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Hodder Stoughton Madonna.
In this riveting biography, award-winning author Mary Gabriel chronicles the meteoric rise and enduring influence of the greatest female pop icon of the modern Madonna.
With her arrival on the music scene in the early 1980s, Madonna generated nothing short of an explosion—as great as that of Elvis or the Beatles—taking the nation by storm with her liberated politics and breathtaking talent. Within two years of her 1983 debut album, a flagship Macy's store in Manhattan held a Madonna lookalike contest featuring Andy Warhol as a judge, and opened a department called “Madonna-land.”
But Madonna was more than just a pop star. Everywhere, fans gravitated to her as an emblem of a new age, one in which feminism could shed the buttoned-down demeanor of the 1970s and feel relevant to a new generation. Amid the scourge of AIDS, she brought queer identities into the mainstream, fiercely defending a person's right to love whomever—and be whoever—they wanted. Despite fierce criticism, she never separated her music from her political activism. And, as an artist, she never stopped experimenting. Madonna existed to push past boundaries by creating provocative, visionary music, videos, films, and live performances that changed culture globally.
Deftly tracing Madonna’s story from her Michigan roots to her rise to super-stardom, master biographer Mary Gabriel captures the dramatic life and achievements of one of the greatest artists of our time.
With her arrival on the music scene in the early 1980s, Madonna generated nothing short of an explosion—as great as that of Elvis or the Beatles—taking the nation by storm with her liberated politics and breathtaking talent. Within two years of her 1983 debut album, a flagship Macy's store in Manhattan held a Madonna lookalike contest featuring Andy Warhol as a judge, and opened a department called “Madonna-land.”
But Madonna was more than just a pop star. Everywhere, fans gravitated to her as an emblem of a new age, one in which feminism could shed the buttoned-down demeanor of the 1970s and feel relevant to a new generation. Amid the scourge of AIDS, she brought queer identities into the mainstream, fiercely defending a person's right to love whomever—and be whoever—they wanted. Despite fierce criticism, she never separated her music from her political activism. And, as an artist, she never stopped experimenting. Madonna existed to push past boundaries by creating provocative, visionary music, videos, films, and live performances that changed culture globally.
Deftly tracing Madonna’s story from her Michigan roots to her rise to super-stardom, master biographer Mary Gabriel captures the dramatic life and achievements of one of the greatest artists of our time.
Hardcover
Published October 10, 2023
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About the author
Mary Gabriel
22 books148 followersMary Gabriel was educated in the United States and France, and worked in Washington and London as a Reuters editor for nearly two decades. She is the author of two previous biographies: Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored, and The Art of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta and Claribel Cone. She lives in Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
November 19, 2023
It’s been a long time since I read an eight hundred page book not named Harry Potter. Oh I have a number on my lifetime bucket list but at this point in my life any book longer than three hundred fifty pages is an accomplishment, as I usually opt for books I can finish over a weekend. Then I found out about A Rebel Life. I have devoured biographies like they are water from the time I began to read independently so I knew this would be a must read. Like many people in my age bracket, I grew up with Madonna from the time I entered elementary school. Her songs were hits at after school rolling skating parties, and Immaculate Collection for many of us was a first CD, once cassette tapes became all but obsolete. Moving forward, as one who would rather read and watch sports than listen to most music, Madoona and I fell out of touch yet I still belted her music in my bedroom thanks to her roles in A League of Their Own and Evita. The timeless songs from Immaculate Collection remained personal favorites even as Madonna continued to reinvent herself with each album and project over the years. Ray of Light was the last album produced before I left for college and then I all but lost touch with any popular music. An eight hundred page biography on the life of a music icon would reintroduce myself to Madonna, her music, and her remarkable life. I could not wait to get started albeit the length and established a reading schedule, plowing forward on a musical journey of the last forty years.
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, a hot bed of Motown but little else. Her parents were devout Catholics and that lifestyle permeated the home with rules established for all six children. Following the death of her mother when Madonna was only eight years old, her father set out to be the best parent he could be, eventually remarrying and having two more children. As the oldest girl in the family, Madonna had to be a substitute mother to her younger siblings although it was not a role she had envisioned for herself. After hearing eleven year old Michael Jackson on the radio, the same age as she was, Madonna thought that she could sing, too; she could be a star. The roles of women in society were not something that Madonna thought about as a child and then teen; rather, she carved out a path that would one day take her to stardom. That would include reading voraciously, dance lessons, a scholarship to the University of Michigan, and eventually relocating to Manhattan as a young woman. While not a known name at all, Madonna was on her way to stardom, at least in her eyes she was. That path would take a few years and connections but now in New York, Madonna was on her way to becoming a star.
At over eight hundred pages in length, it is not my role to reiterate every important point in Madonna’s life. That is the job of the biographer. I had never read any of Mary Gabriel’s work although the subject matter on previous books sounded interesting, but the length admittedly scared me away. Hence, I had zero expectations coming in to this book. My goals as a reader were to find out how Madonna has lasted at the top of the music industry for forty years, when Hollywood tends to dismiss women over forty as old, over the hill, and out to pasture. Gabriel goes in depth to describe the creative process that led to all fourteen (!!) of Madonna’s studio albums as well as her movies and books as well as the concert tours that would eventually accompany most of these albums. This is why I, a fan of Madonna’s earlier work, picked up this lengthy book. I dabbled in choir in school and still enjoy singing, so I appreciate the musical process, especially as it transitions to a digital age. In order to stay relevant in a world where most performers are people half her age or younger, Madonna has had to discover new sounds and genres from all over the world on each album, collaborating with a multitude of creative minds from all walks of life in order to produce the best product possible. On her latest album Madame X, Madonna introduces the world to native sounds from North Africa, Portugal, and Sourh America that many people may not have been exposed to yet. This is after being the queen of music for four decades, but the best are often perfectionists and have the drive to be the best and reinvent themselves. That is the key to her longevity.
What I did not appreciate is the usage of the author’s politics throughout the book. Women’s and gay rights within the context of Madonna’s career are permissible. She is a woman who has shattered the glass ceiling many times over and owes the beginning of her career to many characters from New York’s gay disco scene of the early 1980s. It is only natural that Madonna is going to be what she calls a bad feminist as well as the biggest gay activist that exists as these are integral parts of her life. Madonna’s political stance is a vital portion of the book. It shapes who she is as an artist. Mary Gabriel’s politics, on the other hand, do not belong in a book where she is not the subject. Regardless of one’s political stance, a reader should not be subject to an author’s opinion on the last three U.S. presidents, and Gabriel does not at the moment even live in the United States. Sadly, authors inserting their political slant into an otherwise quality book, either fiction or nonfiction, has become all too common in recent years, leading me to read books by preferred authors that I have may have overlooked the first time around. Had Gabriel stuck to Madonna’s politics only and how they influenced her music and life choices, I would have been ok with that, even if my views and Madonna’s do not necessarily line up. I am intrigued by how the events of these last twenty years have lead Madonna to reinvent herself time and again, leading me to listen to her music that I have negelected over all this time. According to Gabriel, world events have played a role in Madonna the artist and created a plethora of personas in both videos and on tour. Needless to say, there are certain songs listed throughout the book that I am excited to hear for the first time.
The industry says that Lady Gaga is a 21st century Madonna on steroids. The last time I checked, the 21st century Madonna is still singing, still creating, even if some of her work is toned down from her 1980s self. There would be no Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, et al if Madonna had not been there to pave the way decades earlier. Even after all these years and fifty number one hit songs, Madonna has only won seven Grammys and only three for her music. Although the Queen of pop, the music industry remains the old boys club it was forty years ago when she was first breaking through. The owner of her own label, Madonna controls what she creates and gives a voice to new artists and sounds including her own children who have chosen to become artists of various varieties. The first third of this book was indeed a trip down memory lane as I belted Immaculate Collection in the car on the way to work. The last two thirds let me into the life of a remarkable woman who is still touring and creating at sixty five, and that is with four children still at home. Madonna easily brings new meaning to sixty is the new forty and now I have over twenty years of new material to listen to. My daughters might be Swifties and appreciate all types of music and for that they have Madonna to thank as well. She is the Queen of pop hands down and, politics aside, I thank Mary Gabriel for creating this opus.
4 stars
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, a hot bed of Motown but little else. Her parents were devout Catholics and that lifestyle permeated the home with rules established for all six children. Following the death of her mother when Madonna was only eight years old, her father set out to be the best parent he could be, eventually remarrying and having two more children. As the oldest girl in the family, Madonna had to be a substitute mother to her younger siblings although it was not a role she had envisioned for herself. After hearing eleven year old Michael Jackson on the radio, the same age as she was, Madonna thought that she could sing, too; she could be a star. The roles of women in society were not something that Madonna thought about as a child and then teen; rather, she carved out a path that would one day take her to stardom. That would include reading voraciously, dance lessons, a scholarship to the University of Michigan, and eventually relocating to Manhattan as a young woman. While not a known name at all, Madonna was on her way to stardom, at least in her eyes she was. That path would take a few years and connections but now in New York, Madonna was on her way to becoming a star.
At over eight hundred pages in length, it is not my role to reiterate every important point in Madonna’s life. That is the job of the biographer. I had never read any of Mary Gabriel’s work although the subject matter on previous books sounded interesting, but the length admittedly scared me away. Hence, I had zero expectations coming in to this book. My goals as a reader were to find out how Madonna has lasted at the top of the music industry for forty years, when Hollywood tends to dismiss women over forty as old, over the hill, and out to pasture. Gabriel goes in depth to describe the creative process that led to all fourteen (!!) of Madonna’s studio albums as well as her movies and books as well as the concert tours that would eventually accompany most of these albums. This is why I, a fan of Madonna’s earlier work, picked up this lengthy book. I dabbled in choir in school and still enjoy singing, so I appreciate the musical process, especially as it transitions to a digital age. In order to stay relevant in a world where most performers are people half her age or younger, Madonna has had to discover new sounds and genres from all over the world on each album, collaborating with a multitude of creative minds from all walks of life in order to produce the best product possible. On her latest album Madame X, Madonna introduces the world to native sounds from North Africa, Portugal, and Sourh America that many people may not have been exposed to yet. This is after being the queen of music for four decades, but the best are often perfectionists and have the drive to be the best and reinvent themselves. That is the key to her longevity.
What I did not appreciate is the usage of the author’s politics throughout the book. Women’s and gay rights within the context of Madonna’s career are permissible. She is a woman who has shattered the glass ceiling many times over and owes the beginning of her career to many characters from New York’s gay disco scene of the early 1980s. It is only natural that Madonna is going to be what she calls a bad feminist as well as the biggest gay activist that exists as these are integral parts of her life. Madonna’s political stance is a vital portion of the book. It shapes who she is as an artist. Mary Gabriel’s politics, on the other hand, do not belong in a book where she is not the subject. Regardless of one’s political stance, a reader should not be subject to an author’s opinion on the last three U.S. presidents, and Gabriel does not at the moment even live in the United States. Sadly, authors inserting their political slant into an otherwise quality book, either fiction or nonfiction, has become all too common in recent years, leading me to read books by preferred authors that I have may have overlooked the first time around. Had Gabriel stuck to Madonna’s politics only and how they influenced her music and life choices, I would have been ok with that, even if my views and Madonna’s do not necessarily line up. I am intrigued by how the events of these last twenty years have lead Madonna to reinvent herself time and again, leading me to listen to her music that I have negelected over all this time. According to Gabriel, world events have played a role in Madonna the artist and created a plethora of personas in both videos and on tour. Needless to say, there are certain songs listed throughout the book that I am excited to hear for the first time.
The industry says that Lady Gaga is a 21st century Madonna on steroids. The last time I checked, the 21st century Madonna is still singing, still creating, even if some of her work is toned down from her 1980s self. There would be no Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, et al if Madonna had not been there to pave the way decades earlier. Even after all these years and fifty number one hit songs, Madonna has only won seven Grammys and only three for her music. Although the Queen of pop, the music industry remains the old boys club it was forty years ago when she was first breaking through. The owner of her own label, Madonna controls what she creates and gives a voice to new artists and sounds including her own children who have chosen to become artists of various varieties. The first third of this book was indeed a trip down memory lane as I belted Immaculate Collection in the car on the way to work. The last two thirds let me into the life of a remarkable woman who is still touring and creating at sixty five, and that is with four children still at home. Madonna easily brings new meaning to sixty is the new forty and now I have over twenty years of new material to listen to. My daughters might be Swifties and appreciate all types of music and for that they have Madonna to thank as well. She is the Queen of pop hands down and, politics aside, I thank Mary Gabriel for creating this opus.
4 stars
January 20, 2024
My favorite Madonna album is Bedtime Stories. I fell in love with it when I was experiencing my first heartbreak as a teenager and every year I get older that album just hits different.
My Top Ten Madonna Songs
1. Take A Bow
2. Secret
3. Hung Up
4. Bad Girl
5. Vogue
6. Power of Goodbye
7. Love Tried to Welcome Me
8. Deeper and Deeper
9. Drowned World/ Substitute for Love
10. Cherish
Honorable Mentions
1. You'll See
2. Crazy For You
3. Beautiful Stranger
4. Express Yourself
5. Sooner or Later
Madonna is one of the most influential artists of all time. Its wild that she's only 4 years older than my dad, she still seems so youthful and energetic. My sister grew up loving Madonna but I didn't really get into her until I was a teenager. She's my favorite artists favorite artist, Britney, Beyonce, Gaga, Rhianna, Nicki..they all worship her. Madonna changed the game. I know Gaga gets compared to Madonna alot but I see Rihanna as her closest lovechild. And obviously currently Lil Nas X is giving Madonna energy and I love it.
Now on to the actual book.
This book is a monster. It's only slightly shorter than Barbra Streisand's memoir and I still think this book could have been longer. I will say that I would only recommend this book to people who are huge Madonna fans, because this book really gets down into the nitty gritty of how she composed her albums and put together her tours. You truly get an insiders look at how she creates her art. This is also an exploration of the sexism Madonna has faced and continues to face. Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson were all born in the same year 1958 and they are blew up around the same time( obviously MJ was a child star but I'm talking about his adult career) and yet the way Prince and MJ were described as genuinely talented and as musical geniuses, while Madonna was belittled and never fully respected. I mean Madonna only has 7 Grammys???? SEVEN!!! You can't listen to any pop song currently or watch any music video without feeling her impact but she is still not taken seriously.
The only thing I wish we had more of in this book was her family...not her kids( although I had no idea she has 6 kids) but her father and siblings. We really only learn about her mother who died when Madonna was a young child and her brother Christopher who worked with her for 30 years. We get mentions of her sister Melanie but not anything else. It's alluded to that she's super close with her sisters but we never see that in the book. And we know that she has a complicated relationship with her father but he just disappears from the book after the Blond Ambition tour. I also wanted to know more about her falling out with her brother Christopher. It's alluded to that her second husband Guy Ritchie's "discomfort" with Gay, Black and Brown people was the beginning of the fissure and his book really ended their relationship but it seemed to me that the tension was deeper than that. I just wanted more. The book does seek to clarify Madonna and Sean Penn's relationship and knock down rumors that he abused her. Madonna and Sean are star-crossed lovers and I stan it!
Overall I had fun reading this book. I listened to everything Madonna. I realized that I had never listened to most of Madonna's albums, I had heard the singles but never the full package. Madonna has no bad albums. I like some more than others but every album is good if not great. Yall we are sleeping on Rebel Heart and Madame X. I watched her live performances and videos, my YouTube algorithm is all Madonna right now and I'm not mad at all. I even watched Todd in the Shadows review all her movies.
Madonna is an icon not only in the musical world but when it comes to fighting for human rights. She was supporting Gay rights in the 70's. She's been a lover of Black culture she's the 60's. She's not perfect. She makes mistakes ( like marrying a homophobe and racist) but she always gets back to the right side.
A Must Read!
My Top Ten Madonna Songs
1. Take A Bow
2. Secret
3. Hung Up
4. Bad Girl
5. Vogue
6. Power of Goodbye
7. Love Tried to Welcome Me
8. Deeper and Deeper
9. Drowned World/ Substitute for Love
10. Cherish
Honorable Mentions
1. You'll See
2. Crazy For You
3. Beautiful Stranger
4. Express Yourself
5. Sooner or Later
Madonna is one of the most influential artists of all time. Its wild that she's only 4 years older than my dad, she still seems so youthful and energetic. My sister grew up loving Madonna but I didn't really get into her until I was a teenager. She's my favorite artists favorite artist, Britney, Beyonce, Gaga, Rhianna, Nicki..they all worship her. Madonna changed the game. I know Gaga gets compared to Madonna alot but I see Rihanna as her closest lovechild. And obviously currently Lil Nas X is giving Madonna energy and I love it.
Now on to the actual book.
This book is a monster. It's only slightly shorter than Barbra Streisand's memoir and I still think this book could have been longer. I will say that I would only recommend this book to people who are huge Madonna fans, because this book really gets down into the nitty gritty of how she composed her albums and put together her tours. You truly get an insiders look at how she creates her art. This is also an exploration of the sexism Madonna has faced and continues to face. Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson were all born in the same year 1958 and they are blew up around the same time( obviously MJ was a child star but I'm talking about his adult career) and yet the way Prince and MJ were described as genuinely talented and as musical geniuses, while Madonna was belittled and never fully respected. I mean Madonna only has 7 Grammys???? SEVEN!!! You can't listen to any pop song currently or watch any music video without feeling her impact but she is still not taken seriously.
The only thing I wish we had more of in this book was her family...not her kids( although I had no idea she has 6 kids) but her father and siblings. We really only learn about her mother who died when Madonna was a young child and her brother Christopher who worked with her for 30 years. We get mentions of her sister Melanie but not anything else. It's alluded to that she's super close with her sisters but we never see that in the book. And we know that she has a complicated relationship with her father but he just disappears from the book after the Blond Ambition tour. I also wanted to know more about her falling out with her brother Christopher. It's alluded to that her second husband Guy Ritchie's "discomfort" with Gay, Black and Brown people was the beginning of the fissure and his book really ended their relationship but it seemed to me that the tension was deeper than that. I just wanted more. The book does seek to clarify Madonna and Sean Penn's relationship and knock down rumors that he abused her. Madonna and Sean are star-crossed lovers and I stan it!
Overall I had fun reading this book. I listened to everything Madonna. I realized that I had never listened to most of Madonna's albums, I had heard the singles but never the full package. Madonna has no bad albums. I like some more than others but every album is good if not great. Yall we are sleeping on Rebel Heart and Madame X. I watched her live performances and videos, my YouTube algorithm is all Madonna right now and I'm not mad at all. I even watched Todd in the Shadows review all her movies.
Madonna is an icon not only in the musical world but when it comes to fighting for human rights. She was supporting Gay rights in the 70's. She's been a lover of Black culture she's the 60's. She's not perfect. She makes mistakes ( like marrying a homophobe and racist) but she always gets back to the right side.
A Must Read!
October 25, 2023
Very thorough. Also not one-sided, which was nice for a change. I learned a lot about her; wasn't aware of the level of activism and charitable works she has spearheaded over the past 15 years. Always a welcome change to see the human sides of someone who is often a publicly hunted and reviled celebrity; always two sides to each story. Also a great reminder of how much of a LGBT warrior she has been. Wasn't real salacious, either, which was a switch. Enjoyed this one a lot.
August 21, 2024
To było dosłownie "like a prayer"... księga wielkością, ciężkością i rozmiarem czcionki dorównująca Biblii...
Madonny to chyba nie trzeba jakoś specjalnie przedstawiać, każdy wie, że to królowa sceny i ikona popkultury, a jednak Mary Gabriel pokusiła się o stworzenie wielkiej biografii artystki. Ta księga to ponad tysiąc stron nie tylko życia i twórczości samej Madonny, ale też szerokiej panoramy amerykańskiego świata show-businessu, dotykająca również życiorysów i działalności osób, które w jakikolwiek sposób miały styczność z Madonną. Mamy tutaj plejadę jej mężów, kochanków, współpracowników czy osób, które wywarły wpływ na twórczość artystki.
Ogrom pracy, jaki został włożony w stworzenie tego dzieła z pewnością docenią zdeklarowani wielbiciele artystki, bowiem znajdą tu mnóstwo szczegółowych informacji, anegdot, historyjek i zakulisowych opowiastek, począwszy od czasów dzieciństwa Madonny, aż do czasów obecnych. Przyznam jednak, że momentami czułam znużenie czytając o sprawach, które odbiegały od samej wokalistki, a takich jest wiele. Przykład: nie wiem, po co jest opowiedziana historia Seana Penna – jednego z mężów Madonny – który już po rozwodzie z nią, udał się do klubu, gdzie trochę narozrabiał i trafił do aresztu na 60 dni… To element, który z Madonną nie ma nic wspólnego i powinien raczej zasilić biografię aktora… Niemniej przyznaję, że cała publikacja w ogólnym rozrachunku jest bardzo ciekawa, pokazuje, co ukształtowało Madonnę, co sprawiło, że dotarła na najwyższe podium na światowej artystycznej scenie, jaki wpływ wywarła na światową scenę muzyczną i popkulturę… Mary Gabriel oddaje w zasadzie kompletny obraz artystki, chociaż pod koniec już chyba sama była zmęczona tworzeniem tej publikacji, bo ostatnie lata są już przedstawione skrótowo i ogólnikowo.
Publikacja posiada bardzo ładną szatę graficzną. Madonna stylizowana na Marylin Monroe, otoczona złotem, ubrana w twardą oprawę, treść podana na lekko śliskim papierze, to naprawdę przejaw wielkiej elegancji. Ale przecież to królowa sceny, więc i entourage nie mógł być byle jaki :)
Ze względu na ciężar i gabaryty publikacji, warto przygotować sobie wygodne miejsce do jej czytania – ręce omdlewają dość szybko :)
Recenzja grzecznościowa. Autor recenzji:
https://www.instagram.com/criminal.book/
https://lubimyczytac.pl/profil/210106...
Madonny to chyba nie trzeba jakoś specjalnie przedstawiać, każdy wie, że to królowa sceny i ikona popkultury, a jednak Mary Gabriel pokusiła się o stworzenie wielkiej biografii artystki. Ta księga to ponad tysiąc stron nie tylko życia i twórczości samej Madonny, ale też szerokiej panoramy amerykańskiego świata show-businessu, dotykająca również życiorysów i działalności osób, które w jakikolwiek sposób miały styczność z Madonną. Mamy tutaj plejadę jej mężów, kochanków, współpracowników czy osób, które wywarły wpływ na twórczość artystki.
Ogrom pracy, jaki został włożony w stworzenie tego dzieła z pewnością docenią zdeklarowani wielbiciele artystki, bowiem znajdą tu mnóstwo szczegółowych informacji, anegdot, historyjek i zakulisowych opowiastek, począwszy od czasów dzieciństwa Madonny, aż do czasów obecnych. Przyznam jednak, że momentami czułam znużenie czytając o sprawach, które odbiegały od samej wokalistki, a takich jest wiele. Przykład: nie wiem, po co jest opowiedziana historia Seana Penna – jednego z mężów Madonny – który już po rozwodzie z nią, udał się do klubu, gdzie trochę narozrabiał i trafił do aresztu na 60 dni… To element, który z Madonną nie ma nic wspólnego i powinien raczej zasilić biografię aktora… Niemniej przyznaję, że cała publikacja w ogólnym rozrachunku jest bardzo ciekawa, pokazuje, co ukształtowało Madonnę, co sprawiło, że dotarła na najwyższe podium na światowej artystycznej scenie, jaki wpływ wywarła na światową scenę muzyczną i popkulturę… Mary Gabriel oddaje w zasadzie kompletny obraz artystki, chociaż pod koniec już chyba sama była zmęczona tworzeniem tej publikacji, bo ostatnie lata są już przedstawione skrótowo i ogólnikowo.
Publikacja posiada bardzo ładną szatę graficzną. Madonna stylizowana na Marylin Monroe, otoczona złotem, ubrana w twardą oprawę, treść podana na lekko śliskim papierze, to naprawdę przejaw wielkiej elegancji. Ale przecież to królowa sceny, więc i entourage nie mógł być byle jaki :)
Ze względu na ciężar i gabaryty publikacji, warto przygotować sobie wygodne miejsce do jej czytania – ręce omdlewają dość szybko :)
Recenzja grzecznościowa. Autor recenzji:
https://www.instagram.com/criminal.book/
https://lubimyczytac.pl/profil/210106...
October 27, 2023
This book is 813 pages long so you need to be a massive fan to get through this biography. While reading, I often stopped to find songs or tours on YouTube as the author has thoroughly researched every era and transformation. Madonna is a powerful visionary, ally, political boundary pusher, defiant, offensive, and an incredible artist, athlete, and dancer. She's also relentlessly curious about others having helped countless newcomers rise to their own artistic success. She is not afraid, unmotivated by fame and money (despite how she's been depicted), will outwork everyone on her team, and refuses to compromise on her vision. I would have given it a five star review if the author had collaborated with Madonna personally or provided more of a personal connection but that would have been problematic - this book is long enough! Definitely recommend for her biggest fans though.
December 13, 2023
I started this book as a casual Madonna fan, and ended it fully obsessed with her. If you love pop music, art, spectacle, or strong women, you won't need to be a massive Madonna fan to enjoy this book.
And what an absolute joy this book was to read. I took my time with it, going back and forth between the audiobook (which had a wonderful narrator) and the physical book treating it like an activity book. As albums or music videos were mentioned, I'd stop and listen/watch accordingly, and it was so much fun to both read and watch her artistry evolve. 850 pages, and not a single one was boring.
I found myself also really appreciating the author and the way she takes the reader through Madonna's life and accomplishments. This book is written with such love and appreciation, and I found so much value in the way that she'd take the time to ground the reader in the political/social climate of the times and places being covered. I don't think Madonna's full impact and power could be illustrated without those moments.
Overall, I'm absolutely floored by Madonna's impact, and will absolutely be checking out Mary Gabriel's other books for her thoughtful, comprehensive writing style. 4.5 stars.
And what an absolute joy this book was to read. I took my time with it, going back and forth between the audiobook (which had a wonderful narrator) and the physical book treating it like an activity book. As albums or music videos were mentioned, I'd stop and listen/watch accordingly, and it was so much fun to both read and watch her artistry evolve. 850 pages, and not a single one was boring.
I found myself also really appreciating the author and the way she takes the reader through Madonna's life and accomplishments. This book is written with such love and appreciation, and I found so much value in the way that she'd take the time to ground the reader in the political/social climate of the times and places being covered. I don't think Madonna's full impact and power could be illustrated without those moments.
Overall, I'm absolutely floored by Madonna's impact, and will absolutely be checking out Mary Gabriel's other books for her thoughtful, comprehensive writing style. 4.5 stars.
February 15, 2024
When I say this biography is thorough, I’m serious. Nearly 900 pages, or 42 hours on audio. Humble beginnings, fame, fashion, family, philanthropy. What a life! This sparked vivid memories of swinging on my T-Gym (remember those?) singing every word to “Like a Prayer.” I’d worked so hard to memorize the lyrics. I was 8. I want to thank my parents for inadvertently not censoring me from Madonna. I loved her growing up.
October 18, 2023
First I have to admit that I’m on a recent Madonna renaissance since the beginning of 2023 to prepare for her 40th anniversary Celebration concert. While I have loved Madonna from when I can first remember her around the Like a Virgin Days in 1984 when I was nine, I was not one of the hugest superfans who knew every detail about her. But Madonna has always been in the social landscape and everyday conversation. I’ve been around through all the biggest points in her life, Like a Prayer and Vogue days, mind boggling live VMA and Oscars performances, Blonde Ambition tour (genre defining concert), Truth or Dare (another genre defining music documentary), Erotica, Sex book, peaking high again with Ray of Light, Music and Confessions on a Dance Floor albums, her English Rose days and children’s books, her collaboration with newer artists with Hard Candy and MDNA and all the way to Rebel Heart snd Madame X and tour.
And so while I’m consuming all there is about Madonna in these recent months as my “prep” for the tour (seeing it in NYC in Dec 2023), out comes this book about all things Madonna. I could not stop reading. It’s so fascinating and detailed. I have never read any of the Madonna biographies so this was a treat.
Thank you Mary Gabriel for the monumental work that you’ve done. I’ve listened to your interviews on podcasts promoting this book, and I agree with you, Madonna is truly an avante garde artist of the highest caliber. I highly recommend to anyone who is a casual, big or superfan of Madonna, of performance art, and really anyone who has been around 40+ years like Madonna.
And so while I’m consuming all there is about Madonna in these recent months as my “prep” for the tour (seeing it in NYC in Dec 2023), out comes this book about all things Madonna. I could not stop reading. It’s so fascinating and detailed. I have never read any of the Madonna biographies so this was a treat.
Thank you Mary Gabriel for the monumental work that you’ve done. I’ve listened to your interviews on podcasts promoting this book, and I agree with you, Madonna is truly an avante garde artist of the highest caliber. I highly recommend to anyone who is a casual, big or superfan of Madonna, of performance art, and really anyone who has been around 40+ years like Madonna.
February 8, 2024
overall i would recommend this because i don't know if there is a more comprehensive madonna biography out there. you really get a sense of how massive her career was and how it kind of changed like? everything?? and hearing how all of the different eras interwove and came to be is very electrifying. it's like hearing about one of the seven wonders of the world. there is obviously a lot to critique about madonna generally and i didn't really expect a TON of that in her own biography of course but... the adamanetly liberal feminist perspective the author is writing with felt more appropriate for the 1970s-1990s sections of this book than the rest, because by the end it was becoming both grating and distracting. there are criticisms that i think do patently fall under categories of misogyny and ageism and then there are just things she does that are wrong that have nothing to do with that. and like honestly we all know this because that is kind of in the fine print of what you sign up for being a madonna fan. i just don't like how the book uses those as a shield at almost every turn. it just makes everything else she has achieved feel so much less credible! but otherwise this is a very long book and most of the time it is not weighed down by the author's political shortcomings and thus the book is able to serve exactly the purpose it should other than maybe having a few sections feeling a little too ripped from the wiki
November 5, 2023
I think I have petered out on this book. I made it through Madonna's childhood and imperial phase and that was interesting enough (because Madonna) in spite of the author, a Woman's Libber who can't write a paragraph that doesn't talk about "The Patriarchy." The whole book is bloated (does a reader of a Madonna biography really need the Stonewall riots explained to him?) and so fawning that it reads like the author is on Madonna's payroll. Mary Gabriel is no Kitty Kelly, that's for sure!
October 16, 2023
Do yourself a favor and read the book - all 1800 pages instead of the audio version. The book was great, but the narrator couldn't pronounce Madonna's daughters name (and she said it no less than 1,000 times) so it really killed the credibility of what she was saying.
October 31, 2025
uau. que aventura foi essa leitura. a narrativa de vida da madonna forma um mosaico cheio de nuances pessoais e atravessamentos culturais, com um toque especial do trabalho de pesquisa impecável da mary gabriel. terminei essa leitura admirando mais ainda a madonna que, embora no final do livro pareça estar se encaminhando pro descanso, mostrou nos últimos anos que não pretende parar e nem deve, só elevando o patamar de suas conquistas e criações.
um dos aspectos do livro que mais me agradou foi a inclusão dos fatos históricos cercando cada época, provando que não dá pra falar sobre a madonna sem falar sobre o que estava acontecendo no mundo, da mesma forma que não dá pra falar do mundo sem falar da madonna. essas relações são essenciais pra perceber o vanguardismo e a coragem da madonna em quase tudo que fez.
agora, saindo da posição de crítica e entrando numa mais pessoal de leitora, que delícia foi demorar esse tanto pra ler esse livro. a demora fez com que a leitura me acompanhasse em diversos momentos especiais, como o debut no trem pra paris, o like a prayer no ônibus pra barcelona, o erotica num por do sol no meu quartinho em aix, o mdna no ônibus pro estágio…
ah, claro que a leitura só faz sentido se parar pra ouvir os discos junto, e o panorama que a mary gabriel constrói pra cada era é fenomenal.
acessar o lado humano por trás da estrela, acompanhado das ambições e contradições, é sempre uma experiência marcante. depois dessa leitura, ganhei um repertório cultural imensurável e uma admiração ainda maior pela madonna. agora, mais do que nunca reconheço o privilégio de viver na mesma época que ela.
um dos aspectos do livro que mais me agradou foi a inclusão dos fatos históricos cercando cada época, provando que não dá pra falar sobre a madonna sem falar sobre o que estava acontecendo no mundo, da mesma forma que não dá pra falar do mundo sem falar da madonna. essas relações são essenciais pra perceber o vanguardismo e a coragem da madonna em quase tudo que fez.
agora, saindo da posição de crítica e entrando numa mais pessoal de leitora, que delícia foi demorar esse tanto pra ler esse livro. a demora fez com que a leitura me acompanhasse em diversos momentos especiais, como o debut no trem pra paris, o like a prayer no ônibus pra barcelona, o erotica num por do sol no meu quartinho em aix, o mdna no ônibus pro estágio…
ah, claro que a leitura só faz sentido se parar pra ouvir os discos junto, e o panorama que a mary gabriel constrói pra cada era é fenomenal.
acessar o lado humano por trás da estrela, acompanhado das ambições e contradições, é sempre uma experiência marcante. depois dessa leitura, ganhei um repertório cultural imensurável e uma admiração ainda maior pela madonna. agora, mais do que nunca reconheço o privilégio de viver na mesma época que ela.
March 29, 2024
As a longtime Madonna fan, I didn’t think there was anything more to know about her. But I learned so much from this bio. The author puts her career into perspective with the times and her impact on popular culture. I listened to the audiobook which was good but had a few pronunciation issues. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
February 10, 2024
[3.5 stars] Near the 800-page mark, Mary Gabriel asks, “does Madonna do anything without controversy?” To which I yelled “No!” and that pretty much sums up this entire biography.
Merely reducing her to headlines minimizes the outsized role she has played in global culture for decades and overshadows her contributions as a social justice advocate and philanthropist.
Sexism, unsurprisingly, is a recurring theme, and it was one of many topics – including HIV/AIDs, gay rights, politics, religion, feminism and international development – that run parallel to Madonna’s story making this equal parts anthropological study and rockstar mythmaking.
This criss-crossing of influences – some stated, others theorized – show how frequently Madonna met a moment or pushed it forward. As a near constant media presence for over 40 years, her reaction to a situation – or the reaction to her actions – are an interesting socio-political barometer.
Exploring macro events and interjecting micro details from Madonna’s life and career was one of the clever techniques Gabriel used to mask that the book’s namesake had no involvement in “A Rebel Life.”
Still, by the end of the 40+ hour audiobook, I was exhausted and angry on Madonna’s behalf. There’s no reason this book needs to be as long as it is. While Gabriel spotlights many of the artist's collaborators over the years, I only had a passing interest in this flood of names.
Additionally, there were some things better left for the reader to experience than hear about. The detailed accounts of her tours and recordings were, honestly, boring, but they did give me new appreciation when I sought clips on YouTube.
The last third, primarily focused on 2008 and later, was simply not as interesting as the sections that focused on the 1980s and 1990s. While I don’t want to minimize Madonna’s later life – she still has an insane amount of relevance and influence – a more narrow focus on the subject would’ve worked wonders here. Like Madonna’s current greatest hits tour, give fans what they want.
There’s no way I would’ve picked up a physical copy of this book, so audio was the way to go for me. Elise Arsenault gave a passable if unremarkable performance. She read the text like a superfan, full of enthusiasm and indignation on Madonna’s behalf. Not a terrible way to experience the read, but this is only for superfans and music obsessives.
Merely reducing her to headlines minimizes the outsized role she has played in global culture for decades and overshadows her contributions as a social justice advocate and philanthropist.
Sexism, unsurprisingly, is a recurring theme, and it was one of many topics – including HIV/AIDs, gay rights, politics, religion, feminism and international development – that run parallel to Madonna’s story making this equal parts anthropological study and rockstar mythmaking.
This criss-crossing of influences – some stated, others theorized – show how frequently Madonna met a moment or pushed it forward. As a near constant media presence for over 40 years, her reaction to a situation – or the reaction to her actions – are an interesting socio-political barometer.
Exploring macro events and interjecting micro details from Madonna’s life and career was one of the clever techniques Gabriel used to mask that the book’s namesake had no involvement in “A Rebel Life.”
Still, by the end of the 40+ hour audiobook, I was exhausted and angry on Madonna’s behalf. There’s no reason this book needs to be as long as it is. While Gabriel spotlights many of the artist's collaborators over the years, I only had a passing interest in this flood of names.
Additionally, there were some things better left for the reader to experience than hear about. The detailed accounts of her tours and recordings were, honestly, boring, but they did give me new appreciation when I sought clips on YouTube.
The last third, primarily focused on 2008 and later, was simply not as interesting as the sections that focused on the 1980s and 1990s. While I don’t want to minimize Madonna’s later life – she still has an insane amount of relevance and influence – a more narrow focus on the subject would’ve worked wonders here. Like Madonna’s current greatest hits tour, give fans what they want.
There’s no way I would’ve picked up a physical copy of this book, so audio was the way to go for me. Elise Arsenault gave a passable if unremarkable performance. She read the text like a superfan, full of enthusiasm and indignation on Madonna’s behalf. Not a terrible way to experience the read, but this is only for superfans and music obsessives.
May 8, 2024
This really between two and three stars for me but I wasn't feeling that generous so there.
It's always hard to write a biography when you don't have cooperation or free access to the subject (or the subject's friends and family) so you end relying on lots of third party sources and/or prior biographies- I get that. But Gabriel also spent so much time providing context for each time period that I felt that it was perhaps cover up for the fact that her text though voluminous was missing so much.
