Graceann's Reviews > Ava: My Story

The only thing that kept me reading is that I wanted to see how Miss Gardner discussed her three husbands (with affection - she even found nice things to say about Artie Shaw) and how she felt in her older years (frustrated with her health). Now I know, but it was quite a slog to get to that information.

"Ava: My Story" was published posthumously, and clearly her writing style was retained (or, at least, I can only hope a professional writer wasn't responsible for this). It is clunky and full of "folksy" language that's meant to make someone feel closer to Miss Gardner, but all it does is pull the reader out of the narrative. At least once every three pages or so, Ava calls you "honey." (Psst - you're not really friends with her.) She also swears constantly, as I understand she did in real life. Swearing doesn't bother me; I do a great deal of it myself, I must say. It loses its punch when it's placed in writing, especially when it's not part of a quote.

One thing I got out of the story, and that I appreciated, is that working was just that for Ava Gardner. She got a paycheck, washed her face and went home. She never understood people who killed themselves working for their "art" and would gladly skip a plum role if she had a chance to take a holiday instead. She was adamant that the important bits of her life had nothing to do with what went on inside the studio gates. If for no other reason, this made her a girl after my own heart. She never believed her own publicity (or even her own friends) when it came to the raw, natural talent she displayed, and she was refreshingly down-to-earth. Reading about her throwing on a headscarf and nipping downstairs in her bathrobe in order to walk the dog made me smile, especially given some of the "movie queens" who won't even leave their own bedrooms without the full glamour treatment.

Interspersed with her own thoughts are the memories of her friends and colleagues - people like Arlene Dahl, Gregory Peck and Roddy McDowall. Their stories are at least as interesting as hers, and place her behavior in excellent perspective.