Baby June" became a child headliner in vaudeville, and Louise grew up to be the well-known burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. The rest of Mama Rose's remarkable story included two husbands and countless love affairs, the operation of a "pick-up joint" where she charged admission and sold homemade bathtub gin, wild attempts to extort money from Gypsy and June, two stints as a chicken farmer, and three allegations of cold-blooded murder--all of which was deemed unfit for the script of Gypsy . Here, at last, is the rollicking, wild saga that never made it to the stage.
Born fearless on the North Dakota prairie in 1891, Rose Thompson had a kind father and a gallivanting mother who sold lacy finery to prostitutes. She became an unhappy teenage bride whose marriage yielded two entrancing daughters, Louise and June. When June was discovered to be a child prodigy in ballet, capable of dancing en pointe by the age of three, Rose, without benefit of any theatrical training, set out to create onstage opportunities for her magical baby girl--and succeeded.
Rose followed her own star and created two more in dramatic and colorful "Baby June" became a child headliner in vaudeville, and Louise grew up to be the well-known burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. The rest of Mama Rose's remarkable story included two husbands and countless love affairs, the operation of a "pick-up joint" where she charged admission and sold homemade bathtub gin, wild attempts to extort money from Gypsy and June, two stints as a chicken farmer, and three allegations of cold-blooded murder--all of which was deemed unfit for the script of Gypsy . Here, at last, is the rollicking, wild saga that never made it to the stage.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
13 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Summer Quinn
24 books19 followersCAROLYN SUMMER QUINN grew up loving show tunes in Roselle and Scotch Plains, NJ, a member of an outrageous and rollicking extended family. She later made her escape from the suburbs and has lived in New York City for nearly four wonderful decades. Carolyn is the Author of several books featuring compelling characters, 20 so far, for which she has won multiple awards and honors - and she says she's just getting started! Find her at: www.carolynsummerquinn.com.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 7, 2013
I love reading nonfiction, especially biographies and memoirs, so I was excited to see this listed on NetGalley. This book reads like fiction but has enough supporting data to prove much of the events written within. I had seen the movie, Gypsy, as a young girl. I knew the bare bones of the story surrounding the famous women but this book was a more in-depth view, allowing for a better understanding of their actions.
Needless to say, the book starts before Rose's birth and examines the world in which she will be living. It's plain to see that Rose was never going to be a conventional lady given the things her family found agreeable. Despite breaking societal taboos, many of her family members maintained a sense of resilience that proved to be valuable time and again within Rose's own life and the lives of her daughters, June and Louise.
The reader is treated to the delights of living the vaudevillian lifestyle through the various accounts presented in the novel. Both the rise and the fall of vaudeville is featured in the story of Rose as well as the effects that it has upon her life, her daughters and many of the well-known actors of the day. There is a section of photographs within the book which allows the reader to put faces to the names within and see some of their ordinary, everyday world.
I was glad to see that the author was able to maintain a balance in putting together the pieces of Rose Thompson's life puzzle. There didn't seem to be a bias one way or the other in regards to the decisions or actions that were taken. The author was able to present plausible reasons as to why things may have turned out the way they did or what may have been going through Rose's head at the time of some rash decisions. The tone of the novel was very much sympathetic yet realistic in its approach.
The only complaint I have with the novel is the presence of unfinished sentences in some of the chapters. There are only a handful that seem to be lacking a word, but it threw me off while I was reading. It left me wondering what was trying to be said at that moment. Other than that, I think the novel is a solid piece of work.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this glimpse into the lives of Rose, June, Gypsy and their extended family members. It was an informative work and read like a letter between friends at times. Fascinating to see the down-to-earth, human side of those we deem as celebrities. If you are looking for a well-written biography or enjoy reading behind-the-scenes accounts of famous people, this is definitely one that you should put on your TBR list.
Needless to say, the book starts before Rose's birth and examines the world in which she will be living. It's plain to see that Rose was never going to be a conventional lady given the things her family found agreeable. Despite breaking societal taboos, many of her family members maintained a sense of resilience that proved to be valuable time and again within Rose's own life and the lives of her daughters, June and Louise.
The reader is treated to the delights of living the vaudevillian lifestyle through the various accounts presented in the novel. Both the rise and the fall of vaudeville is featured in the story of Rose as well as the effects that it has upon her life, her daughters and many of the well-known actors of the day. There is a section of photographs within the book which allows the reader to put faces to the names within and see some of their ordinary, everyday world.
