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Madonna: An Intimate Biography
Whereas other books about Madonna have been based on previously published material, this biography is the result of ten years of exclusive interviews with people who are speaking publicly for the first time, including close friends, business associates and even family members. J. Randy Taraborrelli has also interviewed the star herself on numerous occasions and he draws on these first-hand experiences to bring Madonna to life as not merely a tabloid delight, but as a flesh-and-blood woman with human foibles and weaknesses, as well as great strengths and ambitions. Madonna - An Intimate Biography is an account of the life of an entertainer who is, undoubtedly, one of the most popular, trendsetting figures of the late 20th century.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published July 31, 2001
57 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
J. Randy Taraborrelli
25 books487 followersJ. Randy Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia. He also appears on television as an entertainment news reporter on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Today and CBS This Morning. Taraborrelli resides in Los Angeles, California.
Taraborrelli, who has written eighteen books (including updated and expanded editions), has had fourteen of them appear on the New York Times best seller list, the most recent of which was 2014's The Hiltons - The True Story of an American Dynasty. His first best seller was Call Her Miss Ross in 1989. His 2009 biography of Marilyn Monroe - The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe - made a re-appearance on the e-books best-seller list at number two in the summer of 2012.
In November of 2012, it was announced that Reelz cable channel had optioned Taraborrelli's New York Times best-selling book, After Camelot, as a miniseries. It will be his second television miniseries, the first airing on NBC in 2000 and based on his book, Jackie, Ethel, Joan.
Through his newly formed J. Randy Taraborrelli Productions, Taraborrelli is currently developing and producing a number of television projects.
Taraborrelli, who has written eighteen books (including updated and expanded editions), has had fourteen of them appear on the New York Times best seller list, the most recent of which was 2014's The Hiltons - The True Story of an American Dynasty. His first best seller was Call Her Miss Ross in 1989. His 2009 biography of Marilyn Monroe - The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe - made a re-appearance on the e-books best-seller list at number two in the summer of 2012.
In November of 2012, it was announced that Reelz cable channel had optioned Taraborrelli's New York Times best-selling book, After Camelot, as a miniseries. It will be his second television miniseries, the first airing on NBC in 2000 and based on his book, Jackie, Ethel, Joan.
Through his newly formed J. Randy Taraborrelli Productions, Taraborrelli is currently developing and producing a number of television projects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
September 3, 2021
And your name is?
Madonna
And your last name?
Do I look like someone that needs a last name?
And somehow it make no sense and perfect sense at the same time.
I loved every single page of this book, I don't think there's an event in Madonna's life that is not covered here. It takes us from the beginning to 2018 and it's a very impartial account. Other books I've read on Madonna tend to be overly negative or overly positive towards her, I felt this account was very balanced.
Madonna is a bitch, self centred, stubborn, kind, generous, controversial, controlling, emotional. I could list a hundred things, and for me this book showed all those character traits.
'I know I'm not the best singer or dancer in the world. I know that. I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in pushing buttons' .... and she has, personally I've enjoyed the ride, she is the soundtrack to my entire life and I cant wait to see what we have next from this icon.
Madonna
And your last name?
Do I look like someone that needs a last name?
And somehow it make no sense and perfect sense at the same time.
I loved every single page of this book, I don't think there's an event in Madonna's life that is not covered here. It takes us from the beginning to 2018 and it's a very impartial account. Other books I've read on Madonna tend to be overly negative or overly positive towards her, I felt this account was very balanced.
Madonna is a bitch, self centred, stubborn, kind, generous, controversial, controlling, emotional. I could list a hundred things, and for me this book showed all those character traits.
'I know I'm not the best singer or dancer in the world. I know that. I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in pushing buttons' .... and she has, personally I've enjoyed the ride, she is the soundtrack to my entire life and I cant wait to see what we have next from this icon.
November 28, 2012
I only made it through a quarter of this book when I noticed that it read way too much like fiction. I've read descriptions of the author's other celeb bios and they seem to have a fictional soap opera quality to them too. I don't think I'll revisit this one, or the author's other books. I would only recommend this if you like trashy tabloid entertainment. Otherwise, seek other Madonna biographies.
August 3, 2008
Man, this book is excellent. It's like 500 pages of US Weekly. And I mean that in a good way.
Fun fact: La Isla Bonita was originally written for Michael Jackson to perform. Yikes.
Somehow, despite breaking the most basic rules of writing, Taraborelli managed to suck me in. In order to make the book flow, he inserted his own conjectures "Madonna must have felt that..." It's only a careful reader who will notice that half the time he's piecing together the drama and emotions, but hey, it works.
Granted, some of the writing is just purely absurd. Witness this paragraph, which I flagged to share with my Goodreads friends. I present to you page 324:
"After a moment's hesitation, Gwenyth leapt onto the table to join her friend. Once up there, to the delight of at least 200 partygoers, Madonna and Gwenyth locked eyes and began dancing, both seemingly in a seductive trance, their movements unabashedly voluptuous. With their hands arched over their heads, they teased and beckoned each other as they performed what looked like an impromptu version of a Greek ritualistic dance called the "Tsamikos" (where each dancer clutches the corner of a white handkerchief held aloft- only there was no handkerchief between the two friends.)"
Despite the brazenly cheesy writing and Madonna adulation, the author somehow managed to craft the bio into a compelling fairy tale, complete with an ending that actually choked me up.
Fun fact: La Isla Bonita was originally written for Michael Jackson to perform. Yikes.
Somehow, despite breaking the most basic rules of writing, Taraborelli managed to suck me in. In order to make the book flow, he inserted his own conjectures "Madonna must have felt that..." It's only a careful reader who will notice that half the time he's piecing together the drama and emotions, but hey, it works.
Granted, some of the writing is just purely absurd. Witness this paragraph, which I flagged to share with my Goodreads friends. I present to you page 324:
"After a moment's hesitation, Gwenyth leapt onto the table to join her friend. Once up there, to the delight of at least 200 partygoers, Madonna and Gwenyth locked eyes and began dancing, both seemingly in a seductive trance, their movements unabashedly voluptuous. With their hands arched over their heads, they teased and beckoned each other as they performed what looked like an impromptu version of a Greek ritualistic dance called the "Tsamikos" (where each dancer clutches the corner of a white handkerchief held aloft- only there was no handkerchief between the two friends.)"
Despite the brazenly cheesy writing and Madonna adulation, the author somehow managed to craft the bio into a compelling fairy tale, complete with an ending that actually choked me up.
September 26, 2019
Madonna has been around seemingly forever,defying age and scandal.She has always actively courted controversy.This is interesting,escapist fun.Whether it is fact or fiction,that is another matter.
January 2, 2015
Apart from my all time fav book #GirlBoss (Sophia Amoruso of Nasty Gal vintage) THIS biography about Madonna is one of my most favorite books ever!
I read this book in my crucial med school years when demands of coursework were high as hell and we had to work extra hard,basically all of us were drained and this book helped me overcome that crisis!!Madonna is such a badass gurl and her life is so inspiring and uplifting!(Catholic fundamentalists might disagree with that but they always do,so screw them!!)
J.Randy Taraborrelli is an impressive author and I have read other books written by him,but his works on Madonna (This book) and Michael Jackson are best of them all IMO.Plus Madonna having such a kickass story about her life helped him a lot in making this book very captivating too!
Madonna is an icon,a hero and a legend in her own.No other woman has accomplished as much as she has.She is sharp,funny sarcastic(Thing I adore the most about her) she is basically like a female version of WWE's Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Madonna,with her innovative ideas of pushing the cultural boundaries and sheer talent has captured our harts and minds!!This is important for feminists to have positive icons WITH real merit in this day especially when the movement is critically hijacked and wounded by good for noting creeps like Sandra Fluke and THAT Lena Dunham!!Madonna dared and defied her family's will and came to NYC,initially where she was forced to eat from dumpsters!!She hanged on though on her own and with her immense talent her 1st album became a super success!Many might say Madonna 'slept through' her musical journey to the top!Of course that's totally ridiculous!But the book captures her journey soooo well!Madonna is a brilliant musician and even a better businesswoman and that really paid off by her massive success!The story of her early career as described as the most inspirational tale of our times!!Madonna is an icon but even more than that,she is an iconoclast!She has broken so many glass ceilings in the music industry and even in the popular culture that she can be declared a hall of fame in this regards!!Mr.Taraborrelli himself from an Italian family (like Madonna's) has captured Madonna's defiance vs her own conservative parents and family!I loved how she was a caring sister and took care of her siblings.Her dad used to offer prizes for achievements and she always won vs her siblings since the beginning!This competitiveness was there in her nature since she was a little girl and it only got more fierce as she launched her 1st self titled album "Madonna' (1983) and in the helped made her the musical fable she is today!!
Her dad was against the idea of her dropping out of the school and sacrificing her scholarship,in order to become a full time musician.But she defied him,this soured their relationship till very recently!And she came to New York,struggled like a Phenom and made it.Yes,she used her relationships to advance her musical career but claims that she 'slept' her way around to the top is utterly BS!She had merit,talent and chose a way that was bold and provocative with the motto No publicity is a bad publicity!
Not everything in her life was rosy though and she had to endure a lot of tough times in the late 70s and early 80s!She was raped,forced to give blow jobs at a gunpoint once and she comes out about it very candidly,bravely in this book too.She ate bagels from dumpsters and made professional connections,never looked backed once her 1983 album became a massive hit.Her lovers came and left but her affairs ranging from anonymous musicians to Hollywood badass heroes provide a lot of entertaining juicy tidbits!All of us have flaws and can not have at least something we crave for so badly!It's a rule and even Madonna is no exception as she always wanted to be an actress and her Hollywood career never took off!This is her achilis hill!Madonna is very influenced by another femme fatale Marilyn Monroe as per the book and book mentions how she always wanted to be like her!!Madonna in turn inspired Briney Spears and she had a great career too until that mental meltdown of 2007!!
This book can do wonders if you have self esteem issues,it did for me as I read it during the time of immense stress in medical school!And it helped me a lot!Like #GirlBoss this is a story of a talent woman who defied the world,broke stereotypes and reached to the top,totally on her own!
I am a fangirl of Madonna (Its pretty obvious from this review by now,right??) and it seems like the author is one too (why not?).And if you are into juicy celebrity gossips about her,you'll get that plenty in the book too!I absolutely love this book,Madonna and I recommend it to you all very highly!
Cheers and happy new year 2015!! :-)
5 stars
I read this book in my crucial med school years when demands of coursework were high as hell and we had to work extra hard,basically all of us were drained and this book helped me overcome that crisis!!Madonna is such a badass gurl and her life is so inspiring and uplifting!(Catholic fundamentalists might disagree with that but they always do,so screw them!!)
J.Randy Taraborrelli is an impressive author and I have read other books written by him,but his works on Madonna (This book) and Michael Jackson are best of them all IMO.Plus Madonna having such a kickass story about her life helped him a lot in making this book very captivating too!
Madonna is an icon,a hero and a legend in her own.No other woman has accomplished as much as she has.She is sharp,funny sarcastic(Thing I adore the most about her) she is basically like a female version of WWE's Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Madonna,with her innovative ideas of pushing the cultural boundaries and sheer talent has captured our harts and minds!!This is important for feminists to have positive icons WITH real merit in this day especially when the movement is critically hijacked and wounded by good for noting creeps like Sandra Fluke and THAT Lena Dunham!!Madonna dared and defied her family's will and came to NYC,initially where she was forced to eat from dumpsters!!She hanged on though on her own and with her immense talent her 1st album became a super success!Many might say Madonna 'slept through' her musical journey to the top!Of course that's totally ridiculous!But the book captures her journey soooo well!Madonna is a brilliant musician and even a better businesswoman and that really paid off by her massive success!The story of her early career as described as the most inspirational tale of our times!!Madonna is an icon but even more than that,she is an iconoclast!She has broken so many glass ceilings in the music industry and even in the popular culture that she can be declared a hall of fame in this regards!!Mr.Taraborrelli himself from an Italian family (like Madonna's) has captured Madonna's defiance vs her own conservative parents and family!I loved how she was a caring sister and took care of her siblings.Her dad used to offer prizes for achievements and she always won vs her siblings since the beginning!This competitiveness was there in her nature since she was a little girl and it only got more fierce as she launched her 1st self titled album "Madonna' (1983) and in the helped made her the musical fable she is today!!
Her dad was against the idea of her dropping out of the school and sacrificing her scholarship,in order to become a full time musician.But she defied him,this soured their relationship till very recently!And she came to New York,struggled like a Phenom and made it.Yes,she used her relationships to advance her musical career but claims that she 'slept' her way around to the top is utterly BS!She had merit,talent and chose a way that was bold and provocative with the motto No publicity is a bad publicity!
Not everything in her life was rosy though and she had to endure a lot of tough times in the late 70s and early 80s!She was raped,forced to give blow jobs at a gunpoint once and she comes out about it very candidly,bravely in this book too.She ate bagels from dumpsters and made professional connections,never looked backed once her 1983 album became a massive hit.Her lovers came and left but her affairs ranging from anonymous musicians to Hollywood badass heroes provide a lot of entertaining juicy tidbits!All of us have flaws and can not have at least something we crave for so badly!It's a rule and even Madonna is no exception as she always wanted to be an actress and her Hollywood career never took off!This is her achilis hill!Madonna is very influenced by another femme fatale Marilyn Monroe as per the book and book mentions how she always wanted to be like her!!Madonna in turn inspired Briney Spears and she had a great career too until that mental meltdown of 2007!!
This book can do wonders if you have self esteem issues,it did for me as I read it during the time of immense stress in medical school!And it helped me a lot!Like #GirlBoss this is a story of a talent woman who defied the world,broke stereotypes and reached to the top,totally on her own!
I am a fangirl of Madonna (Its pretty obvious from this review by now,right??) and it seems like the author is one too (why not?).And if you are into juicy celebrity gossips about her,you'll get that plenty in the book too!I absolutely love this book,Madonna and I recommend it to you all very highly!
Cheers and happy new year 2015!! :-)
5 stars
April 6, 2016
Poorly written, jumbled catalogue of her records and boyfriends. Obviously unauthorized and had an off-putting condescending attitude towards the subject. Perhaps he had tried to sleep with her and she laughed at him, so to get her back he wrote this book.
July 22, 2022
Madonna was someone who I grew up listening to. I remember asking my sister the meaning of the word "Preach" when the song Papa don't preach was making waves. There was a steady diet of Madonna music, which I heard mostly as a secondary listener. I had no clue about anything except that she was supposed to be bold, brash and sexy. So when the library service threw up this book I checked it out. I wanted to know the persona behind this pop icon of yesteryears.
The book starts of well and it is all very exciting to read but then it starts to drag as it continues to read more and more like a tabloid. I still can't place my finger on what is it that bugged me about this book as I read it. The author surely knows his subject and the writing is consistent. I wish this book was a 100 page lesser, probably then it may have worked. Not sure yet.
Read it only if you really love Madonna, else this one can be ignored
The book starts of well and it is all very exciting to read but then it starts to drag as it continues to read more and more like a tabloid. I still can't place my finger on what is it that bugged me about this book as I read it. The author surely knows his subject and the writing is consistent. I wish this book was a 100 page lesser, probably then it may have worked. Not sure yet.
Read it only if you really love Madonna, else this one can be ignored
December 27, 2010
J. Randy Taraborelli writes the best trashy celeb bios and this one was the perfect balm for the madness of this past Xmas holiday weekend (with its requisite family stress, commercialism overload, etc). Not as good as the pointedly-titled Call Her Miss Ross or the hilariously cheesily-titled Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness, but still fun. Madonna has the overwhelming, monstrous narcissism of both Diana Ross and Jackson (RIP), and that seems to be the core quality you need from the subject of one of these books to ensure a good, juicy read.
September 22, 2007
Blech, written by a foaming fan
February 14, 2013
Gotta love Madge
August 19, 2008
Really good Madonna bio
April 10, 2020
In the midst of a pandemic, you would think I have more time to read. Unfortunately being at home almost all the time, that was not the truth as I had to attend to many things and reading wasn't usually one of them. However, I did find the time to finish Madonna's biography by J. Randy Taraborrelli and as expected it felt a little salacious that focused way too much on clothes and not enough on the music.
The biography is somewhat dated at this point as it only takes us up to her album Music and wedding to Guy Ritchie (now divorced naturally), both of which happened in the year 2000. I think I saw an update to this book containing material all the way up to 2016 which would be nice to see the added chapters since she has released a few more albums and her life has taken a few more turns.
The good, the book does spend a decent amount of time on her music, growing up and getting to know Madonna. I liked that there was a focus on her early career even if it was less than memorable. I appreciated that they did take the time to go through her movie exploits. I for one have seen Body of Evidence multiple times and don't mind admitting that. There is also evidence of care that Mr. Taraborrelli took the time to show many facets of her character and not just the ones that would get him book sales.
The bad, well the book does go into ridiculous detail explaining outfit on top of outfit on top of whatever outfit even her kid Rocco was wearing when he was christened. At times, I was wondering if I was reading a fashion magazine or a biography. Furthermore, the reason I read musicians' biographies is that I want to know more about their music, not necessarily who they had relations with and how much drugs they took.
It's just not enough though here as we get snippets about the albums and the top ten songs she had and that's it. I want more, I want to know about the 8th track on the 6th album (Love Tried to Welcome Me) if there is information to be had. Though I did get a nice snippet that she might have worked on some tracks with one of my favorites, Robert Miles. Wish those would show up.
In the end, I do give this book a recommendation based on the chapters devoted to her growing up and early career. After a while, it does feel that there is too much focus on which relationship she was in next and not her next album. (Don't forget what she wore as well) But if you stick with it, you will find out some good information about the pop goddess and everything she has done to get to this point. Enjoy.
The biography is somewhat dated at this point as it only takes us up to her album Music and wedding to Guy Ritchie (now divorced naturally), both of which happened in the year 2000. I think I saw an update to this book containing material all the way up to 2016 which would be nice to see the added chapters since she has released a few more albums and her life has taken a few more turns.
The good, the book does spend a decent amount of time on her music, growing up and getting to know Madonna. I liked that there was a focus on her early career even if it was less than memorable. I appreciated that they did take the time to go through her movie exploits. I for one have seen Body of Evidence multiple times and don't mind admitting that. There is also evidence of care that Mr. Taraborrelli took the time to show many facets of her character and not just the ones that would get him book sales.
The bad, well the book does go into ridiculous detail explaining outfit on top of outfit on top of whatever outfit even her kid Rocco was wearing when he was christened. At times, I was wondering if I was reading a fashion magazine or a biography. Furthermore, the reason I read musicians' biographies is that I want to know more about their music, not necessarily who they had relations with and how much drugs they took.
It's just not enough though here as we get snippets about the albums and the top ten songs she had and that's it. I want more, I want to know about the 8th track on the 6th album (Love Tried to Welcome Me) if there is information to be had. Though I did get a nice snippet that she might have worked on some tracks with one of my favorites, Robert Miles. Wish those would show up.
In the end, I do give this book a recommendation based on the chapters devoted to her growing up and early career. After a while, it does feel that there is too much focus on which relationship she was in next and not her next album. (Don't forget what she wore as well) But if you stick with it, you will find out some good information about the pop goddess and everything she has done to get to this point. Enjoy.
March 7, 2024
Bijzonder mens, een leven als het hare zou ik niet wensen.
August 5, 2018
J. Randy Taraborrelli recently updated his biography on Madonna in tribute of her upcoming 60th birthday. We were sent a copy of the updated edition for review.
Taraborrelli’s biography on Madonna has been around for quite a while and has been read by many fans. The focus here is on Madonna’s relationships, from the very early days up until her most recent flings. Taraborrelli describes in great detail Madonna’s rise to stardom, which makes for a very entertaining read. Taraborrelli draws from interviews he has done with the Lady M herself as well as quotes from other interviews, press conferences and other sources.
Madonna’s rise to stardom IS indeed fascinating, so you will find yourself skipping through the pages as it makes for such a great read. However even though many of the stuff in this book has been taken from actual quotes and interviews, you can’t help but feel that A LOT has been obviously dramatized. Many of the discussions Madonna has with her lovers or friends in this book, are obviously made up or overdone. Madonna is a true business woman and had to be to get where she wanted to go, but you can’t help but smirk at many of the things M has supposedly said.
Madonna’s studio albums and tours are also discussed but in not as great a detail as her love life is. The book’s focus is also more up until the ’90’s after that you can see that the latter years have been ‘rushed’. No book on Madonna is flawless and this isn’t too. Describing Madonna’s first magazine cover as being ‘Fresh 14’ when that is actually a club and the magazine was ‘Island’. Up until calling ‘I’m Going To tell You A Secret’ a short film (I wouldn’t exactly call two hours a short film) and saying it was about the preparation of her new tour (in the chapter Confessions Tour) and then comparing it to her 1996 ‘In Bed With Madonna’ documentary (ehm….1991 anyone?).
All flaws aside, the book is an entertaining read, just take it all in with a grain of salt.
Review first published on madonnaunderground
Taraborrelli’s biography on Madonna has been around for quite a while and has been read by many fans. The focus here is on Madonna’s relationships, from the very early days up until her most recent flings. Taraborrelli describes in great detail Madonna’s rise to stardom, which makes for a very entertaining read. Taraborrelli draws from interviews he has done with the Lady M herself as well as quotes from other interviews, press conferences and other sources.
Madonna’s rise to stardom IS indeed fascinating, so you will find yourself skipping through the pages as it makes for such a great read. However even though many of the stuff in this book has been taken from actual quotes and interviews, you can’t help but feel that A LOT has been obviously dramatized. Many of the discussions Madonna has with her lovers or friends in this book, are obviously made up or overdone. Madonna is a true business woman and had to be to get where she wanted to go, but you can’t help but smirk at many of the things M has supposedly said.
Madonna’s studio albums and tours are also discussed but in not as great a detail as her love life is. The book’s focus is also more up until the ’90’s after that you can see that the latter years have been ‘rushed’. No book on Madonna is flawless and this isn’t too. Describing Madonna’s first magazine cover as being ‘Fresh 14’ when that is actually a club and the magazine was ‘Island’. Up until calling ‘I’m Going To tell You A Secret’ a short film (I wouldn’t exactly call two hours a short film) and saying it was about the preparation of her new tour (in the chapter Confessions Tour) and then comparing it to her 1996 ‘In Bed With Madonna’ documentary (ehm….1991 anyone?).
All flaws aside, the book is an entertaining read, just take it all in with a grain of salt.
Review first published on madonnaunderground
February 17, 2013
Now I've been a fan of Madonnas for a while now and have been lucky enough to go to two of her concerts, so this was a nice opportunity to find out a bit more about her, other than what the papers say!
I have to admit the author has done his homework, and comes across as a bit of a fan himself. At times he puts in the views of several people about a situation and of course everyone has different views so it could be a bit contradictory, and your still not sure what the real story was. I guess at least it lets you make your own mind up although I'm not sure I liked it.
One thing I was really not keen on was the descriptions of the songs. Now I would guess that the majority of people reading this would be fans, and for those that aren't you are probably still familiar with the songs even if they are not your cup of tea! double entendres abound in 'Like a Prayer'. While devilishly danceable, the music is interrupted by a quiet break during which Madonna offers a loving homage against a backdrop of heavenly, angelic voicings. While the song feels distinctively religious, the underlying sexual tension is undeniable. The jubilant voices of a gospel choir conducted by Andre Crouch heightened the songs spiritual nature while a stingingly secular rock guitar kept it dark and mysterious. Is it really necessary? I know what it sounds like, I don't need you to tell me!
Other than that an enjoyable read, she really is a bit of a character who at times has been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to further her career, but on the whole has her finger well and truly on the pulse as to where music is heading and can come up with new hits to lead the way of future music developments.
I have to admit the author has done his homework, and comes across as a bit of a fan himself. At times he puts in the views of several people about a situation and of course everyone has different views so it could be a bit contradictory, and your still not sure what the real story was. I guess at least it lets you make your own mind up although I'm not sure I liked it.
One thing I was really not keen on was the descriptions of the songs. Now I would guess that the majority of people reading this would be fans, and for those that aren't you are probably still familiar with the songs even if they are not your cup of tea! double entendres abound in 'Like a Prayer'. While devilishly danceable, the music is interrupted by a quiet break during which Madonna offers a loving homage against a backdrop of heavenly, angelic voicings. While the song feels distinctively religious, the underlying sexual tension is undeniable. The jubilant voices of a gospel choir conducted by Andre Crouch heightened the songs spiritual nature while a stingingly secular rock guitar kept it dark and mysterious. Is it really necessary? I know what it sounds like, I don't need you to tell me!
Other than that an enjoyable read, she really is a bit of a character who at times has been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to further her career, but on the whole has her finger well and truly on the pulse as to where music is heading and can come up with new hits to lead the way of future music developments.
October 20, 2011
Madonna started out as a crude, brash young lady who considered it almost cool to constantly shock the world with her antics. She ended up taming that side of herself for the most part after giving birth to her first child.
I have to admit that I was very embarrassed for her as I read the book because she revealed too much of herself to the world when she should have kept it private. She comes off as promiscuous and brags about the amount of abortions she has had due to that lifestyle. Her choice in men is questionable and she seems to have been emotionally immature for many years despite her age at the time.
I like Madonna as an artist, specifically singer since she is not the greatest actress, but her past is a big mess. I only wish that the book had been published later because it does not cover the last ten years of her life, which I am sure is just as interesting as the ones before.
I have to admit that I was very embarrassed for her as I read the book because she revealed too much of herself to the world when she should have kept it private. She comes off as promiscuous and brags about the amount of abortions she has had due to that lifestyle. Her choice in men is questionable and she seems to have been emotionally immature for many years despite her age at the time.
I like Madonna as an artist, specifically singer since she is not the greatest actress, but her past is a big mess. I only wish that the book had been published later because it does not cover the last ten years of her life, which I am sure is just as interesting as the ones before.
January 2, 2015
We all know Madonna is a great performer and a great artist who for sure deserves to be where she is now. This book shows her accomplishments as well as her bad side, and overall it's at least entertaining. I wish the writer would focus more on her career than on her personal life, for I'm personally more interested in what she's done to music than what she's done in bed. Also, I wonder how many of these stories are true and how much of the details are mere fiction from the author's mind. But if you want to know a little more about Madonna, read it.
April 2, 2019
I am a fan of Madonna having grown up in the 80's and loved her music, seen her perform twice however in recent years I have not really followed her as much. This book is very interesting and gives you an insight into the way Madonna approaches life and how she sometimes 'uses' people along the way. Hopefully one day Madonna will work with the author to do her official biography as that would be a fantastic read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this new edition before release in April 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this new edition before release in April 2019
April 4, 2020
If you want a trashy account of Madonna's life, and to learn what a mean spirited, self centered person she is, then this is the book for you. Funny enough, the author writes it in a sense where her having her latest child (at the time of the book) and getting married has turned her life around and transformed her into a decent human being. Then the book ends. But if you look up what happened to that marriage, it fell apart just like everything else in Madonna's life, because she treats people like trash.
July 27, 2012
Not great writing but it still managed to entertain. It is also the story of a generation though, never a fan but I have been dancing to her music, and heard the occasional titbits of slander. I wonder why it is that people become such megastars and I wonder even more how they remain sane through it All. The biography also made me think that America is a puzzling country and a skizo culture in many ways, and that Madonna is that as well.
March 12, 2013
In the words of Zachary Busse, "Oh, that's right, 'intimate' means unauthorized." A fun, frothy, and fascinating affirmation of the inexorable human drive toward narrative and illustration of the fact that, just about invariably, narratives about other people (i.e. features, profiles, intimate biographies) are more about the person writing them than they are about the subject. The ending is especially ironic considering Madonna's now-defunct marriage to Guy Ritchie.
Thanks, Li!
Thanks, Li!
September 6, 2014
Was on the hate bandwagon before this book because everyone else was. Follows her career up to her marriage with Guy around the time she released her Music album. An interesting and simple read. It wasn't afraid to show Madonna's career under a flawed light. Doesn't disregard her work ethics or brilliance, either. I bought every album of hers after finishing this.
August 2, 2011
I found this to be a very honest depiction of Madonna, which is cool, because it not only talked about the good stuff, but it didn't hide her bad qualities. Despite the fact that I haven't been that into her more recent music, I will always love and admire her!
November 22, 2024
Well. While it has some interesting information, good quotes and is inspiring at points as it is about madonna - a lot of the book reads like speculations, the type of stuff you find in a magazine lol.
August 27, 2008
I never really like to get too far removed from the myth that is Madonna, yet as a fan can't help to want to try know her better.
October 29, 2008
This book was able to show me the real side of Madonna. I referenced this book because of the detail and indepth analysis.
June 15, 2010
Reading this biography was fascinating: sometimes I felt horrorized (Madonna can be a real b*tch sometimes), sometimes I felt surprised, sometimes I felt delighted. A great biography. I recommend it!
October 28, 2010
oh my gosh I am so embarrassed I read this book. It was definitely below average. Christopher Ciccone's book was way better
June 6, 2011
The best madonna's bio i've ever read. So many funny stories, especially with Sean Penn.
August 19, 2012
A really nice and trashy biography worth reading. You get a really good picture of the super star
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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