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Heath: A Family's Tale
Looks at the life, career, and untimely death of the Australian actor.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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262 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 26, 2016
The world lost a beautiful artist when Heath Ledger died. I mourned his loss alongside millions around the world. Unfortunately, "Heath" reads like a series of tabloid articles organized into a book. While I was greatly interested to learn more about an actor whose film portfolio I both enjoy and admire, I was disappointed by the constant attention to Ledger's romantic partners, his choice in clothing, and the tribulations of his extended family. Janet Fife-Yeomans has obviously done her research, piecing together hundreds of articles, interviews, and quotes from a very private actor, but she fails to move beyond the chronology of this man's life. "Heath" simply lacks heart, treating its subject like the money-making opportunity it was at the time of her writing this biography in 2008 - the year Heath Ledger died. For a man who despised the paparazzi, this book serves as an unfortunate headstone. This is particularly evident in the photos included inside the book. Despite several mentions of Ledger's passion for photography and painting, there isn't a single photo of his work. Rather than revealing an artist, "Heath" settles for listing dates and achievements.
October 16, 2020
This book captures the ebbs and flows of Heath Ledger's life so well; His carefree youth, his meteoric rise in fame, his star-making turn in Brokeback Mountain, the life-changing joy of the birth of his daughter, the painstaking separation from his daughter's mother, Michele Williams, and his slow dissent into depression and prescription drugs are all expertly presented, ending in the heartbreaking finale of Ledger's untimely death. This book clears the clouds of mystique that may still be around Heath Ledger, and paints him as a true artist and student of his craft. It will only make his absence in our world feel more tragic after you read it.
January 23, 2012
Heath ledger was an extraordinary actor who deserves all the best. He played diverse roles, and was known for his impeccable charm as a young star. It goes through a lot of the hardships he went through as a young striving actor. He has such raw talent; there are a lot of great quotes to prove so.
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Re read it and it always gives me goosebumps. I love him so dearly and miss him. I wish I would of been able to see him in upcoming movies.. he would of been superb.
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Re read it and it always gives me goosebumps. I love him so dearly and miss him. I wish I would of been able to see him in upcoming movies.. he would of been superb.
December 5, 2009
Picked this up for $4.99 at Barnes & Noble the other day. Quick read...pretty comprehensive too. The writing style was strange at times, and the pacing could feel a little awkward, but it was a decent read.
March 17, 2025
One star as I have recently found out that Heath’s family does not support this book or the author and has disclosed that some of the supposed truths in this book are entirely false.
The writing of this book is also just awful??? Sorry but not sorry. For a journalist to write this and how chopping it is, and how it’s just back to back facts of his life which no substance and think this was good enough to release is incredible to me. It was so boring at times I thought, “Seriously? This amazing man who people said his charisma and aura immediately incapsulated them and this book is this boring? Huh???” It just didn’t make sense.
Also Magda apparently “single-handedly mobbed” Heath at a red carpet event??? Has the author even seen the footage? She literally fangirls as her character Sharon and then he kisses her and in a stupor she falls to the ground. But apparently the author thinks she “mobbed” him???
And it was so obvious what the authors stance was on paparazzi in Australia as a journalist herself she was in full support of them invading his privacy! When the journalists squirted Heath with water guns and he cried after the premier, the author wrote that his reaction was extreme. Like duh lady, this is his career not some fun hobby. What grown men thinks it’s okay to do that at an event function??
And now when I close my eyes, I see this book for what it really is, which is UUUG-LAY! (IYKYK) It’s a money grab from a terrible person who wanted to use the timing of his death and people being interested to find out the cause of his death and an inside scoop into this life. Literally this book came out the same year Heath died- just awful.
The writing of this book is also just awful??? Sorry but not sorry. For a journalist to write this and how chopping it is, and how it’s just back to back facts of his life which no substance and think this was good enough to release is incredible to me. It was so boring at times I thought, “Seriously? This amazing man who people said his charisma and aura immediately incapsulated them and this book is this boring? Huh???” It just didn’t make sense.
Also Magda apparently “single-handedly mobbed” Heath at a red carpet event??? Has the author even seen the footage? She literally fangirls as her character Sharon and then he kisses her and in a stupor she falls to the ground. But apparently the author thinks she “mobbed” him???
And it was so obvious what the authors stance was on paparazzi in Australia as a journalist herself she was in full support of them invading his privacy! When the journalists squirted Heath with water guns and he cried after the premier, the author wrote that his reaction was extreme. Like duh lady, this is his career not some fun hobby. What grown men thinks it’s okay to do that at an event function??
And now when I close my eyes, I see this book for what it really is, which is UUUG-LAY! (IYKYK) It’s a money grab from a terrible person who wanted to use the timing of his death and people being interested to find out the cause of his death and an inside scoop into this life. Literally this book came out the same year Heath died- just awful.
September 6, 2021
I was a big fan of Heath Ledger from the moment I watched him as the lead actor of the short-lived TV series Roar. His was a career I tracked the rest of the way, fascinated by its twists and turns. When his sudden death was announced in January 2008, it was mere prelude to absorbing one of the great performances in film, which, mesmerized, I watched repeatedly in theaters later that year. I had never watched a single movie so many times in theaters, and I still have yet to, all these years later.
I picked up this book years ago, and it became a sort of barometer about where I was in an expansive and ever-expanding reading list, almost as if I were hesitant to close a different book, as it were. The results are little different from tabloid journalism, and yet they’re the closest I’ve come to understanding the man who had long fascinated me. He remains, if anything, elusive, which is, all considered, apparently exactly as he would have wanted it. He seemed to have a nervous love affair with life, sure of few things except that he wanted to experience it as deeply as he could without being shallow. In his final performance he looked like a genuine adult for the first time, and perhaps that’s what scared him most, a Peter Pan who never wanted to grow up. Well, he became immortal, so I guess it worked out nicely.
I picked up this book years ago, and it became a sort of barometer about where I was in an expansive and ever-expanding reading list, almost as if I were hesitant to close a different book, as it were. The results are little different from tabloid journalism, and yet they’re the closest I’ve come to understanding the man who had long fascinated me. He remains, if anything, elusive, which is, all considered, apparently exactly as he would have wanted it. He seemed to have a nervous love affair with life, sure of few things except that he wanted to experience it as deeply as he could without being shallow. In his final performance he looked like a genuine adult for the first time, and perhaps that’s what scared him most, a Peter Pan who never wanted to grow up. Well, he became immortal, so I guess it worked out nicely.
December 1, 2017
A little slow in the beginning but it picked up quite well. I was a fan of his movies but never really knew anything about him. I feel like I know him now or I know him in a way that he would have been proud of.
June 10, 2023
Was really evoking reading about Heath Ledger's life and how he got into acting and about his heartbreaking death. Still curious to know why the Olsen twin was involved! Wish the biography shared more photos.
March 8, 2018
A quick book about a troubled man
February 11, 2021
Pretty tragic story. Would have been cool to get more of Heath's perspective and thoughts.
March 17, 2022
Unsure what I expected but it wasn't this.
January 8, 2025
It is rare for me to not finish a book. I couldn't even get halfway through this one. Very choppy writing, no real flow, making it hard to follow.
June 3, 2025
2.8 ⭐️
September 7, 2025
not bad but it does tend to waffle on rather then just get to the point.
January 21, 2021
Not really a "family's tale" at all. Just another biography. Not that it was bad just a bit misleading. But like I said, your typical biography. I didn't like that the chapters dragged on.
April 1, 2014
Originally posted on Dreaming With Open Eyes
I've read this book back in 2009. A friend bought me this as a gift because she knew I was a huge fan of Heath and his movies (and still am!). He was a brilliant actor and a beautiful person, inside and out. I was heart broken when I've found out he passed away. He was taken from us too soon.
For a Heath Leger Fan is this biography a must read. In my opinion this is a beautiful written biography about Heath and his life. A sensitively written life story. Heath's life is described very ccurately. His life, his career, his love life with its ups and its downs. It felt like I had really known him while I was reading this. I fell in love with Heath all over again. He seemed like an absolutely amazing man. A real genuine, one of a kind man. His family and friends must have been so proud of him.
I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the book begins, predictably, with his death; on the whole it celebrates his life rather than glorifies his death, and stays pretty much with the provable facts rather than conjecturing about exactly what Heath was feeling or doing around this time which was probably a wise decision considering that, in 2008, we mostly weren't even sure if his death was accidental or not.
I very enjoyed Janet Fife-Yeomans writing style. A drawback in my opinion is the subtitle of the book and what it implies. The history of the Ledger family is told in that way the author writes about an endless dispute between Heath's father and brothers which led to a rift after all. Now you ask yourself if this had an big impact to Heath’s life and particularly why should fans be interested in that? Let's face it, we're not all that interested in, right? I found it confusing and as much as I hate to admit it, slightly boring.
Overall, it was a good insight to Heath's life from the perspective of family and friends and a great read.
I've read this book back in 2009. A friend bought me this as a gift because she knew I was a huge fan of Heath and his movies (and still am!). He was a brilliant actor and a beautiful person, inside and out. I was heart broken when I've found out he passed away. He was taken from us too soon.
For a Heath Leger Fan is this biography a must read. In my opinion this is a beautiful written biography about Heath and his life. A sensitively written life story. Heath's life is described very ccurately. His life, his career, his love life with its ups and its downs. It felt like I had really known him while I was reading this. I fell in love with Heath all over again. He seemed like an absolutely amazing man. A real genuine, one of a kind man. His family and friends must have been so proud of him.
I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the book begins, predictably, with his death; on the whole it celebrates his life rather than glorifies his death, and stays pretty much with the provable facts rather than conjecturing about exactly what Heath was feeling or doing around this time which was probably a wise decision considering that, in 2008, we mostly weren't even sure if his death was accidental or not.
I very enjoyed Janet Fife-Yeomans writing style. A drawback in my opinion is the subtitle of the book and what it implies. The history of the Ledger family is told in that way the author writes about an endless dispute between Heath's father and brothers which led to a rift after all. Now you ask yourself if this had an big impact to Heath’s life and particularly why should fans be interested in that? Let's face it, we're not all that interested in, right? I found it confusing and as much as I hate to admit it, slightly boring.
Overall, it was a good insight to Heath's life from the perspective of family and friends and a great read.
January 27, 2012
Oh my goodness. I don't even know where to start with this book. I felt so many different things as I read this biography of Heath Ledger. After the first chapter I wasn't really enjoying it as it went on and on about his family's estate and background as far back to great grand-parents. I found it confusing and as much as I hate to admit it, slightly boring.
Then the book moved forward. And I fell in love with Heath all over again. He seemed like an absolutely amazing man. A real genuine, one of a kind man. His family and friends must have been so proud. However, I think as Heath's career went on though he became more and more troubled. He really struggled with the whole lack of privacy thing and many other issues deeply troubled him. I see his final 'breakdown' as mainly having to do with his split from Michelle and consequently, being separated from his daughter, Matilda Rose.
I cried a lot as I read the end of this book. And have made a list of his movies that I will now be hiring out to watch to relive his life all over again.
I thoroughly recommend this book. I think it is an eye opener and really gives you a clear idea what his life was like up until the time of his death.
I feel like I personally knew Heath after reading this amazing book.
Then the book moved forward. And I fell in love with Heath all over again. He seemed like an absolutely amazing man. A real genuine, one of a kind man. His family and friends must have been so proud. However, I think as Heath's career went on though he became more and more troubled. He really struggled with the whole lack of privacy thing and many other issues deeply troubled him. I see his final 'breakdown' as mainly having to do with his split from Michelle and consequently, being separated from his daughter, Matilda Rose.
I cried a lot as I read the end of this book. And have made a list of his movies that I will now be hiring out to watch to relive his life all over again.
I thoroughly recommend this book. I think it is an eye opener and really gives you a clear idea what his life was like up until the time of his death.
I feel like I personally knew Heath after reading this amazing book.
July 17, 2015
I loved Heath Ledger in the movie Candy and as joker in Batman Returns. I was glad when I found this book that beautifully explores the man behind the actor. Very precious insight into the thought process of this genius. Especially the parts where he is shooting for his life changing role in brokeback mountain and batman returns. What is amazing is how really down to earth and self deprecating individual he was. It is indeed rather heartbreaking how he couldn't cope with his restless mind and was put to deep sleep so soon.
May 23, 2016
I bought this book as I really like Heath Ledger and was so sad when he died. What a tragedy!
I found the book very interesting - reading about Heath's early life growing up in Perth, and his road to fame. I like the writing style of Janet Fife-Yeomans, she has obviously done her research and the book flows well. She also writes with compassion towards the end of the book. I was in tears, reading about Heath's family's grief and loss. It also comes with some great photographs.
If you are a Heath Ledger fan, I am sure you will enjoy this book.
I found the book very interesting - reading about Heath's early life growing up in Perth, and his road to fame. I like the writing style of Janet Fife-Yeomans, she has obviously done her research and the book flows well. She also writes with compassion towards the end of the book. I was in tears, reading about Heath's family's grief and loss. It also comes with some great photographs.
If you are a Heath Ledger fan, I am sure you will enjoy this book.
June 10, 2011
It was a really good insight of the life that Heath Ledger lead. It gives a lot of details about his family and how he struggled with the papparazzi, especially those from his home country. It also talks about his struggle with the break-up with Michelle, the mother of his daughter, Mathilda. I really enjoyed hearing about the other movies he had made, there were some I hadn't even known he was in.
July 13, 2017
As one of my favorite actors of all time, this book was fairly disappointing. I learned things about him I never knew, which is great, but the majority of the book seems to be "he said, she said" type of things from articles. It also skips around a lot and is fairly confusing. It seems like it was rushed to be done while his death was still fresh, whereas a book written about him today would have more substance.
November 7, 2011
Informative look into Heath Ledger's life, family and rise to fame. I did kinda feel the author was harsh at times on Heath's dad and that's from her perspective. I learn quite a bit more about Heath than I had from the other biography I read about him.
January 12, 2012
Wow, this was a great book. You get a lot into the life of a very private man without really feeling like you have invaded his privacy. It was well written and I would recommend it to anyone who loved the man.
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March 16, 2014
I kept losing interest in this book. At times I didn't think I was going to finish it. I found it jumped around a bit. I was expecting the book to be more about his personal life and less about his movies.
February 9, 2015
although Health lived a very interesting life, this book was written so poorly that I struggled so hard to finish the book. The author jumped around so much, she would start on one subject and three sentences later be somewhere completely different.
June 4, 2009
It was a good insight to his life from the perspective or family and friends. I enjoyed his movies and was heart broken when I found out he passed away. Way to young.
December 3, 2010
didnt even finish it.......poorly writen....... very boring
February 6, 2011
Well, it offers the reader insight into the life of Heath. If you like current historical biographies of film personalities you will find this read insightful.
May 11, 2011
Interesting read. I wish there was more personal insight.
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July 28, 2011Fantastic book. You really see what a wonderful human being he was.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews