Last Girl Before Freeway: The Life, Loves, Losses, and Liberation of Joan Rivers

by Leslie Bennetts

The definitive book about Joan Rivers' tumultuous, victorious, tragic, hilarious, and fascinating life.

Joan Rivers was more than a legendary comedian; she was an icon and a role model to millions, a fearless pioneer who left a legacy of expanded opportunity when she died in 2014. Her life was a dramatic roller-coaster of triumphant highs and devastating lows: the suicide of her husband, her feud with Johnny Carson, her estrangement from her daughter, her many plastic surgeries, her ferocious ambition and her massive insecurities. But Rivers' career was also hugely significant in American cultural history, breaking down barriers for her gender and pushing the boundaries of truth-telling for women in public life.

A juicy, intimate biography of one of the greatest comedians ever-a performer whose sixty year career was borne, simply, out of a desire to make people laugh so she could feel loved-LAST GIRL BEFORE FREEWAY delves into the inner workings of a woman who both reflected and redefined the world around her.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Humor, Biography Memoir, Comedy, Memoir, Audiobook

432 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2016

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joan Rivers, born Joan Alexandra Molinksy in 1933, was an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and television host.


Joan Alexandra Molinksy

In this lively biography, which is informative, poignant, and funny, author Leslie Bennetts provides an insightful portrait of Joan's life - from childhood to death.....and beyond.

On the comedy circuit Rivers would say, "I'm from a little town called Larchmont, where if you're not married, and you're a girl, and you're over twenty-one, you're better off dead."



But Joan wanted to escape suburbia and get famous, and she thought the best way to do that was on the stage, as an actress. Young Joan's acting career didn't take off so - thinking she could make people laugh - Joan became a comic.

Joan's parents, who wanted her to settle down with a nice Jewish boy, objected vociferously, but Joan was determined to follow her dreams. Rivers was far from an overnight success, though, and played small gigs for years before she achieved fame.


Young Joan Rivers doing her comedy act

Agent Lou Alexander, who worked with the founder of the 'The Improv' comedy club in Manhattan, said about Rivers, "I've never seen anybody, man or woman, who wanted or loved [comedy] more than Joan Rivers. She could have a high temperature and she'd go onstage. There is nothing that would stop her. She was willing to give up anything to make it."


Joan Rivers loved to be onstage

Joan succeeded, in part, by breaking barriers - talking about things that shocked the public. Comic Judy Gold observes, "It was okay for guys to discuss their dicks and blow jobs, but it was never okay for women to discuss their sexuality." Nevertheless, Joan did. One of her schticks revolved her supposed lack of sex appeal. Joan would quip, "I was so flat, I used to put X's on my chest and write, 'You Are Here'. And I wore angora sweaters just so the guys would have something to pet."



Rivers got her big break on The Tonight Show in 1965. Her act brought tears of laughter to Johnny Carson's eyes, and Joan marveled, "He said right on the air, 'God, you're funny. You're going to be a star.'


Joan Rivers on 'The Tonight Show' in 1965

After her felicitous debut, Rivers was a regular on The Tonight Show and eventually became the permanent guest host.


Joan Rivers as guest host of The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show helped Joan's private life as well. When a short, stocky, bespectacled, Jewish producer named Edgar Rosenberg needed a comedy writer for a project with Peter Sellers, The Tonight Show recommended Rivers. Thirty-one year old Joan liked Rosenberg's British accent and observed, "I could see that this forty-year-old winner in a Dunhill blue suit and Lanvin shirt had class - a classy way of talking, a classy way of dressing." The couple married soon after their first date and had their daughter Melissa a few years later.


Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg


Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg


Joan Rivers with baby Melissa




Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg with daughter Melissa

Joan enjoyed being married, but had to adjust her comedy routine from desperate single-girl jokes to clueless-married-woman jokes. For example, Joan said she knew nothing about sex because all her mother had told her was that the man gets on top and the woman goes underneath....."so I bought bunk beds." Even this mild reference to sex shocked the public. Nevertheless Joan carried on and joined the pioneers of social change.



According to Bennetts, "Rivers' humor was always fueled by anger" because Joan was insecure about her appearance and jealous of good-looking women, including her sister Barbara.


