Elsa Lanchester, Herself by Elsa Lanchester, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
My ninth book for
ljbookbingo is Elsa Lanchester, Herself by Elsa Lanchester for the Free Space square found here.
"Being known as “The Bride of Frankenstein” is an unusual form of fame, but for Elsa Lanchester the unusual came naturally. Born to radical socialist parents, Elsa attended an all-boys school and later “studied” in Paris with dance pioneer Isadora Duncan. At 17, she opened her own theater, which was frequented by writers such as H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and Evelyn Waugh. She began performing with and then fell in love with a brilliant young actor named Charles Laughton. Soon after their marriage he revealed his homosexuality. Though it made their union shaky at times, it did not overshadow their common love of art, music, and nature, and their marriage endured for 36 years until Laughton’s death. Elsa Lanchester, Herself presents the story of a woman ahead of her time: independent, iconoclastic, liberated. It is the chronicle of a life filled with famous people (from Bertolt Brecht to Henry Fonda), and of a career that spanned almost seven decades. It is also a warm, truthful account of a very special marriage. Witty and wise, Elsa Lanchester’s account of her life and times is a delight. ~Amazon book description
I was drawn to this book after I listened to a couple of podcasts on Elsa Lanchester's life, you can find them here and here. I enjoyed this autobiography for the most part. It did drag a bit in some places but I believe that is due to my ignorance of some of the people and places that she talks about. Over all the way she writes is very entertaining. It feels like you are having tea with her somewhere and she is breezily telling you her life story and that any moment you will be interrupted by the waiter whom she will wave them off before continuing with the story about the time her and Maureen O'Sullivan had words with each other in an Hollywood elevator. Although the tone of the book is very breezy and lighthearted, she talks about some of the hardest moments of her life with an honesty that I admire greatly. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in 30's Hollywood or just anyone who wants to meet a really delightful, creative, and unique woman.
My Tenth book for
ljbookbingo is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for the Horror square found here.
"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley about eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment" ~Amazon book description.
I will admit I am a big chicken when it comes to horror novels/movies. The funny thing is when I was a teen I loved them but as I've gotten older the less I have wanted to read/watch anything scary. I was actually planning to skip the square and instead use one of my wildcard's for it. But then I hit upon the idea of Frankenstein after reading the above book and I figured since the book was written back in the 1800's that the horror aspect might not be to bad.
I have to say this, it is a very well written book. So kudos to Mary Shelley. I found myself really not liking Victor Frankenstein, he was a narcissistic, self-absorbed, asshat who waxes on and on about his impending martyrdom and then barely takes any responsibility for it. Even though it was his fault. Were there times I felt bad for him? Yes. But I mostly felt bad for everyone around him, including the creature he created. Like I said, this is a very well written, the wording is poetic and Shelley is really able to paint word pictures that allow you to envision the various scenes. Also I lucked out because my library had the Bernie Wrightson edition of the book so it was beautifully illustrated, I would love to get my hands on a copy but it is out of print and it is selling on second hand sites for hundreds of dollars. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good well written horror story.
This entry was originally posted at https://under-the-silk-tree.dreamwidth.org/40224.html
ljbookbingo is Elsa Lanchester, Herself by Elsa Lanchester for the Free Space square found here.
"Being known as “The Bride of Frankenstein” is an unusual form of fame, but for Elsa Lanchester the unusual came naturally. Born to radical socialist parents, Elsa attended an all-boys school and later “studied” in Paris with dance pioneer Isadora Duncan. At 17, she opened her own theater, which was frequented by writers such as H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and Evelyn Waugh. She began performing with and then fell in love with a brilliant young actor named Charles Laughton. Soon after their marriage he revealed his homosexuality. Though it made their union shaky at times, it did not overshadow their common love of art, music, and nature, and their marriage endured for 36 years until Laughton’s death. Elsa Lanchester, Herself presents the story of a woman ahead of her time: independent, iconoclastic, liberated. It is the chronicle of a life filled with famous people (from Bertolt Brecht to Henry Fonda), and of a career that spanned almost seven decades. It is also a warm, truthful account of a very special marriage. Witty and wise, Elsa Lanchester’s account of her life and times is a delight. ~Amazon book description
I was drawn to this book after I listened to a couple of podcasts on Elsa Lanchester's life, you can find them here and here. I enjoyed this autobiography for the most part. It did drag a bit in some places but I believe that is due to my ignorance of some of the people and places that she talks about. Over all the way she writes is very entertaining. It feels like you are having tea with her somewhere and she is breezily telling you her life story and that any moment you will be interrupted by the waiter whom she will wave them off before continuing with the story about the time her and Maureen O'Sullivan had words with each other in an Hollywood elevator. Although the tone of the book is very breezy and lighthearted, she talks about some of the hardest moments of her life with an honesty that I admire greatly. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in 30's Hollywood or just anyone who wants to meet a really delightful, creative, and unique woman.
My Tenth book for
ljbookbingo is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for the Horror square found here.
"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley about eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment" ~Amazon book description.
I will admit I am a big chicken when it comes to horror novels/movies. The funny thing is when I was a teen I loved them but as I've gotten older the less I have wanted to read/watch anything scary. I was actually planning to skip the square and instead use one of my wildcard's for it. But then I hit upon the idea of Frankenstein after reading the above book and I figured since the book was written back in the 1800's that the horror aspect might not be to bad.
I have to say this, it is a very well written book. So kudos to Mary Shelley. I found myself really not liking Victor Frankenstein, he was a narcissistic, self-absorbed, asshat who waxes on and on about his impending martyrdom and then barely takes any responsibility for it. Even though it was his fault. Were there times I felt bad for him? Yes. But I mostly felt bad for everyone around him, including the creature he created. Like I said, this is a very well written, the wording is poetic and Shelley is really able to paint word pictures that allow you to envision the various scenes. Also I lucked out because my library had the Bernie Wrightson edition of the book so it was beautifully illustrated, I would love to get my hands on a copy but it is out of print and it is selling on second hand sites for hundreds of dollars. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good well written horror story.
This entry was originally posted at https://under-the-silk-tree.dreamwidth.org/40224.html