Phyllis’s review of My Name Is Barbra > Likes and Comments
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I love wondered where her editor was too.
Totally agree. She needed an outline at least.
This was TORTURE!! Made tolerable by speeding the audio up to 1.5 🤣🤣
Much too long. This book cries out for an editor. Filled with every single unnecessary detail that I found boring and egocentric. Every rave review she ever received either from critics or people she worked with. A unbelievable control freak. She is extremely talented however a little humble pie would do her some good. I plodded through this book for over a month and I am a quick reader. Was just determined to finish it and now that I have, I have not been able to start a new book because I am still recuperating from this one.
You obviously missed the whole point of Barbra. This IS Barbra - a perfectionist, genius, woman. This book is exactly what I would have expected, and wanted, from her - nothing more and nothing less, and I loved every single bit of it.
I couldn’t agree more. I skipped through a lot of the minutiae. It added nothing and was very distracting. I also wondered where was her editor but then remembered she always demands control! I find that a significant flaw in her personality which is highlighted o er and over in this book. She is a remarkably talented person but can’t or won’t listen to any opinion but her own.
I also was expecting to hear about her role as a mother. She talks remarkably little about her relationship with her son as he was growing up and her role as a working single mother. She claims he is her everything but spends almost no time on him in her own autobiography. Very disappointing.
I loved every word and am a bigger fan than ever.
Nooo! She had a ghost writer, JD Moehringer who also wrote Spare. For Harry. Editors, yes, ghostwriters, no.
I totally agree with Phyllis and the others above. It is truly her biggest vanity project to date. I had to skim thru the exhaustingly ridiculous details about nothing to get to the parts I was truly interested in. Too bad she wasn’t a perfectionist about the editing like she is about everything else. My left hand may never fully recover from holding the damn thing.
But the odd thing is, after having waded through all this, and its inane level of detail and repetitious self-aggrandising, she revealed very little. I mean, just as an example, how did she feel when her son came out as gay and then was outed publically by tabloid newspapers? How did she feel when he was diagnosed with HIV? I don't want to know about this on a ghoulish level, but how did she assimilate these things? What advice does she have for other people to cope with these things? This would have been interesting, and, as she maintains, the role of art and the artist. And while she bangs on about the environment, how does she practice that? I think flying to NYC and being late for a play, and then getting someone's helicopter to get into the city, is really and inexcusable use of carbon. Just go to NYC the day before, Barbra.
I hear you, however it is mesmerizing and well written. I see her personally shine through. I have only read 7 chapters as my library return expired and I am back to waiting again. In the words of another reviewer that bears repeating "Thankfully, this is not a book where Streisand slings mud about her ex’s, gossips, spills tea, or dishes dirt. This is not the autobiography of a victimized soul." I think that is why I am hooked on continuing to read this.
The 48-hour audio book is wonderful. I can't imagine reading this, but listening to Barbra "read" it was entrancing.
Listening to the audio book the minutae are wonderful. I like the information about her clothing and all the sets & house detail. She’s multi dimensional & multi talented. Her son is his own person and she won’t intrude on his life. Totally understand that, I wouldn’t expect anything else. Loved all 48 hours of this book.
As in many books of this length, you are probably going to skim through a few parts. In this book, three chapters on Yentl was too much. But readers who have favorites such as Funny Girl, will enjoy the details.
Overall, the book kept my interest. At 81, she is in a long and happy marriage, with many impressive achievements, including philanthropy. She is no longer the driven diva.
I especially enjoyed going to You Tube and finding clips of her concerts, her Kennedy Center Honor, and even her interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes. She is an extraordinary person.
Very helpful review. Thanks, Phyllis. I do like detailed descriptions if well written. I image this book could be read according to the reader's interest, skipping through parts and going back to read more as needed. I am curious to see her style of writing. I've always heard about her need for control but this makes sense for someone driven with a vision. I remember hearing she cut her own hair to make sure it turned out the way she wanted.
I think she should have done two editions bc I'm sure there is a market for each. An average person edition and a super fan edition. I personally like the long detailed version but I do agree it's superfluous for most people.
totally agree with your comment. I love Barbra Streisand but the book was painful.
Perfect way to describe what’s wrong with this book
I love Barbra but totally agree that half should have been edited out. I agree with Patty's comments above!
I agree with your review 100%. Too painful to read
To paint a life without the details she presents here is like restricting oneself to two colors. The detail is vital to understand the woman.
Thank you for this review because as much of a fan as I am, it will be a daunting task to take 989 pages as you mentioned..whoa!!! Libby app says 48 hours Audible and I said to myself "That can't be right?" lol and came across your review..once again thank you. I don't want to listen/read every minuscule detail of her life, I agree LOL
I totally agree with this book review. I am only on page 40 and I don’t think I’m going to continue.
I have enjoyed what I have read but I can’t continue. There are too many books and so little time. Sorry Barbra, I’m returning it to the library.
Try listening to 48 hours, at least we got some music included. YES it was long, reptitive in many ways, but obviously these things were important to her so she obviously hoped they may be to us. I did bump ahead many times for reasons menitoned above.
I loved all the detail especially the house she built, her favorite artists. Loved every page and I was not a big Barbra fan before this book although I have loved her chutzpah and how she is a director along with an actress. You could tell she put her whole heart and soul into this book. It took her 10 years to finish. I really felt like I know Barbra Streisand after reading this book.
I have to confess that I didn't finish this book. I've always had the impression that Ms Streisand is completely self absorbed. Reading these memoirs showed me I am right.
Detail is one thing - detail, minutiae carried to the extreme is another. I had barely progressed a few pages before I started to become bored - that boredom increased as I continued to read. The overwhelming number of photos should have been an indication of what was to come - I just wish that someone had had the courage to insist she use a good editor, who would have cut it to half its size. Say no more....
Obviously, Barbra wrote this for herself AND for the kinds of fans who would have been crushed and disappointed to have anything less! I have Barbra's book "My Passion for Design," and it's filled with DETAILS! Details that would bore you.But the details are what elevated her from just a fantastic singer/actress to arguably the most celebrated performer of my generation. What you see as a flaw in her personality doesn't mean a thing about her but says a great deal about you. I am not a fan of Ernest Hemingway, but i know
Interesting for the first 50 pages but then went downhill. Love Barbra but this autobiography was just too much. I quickly lost interest but not my admiration for her as an artist. A writer she is not
Yes! Totally agree. No one needs almost a 1,000 pages
And did EVERYTHING she wore feature an "om-peer" waistline!?
I agree this was too much. Speed reading at its finest.
Thanks, I was looking for this. I’m listening to this audiobook with my mom, and thank god she really enjoys it because I’m struggling. I just listened to such a long explanation of licking envelopes… I don’t think these comments are fair suggesting we aren’t appreciating her vulnerability or her talent by being plumb bored by bad writing! Sometimes I think celebrities confuse an amazing life with an amazing story.
I had to force myself to get through this, what an interesting human but the level of detail was so unnecessary and dull I only finished because I hate to abandon a book
I’m on page 351. I read only 10 pages a day. That’s all I can handle. It’s tedious. I have been a fan since 1965.
I have been listening to the audiobook and have loved the details. I have stopped so many times to Google things she has mentioned.
I loved every minute. Although I’m not very interested in interior design, I still found her love of it interesting. The comment “by Barbra, to Barbra, for Barbra” sounds a lot like the critics who plagued her desire to live her life her own way. She’s not for everyone, but she never intended to be.
I loved all details, watched several of her movies again with those details in mind. She is a genius, a teacher and a wonderful singer.
Try the audio version. I’m listening to it now and she narrates and it feels like she’s just having a conversation with you. The details, being just part of the conversation. Also, there are excerpts of her singing from her shows! Enjoying it tremendously!
Watch the movies, listen to her sing, but stay away from the boring memoir
I could not agree more! As a White House employee states when she brought her dog with her: “Whatever Barbra wants,Barbra gets”….apparently she didn’t want an editor because at least a third of this book was not necessary…I also finished it because I don’t like to give up on any book….
Finally done. I agree with some of the previous comments: too long, too many details. Immensely talented woman, not sure I like her though!
Yes. Yes. And yes. I’m only on page 659, but YES. She needed lots of editing.
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Nov 24, 2023 06:46PM
I love wondered where her editor was too.
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Totally agree. She needed an outline at least.
This was TORTURE!! Made tolerable by speeding the audio up to 1.5 🤣🤣
Much too long. This book cries out for an editor. Filled with every single unnecessary detail that I found boring and egocentric. Every rave review she ever received either from critics or people she worked with. A unbelievable control freak. She is extremely talented however a little humble pie would do her some good. I plodded through this book for over a month and I am a quick reader. Was just determined to finish it and now that I have, I have not been able to start a new book because I am still recuperating from this one.
You obviously missed the whole point of Barbra. This IS Barbra - a perfectionist, genius, woman. This book is exactly what I would have expected, and wanted, from her - nothing more and nothing less, and I loved every single bit of it.
I couldn’t agree more. I skipped through a lot of the minutiae. It added nothing and was very distracting. I also wondered where was her editor but then remembered she always demands control! I find that a significant flaw in her personality which is highlighted o er and over in this book. She is a remarkably talented person but can’t or won’t listen to any opinion but her own. I also was expecting to hear about her role as a mother. She talks remarkably little about her relationship with her son as he was growing up and her role as a working single mother. She claims he is her everything but spends almost no time on him in her own autobiography. Very disappointing.
I loved every word and am a bigger fan than ever.
Nooo! She had a ghost writer, JD Moehringer who also wrote Spare. For Harry. Editors, yes, ghostwriters, no.
I totally agree with Phyllis and the others above. It is truly her biggest vanity project to date. I had to skim thru the exhaustingly ridiculous details about nothing to get to the parts I was truly interested in. Too bad she wasn’t a perfectionist about the editing like she is about everything else. My left hand may never fully recover from holding the damn thing.
But the odd thing is, after having waded through all this, and its inane level of detail and repetitious self-aggrandising, she revealed very little. I mean, just as an example, how did she feel when her son came out as gay and then was outed publically by tabloid newspapers? How did she feel when he was diagnosed with HIV? I don't want to know about this on a ghoulish level, but how did she assimilate these things? What advice does she have for other people to cope with these things? This would have been interesting, and, as she maintains, the role of art and the artist. And while she bangs on about the environment, how does she practice that? I think flying to NYC and being late for a play, and then getting someone's helicopter to get into the city, is really and inexcusable use of carbon. Just go to NYC the day before, Barbra.
I hear you, however it is mesmerizing and well written. I see her personally shine through. I have only read 7 chapters as my library return expired and I am back to waiting again. In the words of another reviewer that bears repeating "Thankfully, this is not a book where Streisand slings mud about her ex’s, gossips, spills tea, or dishes dirt. This is not the autobiography of a victimized soul." I think that is why I am hooked on continuing to read this.
The 48-hour audio book is wonderful. I can't imagine reading this, but listening to Barbra "read" it was entrancing.
Listening to the audio book the minutae are wonderful. I like the information about her clothing and all the sets & house detail. She’s multi dimensional & multi talented. Her son is his own person and she won’t intrude on his life. Totally understand that, I wouldn’t expect anything else. Loved all 48 hours of this book.
As in many books of this length, you are probably going to skim through a few parts. In this book, three chapters on Yentl was too much. But readers who have favorites such as Funny Girl, will enjoy the details. Overall, the book kept my interest. At 81, she is in a long and happy marriage, with many impressive achievements, including philanthropy. She is no longer the driven diva.
I especially enjoyed going to You Tube and finding clips of her concerts, her Kennedy Center Honor, and even her interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes. She is an extraordinary person.
Very helpful review. Thanks, Phyllis. I do like detailed descriptions if well written. I image this book could be read according to the reader's interest, skipping through parts and going back to read more as needed. I am curious to see her style of writing. I've always heard about her need for control but this makes sense for someone driven with a vision. I remember hearing she cut her own hair to make sure it turned out the way she wanted.
I think she should have done two editions bc I'm sure there is a market for each. An average person edition and a super fan edition. I personally like the long detailed version but I do agree it's superfluous for most people.
totally agree with your comment. I love Barbra Streisand but the book was painful.
Perfect way to describe what’s wrong with this book
I love Barbra but totally agree that half should have been edited out. I agree with Patty's comments above!
I agree with your review 100%. Too painful to read
To paint a life without the details she presents here is like restricting oneself to two colors. The detail is vital to understand the woman.
Thank you for this review because as much of a fan as I am, it will be a daunting task to take 989 pages as you mentioned..whoa!!! Libby app says 48 hours Audible and I said to myself "That can't be right?" lol and came across your review..once again thank you. I don't want to listen/read every minuscule detail of her life, I agree LOL
I totally agree with this book review. I am only on page 40 and I don’t think I’m going to continue. I have enjoyed what I have read but I can’t continue. There are too many books and so little time. Sorry Barbra, I’m returning it to the library.
Try listening to 48 hours, at least we got some music included. YES it was long, reptitive in many ways, but obviously these things were important to her so she obviously hoped they may be to us. I did bump ahead many times for reasons menitoned above.
I loved all the detail especially the house she built, her favorite artists. Loved every page and I was not a big Barbra fan before this book although I have loved her chutzpah and how she is a director along with an actress. You could tell she put her whole heart and soul into this book. It took her 10 years to finish. I really felt like I know Barbra Streisand after reading this book.
I have to confess that I didn't finish this book. I've always had the impression that Ms Streisand is completely self absorbed. Reading these memoirs showed me I am right.Detail is one thing - detail, minutiae carried to the extreme is another. I had barely progressed a few pages before I started to become bored - that boredom increased as I continued to read. The overwhelming number of photos should have been an indication of what was to come - I just wish that someone had had the courage to insist she use a good editor, who would have cut it to half its size. Say no more....
Obviously, Barbra wrote this for herself AND for the kinds of fans who would have been crushed and disappointed to have anything less! I have Barbra's book "My Passion for Design," and it's filled with DETAILS! Details that would bore you.But the details are what elevated her from just a fantastic singer/actress to arguably the most celebrated performer of my generation. What you see as a flaw in her personality doesn't mean a thing about her but says a great deal about you. I am not a fan of Ernest Hemingway, but i know
Interesting for the first 50 pages but then went downhill. Love Barbra but this autobiography was just too much. I quickly lost interest but not my admiration for her as an artist. A writer she is not
Yes! Totally agree. No one needs almost a 1,000 pages
And did EVERYTHING she wore feature an "om-peer" waistline!?
I agree this was too much. Speed reading at its finest.
Thanks, I was looking for this. I’m listening to this audiobook with my mom, and thank god she really enjoys it because I’m struggling. I just listened to such a long explanation of licking envelopes… I don’t think these comments are fair suggesting we aren’t appreciating her vulnerability or her talent by being plumb bored by bad writing! Sometimes I think celebrities confuse an amazing life with an amazing story.
I had to force myself to get through this, what an interesting human but the level of detail was so unnecessary and dull I only finished because I hate to abandon a book
I’m on page 351. I read only 10 pages a day. That’s all I can handle. It’s tedious. I have been a fan since 1965.
I have been listening to the audiobook and have loved the details. I have stopped so many times to Google things she has mentioned.
I loved every minute. Although I’m not very interested in interior design, I still found her love of it interesting. The comment “by Barbra, to Barbra, for Barbra” sounds a lot like the critics who plagued her desire to live her life her own way. She’s not for everyone, but she never intended to be.
I loved all details, watched several of her movies again with those details in mind. She is a genius, a teacher and a wonderful singer.
Try the audio version. I’m listening to it now and she narrates and it feels like she’s just having a conversation with you. The details, being just part of the conversation. Also, there are excerpts of her singing from her shows! Enjoying it tremendously!
Watch the movies, listen to her sing, but stay away from the boring memoir
I could not agree more! As a White House employee states when she brought her dog with her: “Whatever Barbra wants,Barbra gets”….apparently she didn’t want an editor because at least a third of this book was not necessary…I also finished it because I don’t like to give up on any book….
Finally done. I agree with some of the previous comments: too long, too many details. Immensely talented woman, not sure I like her though!
Yes. Yes. And yes. I’m only on page 659, but YES. She needed lots of editing.
