My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
Madonna
At the age of forty-three, with a career that spans two decades and ranges from the scandalous to the transcendent, Madonna is a bigger phenomenon than ever. But who is the private woman behind the public image? Andrew Morton, whose #1 New York Times bestsellers about Princess Diana and Monica Lewinsky have proved his ability to gain access to insiders who won't talk to an...more
Published
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
236)
Morton seems to be in awe of Madonna to the point he doesn't tell me anything I didn't know before. The book is pretty slim and really only gives the greatest hits of Madonna's life, there's far more interesting biographies that go more in-depth. Instead of focusing on the singer he spends sections detailing historical things or other people that he tries to give the most tenuous connections to Madonna. His quotes all seem to come from unnamed sources and/or ex-boyfriends that he blames for t...more
I quite enjoyed Andrew Morton's take on the life and career of Madonna. From her modest Italian-American upbringing, to her days as a dance major in Ann Arbor (who knew?), to her early days in New York (which sound like something out of "Rent"), the book's first half reads like a Horatio Alger success story. Once a recording contract and MTV come calling, her career trajectory is pure nostalgia for any kid of the '80s. You'll remember where you were when you first saw the video for "...more
This 2001 title may be too older for people interested in the Madonna of the last decade, but it is fine for me. I was mostly interested it it was actually true she was from Rochester, Michigan (she is) and what her earliest music days were like: she gave up a promising universigty start dancing on the stage in order to live the gutter life playing drums in a punk band at CBGB's. I dig that. However, her trodding over friendships to climb the ladder and shallow approach to her sex life belittled...more
This is very introsective, deep look at Madonna's background, particularly her family, her upbringing, and what caused her to be the woman and superstar that she is. It's very interesting. The author had great quotes from interview and the book was organized very well. It ends at the time that she married Guy Ritchie and released her "Music" album. This is a very interesting biography. I really enjoyed listening to it on Audiobook :-)
The beginning few chapters are slow cause it talks about her italian family ancestors and how her parents met. When Madonna was born the chapters were most interesting. This is written by hear-say and by people she knew so not sure how much is really true. From all the documentaries I've read about Madonna they all seem to be the same about her character as a hard, street smart, star driven no matter how many people she used and hurt in the business to get noticed. I've always been a big fan of ...more
I thought this was better than the newest Madonna book. Tells so much more about her growing up, family life, coming to be... but it's unauthorized, so who knows how much is really true. Andrew Morton is well-renowned as a biographer though. Pretty good book.
Absolutely dreadful. He gets good stories from people who once knew Madonna, but blows any shred of credibility by getting simple facts wrong. One such glaring error is Morton repeatedly referring to the movie Shanghai Surprise as Shanghai Express. Shanghai Express is a Marlene Dietrich movie from 1932, 26 years before Madonna was even born. These aren't obscure facts, they can very easily be found on any fan-run Madonna website. As interesting as some of the stories are, any book that has ...more
I recommend this book because I like Madonna every much. She is pretty and sexy. She is good at dancing, singing, photographing, and painting. She live her life tough before she has become a superstar. Even her mom was dead when she was young however, she has so much spirit which lead her to one of the most famous singer in the world. however, I don't her religion life style because she did the abortion for 4 times in her life. You should read it if you want to know more about her secret life!
view 1 comment
She's amazing but this was so loaded with detail that it felt impersonal.
This book is alright, I wish that the author would go into more detail about Madonna's life. The sentences seem to general and is boring to read. Though there are some interesting things that you don't know about Madonna.
Read the first 50 pages - it never caught my interest or attention.
If you want to know why I have so many Madonna books, it is because I used to have a mini-shrine built to her in my bedroom as a teenager (much to my father's dismay). I wanted to be just like her. I'm not as hooked on her these days, though, and my interests have turned more toward Amy Lee. This book about Madonna was really good to me at the time. I only knocked it down by one star because I can't promise it would be that good to me if I read it again today.
Madonna's story just isn't that interesting. She is apparently a very hard worker, and I respect that. Sean Penn evidently is quite a loon, not that that surprises anyone.
Andrew Morton is an ATROCIOUS writer. He constantly uses the passive tense and words that don't exist ("insanitary" instead of "unsanitary," among many others) and fails to make subjects and verbs agree. *shudder*
Andrew Morton is an ATROCIOUS writer. He constantly uses the passive tense and words that don't exist ("insanitary" instead of "unsanitary," among many others) and fails to make subjects and verbs agree. *shudder*
I did not get all the way through this, but another person's comment about losing track of how many people Madonna slept with is spot on. For a shorter Madonna bio, check out the one written by Mary Cross, from Greenwood Press. It's more condensed and less gossipy, but if you're looking for a quick overview of Madge's life, up to and including her recent marriage, that's the way to go.
Not very good at all. So contrived and forced. You'd think that Madonna's life would lend the reader some inspiration. But this book is just pure speculation and projection. Maybe some facts thrown in here and there. The only good part of the book are the pictures. She truly is a beautiful, cool and talented woman.
How Madonna became Madonna has long been intriguing to me ever since I was able to recognize her type. The book has some great bits where her personality is manifested, but it has too much fluff to receive any more hearts than I gave.
Haa. A guilty pleasure for sure. Madonna is a surprising chameleon, even admirably so. Very entertaining and the worthwhile while playing trivial pursuit. :)
Of course it was amazing...it's about Madonna!
It's been a while since I read it though...maybe I should re-read it.
It's been a while since I read it though...maybe I should re-read it.
can't say i really learned anything i didn't already know. i've loved madonna from the get-go.
i kept losing track of how many people madonna slept with. but it really made me want to travel to detroit.
I simply cannot pass up an entertainment bio, sorry.
Jillian
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Madonna fans
Shelves:
biographies-autobiographies-memoirs
Love Madonna. If you do too, read it.
Boooooooriiiiiiiinnnnnggggg!
I love Madge.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Andrew David Morton (born 1953) is a former British Fleet Street tabloid journalist, and a biographer.
Before moving into a career in journalism, he attended grammar school, then studied history at the University of Sussex.
Morton went on to have two daughters, one of whom is Lydia Morton.
More about Andrew Morton...
Before moving into a career in journalism, he attended grammar school, then studied history at the University of Sussex.
Morton went on to have two daughters, one of whom is Lydia Morton.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
