896 books
—
337 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Ava: My Story” as Want to Read:
Ava: My Story
by
Hardcover Edition of Ava Gardner's own story with no hold barred. Like a novel but Ava really lived it.
In this chatty autobiography, Gardner tells of her upbringing in a poor but proud Southern family, her sudden success in early-'40s Hollywood--mainly because of her beauty--and rails against MGM, which played up her cheesecake potential. She neatly sums up the problems in ...more
In this chatty autobiography, Gardner tells of her upbringing in a poor but proud Southern family, her sudden success in early-'40s Hollywood--mainly because of her beauty--and rails against MGM, which played up her cheesecake potential. She neatly sums up the problems in ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 315 pages
Published
October 1st 1990
by Bantam
(first published 1990)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Ava,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 31-60
Start your review of Ava: My Story
I enjoy autobiographies more than biographies and Ava Gardner's is no exception. She has a great deal to impart, much of it very interesting. She never really puts anyone down, even when they do horrible things to her. It was an informative read.
...more
I actually liked this book. I was a little hesitant about reading it because I had read "Ava Gardner: The secret conversations" and figured this one would be watered down... although I did enjoy the other book better I rather enjoyed this one as well.
...more
I enjoyed this book. It was very conversational in tone as mentioned by others. No real new information as I've read other Ava bios. Loved all the pictures included. Learned alot about tobacco farming.
...more
Pretty good book but I felt that the author (Ava herself) left out a lot of the nitty-gritty. But, still a good read with some eye-opening stuff.
A true autobiography - most all of it self written (just some small chapters from people around her scattered througout). She was a fascinating lady - a true Southern broad.
I'm from North Carolina and everytime I pass through Smithfield in Eastern NC, I think how did someone so exotic and lush come from heah?! Hell of a tale.
...more
She is SO not full of herself. Lots of juicy tales about other celebrities. She talks to you in a way that makes you feel like you're conversing. You'll laugh a lot. One of my favorite bios.
...more
i really enjoyed learning about her life, and i definitely found out some interesting things. however, some parts of her life seemed to have been left out.
Was totally obsessed with this book for a while. A great autobiography. I didn't even know who Ava Gardner was the first time I read it. That says something...
...more
This biography was written in a way that kept my interest, I felt more like I was sitting in a room listening to Ava Gardner talk than reading about her years after she has passed on.
A personal account of a true sex-symbol as in "the woman all others should try to look like". I loved her very human story.
...more
The amazing, and sometimes sadly indicative of the times (re: how society treat women) mostly autobiographical tale of one of the greats ...Ava Gardner... when Hollywood stars, were truly stars. She covers her entire life from childhood through to her famous marriages. She's also pretty frank about those, including a certain studio that done wrong by her. The conversational style of the narrative works quite well too. 6 out of 12.
A Hollywood great! ...more
A Hollywood great! ...more
I love biographies and this one, based on memoirs written by Ava herself, was especially enjoyable. I liked the way she called everybody Honey. She was a very interesting woman and very honest about herself. She was passionate in all the ways one would use that word. There were brief chapters by people who knew her and it was sad that she never realized the depth of her talent, thinking that she was just another pretty face. As Sinatra might have put it, she was quite a broad.
No holds barred, vivid and very honest. Ava doesn't shy away from her mistakes or the dark parts of her life. It's all here: Hollywood, Mickey Rooney, the matadors, and Sinatra. A lovely insight into the process of one woman as she tries to make sense of herself, her choices, and the adventures of her heart.
...more
This book was very readable. It's about 300 pages but you can read it quickly. She seems to be very honest about her life. I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of her. I would have loved to hear more about her life in London and the men in her life after the bullfighter.I also would have liked to hear more about her relationship with her family, sisters, nieces and nephews.
...more
Great autobiography of how a Southern teen got discovered and became a Hollywood star! I was always curious how she ended up with Mickey Rooney - now I know!
Ava's years in Spain were really interesting to learn about - what a rags to riches story - and catch the crazy relationship with Howard Hughes!
...more
Ava's years in Spain were really interesting to learn about - what a rags to riches story - and catch the crazy relationship with Howard Hughes!
...more
Fascinating reading about her loves and life, but I felt as though she wanted to come across less scandalous than she was. For example, there was no mention of her relationship with Mia Farrow's father...
...more
Awesome Book. Loved Reading About This Great Actress.. Highly Recommend It. 🐣
Very interesting and detailed biography.
Great
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A very moving account of a very fine actress Ava Gardner
Hardcover – October 1, 1990
ISBN-10: 0553071343
ISBN-10: 0553071343
interesting life she led. Easy read
A beautiful woman and a hell of an affair with Frank Sinatra! This was an interesting read.
Ava: My Story by Ava Gardner (1992)
Jul 04, 2010
Alice
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone AND their mothers.
Recommended to Alice by:
Other Ava Gardner stans
Bumping this up because a review is—hopefully—coming soon.
Oct 03, 2012
Stacy Kelley
marked it as to-read
Loved this book!!! Loved the history about old Hollywood. <3
What a firecracker! I enjoyed every moment of this book, her literary voice is true and entertaining. An incredible life she lived.
Jul 21, 2014
May
added it
P
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.
She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers (1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953).
She appe ...more
She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers (1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953).
She appe ...more
Related Articles
“I'm in a weird place because the book is about to come out. So I'm basically just walking around like a raw nerve and I'm not sure that I...
42 likes · 9 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Sex isn't all that important, but it is when you love someone very much.”
—
107 likes
“Go fuck yourself," I replied, always the lady. "I'm staying here.”
—
65 likes
More quotes…
