Getting Smarter: A Memoir

by Barbara Feldon

In this memoir, Barbara Feldon tells of her romance with Lucien Feldon Verdeaux, a glamorous European, whom she marries, unaware of the revelations about him that lay it wait. Tucked into her dramatic and sometimes zany adventures with Lucien are her initiation into show business, a modeling stint during the Mod era, and the fun of working in Hollywood—especially playing Agent 99 opposite Don Adams in the award winning TV series, Get Smart . Told with a sense of the comical, and viewed with a philosophical eye, Barbara takes us with her through the colorful ’60s on her journey from disillusion to compassion, from naivety to wisdom—getting smarter every step of the way.

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the very best

but you get a feeling of sadness with the friends and relationships she had, almost like few were her equal, or few could enrich her life, without taking anything away

[Drucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was astonishing how naive Barbara was, but given the time period I guess it wasn't that surprising. She was so gullible and trusting. It was fun to read about her career, especially having watched many episodes of "Get Smart".

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun visit with a terrific lady.

[Robert Trismen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, fascinating, honest and heartfelt. A smart, talented and classy lady shares her life and career.

[David Risk]

In her new memoir, Getting Smarter, Barbara Feldon seeks the ultimate goal that most of us chase: becoming masters of our own fate, a lofty prize few ever fully attain but the pursuit of such, provides the richness for a life well spent.
Feldon takes the long view in examining the psychological arc of her life’s journey, arriving at a level of self-knowledge that would be impossible in the short term. By example after example, she conveys how the immediacy of the moment allows us to makes choices we might not otherwise make. We choose what we choose, nonetheless, and those choices become the watershed events that shape a lifetime.
Feldon uses language the way an impressionist painter uses oil. The reader stands back, and a picture emerges from her literary pointillism that is revelatory and stunning.
If one knew her only through her adroit comedic work in the popular sitcom, Get Smart, one would be missing the big picture. In the art of Impressionism, just as small tiny dots, when placed closely with one another, blur into an image for the eye, her carefully crafted and juxtaposed stories lead the reader to the final conclusion she reaches on the examination of life fully lived: “What better way to spend this little vacation from eternity we call consciousness?”

David Risk
December 30, 2022

[Carol McGinty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars. I saw this book mentioned somewhere and ordered it on a whim. Really enjoyed the straightforward memoir and Feldon's description and honest assessment of her life events. "Get Smart" was a big part of my childhood, and her character, 99, was wonderful; it always seemed that Barbara Feldon must be, too. I appreciated getting to know her through this book and might have to pick up her book on living alone one of these days.