Joan Rivers' sister Barbara

Thus Joan made slut shaming a mainstay of her act and mocked beautiful women. For example, she quipped, "You want to get Cindy Crawford confused? Ask her to spell 'mom' backward." And referring to Jackie Onassis, "I use her as a great example of what women should do: always marry for money." Joan's most vicious jokes were aimed at glamorous Elizabeth Taylor, a great beauty who gained weight in middle age.


Elizabeth Taylor

River's cracked, "I took her to McDonald's just to watch her eat and see the numbers change" and "I had to grease her hips to get her through the Golden Arches." The public's gleeful reaction fueled a constant barrage of jokes at Taylor's expense that went on for years. Producers sometimes tried to rein in Joan's more outrageous jokes, but she never gave in to such pressure.



Bennetts observes, "River's metamorphosis into a ruthless verbal assassin helped turn her into a cultural icon.....but some people were put off by one of the world's most uninhibited mean girls." In fact, Joan's nasty jokes may explain why she was never invited to certain celebrity functions, like the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

Joan and Edgar's marriage had its ups and downs, many of them fueled by Rosenberg's personal ambition and determination to control Joan's career. According to Bennetts, Rosenberg didn't have much show business know-how, and this ultimately led to disaster. Following Edgar's advice, Rivers left The Tonight Show to host the Fox Network's rival program, The Late Show with Joan Rivers.....which Rosenberg produced. Carson was furious about the betrayal, and never spoke to Rivers again.


Joan on 'The Late Show with Joan Rivers'


Joan interviewing Pee Wee Herman on 'The Late Show with Joan Rivers'

Bennetts covers the Rivers-Carson debacle in detail, and folks interested in the feud can read plenty of chitchat - and opinions about who was at fault - in this book.

In any case, Carson needn't have worried because Joan's late night talk show flopped and her career took a nosedive. Edgar blamed himself for the disaster, fell into a depression, and committed suicide in 1987. The tragedy was a triple whammy for Rivers. She lost her husband, lost her career, and became (temporarily) estranged from her beloved teenage daughter Melissa, who blamed Joan for Edgar's death.


Joan and Melissa Rivers were shattered by Edgar Rosenberg's suicide

Though Joan was devastated by Rosenberg's suicide, she used his death - just like she used EVERYTHING - as material for jokes. She would say, "Thank God my husband left in his will that I should cremate him and then scatter his ashes in Neiman Marcus. That way he knew he would see me fives times a week."


Joan Rivers used everyone as fodder for jokes

After Edgar's demise, Joan struggled to recover her well-being, career, and popularity. Though she'd been kicked to the curb, Rivers was determined to recoup.....and make money. Bennetts writes about Rivers' subsequent years in detail and notes that, over time, Joan did Broadway plays; sold jewelry and other products on QVC; hosted daytime talk shows; wrote memoirs; helmed a radio show; participated in Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice competition; did Red Carpet interviews; participated in a documentary; did comedy shows; became the host of Fashion Police; and so on. Rivers also became an activist for AIDS; supported the rights of the LGBTQ+ community; advanced her daughter Melissa's career; had a serious romance; socialized with the rich and famous; and more.


Joan Rivers sold her jewelry line on QVC


Joan Rivers interviewing Halle Berry on the Red Carpet


Joan Rivers was the host of 'Fashion Police'

Joan was very friendly with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and loved to joke about the royals. Bennetts writes about the time Joan was asked to say a few words at the Prince of Wales dinner, and was told not to say 'fuck' in the toast. So Joan got up and said, "I've been told I can't say 'fuck'." Bennetts observes, "Being outrageous gave her so much pleasure. She loved it."


Joan Rivers with Prince Charles

It's well known that Rivers' had hundreds of plastic surgeries, undergoing procedures on her lips, breasts, nose, stomach, brow, eyes, and arms, as well as getting regular injections of Botox. Fashion maven David Dangle recalls, "She had her boobs reduced a couple of times, she had tummy tucks, eye job, lid job, nose, cheek implants. She was big on chemical peels, dermabrasion, and fillers. I think she looked extraordinary for an eighty-year-old woman. Her skin looked flawless."


Joan Rivers had hundreds of plastic surgeries

Defending her cosmetic enhancements, Rivers said, "For many of us, having it all means getting a nip, or a tuck, or a little lift now and again. Why? Because it makes us feel good." She went on, "I'd rather look younger and feel happy than look older and be depressed."


Joan Rivers wanted to look young



Though Rivers hated getting older, aging was fodder for her material. She joked, "The fashion magazines are suggesting that women wear clothes that are age appropriate. For me that would be a shroud." And she quipped, "I had a friend going through menopause come to lunch today. Her hot flash was so bad it steam cleaned my carpet."



Sadly, a minor surgical procedure led to Rivers' death at the age of 81. Joan's voice was getting raspy and she went to Yorkville Endoscopy in New York to diagnose the problem. While anesthetized for the look-see into her throat, Rivers suffered cardiac and respiratory arrest and went into a coma. She died a few days later.


Joan Rivers funeral

Rivers was much lauded, both during her life and after her death. Writer and humorist Roz Warren wrote about Joan, "It's impossible to overestimate her impact, both because she redefined what was possible for women in comedy and because she's been a role model for so many." Bennetts notes, "By the time Rivers died, many of the hottest names in comedy were women." These women included Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman, Whitney Cummings, Kathy Griffin, Margaret Cho, and more.

Producer Chip Duckett says, "[Joan] had this insanely diverse career that people didn't recognize until she was gone. She was such a chameleon, but when they looked at the whole of her career, a lot of people woke up to the fact that she had been such a trailblazer in so many ways."

Joan may not be completely gone because when her friend, Sue Cameron, consulted a psychic, Rivers' showed up right away. She seemed her usual self....talking about how she could use her death for a bit. Joan also reported that she was avoiding her late husband and was at peace with the circumstances of her death. Cameron says, "She was just so tired of having to be Joan Rivers.....exhausted and done." Joan wanted to rest.



Bennetts' extensively researched book is 419 pages long and filled with dishy observations, great stories, and funny jokes. Highly recommended.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love celebrity biographies and memoirs, and I've always been curious about Joan Rivers, so I was eager to read this. I should have skipped it, to be honest. Unfortunately, Last Girl Before Freeway: The Life, Loves, Losses, and Liberation of Joan Rivers was boring and repetitive, even with such a vibrant subject.

As a fellow Jew from the NYC area, I've always had a soft spot for Joan Rivers. While I enjoyed learning more about her family relationships and how she evolved as a comedian, I couldn't get past the dull, uninspiring writing. It seemed as though the author simply copy and pasted previous stories about Joan Rivers, and did so with contempt. There was a negative vibe that permeated throughout the story, and it left me with a sour feeling.

This story in no way did Joan Rivers justice, and it needed a few more passes with an editor to make it readable, IMO.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

[lp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book not sure if I liked or disliked Joan Rivers. I wish I had mapped out my emotions page-by-page—it seems they were changing drastically every few paragraphs. But after reading this I feel I must make this declarative statement: I Love Joan Rivers! Despite my previous misgivings, She is smart! She is hard-working! She did the unthinkable—bouncing back and reinventing herself after hitting rock bottom! She gave! She loved! She was honest! She had a hard life. She made the world a different place.

She is confusing, though, you have to admit. She was a kick-ass woman who strived to break through the glass ceiling of comedy, but at the same time she displayed a hatred toward woman—tearing their appearances apart, making fun of them. How could you HATE Elizabeth Taylor so much!? What is going on, there? Was she just unhappy? Was it all for laughs? Gloria Steinem says "it was clear that she was desperate; to me it was like watching an addict. She couldn't help but say anything she thought was boing to get a laugh." Steinem also calls her a victim. "I suspect that the insecurity inside her was an unfillable black hole."

The book talks about how this kind of humor, relentlessly trashing other woman, was "drag-queen" humor, which is fear-based. It's the guys who were always made fun of, so they make fun of themselves first. They say, 'I'm just being honest and saying what everyone else is thinking.''

But it does seem like she was a believer in "punching up." I don't think she would make fun of anyone lower than her on the totem pole. Oddly, she was kind to perfect strangers. She once said "we only shit on people at our level or higher."

The whole Carson debacle is fascinating—who knows what really happened there. It seems like Carson was a HUGE dick. I'd love to hear his side. I am obsessed with this idea of why her show did not work, and why it took so long for women to be able to get back in late-night TV. I mean, they're not even really back yet. It's like when Margaret Cho's terrible show, AMERICAN GIRL got cancelled, and it took 20 years for another Asian family to get a TV show—that was FRESH OFF THE BOAT. We cancel Joan's show and don't let women back on the stage for decades.

I want to go Jewish skiing with Joan:
"You get up in the morning and the lodge brings you breakfast. Around 11 in the morning, you take the tram to the ski area where you're in a heated shed. Joan's skiing outfit was black ski pants, black suede cowboy hat, black fitted Chanel parks and jewelry. She looked fabulous. The instructor comes with you, and you go down the buddy hill two or three times, and then it's 'Okay—lunch!' You go and have lunch, and after lunch you go on one more ride and then Joan goes, 'Okay, time to go home.' There are one or two masseuses waiting for us in the condo, and we all get massages, take naps and have showers. Max does everyone's hair, and then you go into town and have dinner, and then go to the old vintage clothing store."

Her relationship with her husband Edgar. It's almost like she loved him because he loved her, and that is all. I'm sure he did good things for her—maybe he was JUST what she needed. Maybe she didn't think she deserved to be in love. And unfortunately, maybe there was good in his suicide. His suicide freed her. That is when Joan Rivers started to become Joan Rivers.

Random notes:
-Certain people seem obsessed with saying she was a real Jew but she was a cultural Jew
-She wanted to be a serious actress but after so much plastic surgery she could only play herself BUT old women can't get jobs in Hollywood anyway, so why not?

I could write so much more but now I am just sounding incoherent. Reading this book will make you a more interesting person at parties.

xoxo

[Niki Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given her place in history, there are very few books about Joan written by anyone other than Joan: she alone, seemed to control her narrative. One of the few outliers is the heartwarming book by daughter Melissa after her death. Joan was the one who chronicled the stories and the rumors (not always truthfully), who poked fun at herself, and addressed every elephant in the room. I was sure the first book written about her following her death by an outsider would be a salacious skewering of a lightning-rod kind of woman who inspired as much derision as adulation. I thought the critics would want to take their shot at her, since she wasn't around to aim back with her acid-tinged tongue. Fortunately, this book is astonishingly balanced, showing her in her most human terms. She had her good points, her bad points and behaviors, she failed as people do, albeit on a grand scale, but her rebound was well-earned, and you won't begrudge her one iota of the sweetness of it. I believe that people who were not fans will walk away, if not in love, with a knowledgeable respect for her, and those that were fans, will have a greater depth of understanding of how she earned the term 'legend'. Closing the book, you realize what we really lost in Joan: a true broad (I love a ballsy and bawdy broad), with a spine of steel and a heart of gold hidden behind her viciously snarky tone.

Read full review at www.prettypageturner.com

[cluedupreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Joan Rivers was insecure, unhappy, angry, and mean — except to "the little people". She envied physical beauty, and shunned the ordinary. Life is but "THE DREAM".

I just saved you the 400-page read that paints Rivers unflatteringly (and her second husband even more so. It's no wonder their daughter reportedly backed out of contributing to this book in which she, too, is maligned). A lot of the material, though, is just a rehash of Rivers' (and others') books, and is not particularly well organized or taut.

The biography shines when exposing Rivers' embellishments and pretensions, but I don't think that's enough to save it from ending up as a bargain book in the clearance bin.

[Kris Patrick]

Terrific prologue that doubles as a short thesis on how Joan Rivers's personal setbacks shaped her career trajectory. So terrific that I decided to stop there.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The majority of the book was just the author quoting Joan's previous books.

[Lisa Bodner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definitive book about Joan Rivers. I laughed out loud and also felt sorry for her, sometimes all on the same page. Held my interest.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that this book, while interesting, was too long. I felt that I already knew most things I read here, which isn’t the fault of the author. It’s interesting tho that she’s drawing a portrait of JR being basically a mass of contradictions—and I felt at times like she just twisted stories to meet this narrative of Joan being inconsistent. Like—she’s a feminist trailblazer....but seemed to hate other women. Which made me think—she was a careerist who told the jokes that got people to laugh or got her bookings she wanted. Or—she was so rich, she didn’t really need the QVC where she sold her jewelry—after all it only made $10 million a year—which the author describes as ‘relatively modest’. Like, no. Thats a cash cow—that’s why she kept it up. I felt the author belaboured certain things also—I didn’t need so much info about what an asshole Edgar was (and then....but some people liked him too!! —no really? Like everyone on the planet who is also liked and disliked by others?) I also heard the phrase ‘cultural assassin’ too many times in this book. Like—what does that even mean?!? She also credits JR with writing 14 books and includes personal anecdotes from her ghost writers. Ok.