I was glad to see that the author was able to maintain a balance in putting together the pieces of Rose Thompson's life puzzle. There didn't seem to be a bias one way or the other in regards to the decisions or actions that were taken. The author was able to present plausible reasons as to why things may have turned out the way they did or what may have been going through Rose's head at the time of some rash decisions. The tone of the novel was very much sympathetic yet realistic in its approach.
The only complaint I have with the novel is the presence of unfinished sentences in some of the chapters. There are only a handful that seem to be lacking a word, but it threw me off while I was reading. It left me wondering what was trying to be said at that moment. Other than that, I think the novel is a solid piece of work.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this glimpse into the lives of Rose, June, Gypsy and their extended family members. It was an informative work and read like a letter between friends at times. Fascinating to see the down-to-earth, human side of those we deem as celebrities. If you are looking for a well-written biography or enjoy reading behind-the-scenes accounts of famous people, this is definitely one that you should put on your TBR list.
October 25, 2015
This book is kind of a mess. I'm not sure I've read another bio with so much blatant author bias. The writer constantly inserts herself and her opinions about every single thing, rather than presenting the facts as they stand. She defends Rose's every move to the point where she praises her for "not standing in June's way" -- starting when June was 2 1/2 years old and continuing as Rose put her to work illegally from the age of three. This is a repeated motif of hers: Rose was SO SWELL to get this kid in dance lessons and working, because June was SO TALENTED that it was just fulfilling the tiny child's real purpose on this earth.
The writer is also adamant that June was better than Harold Lloyd in a short they did together (I've seen it, and no.) June was effective and cute but HL was brilliant and his mimicry of June is quite funny; the writer seems to believe that he's trying to do a straight rendition of June's dance, which is just weird. As is her ecstatic description of June's bit, which is funny but hardly an example of earth-shattering talent -- but for this writer, it NEEDS to be brilliant so that she can justify Rose's drive to get this kid working. She also declares that Fanny Brice "might have" fired Louise from an act because Louise was better and prettier than Fanny Brice, etc, etc, etc. There's no contemporary evidence of Brice's motives, but that doesn't stop the writer from her insinuations and maybes.
In fact, the book is full of "perhaps" this and "might have" that, to the degree that I think they're the most heavily used words in the book. "Perhaps" Rose was bipolar (based on nothing but the author's desire to explain away behaviors.) "Maybe" Rose was thinking this or that, or had this or that motive for doing whatever. "Maybe" this person was drinking heavily when a letter was written or an accident happened. All this is based on nothing but the writer's imagination.
The timeline is also confusing. For instance, the author talks about June and the others playing the Orpheum Circuit, then three pages later talks about Gordon joining the act and becoming determined to get them on the Orpheum Circuit. Then, a couple of pages later, there they are on the Orpheum Circuit, apparently for the first time.
There's also confusion of facts. Rose is given credit for making their cross-country trips fun by turning them into camping holidays, and then on the same page it's said that the purchase of the tent, and the camping, was Louise's idea. And then Rose is given credit again later. It's very odd. Did this book not have an editor?
There's also a lot of repetition. We're told at least three times that June did up to thirty-five numbers a day, for instance.
She also has a strong bias against the adult June and her version of events. Where Rose might "embellish" a story, or Gypsy might embroider, June is a known "prevaricator". This is taken to a creepy extreme when the writer decides that June's story of being raped during a dance marathon "doesn't add up," though she takes other stories of other similar rapes at face value.
When she gets to the legendary "murder", she's adamant that it was proven a suicide. Unless the mysterious Kay Ray was actually there doing something sinister, maybe, perhaps, and then maybe perhaps it was a murder after all. Or Kay Ray's fault. Even though no one can actually place her at the scene. It's all so crazily biased that it's hard to take the writer's word for anything.
The book is also rife with misspellings, leftover words, grammatical errors, and so on, to the degree that one longs for a proofreader to go back over it.
Really disappointing as I was expecting a real bio and not a book full of maybe this happened and perhaps Rose thought that and oh, wasn't Rose madcap when she was conning people and stealing stuff backstage to destroy other acts. Rose is a fascinating woman but this book is so slanted towards her POV that it can't be taken seriously.
I finished reading it, but only because I was fascinated by how far this trainwreck would continue train-wrecking. Not a useful bio and a disappointing read.
The writer is also adamant that June was better than Harold Lloyd in a short they did together (I've seen it, and no.) June was effective and cute but HL was brilliant and his mimicry of June is quite funny; the writer seems to believe that he's trying to do a straight rendition of June's dance, which is just weird. As is her ecstatic description of June's bit, which is funny but hardly an example of earth-shattering talent -- but for this writer, it NEEDS to be brilliant so that she can justify Rose's drive to get this kid working. She also declares that Fanny Brice "might have" fired Louise from an act because Louise was better and prettier than Fanny Brice, etc, etc, etc. There's no contemporary evidence of Brice's motives, but that doesn't stop the writer from her insinuations and maybes.
In fact, the book is full of "perhaps" this and "might have" that, to the degree that I think they're the most heavily used words in the book. "Perhaps" Rose was bipolar (based on nothing but the author's desire to explain away behaviors.) "Maybe" Rose was thinking this or that, or had this or that motive for doing whatever. "Maybe" this person was drinking heavily when a letter was written or an accident happened. All this is based on nothing but the writer's imagination.
The timeline is also confusing. For instance, the author talks about June and the others playing the Orpheum Circuit, then three pages later talks about Gordon joining the act and becoming determined to get them on the Orpheum Circuit. Then, a couple of pages later, there they are on the Orpheum Circuit, apparently for the first time.
There's also confusion of facts. Rose is given credit for making their cross-country trips fun by turning them into camping holidays, and then on the same page it's said that the purchase of the tent, and the camping, was Louise's idea. And then Rose is given credit again later. It's very odd. Did this book not have an editor?
There's also a lot of repetition. We're told at least three times that June did up to thirty-five numbers a day, for instance.
She also has a strong bias against the adult June and her version of events. Where Rose might "embellish" a story, or Gypsy might embroider, June is a known "prevaricator". This is taken to a creepy extreme when the writer decides that June's story of being raped during a dance marathon "doesn't add up," though she takes other stories of other similar rapes at face value.
When she gets to the legendary "murder", she's adamant that it was proven a suicide. Unless the mysterious Kay Ray was actually there doing something sinister, maybe, perhaps, and then maybe perhaps it was a murder after all. Or Kay Ray's fault. Even though no one can actually place her at the scene. It's all so crazily biased that it's hard to take the writer's word for anything.
The book is also rife with misspellings, leftover words, grammatical errors, and so on, to the degree that one longs for a proofreader to go back over it.
Really disappointing as I was expecting a real bio and not a book full of maybe this happened and perhaps Rose thought that and oh, wasn't Rose madcap when she was conning people and stealing stuff backstage to destroy other acts. Rose is a fascinating woman but this book is so slanted towards her POV that it can't be taken seriously.
I finished reading it, but only because I was fascinated by how far this trainwreck would continue train-wrecking. Not a useful bio and a disappointing read.
April 3, 2019
The research and organization are great and the writing is easy to follow but the insistence on humanizing mama Rose and justifying her behavior makes me deeply uncomfortable. This woman was clearly abusive.
August 10, 2014
A fascinating look into the myth and the real Mama Rose! For anyone interesting in the musical Gypsy, or vaudeville, or a peek into the past this is a great read!
December 11, 2013
If you like biography, this is a very enjoyable easy to read book.
When I was a teenager, I read Gypsy Rose's Lee's autobiography though I have not seen the musical Gypsy. Recently, I had recently read American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott which covered similar materials as Ms. Quinn's book. However, Ms. Quinn's book is much better written and easy to follow.
However, these two books gave a different impression of Mama Rose and I plan to reread Karen Abbott's book to find out more about what that book had to say about Mama Rose. Karen Abbott's book gives a somewhat darker picture of Mama Rose
Postscript
I reread the Karen Abbott book. If one is reading Ms. Quinn's book as a serious and comprehensive biography of Mama Rose, it is a disappointment that I don't remember Ms. Quinn as referring to Abbott's book; Karen Abbott did after all base her book on interviews with Jane Havoc.
Both books note that the two sisters, Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc, have somewhat different views of their mother and experiences growing up. It is interesting that both Quinn and Abbott feel a need to side with one of the sister's with Abbott saying Jane Havoc's, and Quinn stating that Gypsy Rose Lee's version of the story was closer to the truth.
My own personal belief is that the truth falls somewhere in the middle of the two sisters. June Havoc was pushed harder as a small child than Gypsy Rose Lee which may explain why her version of the story is darker than Gypsy Rose Lee's version. However, sometimes I wonder whether June Havoc was concerned with her image and either might deliberately distort or misremember aspects of her experiences that did not make her look good.
When I was a teenager, I read Gypsy Rose's Lee's autobiography though I have not seen the musical Gypsy. Recently, I had recently read American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott which covered similar materials as Ms. Quinn's book. However, Ms. Quinn's book is much better written and easy to follow.
However, these two books gave a different impression of Mama Rose and I plan to reread Karen Abbott's book to find out more about what that book had to say about Mama Rose. Karen Abbott's book gives a somewhat darker picture of Mama Rose
Postscript
I reread the Karen Abbott book. If one is reading Ms. Quinn's book as a serious and comprehensive biography of Mama Rose, it is a disappointment that I don't remember Ms. Quinn as referring to Abbott's book; Karen Abbott did after all base her book on interviews with Jane Havoc.
Both books note that the two sisters, Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc, have somewhat different views of their mother and experiences growing up. It is interesting that both Quinn and Abbott feel a need to side with one of the sister's with Abbott saying Jane Havoc's, and Quinn stating that Gypsy Rose Lee's version of the story was closer to the truth.
My own personal belief is that the truth falls somewhere in the middle of the two sisters. June Havoc was pushed harder as a small child than Gypsy Rose Lee which may explain why her version of the story is darker than Gypsy Rose Lee's version. However, sometimes I wonder whether June Havoc was concerned with her image and either might deliberately distort or misremember aspects of her experiences that did not make her look good.
January 14, 2014
When I came to the USA - in the summer of 1955 - I had never heard of
Broadway, let alone seen a Broadway show. Maybe they copied them in
Amsterdam but I am from the eastern part of Holland, a small town at
that.
Sometime that winter I bought myself a ticket for a musical, which one
I forgot, due perhaps to the fact that the man in front of me blocked
my view, my English was not good enough to understand what was being
sung and I wasn't enough of a New Yorker yet to demand a better seat or my money back.
I have seen many Broadway shows since, including Gypsy. Who knew what
Carolyn Quinn in her book Mama Rose's Turn reveals, that the mother
and her daughters were so messed up; hardworking, that too, and
successful. I loved reading about them, it opened up a world to me I didn't know existed.
Congratulations, Carolyn, for having written that book. May you create many more.
Johanna Reiss, Author of
The Upstairs Room
Broadway, let alone seen a Broadway show. Maybe they copied them in
Amsterdam but I am from the eastern part of Holland, a small town at
that.
Sometime that winter I bought myself a ticket for a musical, which one
I forgot, due perhaps to the fact that the man in front of me blocked
my view, my English was not good enough to understand what was being
sung and I wasn't enough of a New Yorker yet to demand a better seat or my money back.
I have seen many Broadway shows since, including Gypsy. Who knew what
Carolyn Quinn in her book Mama Rose's Turn reveals, that the mother
and her daughters were so messed up; hardworking, that too, and
successful. I loved reading about them, it opened up a world to me I didn't know existed.
Congratulations, Carolyn, for having written that book. May you create many more.
Johanna Reiss, Author of
The Upstairs Room
November 27, 2013
This book from was great to read. As it gave Mama Rose's side of the story, not her daughter's side. I have not read Gypsy Lee's or June's books but I will now. Since I now there background to their story and how Mama Rose train them to be great stars in their time. The author does side with Gypsy Rose about her childhood. This books gives Mama Rose's background and how she was raised, it was unconventional for her time. Gave me a look into the vaudevillian lifestyle, as I have not read anything about it just seen pictures.
I received a copy from NetGalley to review it.
I received a copy from NetGalley to review it.
August 14, 2014
Seems to have been well researched and Quinn undoubtled has an affinity for the topic and an easy way of conveying her information. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Mama Rose is another study in familial dysfunction.
December 9, 2014
You’ve heard of Gypsy Rose Lee, the burlesque star? June Havoc, the movie star? “Mama Rose,” as she’s known in pop culture, is the mother of those two celebrities. She herself is the inspiration for the starring role in the musical Gypsy.
Even if the title of the musical doesn’t ring a bell for you, there is no doubt you’ve heard the songs before. They are classics of the American songbook. Mama Rose herself has been played by Ethel Merman, Bette Midler, Tyne Daly, Angela Lansbury, Patti Lupone, Rosalind Russell, and Bernadette Peters. Whew. I am on a mission to collect every version of “Some People” I can, as it’s one of my favorite songs.
Part of the research Quinn used to write this book is based on the memoirs of Rose’s two daughters.Quinn believes that Gypsy wrote her own memoir. Additionally, she wrote two novels, a play, and shorter memoir pieces for The New Yorker. June, on the other hand, probably had a ghost writer for her two memoirs.
Are you wondering if you should read Quinn’s biography of Mama Rose? Yes, definitely! What a CHARACTER Rose was! If you’ve seen the musical on stage or screen, you don’t know HALF the story! Actually you don’t know a lot of the story because, as Quinn points out, the full name of the musical is Gypsy: A Musical Fable. It’s only loosely based on the true story. I won’t give away all the fascinating facts I learned about the lives of these three women, but I will tell you that I was amazed to discover that Baby June/Dainty June (June Havoc as a kid) was a super talented dancer and performing star in Vaudeville when she was young.
Go. Read. Enjoy.
Even if the title of the musical doesn’t ring a bell for you, there is no doubt you’ve heard the songs before. They are classics of the American songbook. Mama Rose herself has been played by Ethel Merman, Bette Midler, Tyne Daly, Angela Lansbury, Patti Lupone, Rosalind Russell, and Bernadette Peters. Whew. I am on a mission to collect every version of “Some People” I can, as it’s one of my favorite songs.
Part of the research Quinn used to write this book is based on the memoirs of Rose’s two daughters.Quinn believes that Gypsy wrote her own memoir. Additionally, she wrote two novels, a play, and shorter memoir pieces for The New Yorker. June, on the other hand, probably had a ghost writer for her two memoirs.
Are you wondering if you should read Quinn’s biography of Mama Rose? Yes, definitely! What a CHARACTER Rose was! If you’ve seen the musical on stage or screen, you don’t know HALF the story! Actually you don’t know a lot of the story because, as Quinn points out, the full name of the musical is Gypsy: A Musical Fable. It’s only loosely based on the true story. I won’t give away all the fascinating facts I learned about the lives of these three women, but I will tell you that I was amazed to discover that Baby June/Dainty June (June Havoc as a kid) was a super talented dancer and performing star in Vaudeville when she was young.
Go. Read. Enjoy.
December 13, 2013
Not a period I am overly familiar with but the name of Gypsy Rose Lee is known to me. As such, I was interested in the woman behind the famous music hall star - and even more so when she was touted as the original "stage mother". Not having read either Gypsy's or June's version of events, I had nothing to compare this story with.
I did find the story of Mama Rose easy enough to follow, and Carolyn provides enough factual supporting documentation that does not distract the reader. It was an interesting journey following mama Rose from her early beginnings to the unconventional upbringing of her daughters and their rise to fame.
I would be interested in going back and reading both the Gypsy and June books as a further comparison.
I did find the story of Mama Rose easy enough to follow, and Carolyn provides enough factual supporting documentation that does not distract the reader. It was an interesting journey following mama Rose from her early beginnings to the unconventional upbringing of her daughters and their rise to fame.
I would be interested in going back and reading both the Gypsy and June books as a further comparison.
December 4, 2013
I absolutely love this book. Finally a Gypsy and Rose book that is based on recorded fact instead of a book of exaggerated fables that June wrote, or over the top creations Gypsy came up with for comic relief. Rose is finally seen as Rose, and not Gypsy and June's crazy mother. I love Rose!
August 18, 2014
The "stage mother from hell" is portrayed as a difficult yet charming eccentric who lead a distinctly unique life. Both the love and the bane of her two famous daughters existence, she was one heck of a character. Interesting read about an interesting woman.
August 9, 2014
A Myrt's Review
Mama Rose's Turn - The True Story of America's Most Notorious Stage Mother by Carolyn Quinn
Forever immortalized in the musical 'Gypsy', as the ultimate stage mother, Rose Thompson Hovick's life was so much more than that of the single minded, brassy, iconic 'Mama Rose' of stage and screen. Both her famous daughters, child star and actress June Havoc and infamous stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee wrote books about their lives which presented wildly different perspectives of their childhoods. Gypsy's more humorous book was used as the very loose basis for the musical 'Gypsy, A Musical Fable' but the musical was taken as fact and the legend of Mama Rose, the stage mother from hell began.
The book is extremely focused and well researched. Quinn is definitely a fan of Rose's. The book gives a detailed look at Rose, starting with her European grandparents' arrival in the Midwest and Rose's childhood in North Dakota to Rose's first teenage pregnancy (a 12 pound Gypsy!) and eventual taking of her two daughters on the road. Rose's antics often go to the extreme and it's easy to see how she became the standard for all stage mothers to come to be measured by. Rose was volatile, manipulative, scheming and overwhelming at various times. She was banned from several venues where her daughter Gypsy was working. Rose was even accused of murder several times. In her later years she became a lesbian and never really had any strong male relationships. Most of her relationships, particularly with her daughters, were dysfunctional. She was always restless, working her next plan or scheme.
