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In Pieces
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In this intimate, haunting literary memoir, an American icon tells her story for the first time, and in her own gorgeous words--about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.
One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has an infectious charm that has captivated the nation for more than five decades, beginning with her first TV role at the age of seventeen. From Gidget's sweet-faced "girl next door" to the dazzling complexity of Sybil to the Academy Award-worthy ferocity and depth of Norma Rae and Mary Todd Lincoln, Field has stunned audiences time and time again with her artistic range and emotional acuity. Yet there is one character who always remained hidden: the shy and anxious little girl within.
With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes for not only the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood, but deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships--including her complicated love for her own mother. Powerful and unforgettable, In Pieces is an inspiring and important account of life as a woman in the second half of the twentieth century.
In this intimate, haunting literary memoir, an American icon tells her story for the first time, and in her own gorgeous words--about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.
One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has an infectious charm that has captivated the nation for more than five decades, beginning with her first TV role at the age of seventeen. From Gidget's sweet-faced "girl next door" to the dazzling complexity of Sybil to the Academy Award-worthy ferocity and depth of Norma Rae and Mary Todd Lincoln, Field has stunned audiences time and time again with her artistic range and emotional acuity. Yet there is one character who always remained hidden: the shy and anxious little girl within.
With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes for not only the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood, but deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships--including her complicated love for her own mother. Powerful and unforgettable, In Pieces is an inspiring and important account of life as a woman in the second half of the twentieth century.
- GenresMemoir
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2018
19 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Sally Field
9 books571 followersSally Field (b. 1946) is an American actress and director. Her acting career began in 1965, when she landed the role of Frances Elizabeth 'Gidget' Lawrence in Gidget. Since then she has appeared and directed TV movies and miniseries. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for both Norma Rae in 1979 and Places in the Heart in 1984. Field also won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Brothers & Sisters in 2006.
Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 1, 2022
Very moving!!
October 1, 2020
This is not the kind of memoir than I was expecting. Which was amazing, because I got even more than I what thought I'd find. This book is a love letter to a fighting mother, a diary filled with revelations from her past, from sexual abuse to being underestimated as a "real" actress. You truly have no idea what someone's life has been until you walk on their shows, or read their memoir. I was already in love with the actress, now I feel a profound respect and admiration also for the woman behind the actress. Behind a celebrity and a talented actor/actress there's a real human being that loves, hurts and dreams. In this book you get to meet that woman and feel with her, you are invited to her house to meet Baa and get to know her secrets. How much better does it get? Oh, right, the audiobook, narrated by her. Just perfection.
May 27, 2020
What. A. Ride.
December 19, 2020
Loved it!
May 8, 2020
Beautiful, sad and interesting. As a woman, a working mom and simply a human this book spoke to me. Sally’s never ending drive is inspiring. The relationship with her mother and the growth that happens there is beautiful. Truly a great book about an actress’s career, how the relationships in her life impacted her and how she found her voice.
Currently reading
February 17, 2023In her memoir, In Pieces, Sally Field shows that she is every bit as good a writer as she is an actress. I'm finding the book to be fascinating, searingly open and honest, gut wrenching and painful as well as astounding at her resilience, resolve, determination, ambition, drive and sheer talent of her acting gifts and love of her family. Especially her mother and the women of her family. She writes movingly about the generations of women she decended from. She writes with clarity about times in her life when she had a strong gut reaction to some incident and words that arose in her but for whatever reason she held herself back and went along with what was expected of her. Powerful moments that most of us can relate to.
She writes about her complicated, many layered relationship with her step father which involved ongoing sexual abuse. She is grappling with the complexity of life and wishes to portray the depth of each player in the drama without blame or victimhood, it seems to me. Which is a triumph in itself.
She shares compelling pieces of a pre MeToo# Hollywood. She writes about her relationships with men including her biological father, stepfather, mentors, love affairs and marriage. She tells it like it was and not some glam fantasy. When women write about what marriage is really like, they do us all a service.
She tells us about the people who truly saw her and her gifts, told her so, encouraged and supported her. I especially loved the parts about Lee Strasburg and the Actor's Studio. There is a wonderful story of her friendship with Joanne Woodward as they were filming Sybil.
I feel thankful to her for sharing her story. It is one that we can relate to and learn from. I hope it inspires people to follow their passion and not give up. You will come away from this book with a profound respect of this woman and what she accomplished despite the many setbacks and difficulties. Highly recommend to all the memoir fans out there.
She writes about her complicated, many layered relationship with her step father which involved ongoing sexual abuse. She is grappling with the complexity of life and wishes to portray the depth of each player in the drama without blame or victimhood, it seems to me. Which is a triumph in itself.
She shares compelling pieces of a pre MeToo# Hollywood. She writes about her relationships with men including her biological father, stepfather, mentors, love affairs and marriage. She tells it like it was and not some glam fantasy. When women write about what marriage is really like, they do us all a service.
She tells us about the people who truly saw her and her gifts, told her so, encouraged and supported her. I especially loved the parts about Lee Strasburg and the Actor's Studio. There is a wonderful story of her friendship with Joanne Woodward as they were filming Sybil.
I feel thankful to her for sharing her story. It is one that we can relate to and learn from. I hope it inspires people to follow their passion and not give up. You will come away from this book with a profound respect of this woman and what she accomplished despite the many setbacks and difficulties. Highly recommend to all the memoir fans out there.
May 28, 2023
Very disappointing memoir from.an actress that I like. I ended up skipping from Chapter 2 to Chapter 7 because I got tired of reading her extensive family history. It's almost as though she went through her memory boxes, etc and decided that everyone should know about it. Sadly the snippets of her life in movies and TV weren't much better. I was really disappointed that she made no mention at all about Henry Winkler, her co star in the movie "Heroes ".
The book as a whole is disappointing and way too long. Stick to her movies, instead.
The book as a whole is disappointing and way too long. Stick to her movies, instead.
March 23, 2025
I love Sally Field- from Gidget to present day. I am sure that played a part in me feel so engaged in this book and loving it so much. But it was so easy to read and interesting to learn about her home life and all the big roles she mentioned and the feelings and how each affected her-good or bad.
August 9, 2021
This book was not what I expected. Even though this was a relatively easy read, I thought I would to enjoy it a lot more than I did.
November 15, 2024
seriously a new favorite. sally is a brilliant writer and to hear about her life in such an in depth way was fascinating. what a life!!!!
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September 28, 2018When I first grab this book because of my fandom of Smokey and the Bandit. I started reading and not only began to appreciate Sally Field, but began to understand her. I appreciate her going through her journey with us and highly recommend this book!
February 24, 2019
3.5 stars
December 18, 2023
Sally Field, one of the best actors of our time. Loved her memoir. CathyR
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews