Meryl Streep: On the Couch

by Alma Bond

Meryl Streep is a Hollywood icon, a political activist, a twenty-time Oscar-nominated actress (the most ever), and a mystery. The Devil Wears Prada, Kramer v. Kramer, Julie & Julia, Mama Mia!, Sophie’s Choice, Meryl does it all, and brilliantly every single time, but who is she when the camera stops rolling? What personal or creative thoughts does she keep hidden? Enter Dr. Darcy Dale. A highly successful psychoanalyst in high-priced private practice in New York City, Dr. Dale has treated a number of the most famous and exceptional women in the world. Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O., and Barbra Streisand have all managed to find their way to the doorstep of this doctor's office. Fully aware of Dr. Dale’s notability, Streep decides to pay her a call, but not for psychiatric treatment. The actress hopes to observe Dr. Dale as a means of preparing for her next role, this time as a psychoanalyst. The two strike a Streep will undergo analysis herself just as psychoanalysts must do as part of their education. In the newest installment of her On the Couch series, Dr. Alma H. Bond gives us a seat on the couch next to Meryl as the actress prepares for her next role, and Dr. Dale performs an analysis of Hollywood’s most talented actress. What follows is one of the most thorough, comprehensive, probing, insightful, and special biographies of Meryl Streep. Here in this fascinating guide is all that made Meryl what she is today. Anything you have ever wondered is chronicled in Dr. Dale’s session notes. In-depth research spanning Streep’s ancestry, childhood, college years, romantic entanglements, and more all finds its way onto these pages. Anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about Meryl Streep as a person, or has an interest in her acting methods, will undoubtedly find what they’re looking for in this fascinating book. Most important, Meryl On the Couch offers what no other biography a psychoanalytic perspective into the life and mind of Meryl Streep. While the media gives us the mogul, Dr. Bond goes inside the mother, the wife, the woman. And by the time we finish Dr. Bond’s book, we know Meryl Streep better than we know even our closest friends.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2020

Reviews

[Ellen Mays · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up on page 53. The idea of a biography written as if the subject is visiting a therapist seemed awkward but I gave it a chance. Boring, forced, and created in likable characters. I will not pick up the others in the series.