The book gives not only an in depth look at an intriguing woman and her attempts to make her children into stars but it also provides a fascinating look inside the days of vaudeville and burlesque. It is definitely a good read about an unusual woman and the times she lived in.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Mama Rose's Turn - The True Story of America's Most Notorious Stage Mother by Carolyn Quinn
Forever immortalized in the musical 'Gypsy', as the ultimate stage mother, Rose Thompson Hovick's life was so much more than that of the single minded, brassy, iconic 'Mama Rose' of stage and screen. Both her famous daughters, child star and actress June Havoc and infamous stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee wrote books about their lives which presented wildly different perspectives of their childhoods. Gypsy's more humorous book was used as the very loose basis for the musical 'Gypsy, A Musical Fable' but the musical was taken as fact and the legend of Mama Rose, the stage mother from hell began.
The book is extremely focused and well researched. Quinn is definitely a fan of Rose's. The book gives a detailed look at Rose, starting with her European grandparents' arrival in the Midwest and Rose's childhood in North Dakota to Rose's first teenage pregnancy (a 12 pound Gypsy!) and eventual taking of her two daughters on the road. Rose's antics often go to the extreme and it's easy to see how she became the standard for all stage mothers to come to be measured by. Rose was volatile, manipulative, scheming and overwhelming at various times. She was banned from several venues where her daughter Gypsy was working. Rose was even accused of murder several times. In her later years she became a lesbian and never really had any strong male relationships. Most of her relationships, particularly with her daughters, were dysfunctional. She was always restless, working her next plan or scheme.
The book gives not only an in depth look at an intriguing woman and her attempts to make her children into stars but it also provides a fascinating look inside the days of vaudeville and burlesque. It is definitely a good read about an unusual woman and the times she lived in.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 6, 2016
"Mama's Rose's Turn" tells the story of the mother of June Havoc and Gypsy Rose Lee. A picture of the woman is known best from how she was portrayed by various actresses in "Gypsy" the many times redone musical. Rose gives stage mothers a bad name, and that's saying something. I'll just mention the three murders to whet your appetite. If you've seen "Gypsy" you ain't seen nothin yet. Read on. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.
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October 16, 2013Pre-pub. No review until release date.
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May 23, 2018Mush opinion mixed with "facts". Biased against June Havoc.
January 5, 2022
Seemed very well researched, which I appreciate. Very interesting explore the real story behind the musical.
January 21, 2022
Stopped reading after Rose went Patrick Bateman on a poor cat.
April 18, 2022
An incredible, fast paced read, essential for fans of Gypsy!
May 14, 2024
This book is incredible. I enjoyed it so much that I read out massive chunks of it aloud to my partner. Completely gripping life stories that were stranger than fiction.
The only issue is that the author is absolutely enamoured with her subject. Carolyn Quinn continually goes out of her way to contradict all available evidence and apply the kindest possible interpretation of Rose's actions. I was mostly bemused by this very obvious bias, but it beggars belief in the end. I still loved it though.
The only issue is that the author is absolutely enamoured with her subject. Carolyn Quinn continually goes out of her way to contradict all available evidence and apply the kindest possible interpretation of Rose's actions. I was mostly bemused by this very obvious bias, but it beggars belief in the end. I still loved it though.
May 27, 2025
I think the real Mama Rose probably fell somewhere halfway between the rather admiring way she was described in this book, and the monster portrayed in the musical Gypsy. (Although the instance of animal cruelty early in the book tips the scales towards the latter for me.)
January 29, 2014
It's difficult to say how I feel about this book. The facts are all there, certainly. But I frequently felt that the book lacked psychological insight into why Rose's relationships turned out the way they did. It's mentioned that she may have been bipolar, but there's no discussion of what it meant to be bipolar. It would've been nice if the author had quoted more from Rose's letters to back up her assertion.
The curse Rose gave Gypsy when she was dying has been endlessly repeated. So why discuss why it may have been spurious without actually repeating it? Seems like a missed opportunity to me.
I'm glad to know the truth of some of the rumours surrounding Rose; I just would've liked to feel that I understood her better.
The curse Rose gave Gypsy when she was dying has been endlessly repeated. So why discuss why it may have been spurious without actually repeating it? Seems like a missed opportunity to me.
I'm glad to know the truth of some of the rumours surrounding Rose; I just would've liked to feel that I understood her better.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews