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Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
From veteran entertainment reporter Sam Kashner and biographer Nancy Schoenberger comes the definitive account of the greatest Hollywood love story ever told—the romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Kashner has interviewed Elizabeth Taylor numerous times and is the only journalist given access to her extensive collection of personal letters and journals, and he and Schoenberger have also interviewed the Burton family at length, including Burton’s actress daughter Kate. This is truly an authorized and singularly informed biography of these two larger-than-life stars, and of their glamorous, volatile, and audacious relationship.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2010
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12718 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Schoenberger
15 books39 followersNancy Schoenberger is a professor of English and creative writing at the College of William and Mary. She is the author of Dangerous Muse: The Life of Lady Caroline Blackwood, and coauthor with her husband, Sam Kashner, of books on Oscar Levant, George Reeves, and the relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. She lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 628 reviews
September 6, 2021
o dadá boladão escreveu "surtada" pra elizabeth taylor
June 13, 2013
This couple was epic
FUCKING EPIC.
I was born in the early 80's so other then catching some of their movies "Liz and Dick" were just some famous people who got married and then divorced. I had no idea the drama "Le Scandale" how could my mother not tell me of this gold mine of epic gossip and decadence? That's what mothers are for to fill you in on what you missed when you were not alive, I do ask that she keep to the important stuff but she missed this bit and when I called her on it she shrugged her shoulders and said she was seven at the time and "I think Elizabeth was a bit nuts" Blasphemy!
So Liz demanded that all her producers buy her expensive jewels as presents while making their movies?
So when she was in Rome and felt like her favourite chilli from L.A. she had it flown over that evening? Who hasn't been there? So Liz and Richard did not want to pay taxes on the money they made so they lived like gypsies for over nine years? Everyone hates taxes.
Yes it seems a bit much and that is what they were like it was decadence, extravagance and to hell with what people said. It is shocking how they spent money, this book is about Elizabeth and Richard's life together, their FURIOUS LOVE.
The diamonds and gems will make your head spin, no one lived like them even royalty seem to astounded at how they spent all their money. "In a decade Richard and Elizabeth made 80 million dollars (660 million today) and spent three-fourths of it on furs,diamonds, paintings, designer clothes, traveling and property."
Alright that's a bit nuts, yes. But what a story. They loved each other so much, they both saw the best in each other and brought out the worst.
Richard was captivated by Elizabeth, he could not get enough. He thought she was one of the best screen actresses in the world, he respected her knowledge of the film industry and the love letter he wrote, he left her letters all the time she would be sleeping and he would write her a letter in the next room about how sexy she was. Do people do love letters anymore?? If given the choice between shelves being put up and garbage going out to love letters and poetry- I'm probably gonna go with shelves and trash. I am a practical girl and Burton didn't seem to do a lot of chores as they had people for that so that explains his idleness.
Elizabeth thought Richard brilliant and talented, and his gruffness and strength was something she was very attracted to. His strength and passion made her crazy.
Richard had a serious drinking problem but Liz would not stop drinking, so he drank more which slowly killed him. Richard was never accepted in Hollywood so he kept Elizabeth away this caused her to lose touch with many of her friends, she over compensated her this with a gigantic entourage and spending all the monies. They would fight half the night and then spend the rest of it making up, they were both extremely possessive and emotionally needy. Recipe for disaster non?
Even after their divorce (the 2nd one) they would talk for hours on the phone keeping each other up to date, talking about different projects and making each other laugh.
Best quotes in the book
"How did I know the woman was so fucking famous" R.B
"Let's face it -a lot of my life has lacked dignity" E.B
"I don't ever want to be that much in love again" E.B
"Everyone after Richard the men in my life were just there to hold the coat, to open the door. They were just company" E.T
FUCKING EPIC.
I was born in the early 80's so other then catching some of their movies "Liz and Dick" were just some famous people who got married and then divorced. I had no idea the drama "Le Scandale" how could my mother not tell me of this gold mine of epic gossip and decadence? That's what mothers are for to fill you in on what you missed when you were not alive, I do ask that she keep to the important stuff but she missed this bit and when I called her on it she shrugged her shoulders and said she was seven at the time and "I think Elizabeth was a bit nuts" Blasphemy!
So Liz demanded that all her producers buy her expensive jewels as presents while making their movies?
So when she was in Rome and felt like her favourite chilli from L.A. she had it flown over that evening? Who hasn't been there? So Liz and Richard did not want to pay taxes on the money they made so they lived like gypsies for over nine years? Everyone hates taxes.
Yes it seems a bit much and that is what they were like it was decadence, extravagance and to hell with what people said. It is shocking how they spent money, this book is about Elizabeth and Richard's life together, their FURIOUS LOVE.
The diamonds and gems will make your head spin, no one lived like them even royalty seem to astounded at how they spent all their money. "In a decade Richard and Elizabeth made 80 million dollars (660 million today) and spent three-fourths of it on furs,diamonds, paintings, designer clothes, traveling and property."
Alright that's a bit nuts, yes. But what a story. They loved each other so much, they both saw the best in each other and brought out the worst.
Richard was captivated by Elizabeth, he could not get enough. He thought she was one of the best screen actresses in the world, he respected her knowledge of the film industry and the love letter he wrote, he left her letters all the time she would be sleeping and he would write her a letter in the next room about how sexy she was. Do people do love letters anymore?? If given the choice between shelves being put up and garbage going out to love letters and poetry- I'm probably gonna go with shelves and trash. I am a practical girl and Burton didn't seem to do a lot of chores as they had people for that so that explains his idleness.
Elizabeth thought Richard brilliant and talented, and his gruffness and strength was something she was very attracted to. His strength and passion made her crazy.
Richard had a serious drinking problem but Liz would not stop drinking, so he drank more which slowly killed him. Richard was never accepted in Hollywood so he kept Elizabeth away this caused her to lose touch with many of her friends, she over compensated her this with a gigantic entourage and spending all the monies. They would fight half the night and then spend the rest of it making up, they were both extremely possessive and emotionally needy. Recipe for disaster non?
Even after their divorce (the 2nd one) they would talk for hours on the phone keeping each other up to date, talking about different projects and making each other laugh.
Best quotes in the book
"How did I know the woman was so fucking famous" R.B
"Let's face it -a lot of my life has lacked dignity" E.B
"I don't ever want to be that much in love again" E.B
"Everyone after Richard the men in my life were just there to hold the coat, to open the door. They were just company" E.T
September 29, 2017
I normally don’t read Hollywood biographies. However, I wanted to read this one, simply because I was curious about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It’s not every day you see two very famous people so passionately in love. But then again, this is the story the authors were trying to promote. The book starts off saying that one of the last things Richard Burton did was write a love letter to Elizabeth, which Elizabeth didn’t share with them. Yet Richard Burton’s widow, Sally, insists there was no letter and was a little put off by this book, feeling like they were trying to erase her. Consequently, while this book does have many passages from Richard Burton’s diary, I think a lot of this is Elizabeth’s account, and I don’t know how reliable she is. I kept thinking of a line from the song Louise -- "A deceiver, don't believe her, that's her trade."
I did enjoy this book though, and I was awed by the lovely, poetic and somewhat sexually titillating letters Richard wrote to Elizabeth. He had a photographic memory and could recite poetry on the spot. He also wrote beautiful poetry himself and was avid reader, reading up to three books a day. And you can just imagine hearing that poetry being recited in his rich mellifluous voice. It’s enough to make a girl get swoony.
Then there was Elizabeth, who was stunningly beautiful and unapologetically fearless, speaking up for causes she believed in, going after what she wanted, unafraid of being reviled. I found myself admiring her, and being touched by her generosity to her staff and crew, going out of her way for people. Here she was a true Diva, yet she carried it with grace.
These two tried to break off their affair in the beginning, but their passion was so compelling they left their spouses to be together, facing great criticism and scandal. And that love never seemed to die. They speak of being almost overwhelmed by each other, completely besotted, unable to stay away from each other. They were also wildly jealous and they seemed to look at fighting as a form of foreplay, having loud shouting matches and then wild make-up sex. Traveling around like nomads, they spent vast amounts of money, buying jewels and houses, dragging with them numerous pets and children. Yet they seemed to long for a true home, never settling down.
I found their fighting rather scary. Elizabeth loved to pick fights, one time goading one of her earlier husbands to “Go ahead and hit me, shut me up.” She wanted a man to stand up to her, and was only attracted by men who couldn’t be pushed around (which Richard fit the bill). Yet Richard had a Scorpion tongue and could say cruel insults that must have hurt badly. I almost wonder if they knocked each other down because they were so besotted; that their love scared them because it made them vulnerable.
I can’t help but feel that if they lived today, they probably would have stayed together simply because we understand alcoholism so much better now. Richard would have received more help, and Elizabeth would have known how to support him better. I was also horrified by all the surgeries Elizabeth had for bleeding hemorrhoids. I’m sure back in the sixties, doctors thought the best way to treat hemorrhoids was to slice them off, which makes me cringe. Here she was a young woman, only in her thirties, yet she had horrible health problems. It’s no wonder Richard didn’t trust doctors.
In the end, I found this book sad. I wish they could have worked it out. They certainly wanted to work it out.
I did enjoy this book though, and I was awed by the lovely, poetic and somewhat sexually titillating letters Richard wrote to Elizabeth. He had a photographic memory and could recite poetry on the spot. He also wrote beautiful poetry himself and was avid reader, reading up to three books a day. And you can just imagine hearing that poetry being recited in his rich mellifluous voice. It’s enough to make a girl get swoony.
Then there was Elizabeth, who was stunningly beautiful and unapologetically fearless, speaking up for causes she believed in, going after what she wanted, unafraid of being reviled. I found myself admiring her, and being touched by her generosity to her staff and crew, going out of her way for people. Here she was a true Diva, yet she carried it with grace.
These two tried to break off their affair in the beginning, but their passion was so compelling they left their spouses to be together, facing great criticism and scandal. And that love never seemed to die. They speak of being almost overwhelmed by each other, completely besotted, unable to stay away from each other. They were also wildly jealous and they seemed to look at fighting as a form of foreplay, having loud shouting matches and then wild make-up sex. Traveling around like nomads, they spent vast amounts of money, buying jewels and houses, dragging with them numerous pets and children. Yet they seemed to long for a true home, never settling down.
I found their fighting rather scary. Elizabeth loved to pick fights, one time goading one of her earlier husbands to “Go ahead and hit me, shut me up.” She wanted a man to stand up to her, and was only attracted by men who couldn’t be pushed around (which Richard fit the bill). Yet Richard had a Scorpion tongue and could say cruel insults that must have hurt badly. I almost wonder if they knocked each other down because they were so besotted; that their love scared them because it made them vulnerable.
I can’t help but feel that if they lived today, they probably would have stayed together simply because we understand alcoholism so much better now. Richard would have received more help, and Elizabeth would have known how to support him better. I was also horrified by all the surgeries Elizabeth had for bleeding hemorrhoids. I’m sure back in the sixties, doctors thought the best way to treat hemorrhoids was to slice them off, which makes me cringe. Here she was a young woman, only in her thirties, yet she had horrible health problems. It’s no wonder Richard didn’t trust doctors.
In the end, I found this book sad. I wish they could have worked it out. They certainly wanted to work it out.
November 13, 2024
"Richard and I had an incredible chemistry together. We couldn't get enough of each other. Even with the paparazzi hanging out of the trees and hearing them tramping over rooftops above us, even with all of that going on, we could play Scrabble and spell out racy words for each other, and then the game would never be finished. When you get aroused playing Scrabble, that's love, baby." -- Elizabeth Taylor, on page 38
Author Kashner - who also co-wrote the earlier and very good essay collection The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties - returns to somewhat similar territory with his examination of the then-controversial yet celebrated romance of movie stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Furious Love. Meeting on the set of the bloated blockbuster 'Cleopatra' in the early 60's, the couple scandalously hooked up - Burton left his first wife, while Taylor had four prior marriages by the age of 30 - and became the most identifiable tabloid fodder at that time. Christened 'Liz and Dick' by show biz (although they abhorred that cloying designation), the duo spent the next decade in the spotlight while battling both the bottle and each other amidst a string of silver-screen hits and flops. While this may sound sort of tacky on the surface, Kashner & Schoenberger make a pretty good case that this union - in all of its 'for better and for worse' moments (and they could be horrible to one another) - was ultimately THE matrimony that would mean the most to either one of these involved parties, who would both go on to have two additional marriages after their two (!) distinct hitches ended in divorce. Burton died much too young - a combo of genetic health issues as well as probable alcoholism - but a sweet letter he wrote to Taylor (eight years after their final split, and coincidentally days before his death) would remain on her nightstand for the rest of her life. THAT'S love, baby. 🥲
Author Kashner - who also co-wrote the earlier and very good essay collection The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties - returns to somewhat similar territory with his examination of the then-controversial yet celebrated romance of movie stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Furious Love. Meeting on the set of the bloated blockbuster 'Cleopatra' in the early 60's, the couple scandalously hooked up - Burton left his first wife, while Taylor had four prior marriages by the age of 30 - and became the most identifiable tabloid fodder at that time. Christened 'Liz and Dick' by show biz (although they abhorred that cloying designation), the duo spent the next decade in the spotlight while battling both the bottle and each other amidst a string of silver-screen hits and flops. While this may sound sort of tacky on the surface, Kashner & Schoenberger make a pretty good case that this union - in all of its 'for better and for worse' moments (and they could be horrible to one another) - was ultimately THE matrimony that would mean the most to either one of these involved parties, who would both go on to have two additional marriages after their two (!) distinct hitches ended in divorce. Burton died much too young - a combo of genetic health issues as well as probable alcoholism - but a sweet letter he wrote to Taylor (eight years after their final split, and coincidentally days before his death) would remain on her nightstand for the rest of her life. THAT'S love, baby. 🥲
July 8, 2010
This was a good biography, but not great. I had read the excerpt in Vanity Fair and like a well edited movie preview I fear that I had gotten all the best bits. I think that this could have used a stronger edit. The chronological order was off at times. At one point Talyor went to only a few rehearsals of Hamlet and then later she was there a lot and the cast loved her. It also had the problem that many biographies have of being very rich and full bodied in the being and then thinning out in an almost skeletal way towards the end. I also thought that the themes of Taylor's movie star status and bubble like life and Burton's guilt was at some points to heavy handed. The reader is often hit not to subtly over and over again with these themes. That being said the love letters he wrote to her and the overall intense passion that they obviously shared made for a good read. It was well researched and had many first hand quotes and observations. It was such a tragic story, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. This is where the book shines. It does a great job of taking us with them on the fatal roller coaster of not just their love affair but also their destructive fame. In the end the reader is left as Talyor states she wants it. Hating her a little and falling in love with him.
March 25, 2025
This turned out to be much better than I thought. Instead of the usual gossipy trash one normally sees in celebrity biographies, the authors stay even-keeled and provide the reader with a chronological overview of the Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor romance and marriage. They don't really dive in too deeply, but they were given access to the letters that Burton sent to Taylor throughout their life together.
I was surprised by learning just how deeply in love the two of them were with each other, which is something one really wouldn't know given the media's past coverage. I always thought it was just one of those publicity-seeking unions, but they were truly soulmates.
Both Burton's and Taylor's alcohol and drug dependencies are covered, with more depth given to Burton's insecurities. So, not a bad volume to read on the beach during the summer.
Book Season = Summer
I was surprised by learning just how deeply in love the two of them were with each other, which is something one really wouldn't know given the media's past coverage. I always thought it was just one of those publicity-seeking unions, but they were truly soulmates.
Both Burton's and Taylor's alcohol and drug dependencies are covered, with more depth given to Burton's insecurities. So, not a bad volume to read on the beach during the summer.
Book Season = Summer
February 2, 2014
Loved reading about Liz & Dick and the Marriage of the Century. All the glamorous details of a bygone time, when there were still big movie studios and HUGE movie stars, and a gossip columnist had so much clout. Just wanted the story to go on forever. Full of so much great info.
January 27, 2011
This book blew me away! I have never read such a passionate love story. I can also say that I have never read such a story of mutual self-destruction. I don't consider myself to be overly romantic, but I do believe that everyone has a soulmate. Some people are lucky enough to find theirs. My parents were soulmates. I am forever grateful that they died together because I can't imagine one going on without the other. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are such soulmates, but they also were the embodiment of the expression, "Can't live with 'em; can't live without 'em."
I loved reading this larger-than-life story of love and extravagence with the cycle of drinking, fighting, and jewels. Oh my the jewels! About half-way through the book, I caught myself taking the morally superior high road thinking, "They don't know love, they know passion." I expected the last of the book to be about the bitter divorces and fights over material possessions. I was wrong. Taylor and Burton did know love. They were soulmates. I was sobbing by the time I got to the end. The last two paragraphs really did me in. Sam Kashner writes,
"But then again, Elizabeth knew something about love letters. She received her last one in Bel Air. Richard had mailed it on August 2, 1984, so it arrived a few days after his death. It was waiting for Elizabeth when she returned from London, after attending Richard's memorial service there. It was his final letter to her, te one he had slipped away to write in his study at Celigny, surrounded by his books. It was a love letter to Elizabeth, and in it he told her what he wanted. Home was where Elizabeth was and he wanted to come home.
She 's kept that letter by her beside ever since."
I loved reading this larger-than-life story of love and extravagence with the cycle of drinking, fighting, and jewels. Oh my the jewels! About half-way through the book, I caught myself taking the morally superior high road thinking, "They don't know love, they know passion." I expected the last of the book to be about the bitter divorces and fights over material possessions. I was wrong. Taylor and Burton did know love. They were soulmates. I was sobbing by the time I got to the end. The last two paragraphs really did me in. Sam Kashner writes,
"But then again, Elizabeth knew something about love letters. She received her last one in Bel Air. Richard had mailed it on August 2, 1984, so it arrived a few days after his death. It was waiting for Elizabeth when she returned from London, after attending Richard's memorial service there. It was his final letter to her, te one he had slipped away to write in his study at Celigny, surrounded by his books. It was a love letter to Elizabeth, and in it he told her what he wanted. Home was where Elizabeth was and he wanted to come home.
She 's kept that letter by her beside ever since."
May 9, 2022
Elizabeth Taylor is a legend.
She was a Oscar winning actress.
A successful business woman.
An AIDS activist
But most importantly she invented celebrity culture.
Elizabeth Taylor loved getting married.....so much so she got married 8x(Jennifer Lopez there's still time to catch up). While I believe that her best husband was the 2nd one, it's obvious that her 3rd and 5/6 husband's were the ones she loved best. Both of these marriages were super toxic.
Richard Burton was husband #5 and #6 and they were a worldwide phenomenon. Their relationship began as an affair on the set of Cleopatra and it didn't end despite 2 divorces and multiple marriages to other people until Richard Burton died. They were the love of each other's lives.
Furious Love is not a biography about them as individuals,instead it's about them as a power couple Liz & Dick. I would consider them to be #ToxicRelationshipGoals. Their relationship consisted of drugs, alcohol, abuse, infidelity and multiple health crisis. Their love affair had more ups and downs than any movie ever written. If I didn't know these people were real I would think they were made up.
This book was a quick read and at times I thought that it was a 5 star read but as I kept reading my rating came down. The authors in my opinion seemed to look down on Elizabeth and Richard. Now while I don't think they had a healthy relationship both Elizabeth and Richard seemed like they were genuinely good people but these authors just multiple times shit on them. They seemed to repeatedly harp on the same things over and over again. I thought maybe it was just me feeling this way but I did something I don't usually do...I read reviews before finishing the book. Alot of people felt the same way I did.
So while that annoyed me and lowered my rating. I didn't completely ruin my experience. I love biographies that only cover a certain event in someone's life and Elizabeth Taylor's relationship with Richard Burton was probably the most important time in her personal life.
I would recommend this book but I would also encourage you to look for other books about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as individuals....I still haven't read one about Richard Burton but I will eventually.
If you love Old Hollywood, than this book may interest you.
If you love to read about other people's messy love stories, than this is the couple for you.
She was a Oscar winning actress.
A successful business woman.
An AIDS activist
But most importantly she invented celebrity culture.
Elizabeth Taylor loved getting married.....so much so she got married 8x(Jennifer Lopez there's still time to catch up). While I believe that her best husband was the 2nd one, it's obvious that her 3rd and 5/6 husband's were the ones she loved best. Both of these marriages were super toxic.
Richard Burton was husband #5 and #6 and they were a worldwide phenomenon. Their relationship began as an affair on the set of Cleopatra and it didn't end despite 2 divorces and multiple marriages to other people until Richard Burton died. They were the love of each other's lives.
Furious Love is not a biography about them as individuals,instead it's about them as a power couple Liz & Dick. I would consider them to be #ToxicRelationshipGoals. Their relationship consisted of drugs, alcohol, abuse, infidelity and multiple health crisis. Their love affair had more ups and downs than any movie ever written. If I didn't know these people were real I would think they were made up.
This book was a quick read and at times I thought that it was a 5 star read but as I kept reading my rating came down. The authors in my opinion seemed to look down on Elizabeth and Richard. Now while I don't think they had a healthy relationship both Elizabeth and Richard seemed like they were genuinely good people but these authors just multiple times shit on them. They seemed to repeatedly harp on the same things over and over again. I thought maybe it was just me feeling this way but I did something I don't usually do...I read reviews before finishing the book. Alot of people felt the same way I did.
So while that annoyed me and lowered my rating. I didn't completely ruin my experience. I love biographies that only cover a certain event in someone's life and Elizabeth Taylor's relationship with Richard Burton was probably the most important time in her personal life.
I would recommend this book but I would also encourage you to look for other books about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as individuals....I still haven't read one about Richard Burton but I will eventually.
If you love Old Hollywood, than this book may interest you.
If you love to read about other people's messy love stories, than this is the couple for you.
November 7, 2019
I'm not that interested in celebrities as a general rule and I would never have picked this book on my own, but it was one of my mom's few recent books I found in her apartment. She moved a lot and didn't tend to keep her books from move to move.
I had two main issues. The first was that it should have been edited down and shortened. The second was that I didn't enjoy the first chapter and almost stopped reading right away because of it. The first chapter is a sloppy attempt to get us to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton while basically skipping over their early lives, but still mentioning their early lives. A subsequent chapter goes back to deal with things more chronologically.
But in general, given that I wasn't even originally interested in the topic, I felt a little obsessed after reading the book. I was talking about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, looking up their films, looking up youtube clips of them, and even dreaming about them. (We went yachting and watched their daughter Maria play.) I didn't really know anything about them in advance - a bit more about ET than RB but not much. The photos in the book helped place the story a bit but the Youtube videos were a must for me.
Youtube videos:
Mike Todd: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QaIJhl1...
Cleopatra: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HKH69k7...
1970: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tuViKfZ...
50th birthday: https://youtu.be/4xWdH047vEs
I had two main issues. The first was that it should have been edited down and shortened. The second was that I didn't enjoy the first chapter and almost stopped reading right away because of it. The first chapter is a sloppy attempt to get us to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton while basically skipping over their early lives, but still mentioning their early lives. A subsequent chapter goes back to deal with things more chronologically.
But in general, given that I wasn't even originally interested in the topic, I felt a little obsessed after reading the book. I was talking about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, looking up their films, looking up youtube clips of them, and even dreaming about them. (We went yachting and watched their daughter Maria play.) I didn't really know anything about them in advance - a bit more about ET than RB but not much. The photos in the book helped place the story a bit but the Youtube videos were a must for me.
Youtube videos:
Mike Todd: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QaIJhl1...
Cleopatra: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HKH69k7...
1970: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tuViKfZ...
50th birthday: https://youtu.be/4xWdH047vEs
December 27, 2012
This book merely scratches the surface of a complex relationship. The authors tell this story of fame and excess. One of the themes is that in leaving his wife and two daughters to marry Elizabeth (and participate in her extravagant lifestyle), Richard made a Faustian deal. Another theme is that their joint projects reflected the status of their relationship.
For those who like to glimpse the rich and famous there are tales of jewelry, yachts, royalty and fabulous entertaining. For Liz'n'Dick aficionados there is the retelling of the story, photos, Richard's letters to Elizabeth and two poems. For those who are looking for some understanding of the two lovers, there is very little.
The book is like fast food/empty calories. It's a quick and engaging read. Most of the book is filled with stories love, jealousy, guilt, alcohol, beautiful people and conspicuous consumption. There is little focus on the character of the two principals. Why does Elizabeth not try to help Richard's efforts to dry out when she knows the consequences of the status quo? Why does Richard continue flirting when he knows this can destroy what he claims is most dear? Between their marriages to each other, why did they each marry a very conventional partner? We're told of their love of family life, but the partying is excessive and the children are in Hawaii or boarding school and not much present.
It may be that the authors are too close to Richard's cooperating widows to analyze what they told them. For instance, Richard's acceptance of Papa Doc Duvalier invitation to Haiti is said to be for anonymity. This leaves me unsatisfied since there are a lot of places where he could live anonymously that would fit with what one might assume was Richard's sense of social justice. A little digging or analysis might have yielded the same conclusion, or maybe not, but "anonymity" is accepted and printed as fact. This example comes at the end of the book so it is fresh in my mind, but the book is filled with unturned stones like this. The only personal aspect that receives any significant treatment is the pull of Richard's roots, which this is pretty safe ground.
The drama of this relationship keeps you reading. Despite some repetition, it is a page turner. One highlight is the group of never before published letters from Richard to Elizabeth. His expression of his thoughts and feelings is every bit as compelling as his work on the stage.
I recommend this as an entertaining read, but if you're looking for depth, this is not the book.
For those who like to glimpse the rich and famous there are tales of jewelry, yachts, royalty and fabulous entertaining. For Liz'n'Dick aficionados there is the retelling of the story, photos, Richard's letters to Elizabeth and two poems. For those who are looking for some understanding of the two lovers, there is very little.
The book is like fast food/empty calories. It's a quick and engaging read. Most of the book is filled with stories love, jealousy, guilt, alcohol, beautiful people and conspicuous consumption. There is little focus on the character of the two principals. Why does Elizabeth not try to help Richard's efforts to dry out when she knows the consequences of the status quo? Why does Richard continue flirting when he knows this can destroy what he claims is most dear? Between their marriages to each other, why did they each marry a very conventional partner? We're told of their love of family life, but the partying is excessive and the children are in Hawaii or boarding school and not much present.
It may be that the authors are too close to Richard's cooperating widows to analyze what they told them. For instance, Richard's acceptance of Papa Doc Duvalier invitation to Haiti is said to be for anonymity. This leaves me unsatisfied since there are a lot of places where he could live anonymously that would fit with what one might assume was Richard's sense of social justice. A little digging or analysis might have yielded the same conclusion, or maybe not, but "anonymity" is accepted and printed as fact. This example comes at the end of the book so it is fresh in my mind, but the book is filled with unturned stones like this. The only personal aspect that receives any significant treatment is the pull of Richard's roots, which this is pretty safe ground.
The drama of this relationship keeps you reading. Despite some repetition, it is a page turner. One highlight is the group of never before published letters from Richard to Elizabeth. His expression of his thoughts and feelings is every bit as compelling as his work on the stage.
I recommend this as an entertaining read, but if you're looking for depth, this is not the book.
April 26, 2023
Really enjoyed this. It's overly-lengthy and repeats quotes, letters, & diary entries, but Furious Love paints a vivid portrait of the iconic and infamous Burtons. You can't blame me for being more than a little invested with their relationship when the entire world followed their every move. Most royals couldn't (or wouldn't) match their level of celebrity and gaudy consumption. No one matched their public displays of passion.
At one time, they were the most hounded and photographed couple in the world. Elizabeth and Richard complemented each other perfectly...except when they didn't, which was a lot of the time. They brawled openly (and violently) in front of family, friends, and staff, so there's plenty of background evidence on the inner workings of their relationship and personal motivations, in addition to Richard's diary entries and their love letters. The Burtons embodied "can't live with them, can't live without them" and despite their sad ending, they loved each other until death. It makes me wonder what would have happened if they had been able to conquer their personal demons.
At one time, they were the most hounded and photographed couple in the world. Elizabeth and Richard complemented each other perfectly...except when they didn't, which was a lot of the time. They brawled openly (and violently) in front of family, friends, and staff, so there's plenty of background evidence on the inner workings of their relationship and personal motivations, in addition to Richard's diary entries and their love letters. The Burtons embodied "can't live with them, can't live without them" and despite their sad ending, they loved each other until death. It makes me wonder what would have happened if they had been able to conquer their personal demons.
August 5, 2010
Everyone and no one should have a love like this. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton loved each other so much it ruined the both of them. Elizabeth, so used to being spoiled and petted, and so skilled at being famous, controlled their crazy, decadent life. They lived on a yacht (mainly to avoid taxes), sent their children to Swiss boarding schools, and spent money like water, on pets, furs, and gigantic pieces of jewelry. Richard, a poor Welshman who always found acting an unmanly and degrading profession, yet yearned to be a respected stage actor, found himself more famous yet trapped by that fame once he entered Elizabeth's orbit. A morose alcoholic, Richard was always less able to handle his drink than Elizabeth, who dried out in Betty Ford after they were split.
This book is filled with love letters from Richard, which are erotic and very touching. I also liked referring to my copy of Elizabeth Taylor's My Love Affair With Jewelry, a great coffee table book, to see for myself the beautiful jewels Richard bought for her. It could have used a sharper editing hand, though, as some passages are repetitive. I came away from this loving Elizabeth Taylor as I have for years, maybe even more, and having fallen in love with the manly, rakish, and totally besotted Richard Burton.
This book is filled with love letters from Richard, which are erotic and very touching. I also liked referring to my copy of Elizabeth Taylor's My Love Affair With Jewelry, a great coffee table book, to see for myself the beautiful jewels Richard bought for her. It could have used a sharper editing hand, though, as some passages are repetitive. I came away from this loving Elizabeth Taylor as I have for years, maybe even more, and having fallen in love with the manly, rakish, and totally besotted Richard Burton.
August 17, 2021
Epic love story of Hollywood's last great era, the early Sixties. The best thing about this careful, exhaustive study is the portrait of the era, the dying studios throwing money at stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. And the supporting cast is full of legends, from Roddy McDowell to Sophia Loren. The only problem is that, to modern eyes, the great love story of Liz and Dick looks like an orgy of co-dependency, self-deception, and despair. Richard Burton's slow death is so gruesome and without hope that he makes the last years of Elvis Presley look positively uplifting by comparison.
While really well-written and knowledgeable, this book left me feeling the authors had missed the point. What keeps the story out of the 4-5 range is that the alcoholism of Richard Burton gets shrugged off as a side issue. It's really at the core of how unhealthy the relationship was. Codependent much? And people keep enabling the poor man even after he's dead!
While really well-written and knowledgeable, this book left me feeling the authors had missed the point. What keeps the story out of the 4-5 range is that the alcoholism of Richard Burton gets shrugged off as a side issue. It's really at the core of how unhealthy the relationship was. Codependent much? And people keep enabling the poor man even after he's dead!
July 27, 2010
Okay, I'm ditching this. It's just getting to be too much like an AAA trip-ticket combined with shopping list. There's just not enough analysis. I could have told you that Richard Burton was the product of a Welsh mining village and Elizabeth Taylor the MGM backlot. That's not analysis, that's a fortune cookie. For furious love, this is really boring.
August 31, 2023
〝love is a condition of life that rewards all the virtues, except moderation.〞
★★★★
he was a tough-guy welshman softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman; she was a modern-day cleopatra madly in love with her own mark antony. for nearly a quarter of a century, elizabeth taylor and richard burton were hollywood royalty, and their fiery romance—often called "the marriage of the century"—was the most notorious, publicized, and celebrated love affair of its day. furious love provides an entertaining, eye-opening look at their films, their wildly lucrative reign in europe and in hollywood—and the price they paid for their extravagant lives.
I will always be a sucker for celebrity nonfiction so you don't have to do much in order to please me but this managed to leave me unsatisfied. I went into this knowing nothing about taylor and burton other than their famous scandal so even the most basic information was news and should've been intriguing to me but because I mostly read memoirs where the author can go really deep and tell their own stories and this was an biography from an outsider perspective I found myself having a hard time thinking of this as nonfiction. it didn't feel "real" and I ended up having questions that didn't get answered in the end. it's obviously based on interviews and letters but I feel like the author explored the hollywood scene during that time more than the actual people they were meant to talk about. it's still a great read if you're interested in old hollywood and want to learn about that but if you know anything about taylor and burton before going into this; you probably won't find out anything new about them.
overall this is a very interesting and accessible read if you like celebrity culture or want to get into nonfiction. this is perfect for those of you who loved the seven husbands of evelyn hugo and want to get close to that ambiance and atmosphere again or want to experience the real life equivalent but don't go into it expecting a classic tell all.
cawpile: 7.93
ig: @winterrainreads
★★★★
he was a tough-guy welshman softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman; she was a modern-day cleopatra madly in love with her own mark antony. for nearly a quarter of a century, elizabeth taylor and richard burton were hollywood royalty, and their fiery romance—often called "the marriage of the century"—was the most notorious, publicized, and celebrated love affair of its day. furious love provides an entertaining, eye-opening look at their films, their wildly lucrative reign in europe and in hollywood—and the price they paid for their extravagant lives.
I will always be a sucker for celebrity nonfiction so you don't have to do much in order to please me but this managed to leave me unsatisfied. I went into this knowing nothing about taylor and burton other than their famous scandal so even the most basic information was news and should've been intriguing to me but because I mostly read memoirs where the author can go really deep and tell their own stories and this was an biography from an outsider perspective I found myself having a hard time thinking of this as nonfiction. it didn't feel "real" and I ended up having questions that didn't get answered in the end. it's obviously based on interviews and letters but I feel like the author explored the hollywood scene during that time more than the actual people they were meant to talk about. it's still a great read if you're interested in old hollywood and want to learn about that but if you know anything about taylor and burton before going into this; you probably won't find out anything new about them.
overall this is a very interesting and accessible read if you like celebrity culture or want to get into nonfiction. this is perfect for those of you who loved the seven husbands of evelyn hugo and want to get close to that ambiance and atmosphere again or want to experience the real life equivalent but don't go into it expecting a classic tell all.
cawpile: 7.93
ig: @winterrainreads
February 19, 2011
I didn't know much about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's relationship but after reading an excerpt of Furious Love in Vanity Fair over the summer, my interest was piqued. After finishing Furious Love, my interest was still piqued because it was clear that the story of "Liz and Dick" is a really juicy one, but I'm sorry to say the book didn't do it justice.
Weak writing and editing distract me while reading a book, regardless of how interesting the subject matter is, and Furious Love sadly suffered from both. The pacing was weird - the story jumped back and forth chronologically and it lingered too long on certain points and didn't spend enough time on others. There was a heavy emphasis on the development of Taylor and Burton's romance - it takes up a significant part of the book - but the authors rushed through how it all unraveled. The writing also felt a little repetitive. The authors made the same points multiple times (I get it - they had a co-dependent drinking problem) and would explain who someone in their entourage was on one page and then on the next essentially reintroduce that same person.
All of these issues could have been fixed with a little more stringent editing, which is a shame because their story is just so great. Their life together was totally over the top. They were the original Brangelina - breaking up marriages, traveling the world, adopting children, spending incredible amounts of money... Fabulous is the first word that springs to mind. Even without the entourage and paparazzi surrounding them, their story would still be great because they clearly had a passionate and deep-seated love for each other. Furious Love includes a number of Burton's love letters, which were a great addition. The letters provide a fascinating look into his personality and it's through them, more so than the book itself, that I was able to understand their relationship. It's just too bad the book didn't live up to the story waiting to be told.
In a nutshell: Great source material, but the writing didn't do it justice. Two and a half stars.
Weak writing and editing distract me while reading a book, regardless of how interesting the subject matter is, and Furious Love sadly suffered from both. The pacing was weird - the story jumped back and forth chronologically and it lingered too long on certain points and didn't spend enough time on others. There was a heavy emphasis on the development of Taylor and Burton's romance - it takes up a significant part of the book - but the authors rushed through how it all unraveled. The writing also felt a little repetitive. The authors made the same points multiple times (I get it - they had a co-dependent drinking problem) and would explain who someone in their entourage was on one page and then on the next essentially reintroduce that same person.
All of these issues could have been fixed with a little more stringent editing, which is a shame because their story is just so great. Their life together was totally over the top. They were the original Brangelina - breaking up marriages, traveling the world, adopting children, spending incredible amounts of money... Fabulous is the first word that springs to mind. Even without the entourage and paparazzi surrounding them, their story would still be great because they clearly had a passionate and deep-seated love for each other. Furious Love includes a number of Burton's love letters, which were a great addition. The letters provide a fascinating look into his personality and it's through them, more so than the book itself, that I was able to understand their relationship. It's just too bad the book didn't live up to the story waiting to be told.
In a nutshell: Great source material, but the writing didn't do it justice. Two and a half stars.
April 14, 2011
I've never been a particular fan of either Taylor or Burton's careers, nor especially interested in their romance -- but I was unexpectedly caught up in this excellent account of their passionate, enduring, ferocious love for each other. The author, who was given access to Taylor's letters from Burton, walked a nice line between revelation and discretion. We see both Burton and Taylor up close, warts and all, but always with a sense of affection and respect.
Kashner makes a plausible case for the damage their public "Liz-n-Dick" partnership personna had an increasingly damaging effect on the private relationship between Elizabeth and Richard. Their drinking, particularly Burton's became increasingly damaging as well. (Taylor was blessed with a much greater capacity to drink with become drunk, or to suffer as much physically from it.) Unfortunately, when Burton tried to get sober, Taylor didn't quit her own drinking in support, and in fact often chided him for having become boring. Kashner takes pains to remind his readers that all this played out in the sixties and early seventies, before "alcoholism" was recognized as a disease.
What shines through the tragedy, the extravagant lifestyles, the ups-and-downs of their theater and film careers, is their enduring love for each other. They were not always good for each other, but they were passionately in love and remained so all their lives. In the end, I think that was the most compelling aspect of the book: an up-close look at so great and consuming a love, despite its terrible aspects.
Kashner makes a plausible case for the damage their public "Liz-n-Dick" partnership personna had an increasingly damaging effect on the private relationship between Elizabeth and Richard. Their drinking, particularly Burton's became increasingly damaging as well. (Taylor was blessed with a much greater capacity to drink with become drunk, or to suffer as much physically from it.) Unfortunately, when Burton tried to get sober, Taylor didn't quit her own drinking in support, and in fact often chided him for having become boring. Kashner takes pains to remind his readers that all this played out in the sixties and early seventies, before "alcoholism" was recognized as a disease.
What shines through the tragedy, the extravagant lifestyles, the ups-and-downs of their theater and film careers, is their enduring love for each other. They were not always good for each other, but they were passionately in love and remained so all their lives. In the end, I think that was the most compelling aspect of the book: an up-close look at so great and consuming a love, despite its terrible aspects.
February 15, 2015
Furious Love
Loved this definitive biography on this "marriage of the century" of Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Richard Burton.
A riveting and well-written biography on the greatest Hollywood love story ever told. The biographers interviewed Elizabeth Taylor numerous times and were the only journalists given access to her extensive collection of personal letters and journals. They also interviewed the Burton family at length, including Burton’s actress daughter Kate. This is an informed biography that honours the lives of these two larger-than-life stars, and of their glamorous, volatile, and audacious relationship.
These two were truly made for each other and always loved one another despite several break-ups and marriages to other people. What I loved most about these people is that Richard Burton was a true gent and poetical, a great man. Elizabeth was really earthy, had a wicked sense of humour, was generous and kind and could drink as much as her fiery, passionate Welshman.
Their love and life together is an inspiration and a great read.
This book was published in 2010, a year before the death of Elizabeth Taylor.
Touching was the fact that, in August 1984, after Elizabeth returned from Burton's funeral in London, she found waiting for her Richard's final letter to her, posted just before he died, in his home in Celigny, where he lived with his wife : " It was a love letter to Elizabeth, and in it he told her what he wanted. Home was where Elizabeth was, and he wanted to come home. She's kept that letter by her bedside ever since".
Loved this definitive biography on this "marriage of the century" of Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Richard Burton.
A riveting and well-written biography on the greatest Hollywood love story ever told. The biographers interviewed Elizabeth Taylor numerous times and were the only journalists given access to her extensive collection of personal letters and journals. They also interviewed the Burton family at length, including Burton’s actress daughter Kate. This is an informed biography that honours the lives of these two larger-than-life stars, and of their glamorous, volatile, and audacious relationship.
These two were truly made for each other and always loved one another despite several break-ups and marriages to other people. What I loved most about these people is that Richard Burton was a true gent and poetical, a great man. Elizabeth was really earthy, had a wicked sense of humour, was generous and kind and could drink as much as her fiery, passionate Welshman.
Their love and life together is an inspiration and a great read.
This book was published in 2010, a year before the death of Elizabeth Taylor.
Touching was the fact that, in August 1984, after Elizabeth returned from Burton's funeral in London, she found waiting for her Richard's final letter to her, posted just before he died, in his home in Celigny, where he lived with his wife : " It was a love letter to Elizabeth, and in it he told her what he wanted. Home was where Elizabeth was, and he wanted to come home. She's kept that letter by her bedside ever since".
November 22, 2025
As someone who knew about Elizabeth Taylor from Taylor Swift allusions and the perfume, let me just say, WOAH. (and that “Burton to this Taylor” was a diabolical lyric…)
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton have one of the most intense and hot and toxic love stories I’ve ever read. I was constantly in awe of just how epic, glamorous, passionate, tumultuous, and all encompassing their relationship and careers and fame were and yet, as larger than life as they were, at the end of the day they just wanted the most human of things: love, acceptance, respect, trust, and giant ass diamonds.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton have one of the most intense and hot and toxic love stories I’ve ever read. I was constantly in awe of just how epic, glamorous, passionate, tumultuous, and all encompassing their relationship and careers and fame were and yet, as larger than life as they were, at the end of the day they just wanted the most human of things: love, acceptance, respect, trust, and giant ass diamonds.
August 28, 2010
There is nothing in this repetitive and badly edited book that is new. Its positive aspect lies in the fact that it brings together everything that was ever written about (or by) Taylor and Burton for those who had never read the myriad copy that was published and volumes of studio releases and gossip columnists over the past half century.
I am not sure why this book gets such positive reviews except that it is a fast and mindless beach read. It offers no fresh or deep insight into the world of these two troubled though talented people. As mentioned it is endlessly repetitive. The authors mention the jewels over and over and over. I, for one, do not find this titillating, only sad that all of these resources should be spent on expensive baubles, when obviously spending more money on THINGS clearly did not make either of these two happy. And to think what all that money could have done if they turned from their own narcissistic impulses to doing something good outside of themselves. Very sad indeed.
Sadder still was the fact that these two were so completely enabled in their addictions by their entourage, the studios, their directors, and so-called friends. This seemed and seems to happen a lot when much money is to be made – recall Elvis and Michael Jackson. It is a pathetic commentary, not on the stars, but of those around them. I really think that the authors could have used this sad story as a platform for making something of a social commentary about addiction and the role of enablers in maintaining it. I realize that their intent was to entertain, but skillful writing could have made the point without being preachy.
Also, I don’t know when editors simply stopped doing their jobs. There are facts that are flat our wrong. For example, seconal is not a “pain killer” – it is a barbiturate sedative, not a narcotic. If she took it, she took it as an anesthetic and not as a pain killer. It has no pain killing properties. Actually if Taylor took as much seconal as the authors indicate, she is very much lucky to be alive. Someone got their facts wrong there – or their interpretation of the facts was wrong.
Another – Kay Redfield Jamison mentioned on p. 391 – is not a psychiatrist. She is a psychologist. These are very different professions. The authors need only have done a google search to avoid that error.
In parts the writing is almost incoherent. On p. 385, it states “And then there were the jewels: the $2400 coral necklace (not quite the $1.1 million Cartier diamond that now bore Elizabeth’s name). Wynberg had pleaded with the Beverly Hills jeweler to “make it bigger.” Huh? Make what bigger? The coral necklace? Why the gratuitous aside about the Cartier diamond? It is obvious to the reader that the coral necklace was not the diamond. Do the authors have that little regard for the readers’ intelligence?
Advice to potential readers: Don’t pay full price for this.
I am not sure why this book gets such positive reviews except that it is a fast and mindless beach read. It offers no fresh or deep insight into the world of these two troubled though talented people. As mentioned it is endlessly repetitive. The authors mention the jewels over and over and over. I, for one, do not find this titillating, only sad that all of these resources should be spent on expensive baubles, when obviously spending more money on THINGS clearly did not make either of these two happy. And to think what all that money could have done if they turned from their own narcissistic impulses to doing something good outside of themselves. Very sad indeed.
Sadder still was the fact that these two were so completely enabled in their addictions by their entourage, the studios, their directors, and so-called friends. This seemed and seems to happen a lot when much money is to be made – recall Elvis and Michael Jackson. It is a pathetic commentary, not on the stars, but of those around them. I really think that the authors could have used this sad story as a platform for making something of a social commentary about addiction and the role of enablers in maintaining it. I realize that their intent was to entertain, but skillful writing could have made the point without being preachy.
Also, I don’t know when editors simply stopped doing their jobs. There are facts that are flat our wrong. For example, seconal is not a “pain killer” – it is a barbiturate sedative, not a narcotic. If she took it, she took it as an anesthetic and not as a pain killer. It has no pain killing properties. Actually if Taylor took as much seconal as the authors indicate, she is very much lucky to be alive. Someone got their facts wrong there – or their interpretation of the facts was wrong.
Another – Kay Redfield Jamison mentioned on p. 391 – is not a psychiatrist. She is a psychologist. These are very different professions. The authors need only have done a google search to avoid that error.
In parts the writing is almost incoherent. On p. 385, it states “And then there were the jewels: the $2400 coral necklace (not quite the $1.1 million Cartier diamond that now bore Elizabeth’s name). Wynberg had pleaded with the Beverly Hills jeweler to “make it bigger.” Huh? Make what bigger? The coral necklace? Why the gratuitous aside about the Cartier diamond? It is obvious to the reader that the coral necklace was not the diamond. Do the authors have that little regard for the readers’ intelligence?
Advice to potential readers: Don’t pay full price for this.
July 13, 2010
My interest in all things regarding Elizabeth Taylor put me first in line to read this book. I have a strange attachement to her life story - it is incredible and compelling to imagine myself in half the situations she experienced.
I cannot imagine the burden of her life. She is quoted in the book calling herself a freak and I guess that term comes closest to describing her. She is a one-off, a fantastic phenotype. Her genetic blessings gave her so much, and yet she and Richard both are portrayed as being unhappy in every biography I've read. I guess that is how my interest in them boils down: How do two people with so many advantages wind up so miserable?
This book gave me a new perspective on Richard Burton. I admit that my knowledge about him was pretty shallow. I was surprised by the eloquence of his writings - he was always presented as a great lover of the English language, and it is pleasing to see that he chose his words carefully and with skill. His tender side is exposed.
I cannot imagine the burden of her life. She is quoted in the book calling herself a freak and I guess that term comes closest to describing her. She is a one-off, a fantastic phenotype. Her genetic blessings gave her so much, and yet she and Richard both are portrayed as being unhappy in every biography I've read. I guess that is how my interest in them boils down: How do two people with so many advantages wind up so miserable?
This book gave me a new perspective on Richard Burton. I admit that my knowledge about him was pretty shallow. I was surprised by the eloquence of his writings - he was always presented as a great lover of the English language, and it is pleasing to see that he chose his words carefully and with skill. His tender side is exposed.
January 16, 2013
I read this book for a guilty pleasure, and found it interesting, if not compelling, and averagely written, with a few moments that made me cringe (for the writing, separate from the lives being described). But hey - it was a guilty pleasure.
May 10, 2023
Review to come.
September 12, 2024
This was EXACTLY what I wanted it to be: super brief biographies of both Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and then an extremely in-depth rundown of their 20+ year relationship, complete with two marriages and divorces to each other. The book (which drew from their letters to each other, provided by Elizabeth to the author), really helps you understand the character of each star. It’s really difficult for me to understand how someone can be the love of someone else’s life but fate means they can’t be together. But this sketched out exactly, tragically, what that looks like IRL. After a dazzling, diamond-and-movie-and-yacht filled life together topped off by REAL love and attraction and loyalty to each other, their relationship Achilles heel was struck: she drove him to drink, and it was killing him. The book really walks through that, why they had to leave each other. I was just devastated for them. I firmly believe they would have gotten married a third and fourth time if he had lived. I absolutely believe it when she said the men who came after were just for companionship. She had already know earth-shattering love 🥺 READ IT!
Other fun facets of this book: the many cameos by every famous person in the 60s, the unflinching portrayal of both Elizabeth and Richard’s flaws (her wicked tongue and his stoic coldness). I would actually hate to be in their kind of relationship, I don’t understand how people can thrive while fighting. But they seemed to love to fight, truly. Also, I never knew that Elizabeth Taylor had had a husband, Mike Todd, die! It was sweet to learn about him, how he taught her all of his hardheaded business acumen and made her a bear of a producer. I was devastated for her in the part of the book when he died, and delighted as the book sketched out how Richard was a worthy successor to Mike’s Legacy. I also was crazy stunned to hear that Elizabeth was a homewrecker to Debbie Reynolds’ marriage to Eddie, but Debbie and Eddie’s their marriage was 100% a Hollywood studio sham and Debbie didn’t care at all! Hollywood is truly a cold blooded place. This book made me even more suspicious of entertainment figures’ marriages, especially when the marriage doubles as selling points to both spouses. Tons of fakery!!! Finally, the audiobook narrator is PERFECT, can do both Richard and Elizabeth’s lilts so, SO well.
So glad I finished the book and still felt great about naming my daughter Elizabeth, “after queens and movie stars.”
Other fun facets of this book: the many cameos by every famous person in the 60s, the unflinching portrayal of both Elizabeth and Richard’s flaws (her wicked tongue and his stoic coldness). I would actually hate to be in their kind of relationship, I don’t understand how people can thrive while fighting. But they seemed to love to fight, truly. Also, I never knew that Elizabeth Taylor had had a husband, Mike Todd, die! It was sweet to learn about him, how he taught her all of his hardheaded business acumen and made her a bear of a producer. I was devastated for her in the part of the book when he died, and delighted as the book sketched out how Richard was a worthy successor to Mike’s Legacy. I also was crazy stunned to hear that Elizabeth was a homewrecker to Debbie Reynolds’ marriage to Eddie, but Debbie and Eddie’s their marriage was 100% a Hollywood studio sham and Debbie didn’t care at all! Hollywood is truly a cold blooded place. This book made me even more suspicious of entertainment figures’ marriages, especially when the marriage doubles as selling points to both spouses. Tons of fakery!!! Finally, the audiobook narrator is PERFECT, can do both Richard and Elizabeth’s lilts so, SO well.
So glad I finished the book and still felt great about naming my daughter Elizabeth, “after queens and movie stars.”
June 21, 2018
I have no idea why past me bought this book. Maybe it was cheap? I don't watch old movies, I didn't know anything about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (their names sounded familiar, but that was the extent of my knowledge) and I don't read a lot of non-fiction. All in all there is nothing to suggest this would appeal to me.
But it turns out Taylor and Burton are actually fascinating people, with an interesting and at times heart-breaking history. The pressure of being "Liz and Dick" ruined their marriage just as much as they themselves did. But despite it all they clearly loved each other to the end.
But it turns out Taylor and Burton are actually fascinating people, with an interesting and at times heart-breaking history. The pressure of being "Liz and Dick" ruined their marriage just as much as they themselves did. But despite it all they clearly loved each other to the end.
December 8, 2023
It took me a while to get into this book. Although the author breezes quickly through their lives and marriages prior to their meeting, I still felt like I was getting the same old biography, and that I knew most of it already. However, before the cameras even roll on “Cleopatra”, I became intensely captivated. For starters, the author writes extensively about Taylor’s contracts, which typically include all kinds of insane perks, like $3000 a day for ‘small expenses’. The author recognizes this is one of the most interesting ingredients to the Taylor/Burton romance, because with money coming in hand over fist, they would not have been able to lead such enormous lives. Even in 1962 Taylor was hard to insure, but “The V.I.P.s” shot without it and the gamble paid off. When they made “The Sandpiper” there were Taylor and Burton’s acting fees, but M-G-M also had to pay their production company for Taylor’s loanout! They liked Mike Nichols so much that they didn’t fine him the $1 million that they could have for going over schedule on “Virginia Woolf”, even though it was their own fault. At their height, nearly half of Hollywood film grosses came from films starring one or both of them, and in 1967 they released “Taming of the Shrew”, “Dr. Faustus”, “The Comedians”, and “Reflections of a Golden Eye”. At this time they were earning roughly $88 million dollars a year, and spending nearly ¾ on luxuries. They could have stopped acting and lived on half a million yearly in just interest, but they were paying $250,000 yearly to staff and family, to whom they felt alternately loyalty or guilt. Because they lived on a boat and paid no taxes, they had a greater gross income than their close friends, the Rothschilds (Burton would gripe about having to always pick up the check for the Rothschilds).
The author also answers all of my endless questions about why their films became so bad. The answer differs for each film, either in the financing or the director, i.e. Manckiewitz shooting “Cleopatra” as it was being written, Waris Hussien too timid to get Taylor’s attention, a lack of essential truth in the Las Vegas built in France for “The Only Game in Town”, or wanting to work with their friends as favors, as with “Dr. Faustus”. Burton had fun with the challenge of building his career and transitioning to Hollywood, but at the top he became bored, while simultaneously frustrated that Elizabeth had two Oscars and he had none. They both were physical wrecks, Taylor with her constant back pain, Burton with his worsening neck/shoulder pain and internal ailments exacerbated by drinking. He quit drinking many times, but ultimately couldn’t stay sober if Taylor was going to start hitting the vodka at lunchtime.
They lived their life on the grandest scale, Burton competing with Ari Onasis to purchase various diamonds, Taylor’s impromptu trip to Disneyland via helicopter with Dominic Dunne, Roddy McDowall and Peter Lawford (the first time a helicopter was allowed to land in the park), or the time they needed Henry Kissinger to lend them his Secretary of State security detail when they became mobbed in Israel. They became close with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, one of the few couples who could understand what they were living through. And when Taylor publicly checked herself into rehab, Betty Ford became her sponsor.
The author writes a long section on the purchase of the Cartier Diamond (Burton in a Welsh pub, trying to act like an average bloke while constantly phoning his rep at the auction). In many ways it was the beginning of the end for their allure, as the younger generation became disenchanted with their extravagance when there was so much global unrest and poverty. It also made their relationship more difficult as it restricted her freedom of movement due to insurance – Lloyd’s said that it could only be worn in public 30 days a year. And then there was their awkward appearance on “The Lucy Show” which also centered on the diamond. After their first divorce, Taylor tried to reenter Hollywood (sleeping in Edith Head’s guest room, of course!), only to find that she had become camp without Richard. Had she become a copy of herself, been too many different people, embodied an image that contained too many conflicting signifiers? Taylor and Burton’s wax figures at Madame Tussaud’s were moved together and apart according to their status in the tabloids.
There is also much written about Taylor’s attempt to get him to marry a third time when they did “Private Lives”, but the author spends just as much time on the economics of putting on the show, and contrasting their different processes as actors. Overall, the author takes a very even-handed approach and looks at their relationship from every possible angle, with terrific anecdotes and access to Burton’s bitchy diaries. The author ends with Elizabeth the activist, reviewing what had transpired in her life to make her so daring and compassionate, and recognizing that her activism is perhaps her greatest legacy.
The author also answers all of my endless questions about why their films became so bad. The answer differs for each film, either in the financing or the director, i.e. Manckiewitz shooting “Cleopatra” as it was being written, Waris Hussien too timid to get Taylor’s attention, a lack of essential truth in the Las Vegas built in France for “The Only Game in Town”, or wanting to work with their friends as favors, as with “Dr. Faustus”. Burton had fun with the challenge of building his career and transitioning to Hollywood, but at the top he became bored, while simultaneously frustrated that Elizabeth had two Oscars and he had none. They both were physical wrecks, Taylor with her constant back pain, Burton with his worsening neck/shoulder pain and internal ailments exacerbated by drinking. He quit drinking many times, but ultimately couldn’t stay sober if Taylor was going to start hitting the vodka at lunchtime.
They lived their life on the grandest scale, Burton competing with Ari Onasis to purchase various diamonds, Taylor’s impromptu trip to Disneyland via helicopter with Dominic Dunne, Roddy McDowall and Peter Lawford (the first time a helicopter was allowed to land in the park), or the time they needed Henry Kissinger to lend them his Secretary of State security detail when they became mobbed in Israel. They became close with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, one of the few couples who could understand what they were living through. And when Taylor publicly checked herself into rehab, Betty Ford became her sponsor.
The author writes a long section on the purchase of the Cartier Diamond (Burton in a Welsh pub, trying to act like an average bloke while constantly phoning his rep at the auction). In many ways it was the beginning of the end for their allure, as the younger generation became disenchanted with their extravagance when there was so much global unrest and poverty. It also made their relationship more difficult as it restricted her freedom of movement due to insurance – Lloyd’s said that it could only be worn in public 30 days a year. And then there was their awkward appearance on “The Lucy Show” which also centered on the diamond. After their first divorce, Taylor tried to reenter Hollywood (sleeping in Edith Head’s guest room, of course!), only to find that she had become camp without Richard. Had she become a copy of herself, been too many different people, embodied an image that contained too many conflicting signifiers? Taylor and Burton’s wax figures at Madame Tussaud’s were moved together and apart according to their status in the tabloids.
There is also much written about Taylor’s attempt to get him to marry a third time when they did “Private Lives”, but the author spends just as much time on the economics of putting on the show, and contrasting their different processes as actors. Overall, the author takes a very even-handed approach and looks at their relationship from every possible angle, with terrific anecdotes and access to Burton’s bitchy diaries. The author ends with Elizabeth the activist, reviewing what had transpired in her life to make her so daring and compassionate, and recognizing that her activism is perhaps her greatest legacy.
September 6, 2023
taylor swift wrote the lyric "burton to this taylor" in reference to her relationship with joe alwyn. and she was dead serious. and we just let her do that for some reason.
October 14, 2010
When Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger, authors of “Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and The Marriage Of The Century” mentioned to a college-age acquaintance that they were considering writing a book on the Taylor-Burton romance, the response was “I never knew Elizabeth Taylor was married to Tim Burton!” The writers were shocked, as was Elizabeth Taylor, who responded by giving the biographers access to nearly forty never-before-published letters and notes written to her by the late actor. “I don’t care what you write about me,” she told them, “…just as long as you honor Richard.” And, indeed, in addition to recounting the story of an explosive, larger-than-life love affair, “Furious Love” also serves as a poignant reminder of the enormous but tragically squandered gifts of the man who was once considered the greatest actor of his generation, heir to Gielgud and Olivier.
The saga begins in 1962, when the two were cast opposite one another in “Cleopatra,” the lavish production that would ultimately bankrupt Twentieth Century-Fox. Though she was only 26, Elizabeth Taylor had been a movie star for a decade and was on her fourth marriage, to singer Eddie Fisher. Burton, on the other hand, was primarily known as a stage actor and looking to make his mark in film. And despite having had a string of affairs, he was still married to his wife Sybil, who he swore he would never abandon. Though initially unimpressed with each other, the co-stars soon fell almost uncontrollably in love, triggering a huge public response the authors dub “le scandale”. From that point on the couple essentially developed dual identities. “Richard and Elizabeth” were dedicated to their craft, devoted to their children, and genuinely longed for a simpler life. “Liz and Dick,” however, provided endless fodder for the tabloids of the day with their outrageously extravagant lifestyle, their public break-ups and reconciliations and, of course, their well-known battles with pills and alcohol.
In fact, the title “Furious Love” could describe Burton’s and Taylor’s relationship with booze as aptly as it does their feelings for each other. Kashner and Schoenberger chronicle the couple’s astonishing levels of consumption in some detail, clearly illustrating the havoc wreaked by their years of alcohol abuse. Taylor managed to keep the ravages of her addiction at bay longer than Burton, whose health had utterly deteriorated by the time he finally succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage at 58. Eventually, however, she would become the first celebrity to openly seek treatment at The Betty Ford Clinic.
As much as they were victims of their own destructive appetites, Burton and Taylor also came to find themselves on the wrong side of the generation gap that split Hollywood and the rest of the world in the ’60’s. As audiences embraced such anti-establishment films as “The Graduate” and “Easy Rider,” Liz and Dick, with their jewels, yachts, and furs seemed to symbolize all the phony glitz younger stars and their fans held in contempt. Early artistic triumphs such as “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf” and “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” were eclipsed by a string of high-paying potboilers the pair needed to make in order to maintain their multiple homes and extensive entourage. Their final performances together, in a touring production of “Private Lives” were, by their own admission, little more than self-parody.
Like its subjects, “Furious Love” veers in tone from an almost scholarly seriousness to breathless gossip. These shifts, which sometimes occur from one paragraph to the next, can leave the reader feeling that one author has bumped the other aside in order to take over the narrative. Adding to this impression are occasional repetitions in the text, including one instance where a list of Burton’s late-career films appears twice on the same page. All in all, though, “Furious Love” is an intimate, intriguing portrait of two star-crossed lovers whose real-life personas were as fascinating and dramatic as any of the characters they ever portrayed. In short, it’s a book that would make a great movie. But nobody other than Elizabeth and Richard could ever play Liz and Dick. – David Nichols
The saga begins in 1962, when the two were cast opposite one another in “Cleopatra,” the lavish production that would ultimately bankrupt Twentieth Century-Fox. Though she was only 26, Elizabeth Taylor had been a movie star for a decade and was on her fourth marriage, to singer Eddie Fisher. Burton, on the other hand, was primarily known as a stage actor and looking to make his mark in film. And despite having had a string of affairs, he was still married to his wife Sybil, who he swore he would never abandon. Though initially unimpressed with each other, the co-stars soon fell almost uncontrollably in love, triggering a huge public response the authors dub “le scandale”. From that point on the couple essentially developed dual identities. “Richard and Elizabeth” were dedicated to their craft, devoted to their children, and genuinely longed for a simpler life. “Liz and Dick,” however, provided endless fodder for the tabloids of the day with their outrageously extravagant lifestyle, their public break-ups and reconciliations and, of course, their well-known battles with pills and alcohol.
In fact, the title “Furious Love” could describe Burton’s and Taylor’s relationship with booze as aptly as it does their feelings for each other. Kashner and Schoenberger chronicle the couple’s astonishing levels of consumption in some detail, clearly illustrating the havoc wreaked by their years of alcohol abuse. Taylor managed to keep the ravages of her addiction at bay longer than Burton, whose health had utterly deteriorated by the time he finally succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage at 58. Eventually, however, she would become the first celebrity to openly seek treatment at The Betty Ford Clinic.
As much as they were victims of their own destructive appetites, Burton and Taylor also came to find themselves on the wrong side of the generation gap that split Hollywood and the rest of the world in the ’60’s. As audiences embraced such anti-establishment films as “The Graduate” and “Easy Rider,” Liz and Dick, with their jewels, yachts, and furs seemed to symbolize all the phony glitz younger stars and their fans held in contempt. Early artistic triumphs such as “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf” and “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” were eclipsed by a string of high-paying potboilers the pair needed to make in order to maintain their multiple homes and extensive entourage. Their final performances together, in a touring production of “Private Lives” were, by their own admission, little more than self-parody.
Like its subjects, “Furious Love” veers in tone from an almost scholarly seriousness to breathless gossip. These shifts, which sometimes occur from one paragraph to the next, can leave the reader feeling that one author has bumped the other aside in order to take over the narrative. Adding to this impression are occasional repetitions in the text, including one instance where a list of Burton’s late-career films appears twice on the same page. All in all, though, “Furious Love” is an intimate, intriguing portrait of two star-crossed lovers whose real-life personas were as fascinating and dramatic as any of the characters they ever portrayed. In short, it’s a book that would make a great movie. But nobody other than Elizabeth and Richard could ever play Liz and Dick. – David Nichols
October 19, 2017
Wow! What a book!!
I actually read this biography of the great marriages of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as research. I'm writing my second fiction novel and as I've always been captivated by the Taylor/Burton romance as seen in Cleopatra, I am basing the two main characters' love affair off events and circumstances from the "Liz-n-Dick Show." Theirs (Taylor and Burton's) is a duo romance, a real love between Elizabeth and Richard and the public persona and dog-and-pony show of Liz and Dick. It is a beautiful, raw, but tragic heartbreaking romance that would have survived except for fame, paparazzi, and booze!
Written because of Taylor's worry "that Richard Burton's name and legacy were in danger of being forgotten..." after a theatre major told the authors she was shocked to know that Elizabeth Taylor had been married to the eccentric director Tim Burton (439)! ...Um, no dear! Go back to school!
The story begins with the 1960's classic epic Cleopatra, a film that was doomed from the moment Elizabeth Taylor signed on to the picture. Taylor's never-ending health issues halted production, causing the her two main co-stars playing Cesaer and Mark Antony to be recast due to scheduling conflicts.
In came Richard Burton, the Welsh man who drank like his own soul was dying of thirst yet who could recite Shakespeare in his epic voice even though he was completely sloshed. Who could have known that by the newcomer Burton signing onto the motion picture would change celebrity and fame forever?! Their love affair shocked the world, had fans clawing for them in surging mobs, and was even condemned by the Vatican!
The sadness of it all is Burton's constant downfall. His battle with alcohol never ended no matter how many doctors told him he'd kill himself with the drinking he was doing every day starting after breakfast. Taylor's constant ailing health was such a strain on their marriages and his heart because, as you read, he truly loved her. Then, he held himself responsible for his favored brother's accident that left the older brother-turned-father-role-model paralyzed and eventually led to his death. Add on top of all that the constant hounding of fans, paparazzi, and shutterbugs who couldn't get enough of the couple. Arguably one of the greatest actors, particularly because of his resounding Welsh voice, drank himself to death because of personal guilt and an overwhelming lifestyle that eventually even he couldn't top.
The book is a sincere and truthful account from various sources, including the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor herself, about the affair, the marriage, the divorce, the second marriage, and the second divorce. It is filled with much detail and interesting facts that never leave the reader bored... but how could one be reading about the never not exciting Taylor/Burton romance??
If you enjoy biographies, check out Furious Love. It is an eye-opening account of Hollywood's first mega couple!
Works Cited:
Kasner, Sam & Schoenberger, Nancy. Furious Love:
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Print
I actually read this biography of the great marriages of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as research. I'm writing my second fiction novel and as I've always been captivated by the Taylor/Burton romance as seen in Cleopatra, I am basing the two main characters' love affair off events and circumstances from the "Liz-n-Dick Show." Theirs (Taylor and Burton's) is a duo romance, a real love between Elizabeth and Richard and the public persona and dog-and-pony show of Liz and Dick. It is a beautiful, raw, but tragic heartbreaking romance that would have survived except for fame, paparazzi, and booze!
Written because of Taylor's worry "that Richard Burton's name and legacy were in danger of being forgotten..." after a theatre major told the authors she was shocked to know that Elizabeth Taylor had been married to the eccentric director Tim Burton (439)! ...Um, no dear! Go back to school!
The story begins with the 1960's classic epic Cleopatra, a film that was doomed from the moment Elizabeth Taylor signed on to the picture. Taylor's never-ending health issues halted production, causing the her two main co-stars playing Cesaer and Mark Antony to be recast due to scheduling conflicts.
In came Richard Burton, the Welsh man who drank like his own soul was dying of thirst yet who could recite Shakespeare in his epic voice even though he was completely sloshed. Who could have known that by the newcomer Burton signing onto the motion picture would change celebrity and fame forever?! Their love affair shocked the world, had fans clawing for them in surging mobs, and was even condemned by the Vatican!
The sadness of it all is Burton's constant downfall. His battle with alcohol never ended no matter how many doctors told him he'd kill himself with the drinking he was doing every day starting after breakfast. Taylor's constant ailing health was such a strain on their marriages and his heart because, as you read, he truly loved her. Then, he held himself responsible for his favored brother's accident that left the older brother-turned-father-role-model paralyzed and eventually led to his death. Add on top of all that the constant hounding of fans, paparazzi, and shutterbugs who couldn't get enough of the couple. Arguably one of the greatest actors, particularly because of his resounding Welsh voice, drank himself to death because of personal guilt and an overwhelming lifestyle that eventually even he couldn't top.
The book is a sincere and truthful account from various sources, including the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor herself, about the affair, the marriage, the divorce, the second marriage, and the second divorce. It is filled with much detail and interesting facts that never leave the reader bored... but how could one be reading about the never not exciting Taylor/Burton romance??
If you enjoy biographies, check out Furious Love. It is an eye-opening account of Hollywood's first mega couple!
Works Cited:
Kasner, Sam & Schoenberger, Nancy. Furious Love:
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Print
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