Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography

I am a huge fan of the beautiful Joan Crawford, and I cannot express how refreshing it is to come across a book like this, that does not allow itself to be influenced by Joan's bad reputation of her later years. This book truly sets the record straight and presents Joan as a real human being - not as a monster and definitely not as a saint. The author made this book highly readable, while still being careful with his information. If he was not 100% sure of a piece of information, he would say so and present the reader with two different ways of looking at it. This book also contained great summaries of each and every one of her movies, starting with the silent years and moving all the way up to her infamous science fiction flicks. All through the book, Quirk gives us the bare facts, some of which are quite shocking and do show Joan's dark side. In the end, however, Joan comes through as a good human being, but more importantly as a great actress.

As an avid fan of the late Joan Crawford, I did find this book disturbing. It gave me information that I had never read before. It saddened me to see what her childhood was like. No wonder she became a woman driven to succeed. When I finished reading the book, I left with a sense of sadness and regret. She was molded by her father's abandonment, her step-father's sexual appetite, and then a family who wanted the success she worked so hard to achieve. I am glad I read this book. I still appreciate the actress that I call my all-time favorite. Thank you, Joan Crawford, for everything. She had it rough, but she still persevered to be the best she could be. As a fan, I can only thank her for the years of entertainment and the excellent movies she has left behind.

This book on my favorite star was disturbing, to say the least. I felt I knew almost everything there was to know about the late Joan Crawford, but this book definitely proved me wrong. Her relationship with her step-father was disturbing, and the animosity felt toward her by Robert Montgomery and Melvyn Douglas was never noticed by me at all. This book showed me otherwise. Perhaps I needed another reminder of how excellent she was as an actress. To me, there will never be another like her. She is still the ultimate performer, and this book certainly points that out. It does not give her a halo; it also does not give her the sword of evil. She was a complex person who wanted more than anything to please her fans. Well, Joan, I have no regrets. You are still the best!

This book is a wonderful "must-read" for any fan of the late JoanCrawford. It details her films and the events surrounding them better than any book ever written about her. Most importantly, this biography drives home that Ms. Crawford was a STAR in the truest sense.. and awards her some true dignity that has not always been afforded to her in other biased works..

Finally someone has come out and stood against Christina Crawford's vicious tales of "abuse". This book clearly shows Joan, both good and bad, but it also does what few others have tried to do...show that Christina Crawford has an agenda and it is not to help victims of abuse. I have always felt that CC was using Joan to make herself famous and sadly, she has done so, by tarnishing the image of one of the most enduring stars of the Golden Era of Hollywood. Thanks to the authors of this book for a fair and balance review of Joan Crawford!