I think it’s good that people are more thoughtful now about racist, sexist and ableist humour than they were when JR was working—but I also liked Margaret Cho totally stanning for JR. No one is all good or all bad! That’s what I learned from this book.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out ok, Joan was polarizing, but definitely a trailblazer. The final chapter when Joan was ‘quoted’ from the afterlife was a bit much!

[Velvet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this book over a year ago and I’ll leave my review at that.

[David Sheward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift from friends who know I always enjoyed Rivers' comedy. Bennetts has a great beginning with Rivers contemplating suicide after her husband has done likewise in the aftermath of the cancellation of her Fox talk show which he produced. She's devastated but her little dog jumps on her lap and she reconsiders. After this horrible setback, she bounces back stronger than before becoming a cultural icon while most of her contemporaries fade away. The rest of the bio is fairly standard but not up to the intriguing opening scene, offering insights into Rivers' driven personality and the contradictions in her career. She shattered sexist glass ceilings in comedy, but reinforced the chauvinist attitudes towards beauty and female roles. She made fun of men's shallowness but also derided women who slept around or had let themselves go such as the late-career, heavy-set Elizabeth Taylor. Bennetts also delivers a mini-history of women in comedy, but not a very deep one. She neglects to go very far back (no talk of Mae West or Fanny Brice), skips over some pretty big names (like Elaine May), barely mentions Lily Tomlin and Carol Burnett.
I net Rivers on a few occasions when I wrote for a theater newspaper in the 1990s. She was very gracious and warm. I ran into her at the Boy from Oz (she was an inveterate theatergoer). The show was a bio of Peter Allen and had received mixed reviews, particularly from Ben Brantley of the NY Times, but praise for its star Hugh Jackman. She told me "Anybody who doesn't like this show is an asshole." At another show, I think it was Shakespeare in the Park, I told her I loved the documentary about her life "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work." "Yes," she said, "I wrote and directed it." Well, she didn't really. The last time I saw her in person was at Barnes and Noble where she was signing copies of her latest book. The store was packed and she was hysterically funny. "Isn't Meryl Streep a fantastic actress? Wasn't she brilliant in the lead role of Precious?"
It's amazing she lived through so much and went from guest shots on Carol Burnett and Flip Wilson, to her own reality and web series. The Fox fiasco would have ended most people's careers, but she plugged on. One wonders if Kathy Griffin will be able to pull herself back together after the photo shoot with Donald Trump's severed head.
The book is fun and full of stories and quips, but kind of a letdown after the great opening.

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may be thorough in research but also thoroughly biased. The author provides a feminist revision of Rivers' life, inserting opinions and distorted conclusions on every page. It's hard to read because it's not well written and tries to jam too much into the overly-long 400 pages. Most of the material is taken from second-hand articles and books, with some written sources quoted so much they could sue for copyright infringement. It would be better for you to just go read Rivers' own books or the books of others quoted, because what's here is one person's attempt to demean and deconstruct how we look at a charming, ground-breaking comedian. Bennetts shows no basic understanding of comedy, television, feminism, or conservatives, managing to slam Republicans, women, and Jews without conscience. It's unfair in its approach and the author should be ashamed of using Rivers' life to promote an off-the-deep-end liberal feminist agenda by slamming the late comedian. Though I didn't agree with all Rivers said or did, I admired her and hated this distorted book.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story of Joan Rivers fascinating. She was a feminist who had a traditional marriage and a trend-setter who decorated her home like Louis XVI. I loved reading about her many struggles and sympathized with her.

My only disappointment with this book is the ending. I'm not a "spiritual" person. I don't believe in ghosts and visitations. The interviews with her friends who visited psychics after Joan's death made me question the rest of the book. If these are the same friends who supplied other details in the book, how reliable is that information?

The rest of the book seemed solid, intelligent and well-researched. I highly recommend it, just skip the very end.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

[India · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t really know anything about Joan rivers before reading this (besides one viewing of camp classic “Tears and Laughter: the Joan and Melissa Rivers Story”) and wasn’t expecting to love this book so much but i was DYING laughing the whole time reading it good grief !!!

she’s controversial and she’s definitely said things I don’t agree with or support BUT she also blazed the most miraculous trail for female comedians and was so so SO goddamn funny and this biography did an amazing job of telling her story

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good biography

This is a good all-around look at Joan Rivers. Over the decades I caught her on TV and read interviews. I squirmed when I heard some of her jokes--they seemed like self loathing. But I sure respected her long career.

The book makes clear how focused and determined she was to get to the top and stay there. She was uber ambitious, and also loyal. She sounds like she was a bit overwhelming one-on-one.

Good read, kept my interest the whole time.

[Maggi Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Joan Rivers. She was brash and offensive but also somehow relatable and endearing. This book does a decent job of capturing her story, with some caveats: it relies heavily on material from Joan's own books, and while the first half of the book is fairly chronological, I felt the last half jumped around too much. Still, an enjoyable read, especially for 400 pages.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I like Joan Rivers, and it was interesting to learn more details behind what most of us already know. However, the book was very repetitive; could have easily been 300 instead of 400 pages.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this bio of Joan Rivers. What a ground-breaking, glass-ceiling smashing force of nature.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this and thought it was very well written. I always love Joan Rivers, and miss her more than ever now that I know more about her

[Kristina Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prologue was great, but the rest of the book was disappointing. It was repetitive and boring at times. I found it jarring that the author quoted Joan's other books so often.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Joan so much. And it's startling and sad, the juxtaposition of this richly detailed story of her life with how I experienced her work throughout my life. I wasn't even born yet in her heyday. The year her true career came crashing down was the same year I was born. I was a kid in the 90s, and knew her as a daytime TV host for older ladies, and her primary place in my mind was as someone who got too much plastic surgery. I never even knew she was a comedian until much later, and I finally understood her as such for the first time the very year she died. She reached me by being hilarious on Jimmy Fallon, and by Youtuber Jenna Marbles being on Joan's Youtube series "In Bed with Joan." As soon as I experienced these small tidbits of her comedy, I learned that she was, amazingly, as instrumental in the birth of what we know as comedy today as David Bowie was in his birthing of so many other artists that followed. In hindsight, it's so terribly typical how I experienced her work. I wish I could go back in time and defy the forces (Rupert Murdoch, Johnny Carson, her own husband) that made it so that this was all I knew. Now I can seek it out because of all I learned from this book, but it's a day late and a dollar short.
When I see her stand-up now from the 60s through 80s, it's eerie how ahead of her time she was. You can see the early audiences not being ready, being shocked, but you can also see the glimmers of hope in many people's eyes as they watch-- hope for an end to repression and censorship, and the newfound realization that the secret things that make them sad can actually be funny, and that therefore they can find freedom from them. Sarah Silverman practices this more than any other comedian after Joan, I think, and she describes it as "slaying dragons," if I remember correctly from her book, The Bedwetter. Joan's comedy way back then was the comedy of today, tame even.
It now kills me when I think of Chelsea Lately, or see Kristen Bell guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel. It should have been Joan Rivers, or at least someone like her, to be the first woman late night host. She was going to succeed Johnny Carson. Everything would have been different-- everything. But the world wasn't ready, and actively held her back. She might even have foregone all the plastic surgery, which it remains a mystery whether she miscalculated how people's respect works, or did it all anyway to make a point (consciously or not) against society.
I could go on all day, this story was so thought provoking and moving from beginning to end. All the ghost stuff was silly and fascinating; the tales of her extraordinary charity; her Russian Jewish origins (which makes everything make sense); how really not-celebrity, humble, and even prude she was in so many ways; the self mutilation she endured, and why (read: just like Michael Jackson felt he had to be white to do what he needed to do, Joan needed to be a goy); the real circumstances of her death; who her best friends were; her importance to the gay community; everything.
I listened to the book on audio, and was initially disappointed that the narrator was perhaps literally the lady who gives the automatic voicemail message on your phone, and the book is read in that voice-- but it ended up growing on me. The content of the book itself was beyond plenty to make it a page turner even in audio read by the voice mail lady. It is an exhaustive, engaging, and fascinating account, well told, well compiled, well researched, and true to Joan's spirit.

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book serves as a reminder to never confuse loving a book with loving its subject.

I suppose this will have to serve as the definitive Joan Rivers biography. Her daughter Melissa wrote one as well, but it was more of a mother-daughter love story than a history of her life. The beginning of this book will feel very, very familiar to viewers of a certain streaming show in which all the characters wear fabulous clothes and speak in identical rat-a-tat dialogue. Midge, I mean Joan, has a short, disastrous first marriage, striving Jewish parents, and a will to succeed in the male-dominated world of stand up comedy.

If author Leslie Bennetts stuck to a linear chronicle of Joan Rivers' life, it may have made for a better narrative. But as it is, this book jumps all over the place, skipping ahead to reference Fashion Police or the E! red carpet coverage, looping back to talk about something else, then doing away with the whole idea of a narrative and just devoting chapters to "here are Joan's friends--they went on vacations together" or "QVC." Left out almost entirely? Hollywood Squares, Rabbit Test (no Billy Crystal interview?), and years and years of Howard Stern Show appearances, which I would have thought were a gold mine of content. Not surprised at all that Howard wasn't interviewed, but his shocking, perfect eulogy did get excerpted. Unfortunately, Melissa's not-that-funny "letter" to her mom, also read at the funeral, is here in its entirety. It seems obvious that Melissa was very involved in the writing of this book, was interviewed and probably "gave the nod" to friends and associates as far as granting interviews. There's just enough gravy to keep this from being a hagiography, but not enough detail about her whole career to make me feel as if I got a true picture of her life.

I say it all the time: I miss her, and thank God she's dead, because the 2022 internet would tear her apart.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leslie Bennetts “Last Girl Before Freeway”: The Life, Loves, Losses, and Liberation of Joan Rivers” is the lone biography here. Bennett covers Rivers’ entire life, where she was Joan Molinsky, to her rise as a stand-up comedienne, her successes and failures, to her eventual death in September of 2014 during what was supposed to be a simple surgical procedure.







The book is comprehensive, and with a subject such as Rivers, who accomplished so much in her life, it flies by quickly. Joan Molinsky grew up in a household where her doctor-father, a kind and hard-working man, never made enough money for his wife, who feared poverty and always tried to keep up with the Joneses.



Joan was one of the first successful female stand-up comediennes, and the book is filled with anecdotes from younger female stand-ups who sing the praises of Joan’s generosity, even though Rivers often resented being called a mentor. She always wanted to be hip and relevant, and her fearless stand-up routines, which she continued weekly even up to her death, reflected that.



The early sections of the book rely on material from Rivers’ own writings (she wrote several books, including two memoirs), but once Bennetts interviews people who worked with Rivers, who knew her well, the book gives the reader a better overall picture of this complicated woman.



Rivers was driven, and her many self-reinventions, rising from the ashes of her failed Fox talk show after her very public falling out with Johnny Carson to become not only a successful stand-up comic but also a hugely successful businesswoman designing and selling jewelry in the fledgling QVC network, are an inspiration to anyone who has been knocked down in life.

[Lynnette · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a busy mother raising a young family, I remember catching
Joan Rivers on TV as a guest star or guest host, maybe as a commentator on the red carpet, but I never tuned in specifically to see her, or knew about her other endeavors. The times I caught her, she was outrageously hilarious.

This book was at least 130 pages too long and detailed every aspect of Joan’s life multiple times with many contradictions. One minute, it was never about the money for Joan. Later, it was all about the money. In one chapter it was never about revenge. Later, it was all about revenge. One time, it was all about ego. Later, no, not ego. People loved Joan; people hated Joan. People hated Edgar; no, Edgar was great. Joan was evil; Joan had the kindest heart ever. This book swayed back and forth so much I got seasick.

Plus, I read about events in Joan’s life that repeated themselves over and over and over in subsequent chapters and thought to myself, how many times do I have to read about this? I was so close to putting this book down a hundred million times. I don’t know why I didn’t.

The two things I’m sure of are: One, I’m so glad I finished this book, and Two, that everything in Joan’s life was a product of her upbringing: her frenetic work ethic, her need to feel loved and accepted, her need to take care of others, her need to be beautiful, thin, rich, well-dressed, funny, successful, secure.

To be sure, Joan was a talented woman who lived a life most of us could never dream of. Whether she was really fulfilled or happy, I don’t think anyone will ever know the answer to that question except for Joan. Rest in peace.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved Joan Rivers since seeing her on the Tonight Show back in the 60's. I was in grade school but stayed up late because watching Johnny Carson and all the talented comedians/comedieFor nnes, actors/actresses, musicians and assorted personalities was like being let into a special club that was adult, hilarious and a little bit naughty.

The best thing about this book is that it is well researched and gives a 360-degree view of the late Ms. Rivers. The compliments and accolades are balanced with her professional and personal failures and her flaws in character. Nobody is perfect and should not be expected to be. She made a lot of enemies but she made a lot of friends too and did so much more than many people realize.

Did she offend? Of course. As did Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce and others along the way. Perhaps, as a woman, she was held to a different standard which says more about our social construct than it does her. As a comedy aficionado, I may have a different outlook than the general public but I believe - and feel this book confirms - that her humor came from a place of love and human connectivity than from hate or separatism.

I loved learning about her and her life and the mistakes and personality traits that made her the trailblazing woman she was. She is missed.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading this book, even though I found Joan Rivers to be increasingly mean-spirited and rather unfunny, especially as she grew older. When I occasionally caught her on The Fashion Police in her later years, I used to cringe at the awful things she said. I actually saw her when she was young and starting out, and her outrageousness was refreshing and rather amusing. But I still didn't find her that funny. So when this book became available, I was ambivalent about reading it. I did admire her grit, drive, ambitiousness and determination, and that was portrayed very well in a 2010 documentary about her that I had seen.

The bulk of this book is mostly taken from quotes from other sources. This presents quite a bit of rehashing and repetition, which kept me from giving the book 4 stars. Otherwise, it is a well-researched, readable biography about a very interesting woman. There are a few insinuations that have no back-up, so I think they are mostly gossip. But it certainly spiced up the reading.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don't usually enjoy biographies and am from a younger generation than Joan Rivers, I thoroughly enjoyed most of this book. She was definitely a trail-blazer at a time when the vast majority of comedians were men, and she had to work extremely hard to learn how to be "funny," inventing and reinventing herself as the social milieu around her changed. She certainly wasn't a typical feminist--and would have hated the label--and often went outside of the bounds of what was considered polite to crudely target women celebrities as well as men. Her utter trust in allowing her husband to manage her financially and his subsequent suicide resulted in bitterness but also strengthened her. The book also contains some interesting gossip about her on again/off again support from Johnny Carson who helped give her some of her first breaks. I am not usually a fan of biting or celebrity-driven comedy but would certainly give this account a thumbs up.

[Becky Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. If this book lost about 100 pages, it would've been nearly 5 stars. Joan Rivers is super interesting in that she was a pioneer of comedy that defied the odds many times in her life. She succeeded as a female comic when it was nearly unheard of to do so, she was vastly successful up through her 80s, and she persevered through personal tragedies and numerous shunnings from Hollywood bigwigs. She's inspirational for many reasons...however...her mean-girl style of comedy was often vitriolic. She was vastly insecure at times and dealt with her own feelings of unworthiness by lashing out at famous women who didn't meet society's standards of perfect female beauty. This book does a great job addressing Joan's life in all her complexities. However, some of the material became very repetitive, or the chapters could have benefited from some paring down.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager, I would occasionally stay up late enough to see Joan Rivers host the Johnny Carson Show. What a rule-breaker, a woman hosting a late night comedy show; and what teenage girl in the 1970's wouldn't love a rule breaker? I loved her and her cutting edge humor. But,
she wasn't on my radar much after the Carson Show. (By then I was busy saving the world, not watching TV.)

I didn't catch up with her again until a friend of mine told me I HAD to watch Fashion Police. Oh my god, yes! It became my favorite show! A couple of reviewers used the word "mean-spirited" to describe Joan. I can't see it. She made fun of herself most of all. On Fashion Police she made some outlandish comments, but always about stars out in the public eye. In my mind, they are fair game. (If you don't want anyone to look at you, work in telephone sales for 9 bucks an hour.) I watched every episode, and still have her last show on my DVR.

Naturally, I wanted to read this biography and fill in all those years between Carson and Fashion Police. Unfortunately, this book has many quotes from people who may or may not actually be the most important people in her life. I think some people the author interviewed were hangers-on who were pleased to be seen as confidants of Joan. It seems like a couple of good friends would talk to the author, but others would not. Some information came from second-hand sources, newspapers and magazines, and just plain gossip. Evidently Joan's daughter, Melissa, would not give the author an interview. That's not a good sign.

However, I still think I learned a lot about Joan's character: her drive, her generosity, her anger, her ambition. And I feel, as the author did, that she didn't get her due from the show business world.