Also when describing an album release party in September 2000 mentioned that "Divine posed for pictures outside" - not sure what editor missed that gem. Divine passed away in 1988- so it was not them.
It's always hard to write a biography when you don't have cooperation or free access to the subject (or the subject's friends and family) so you end relying on lots of third party sources and/or prior biographies- I get that. But Gabriel also spent so much time providing context for each time period that I felt that it was perhaps cover up for the fact that her text though voluminous was missing so much.
Also when describing an album release party in September 2000 mentioned that "Divine posed for pictures outside" - not sure what editor missed that gem. Divine passed away in 1988- so it was not them.
May 24, 2025
This is a bulky book but it makes perfect sense because you can’t tell Madonna’s story unless you use over 800 pages to tell it right.
Since I was a little kid I’m a huge fan of Madonna but this biography made me an even bigger fan!
The book tells her story in detail, gives a nice insight in her music and each chapter places her story within the historical facts according to the year it took place.
Madonna is an artist, a beautiful woman, a devoted mother, a feminist, a philanthropist, an activist and a true rebel!
She stand up for the gay community in a time that most people turned their back towards them and wasn’t afraid to jeopardise her career. Her love for the gays was bigger than her love for fame. During her whole career she used her celebrity state as a way to make statements about safe sex, women’s rights, minorities, sexuality, humanity and so much more. She was the first artist who spook out her disgust against Trump and even decided to move to Portugal during his first residency. In Portugal she made one of her best albums (to date), and one of my personal favourites, Madame X. The tour of Madame X took place in theatres instead of big concert halls. In the last chapter of this amazing book you can read the following (which was very recognisable for me):
“The average age of the people in the audience was forty. They had been the children who discovered Madonna in their early teens and had grown up with her, shocked and elated by her fearlessness, using her words, work, and life as their guides. They were the adults who had turned up in Brixton twenty years previously to watch her puncture the myth that a woman could not be at once a mother and an artist, a fully functioning member of society, and gloriously sexual. Now approaching what a society called old age, they were back to watch Madonna rip to shreds a new set of prejudices, and they cheered her on again.”
I didn’t read this book in one go, but enjoyed it at a slow pace so I could spend several weeks with Her Majesty. Growing up with Madonna it was very special to read a book where half of the chapters can be linked to my own life. Reading about her life, the music she made, the appearances she made, the movies she made it all could be linked to major life events of my own. It became very clear that Madonna has made a huge part of my life and still is.
My love and appreciation for her can never been take down
Since I was a little kid I’m a huge fan of Madonna but this biography made me an even bigger fan!
The book tells her story in detail, gives a nice insight in her music and each chapter places her story within the historical facts according to the year it took place.
Madonna is an artist, a beautiful woman, a devoted mother, a feminist, a philanthropist, an activist and a true rebel!
She stand up for the gay community in a time that most people turned their back towards them and wasn’t afraid to jeopardise her career. Her love for the gays was bigger than her love for fame. During her whole career she used her celebrity state as a way to make statements about safe sex, women’s rights, minorities, sexuality, humanity and so much more. She was the first artist who spook out her disgust against Trump and even decided to move to Portugal during his first residency. In Portugal she made one of her best albums (to date), and one of my personal favourites, Madame X. The tour of Madame X took place in theatres instead of big concert halls. In the last chapter of this amazing book you can read the following (which was very recognisable for me):
“The average age of the people in the audience was forty. They had been the children who discovered Madonna in their early teens and had grown up with her, shocked and elated by her fearlessness, using her words, work, and life as their guides. They were the adults who had turned up in Brixton twenty years previously to watch her puncture the myth that a woman could not be at once a mother and an artist, a fully functioning member of society, and gloriously sexual. Now approaching what a society called old age, they were back to watch Madonna rip to shreds a new set of prejudices, and they cheered her on again.”
I didn’t read this book in one go, but enjoyed it at a slow pace so I could spend several weeks with Her Majesty. Growing up with Madonna it was very special to read a book where half of the chapters can be linked to my own life. Reading about her life, the music she made, the appearances she made, the movies she made it all could be linked to major life events of my own. It became very clear that Madonna has made a huge part of my life and still is.
My love and appreciation for her can never been take down
December 23, 2024
Whether you love her or hate her, you have to admit that Madonna is an icon. This bear comes in at just over 800 pages. It covers Madonna’s life and career from her childhood in Michigan to Madam X. It’s music. It’s politics. It’s feminism. It’s activism. It’s sex. It’s fashion. It’s crisis. It’s motherhood. It’s poverty. It’s excess. It’s appropriation. It’s innovation. It’s queer as hell. It’s religious. It’s blasphemous. It’s everything you would expect in a book about a woman who has been provoking us… mortifying us and above all, entertaining us for over 40 years. It was the perfect choice for my 500th read of 2024. 🎉
Want to read
October 19, 2024Idk when I'm ever gonna get around to this because it's over 1000 pages long but I thought I'd list my 5 favorite Madonna songs here for posterity:
In no particular order,
1. Like a Prayer (Like a Prayer)
2. Sorry (Confessions on a Dance Floor)
3. Into The Groove (Like a Virgin)
4. Vogue (I'm Breathless)
5. Deeper and Deeper (Erotica)
In no particular order,
1. Like a Prayer (Like a Prayer)
2. Sorry (Confessions on a Dance Floor)
3. Into The Groove (Like a Virgin)
4. Vogue (I'm Breathless)
5. Deeper and Deeper (Erotica)
March 18, 2024
Gets a bit defensive of the artist in the later chapters, but still an exhaustive bio well-worth dedicating weeks of your free time.
April 27, 2025
3.6 Loved the first ⅓ where the author covers Madge’s childhood and early years as a dancer in NYC’s rough and tumble arts scene of the 70s and 80s. I really wish there was more delving into her personality. The last ⅓ feels more like a defensive listing of her later album’s song recordings, concert set lists and children born and adopted. I mean, I love that the author doesn’t have the usual knee-jerk hatred of Madonna but this became a bit too hagiographical (despite the author claiming she wasn’t even a ‘fan’ before starting to write this biography.) I think the author’s main sources of information were likely music producers and tour managers but not people who really know her, which leaves this book lacking.
January 5, 2024
It is a hard book to rate. It is wide ranging and has some nuance at points. Although it is a defence of white saviour approach, it includes criticism so it is clear some have issues with the approach. Ultimately this is swept away by saying that the media dislikes a successful opinionated woman and that individuals were helped. I don't agree totally because there is a question of who has ultimate control, and the idea of Madonna not being materialist does not really explain why she has kept so much of her money. I do agree though that she has faced a terrible time in the press and it was good hearing more context.
November 14, 2023
3.5-3.75 for me. The most meticulous biography I’ve ever read and the author’s work putting this together is incredibly impressive. The last 200-300 or so pages were very formulaic (tour, historical events) and felt not as electric as the first parts of the book in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s which were so fun to read. The book sheds a new light on a hugely important artist. I have a lot to think about after finishing!
April 19, 2024
It's by far the best book on the Madonna phenomenon: every era of her story was punctiliously analyzed and her life and career decisions were contextualized, no stone was left unturned. My favorite segments were her first tour (where you can totally understand why she was hip right from the start: her dance moves had the same effect of Elvis on young girls, but for other reasons), her Miami years (her wildest and liberated years + the local color of South Beach was masterfully transposed on page) and her Lisbon era (where she rediscovered her inspiration for creating music during the dark age of Trump). It's basically a history book (herstory) and you'll totally get why she is the definitive pop star.
November 24, 2024
I’m so excited to give my first five stars of the year to this book about one of my biggest inspirations, both as an artist and as a person. Whether you love Madonna or just want to know more about her, this is the biography you’ve been waiting for. I couldn’t put it down!
My favorite parts were definitely the chapters on Erotica and American Life. They really dive into her most daring and experimental eras—Erotica with its bold, unapologetic take on sexuality and vulnerability, and American Life with its raw critique of fame and the pressures of modern life. These sections reminded me why Madonna isn’t just a pop star, but a true artist who constantly pushes boundaries.
The book does such a great job showing her impact on music, culture, and beyond. It’s not just about the hits; it’s about her resilience, reinvention, and fearless attitude.
If you’re even a little curious about Madonna, pick this up—it’s totally worth it.
My favorite parts were definitely the chapters on Erotica and American Life. They really dive into her most daring and experimental eras—Erotica with its bold, unapologetic take on sexuality and vulnerability, and American Life with its raw critique of fame and the pressures of modern life. These sections reminded me why Madonna isn’t just a pop star, but a true artist who constantly pushes boundaries.
The book does such a great job showing her impact on music, culture, and beyond. It’s not just about the hits; it’s about her resilience, reinvention, and fearless attitude.
If you’re even a little curious about Madonna, pick this up—it’s totally worth it.
April 17, 2024
As a huge Madonna fan, this in-depth book was a treat and deepened my respect for her. I started this right before I saw her live last month, and it inspired me revisit her albums and watch her concert films (all on YouTube!) as I read about them. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed living in Madonna-land for the past month so I had to give this 5 stars.
February 29, 2024
This book was informative and provides a very detailed account of Madonna's career. However, the level of detail is often overwhelming and can feel repetitive as the author describes every video, every tour and every collaborator in depth. The beginning of the book is actually very compelling-- there the author describes Madonna's life, how she broke into the business and who she was as a person at that time. The end of the book (i.e. the last 300 pages) feels like a laundry list of Madonna's career over the last 10-15 years and, even though it discusses her focus on politics and philanthropy, you don't feel an emotional connection to Madonna the person. The book is also very pro-Madonna, to the point where it sometimes makes you question the accuracy of what's being written. Obviously, Madonna gets far more criticism than she deserves and has been THE cultural force of the last 40 years. However, the book glosses over the places where she was wrong and excuses everything under the guise of being an artist. Madonna is obviously a complex person and the book really didn't do her justice in exploring who she is as a person vs. an artist.
November 1, 2023
In Madonna: A Rebel Life, Mary Gabriel makes a reasoned case for the singer as a trailblazer, as an artist perpetually underappreciated by puritanical, sexist critics, and as an industry innovator. Gabriel's ability to place into context the various stages of Madonna's life is impressive; the care with which she does so is obvious.
This hefty sixty-two chapter tome is filled with such pedestrian prose, however, that at times it took an act of will to progress from one phase of Madonna's career to the inevitable next reinvention. The book's sheer size makes some particulars outsized in scale to others, as well. While I understand Gabriel's impulse to fill out the backgrounds of the many creatives folk with whom Madonna worked, for example, in order to emphasize Madonna's strength as a collaborator, sometimes Gabriel seemed to spend more time writing mini-biographies of a designer or photographer with whom the singer worked than she did writing about a few of Madonna's biggest-selling albums.
Overall, more of an interesting read than a fun one.
This hefty sixty-two chapter tome is filled with such pedestrian prose, however, that at times it took an act of will to progress from one phase of Madonna's career to the inevitable next reinvention. The book's sheer size makes some particulars outsized in scale to others, as well. While I understand Gabriel's impulse to fill out the backgrounds of the many creatives folk with whom Madonna worked, for example, in order to emphasize Madonna's strength as a collaborator, sometimes Gabriel seemed to spend more time writing mini-biographies of a designer or photographer with whom the singer worked than she did writing about a few of Madonna's biggest-selling albums.
Overall, more of an interesting read than a fun one.
November 27, 2023
Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. This immaculate biography on the Queen of Pop's life and career was meticulously researched and beautifully written. I picked this up on a whim because its subject is a person I've followed All of my life, and I loved the soft feel of the pages of the hardcover copy I read.😊 I enjoyed reading the whole thing over Thanksgiving Holiday and appreciate Madonna's life and career, and all her creative, artistic, and philanthropic works even more after reading this. She is and always will be the trendsetter going against the grain.
March 15, 2024
This was very well written but it could have been leaner (it is 817 pages). I think Madonna is so incredible and I loved learning more about her entire journey but maybe I didn't need to know who designed each costume and produced each song. What comes through loud and clear is that this is an artist who simply needs to be creating at all times and is super hard working and dedicated. She paved the way for so many female and male artists and she has taken so much crap in her life that she never would have encountered as a man. Bravo to her for continuing to inspire and blaze trails.
January 13, 2024
This massive book is probably too much for anyone who did not hold a hairbrush microphone with a fingerless lacy gloved hand in front of a mirror for all of 1987, but it was a fun listen for a fan. Even as a fan, I needed to put the speed on 2.5 for a while because an otherwise 42 hour audiobook is nuts.
At the end of this biography as with most celebrity biographies and memoirs, I feel lucky and grateful to be a boring and ordinary human.
At the end of this biography as with most celebrity biographies and memoirs, I feel lucky and grateful to be a boring and ordinary human.
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