My Cousin Maria Schneider: A Memoir

by Vanessa Schneider

A spare, heartbreaking memoir and tribute to Maria Schneider, the 1970s movie starlet who catapulted to fame in the controversial film Last Tango in Paris—only to live the rest of her life plagued by scandal—as told from the perspective of her adoring younger cousin.

The late French actress Maria Schneider is perhaps best known for playing Jeanne in the provocative film Last Tango in Paris, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and released to international shock and acclaim in 1972. It was Maria’s first major role, alongside film legend Marlon Brando, when she was barely eighteen years old. The experience would haunt her for the rest of her life, traumatizing her and sparking a tabloid firestorm that only ceased when she began to retreat from the public eye nearly two decades later.

To Maria’s much younger cousin, Vanessa Schneider, Maria was a towering figure of another kind—a beautiful and fearsome fixture in Vanessa’s childhood, a rising star turned pariah whose career and struggles with addiction won the family shame and pride in equal measure. Here, Vanessa recounts the challenges of their overlapping youths and fraught adulthood and reveals both the tragedy and inevitability of Maria’s path in a family plagued by mental illness and in a society rife with misogyny.

Unsentimental and suffused with deep love, My Cousin Maria Schneider is the story of a talented artist and the cousin who admired her, and of exploitation and how its lingering effects can reverberate through a lifetime.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, France, Feminism, Biography Memoir, Film

Audiobook

First published August 6, 2018

Reviews

[H.L.H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 38%.

While I'm sure this author has some great pieces in her body of work, this reads like you would expect from the cousin of a famous person. Some of the small remembered details about Maria are beautifuly poetic and add complexity and humanity to her mythos. However, there are so few of them, and even fewer meaningful interactions between the two, that the whole text leans towards a speculative cash-grab.

Curiously, the book is rife with the sensationalist, exploitative seixsm that it purportedly criticizes and reveals. The romanticized mental illness and addiction alone gives male-written female character vibes, and these are real people.

I was hoping for more from this book.

[Joey Shapiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Certainly didn’t dislike it and I love to hear Molly Ringwald read the audiobook and pronounce French words! Maria Schneider is such a tragic and interesting figure in the film world— she was, for two movies (Last Tango in Paris and The Passenger), the greatest actress of her generation, but during those two movies was assaulted and ridiculed and eventually discarded for being “difficult” and more or less retreated into addiction and not allowed back into the the boys club of the European new wave film world. The book is written by her cousin who was six years old when The Passenger came out, and ultimately it’s not really revealing of much that couldn’t be gleaned from her movies or Wikipedia. Vanessa is a great writer but her and Maria didn’t seem very close at all, so the personal angle and the second-person tense (it’s written as if it’s a letter to Maria) don’t really make sense. Would have loved to read a sort of docufiction account about Maria’s life, because she was such a private person that it doesn’t seem like any one person (including her cousin!) knows her well enough to write a convincing biography. Honestly I preferred the parts where Vanessa takes herself out of the equation and just writes about interviews with Maria she watched! And most importantly made me want to rewatch The Passenger.

[Charlotte L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ce roman m'apparaît comme n'étant que la copie d'un magazine à scandale, un ouvrage voyeuriste et presque malsain. J'ai eu tout le long l'impression de lire quelque chose qui ne me concernait pas, de m'immiscer dans l'intimité d'une femme dont l'autrice dit elle-même qu'elle n'aurait sans doute pas aimé voir sa vie ainsi exposée. Je pensais que ce livre serait une lettre d'amour d'une femme à sa cousine, mais finalement Vanessa Schneider ne parle que de la déchéance de cette actrice, de son addiction à l'héroïne, de son caractère changeant. A aucun moment elle ne fait l'éloge de ses qualités, autre que la beauté de sa jeunesse – le thème de la beauté féminine revenant un peu trop souvent à mon goût. Certes, l'ouvrage dénonce les dérives de l'industrie du cinéma de l'époque, mais sans pour autant redorer l'image de cette femme perdue.
En outre, ce roman qu'on pense dédié à une femme paraît finalement être un prétexte pour que l'autrice parle de sa propre vie, de la honte qu'elle ressent envers ses parents et le reste de sa famille. On se sent mal à l'aise. C'est tout ce qui ressort de ce livre pour moi : le malaise.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well of course I know who Maria is. The movie ‘Last Tango in Paris’ was big news in the 70’s when it came out because of the nature of the film, plus all the scandal after the fact. I’ve never seen the film; I was never a fan of Brando is mostly why.

Written by Maria’s cousin who idolized her, the book starts with Maria’s funeral and then transitions to the beginnings of her life. The way it is written the author speaks to Maria as she recounts her life.

She jumps around a lot in time which I’m not real fond of.

We really don’t learn very much about Maria in this memoir. I would say that it’s about 60% about the author, 10% about their shared family, and 30% about Maria. It’s definitely a thumbs down.

A one sitting read, although it took me two days because I was otherwise busy.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une magnifique surprise que cet hommage rendu par Vanessa Schneider à sa cousine, au destin tragique.
Par la même occasion, l'autrice dessine tout le portrait d'une époque (les années 70) et se dévoile en parlant de sa famille. Ça m'a donné envie de découvrir ses précédents romans alors que jusqu'ici, je n'avais lu que ses ouvrages politiques.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t much like. It’s about 20% what the title would make one expect: a cousin’s perspective on a famous person and the things that weren’t in the media. Some interesting stuff there. Another 20% describes magazine articles about Maria, or describes moments of her films. Alright. The other 60% is a memoir, so if you care what Vanessa Schneider wore as a child or what she snacked on as a child, or what her parents thought, have at it. I did not. I also genuinely have no idea why it’s organized the way it is.

Oh, and a lot of it’s written in second person? Is anything good written in second person?

I thought I understood in advance why Molly Ringwald wanted to translate and narrate this book, but after listening, I get it far less.

On the audio: it’s fine. Ringwald *really* likes to pronounce the French words. Also she pronounces “singer” as “sing-gher,” which was unexpected.🤷‍♀️

[Cherise Wolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir that is spare, fascinating and powerful. The story of Maria Schneider, a child born into a problematic family, born out of wedlock by a cold mother who had children by several men, unwanted by her, sent away to live with strangers when she is eight, developing a relationship with her father, a famous French actor, in her late teens. She will become part of the Paris scene, dancing at clubs, out all night, drinking, doing drugs, with her father, with others, and end up starring in Last Tango in Paris with Marlon Brando, garnering international fame because of the controversy surrounding the film, and the infamous butter scene, which she did not know was going to happen. The memoir, written by her younger cousin who adored her magnetic older cousin, is addressed directly to Maria and the author, a French journalist, commentator on French politics, and a novelist, grapples with the knowledge that Maria would not want her battles set out on the page - Last Tango, her drug addictions, her issues. The politics of France at that time, the #metoo of recent years, the swirl around a girl unmoored, who could not be helped even by those family members who tried - the author's parents - a child of an extended family both heady and intellectual and immersed in mental illness, it's a stunning and heartbreaking tale.

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for an ARC.

[Samantha Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look at the life of Maria Schneider from the lens of her cousin Vanessa. It is told in second person, Vanessa talking to you (you being Maria). It’s a, at times, non-linear letter to the troubled life of Schneider and also a look into the Schneider family as a whole. It’s very sad at times and leaves you finding Maria Schneider just as much of a mystery as you did when you started. I’m very glad that her tale was able to be told after the cruel effects of the entertainment industry and drugs.

If there is one thing you can take away from this story’s it’s that I sincerely hope Bernardo Bertolucci knows no peace in the afterlife.

[Ville Verkkapuro]

An absolutely perfect book in all ways. Devastating, sad and so very familiar in many ways: abusive men in power, broken starlet and dark Hollywood, with substance abuse being the only remedy for an aging has-been with a violated body and soul. Reminded me of Vampira, Bela Lugosi, made me think of Sunset Boulevard. Such a sad, wide and symbolic image, though the framing is very tight. Great writing, simple and colourful, tight and nothing too much.
Oh: and Molly Ringwald as the reader of this audiobook was perfect, she is the coolest and carries this like a torch.

[Sara Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

the two stars i have given this are definitely just because of information that i’m sure i easily could’ve read from her wikipedia lol. it’s written by her cousin in a really confusing way that time jumps nonstop in half filled pages of semi-memories written in second person. it’s awful what happened to maria schneider in last tengo in paris, but this book really seems like a cash grab on her cousin’s behalf!

[Dd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, sad, yet extremely fascinating!
Such a tragic life Maria Schneider led.
This would make a great short film - I would cast Natasha Lyonne as Maria.

I listened to the audiobook read by Molly Ringwald who is also the translator- she did an exceptional job!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assez triste. Histoire vraie !

[Donia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vanessa spends the whole book talking about how Maria Schneider didn’t want to talk about that scene, and then mentions it in almost every single chapter. It felt really exploitative and covetous at times. You can tell that the author didn’t have as intimate of a relationship with who she’s writing about as she would like us to believe, regardless of the details about how the actress’s hair smelt like cigarettes.

I do not think Maria would’ve liked this book ngl.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Even in our home, so far away from where the rest of your life unravels, you are constructing your own mythology”

Beautiful audiobook performance and translation from Molly Ringwald!

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to get into the style of this book, the jumps in years, decades - the randomness of the stories, some half a page long, others a bit longer.

But really from the beginning, it was a bad idea. A cousin writing a memoir about their more famous relative? One that was at least 15 years older than them?
Not a biography mind you, well researched with added benefit from there being a family connection.

No, just a collection of quasi-remembered stories (often secondhand, hearsay from others), (dis)organized in a chaotic way, fleshed out with press clippings.

There was a whole lot about the author’s life and not very much about Maria Schneider. Surely, she deserved better than this pastiche of cobbled together pages.

Gods save us all from writerly relatives looking to make a buck.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of Maria Schneider before I picked up this novel, but now I certainly won't forget her. I found this to be a wistful memoir written by her cousin about her memories of Maria. Other GR reviews cite a lack of depth here and other criticisms that the author wasn't old enough to have substantial knowledge of her famous cousin, but I enjoyed Vanessa's writing and found it touching.

4.5 stars

[Nicole Brousseau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intéressant de connaître un peu plus cette actrice surtout connue pour son rôle dans Le dernier tango à Paris. Déchéance mortelle.

[Ronnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seven years after Tango you have still not managed to escape the prison of these roles.

Described as a French journalist and novelist on the book jacket, Vanessa Schneider made the curious decision to frame most (but not all) of this memoir as a sort of long letter to Maria, addressing her reflections directly to her cousin, for whom she says she harbors "a tender and morbid fascination" but about whom, she also admits, "I know so little." The timeline of these memories jumps all over the place, and occasionally the point of view switches to direct third person ("She's not beholden to anyone or anything, except for the heroin, which she starts using right after Last Tango in Paris comes out, and which she now injects every day, more and more frantically, increasing the dose each time."), but it's unclear whether those editorial missteps are the fault of translator Molly Ringwald. Other than Tango, around which everything in this short book revolves, I've only ever seen Maria in The Passenger with Jack Nicholson (which I agree with Maria is a better movie), so I was surprised to learn she'd appeared in nearly 60 films (some in mere cameo roles) before her death in February 2011 at age 58. I was also surprised about the revelation that she'd at least met Bob Dylan, although whether the sex part was true, who knows? Apparently Maria also said Dylan had written a song about her, but, if so, Vanessa doesn't seem to know which one. My guess is "Idiot Wind."

First line:
"I had a beautiful life," you say with a tired smile.

Central paragraph:

I often worry that you won't approve of the story I'm telling, Maria. You won't like that I'm speaking of the drugs, of your mother and father and brothers. So, I erase what I just wrote, and then I write it again, because talking about you without talking about the drugs, your mother, your father, or Tango would mean giving up talking about you at all.

[Granny Sebestyen · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Tu t'appelais Maria Schneider" de Vanessa Schneider (256p)
Ed. Grasset ( août 018)

Bonjour les lecteurs ....

Avant que ce livre ne sorte, si je vous avais parlé de Maria Schneider, seuls les cinéphiles avertis aurait su de qui je parlais.
Par contre si je vous parle de la scène qui créa scandale dans le film "Dernier tango à Paris" , déjà plus de personnes visualisent l'actrice.

Maria.. la femme sauvage, la femme libre que le monde du 7° art va anéantir.
Maria dépassée par le scandale lié au film sulfureux qui l'a révélée.
Maria qui ne s'en remettra jamais et qui touchera à tous les interdits.

Ce livre, écrit pas sa cousine, se voulait certainement comme un hommage à l'actrice dont la vie ne fut que descente aux enfers.
Mais voilà ...le récit n'est pas parvenu à me captiver.
L'écriture est sans relief et la narration ne suit aucun ordre logique.
Les chapitres courts nous baladant un peu n'importe comment.
J'ai eu plus l'impression de consulter un album photo que de lire une biographie.
Je ne suis d'ailleurs pas certaine de mieux connaitre Maria après avoir peiné sur ces 250p.
Difficile d'y trouver un sens.

De plus, par moment, je me suis demandée si Vanessa Schneider voulait évoquer la vie de sa cousine Maria ou raconter sa propre histoire ?
Le livre se présente plus comme un règlement de compte.
L''auteure, toutes griffes dehors n'épargne personne, ni sa famille, ni la famille Gelin, ni l'entourage de Maria., quitte à tomber dans le " people"
Peu de personnes trouvent grâce à ses yeux.

Vanessa Schneider est-elle bien dans ses baskets ?

Bref, vous l'aurez compris .. je sors de cette lecture déçue, frustrée avec l'impression que j'en aurais appris autant en lisant un magasine à 3 francs six sous.

[Audrey RZR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Après avoir entendu l'auteure parler de son livre sur le plateau de La Grande Librairie, j'avais hâte de découvrir ce roman pour en apprendre davantage sur Maria Schneider, une actrice qui a fait beaucoup parler d'elle et ce, bien avant ma naissance.

Ce roman est la biographie d'une femme mythique, au destin tragique. Vanessa Schneider, la cousine de Maria, décrit sa lente descente aux enfers après sa première grosse exposition médiatique, due au succès d'un film polémique: Le Dernier Tango à Paris.
Dans le film, alors que Maria n'a pas 20 ans, Bernardo Bertolucci et Marlon Brando, respectivement réalisateur et collègue comédien, surprennent la jeune fille avec une scène de viol d'une grande violence, non prévue.
Ce tournage marquera la vie de l'actrice, son rôle de nymphette lui collera à la peau et elle n'arrivera pas à s'en défaire, pour son plus grand malheur.

Vanessa Schneider, avec une très belle écriture, livre un portrait sans concession de sa cousine, offre aux lecteurs une plongée dans l'enfer de la drogue et des affres de la célébrité.
Elle dénonce un milieu artistique profondément machiste et le manque de scrupules de certains médias, qui cherchent toujours à "faire sensation" quitte à modifier la réalité.

Au delà de la vie de Maria, Vanessa se raconte également, elle décrit son enfance dans une barre HLM avec ses parents hippies et gauchistes, son enfance bohème très particulière puis ses études prestigieuses, son cheminement d'écrivaine.

Un roman familial sombre et captivant, qui dévoile l'histoire de deux femmes très différentes, marquée par leurs racines.

