Ava's Men : The Private Life of Ava Gardner

by Jane Ellen Wayne

In this compelling rags-to-riches story, Jane Ellen Wayne charts the life and loves of the gorgeous green-eyed beauty, Ava Gardner. Spotted by an MGM scout who saw her photograph in a shop window, Ava's career took off when she was hired by movie mogul Louis B Mayer after a screen test. In this sizzling biography, the role of Ava's Men - including Howard Hughes, Clark Gabel, Robert Taylor, and third husband and love of her life Frank Sinatra - is central to a revealing and candid account of a great star, a sultry sex goddess, hell-raiser, diva and MGM's final screen legend. Shortly after arriving in Hollywood, Ava met and married film star Mickey Rooney. The marriage that lasted a year and a week. Her second husband was band leader Artie Shaw, one of the "swing era" greats. The marriage was also short-lived. Ava's third and last husband, and great love of her life, was singer Frank Sinatra. They were married in 1951 and divorced in 1956, unable to survive the pressure of their careers and their jealousy of each other. "People Magazine" classified Frank and Ava's marriage as one of the Romances of the Century.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

Reviews

[Novelesque Life]

RATING: 3 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

At about age 15 or 16 I fell in love with classic Hollywood. I loved the movies - plots, costumes, sets and actors. I started to become more fascinated with the different actors and learning more about them. I started to go to the library and started picking up various biographies/memoirs. Jane Ellen Wayne writes a few biographies with the focus being on the love lives (affairs, marriages, etc). I found them entertaining, and led me to more credible biographies.

**This is a series review**