[Ana Luiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

antes de tudo: meu amor por cinema me atraiu pra este livro, mas o que realmente me fez pular foi ver “translate from the french by molly ringwald”. molly ringwald, minha rainha absoluta, foi impossível resistir.

my cousin maria schneider é daqueles livros que lembram por que faço jornalismo e por que amo não ficção. a prosa de vanessa é bela, vibrante, crua. parece que ela liga pra prima, deixa recados na caixa postal — em vez de um “querida maria” num diário. é carta de amor e, ao mesmo tempo, reportagem íntima; mostra a maria real, não o mito congelado em “último tango em paris”.

não é história fácil, e fica claro que também não foi fácil de escrever, mas vanessa escolhe a honestidade, a escrita com carinho, admiração e consciência do peso que maria carregava. ao revelar quem era maria, ela também revela um pouco de si — onde maria a marcou, no que acredita, como é ser mulher na indústria, no mundo.

tem um trecho que me pegou “from time to time at family get-togethers, you allude to the book… i know that i’ll have to write it alone. not the story that you would write… but ours.” é sobre responsabilidade, amor e memória — e sobre escrever quando a pessoa não pode mais contar a própria história.

é um livro tão íntimo que você quase sente o telefone vibrar no bolso quando a autora “liga” de novo pra maria. é uma biografia que respira e cutuca. é uma força de uma voz feminina falando de outra, é tão poderoso. impactante. eletrizante. apaixonante.

[MAGGY · Rating 2 out of 5]

✍️ VANESSA SCHNEIDER
💬 TU T’APPELAIS MARIA SCHNEIDER
🏠 GRASSET
📚 240 Pages
📆 2018
📈 2,5/5

Ça fait longtemps que j’avais ce livre dans ma PAL. La sortie du film Maria m’a donné envie de l’en sortir.

Bon bah ce livre m’a gêné. D’abord par la forme: l’absence de chronologie m’a perdue et j’ai trouvé qu’on en revenait inlassablement à la même époque. Celle là même à laquelle Maria n’aimait pas qu’on s’attarde. Aussi les tutoiements soudain pour s’adresser à Maria sont souvent déstabilisants.

Concernant le fond, j’ai eu parfois l’impression désagréable de lire un journal à scandales, de regarder par le trou de la serrure. Parce qu’au final, de Maria, Vanessa ne nous apprend rien de plus que ce Tango qui colle à la peau mais en profite surtout pour épingler ou remercier qq personnes au passage.

J’ai le sentiment que l’auteur s’est perdu dans son récit. Un metoo? un hommage? qui ne ressemble ni à l’un ni à l’autre au final.

#cinema #famille #absence #lesgensdebilbaonaissentouilveulent derniertangoaparis #drogue #photographie

#tutappelaismariaschneider
#vanessaschneider
#editionsgrasset @editionsgrasset
#lelivredepoche @livredepoche

#livreaddict #book #livre #livres #bookstagram #livrestagram #bookaddict #ilovebooks #lirecestlavie #read

[AnnieM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am familiar with Maria Schneider because I am a film buff and read a lot of biographies. This book is particularly enjoyable because it is written by her cousin and reads like a series of letters to her recalling her memories, stories she heard, articles she read about her cousin etc. The writing is beautiful and is translated by Molly Ringwald -- a very well done translation that makes this an interesting read that I could not put down. The language is very visually descriptive from what she wore, her hair, her pose, who she was with, where she was, etc. I always think that great books make me want to learn more -- she mentions Maria's father who was a French Film Actor and also mentions some of the films she was in besides "Last Tango in Paris." This book is about Maria's trauma and addiction but is packaged in beautiful prose of love and admiration. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Kellylynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tragic story of Maria Schneider, the actress from the Last Tango in Paris, told from her cousins perspective. I have to admit, I have not seen the movie and I did not know much about Maria prior to reading the book. And her life is definitely a tragic one.

This was the era where women were still treated more as objects to be used. But the curiosity of it all is, did she become who she was based solely on that moment in the movie? Or was her personality one that she may have followed the path of drugs without that trying moment.

The story jumps around, but interestingly I did not mind. And everything is told more in reminiscences, and not a straight story. It is very short and I would have liked more, but alas a family member would not have all that much more. Plus the author was still trying to protect Maria's legacy to some extent.

I actually won this one in one of the giveaways.

[Diane DLH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce livre donne davantage l’impression que l’autrice a voulu parler d’elle et de sa famille sous le prisme de Maria Schneider mais sans vraiment parler d’elle ni de la relation si particulière (car c’est ce qu’elle sous-entend) qui les lier (au-delà d’être cousines).

Au-delà du film Le dernier Tango à Paris qui, et on peut le comprendre, a été un vrai traumatisme pour la jeune actrice qu’était Maria Schneider a l’époque (a ce sujet : qui a donné l’idée du beurre Brando ou Bertolucci, on s’en fout, ils sont tous les deux responsables et peut être que le complice l’est davantage quel qu’il soit), est-ce que cette descente aux enfers n’était pas liée à l’époque et à ses excès ?
De là à dire comme le suggère l’autrice que c’est une sorte de malédiction qui touche les femmes de cette famille… j’en suis moins sûre.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Schneider, French teenage star of Last Tango in Paris, was not a star in the eyes of her parents. She came into the world as the result of an affair, and was never appreciated by either parent. Maria was partly raised by her aunt and uncle with her cousin Vanessa, the author of this memoir. At age 8, her mother sent her to a stranger, a two year stint with a nursemaid for proper upbringing. Unfortunately, Maria rebelled plenty throughout her life, and at times lived in a homeless manner.

This memoir, written in 2018 and recently translated to English, also exposes some of the culture of Europe post World War II when Maria was a child. Her life was so very different from the lives of baby boomers in the United States. With little love within her family life, it’s no wonder she failed at times.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has become fashionable in some circles to say (as one of the blurbs on the book's back cover does) that "Last Tango in Paris" ruined Maria Schneider's life, but this affectionate memoir by her cousin makes it clear that the actress's life was sufficiently troubled by other things -estrangement from her mother, who threw her out at 15, a family history of suicide and mental illness, a long addiction to heroin - that Bertolucci's 1972 film barely had a chance to compete. This doesn't stop the author from glibly repeating the accusations and demonizing the director (making a few inaccurate statements along the way), creating a sense of second-hand indignation that mars what is otherwise a warm and deeply-felt recollection of her cousin.

[Sylvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

(subject to editing)

I decided to finish reading it because I was really interested to find out how overrated and poorly written this book is. There's nothing new or more insightful than the wiki entry about Maria Schneider. Everything about Maria and her life, even the author's own life (if riding on Maria's fame or notoriety is the author's ultimate goal to get known and make some quick bucks), is written so superficially. Who cares so much about what the latter wore as a teen? Tell us more about the details of your childhood together.

It may sound poetic in times, but nothing impressive. Lots of name popping of various celebrities, but nothing more than what you can read on magazine gossips.

This is my first bad-read for the year. I really wonder how it even gets published.

[Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lovely! I mean, for something so dark and sad. I’m surprised it has so many meh reviews. I thought it was beautifully written and translated, and it’s an interesting way to frame a memoir, in these memories and stories recounted to the person and how they fit into the storyteller’s life. I liked the second person voice too. And I know nothing about anyone involved — I vaguely know what last tango in Paris is but I didn’t know who Maria or Vanessa Schneider are. This also reminded me of other memoirs of growing up in Paris/France during a certain time in a troubled family or with the specter of trauma, like La Familia Grande and The Little Girl on the Ice Floe.

[Sadie Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst the idea of mid-to-late 20th century French culture is always intriguing it is equally as horrifying. The exploration of the life of Maria Schneider is as unsurprising as it is depressing. The work is a deeply moving exploration of the life of the actress and the harmful misogynistic culture of filmmaking that offered much of the downfall of the life of the actress. The unique perspective of the work in offering us the life of Maria through the lens of her cousin, Vanessa’s, fixation upon her is sweet and all the more troubling for the reader. Overall, amazing, but melancholic! (4.5 stars)