Olivia

Been a fan of Olivia's since 1974. This is a must have for any fan of Olivia's.

Despite being a fan of Olivia's music, particularly her early folk / country music, I'd never really known much about her story until I bought this book. I was vaguely aware that Olivia had been on the music scene for a while prior to her 1971 debut album, and I knew that she didn't really make much impact after the monumental success of her Physical album from 1981, though I was familiar with some of her later music and I knew that she'd survived breast cancer. So when I saw this book, I was very interested but not at full price. When I eventually had the opportunity to buy a copy at a bargain price, I didn't hesitate. When reading a celebrity biography, I always check to see what input the celebrity has. Conspicuously, although the author claims to have interviewed her twice, Olivia is absent from the list of credits. I therefore assume that neither of those interviews were in connection with the book, although the author probably made use of the material from those interviews. As things turn out, it doesn't seem to matter much. The author clearly respects Olivia and seems to have treated her fairly. Although I knew that Olivia's life hadn't always been happy, I didn't realize just how much sadness she had to cope with. In her personal life, her parents divorced while she was still a child in an era when divorce was rare. As an adult, she had three miscarriages as well as breast cancer to cope with, all of which contributed to the breakdown of her first marriage. Later, one of her boyfriends vanished without trace, never to be seen again dead or alive. She had been a friend of Karen Carpenter, who died tragically young, then eventually had the worry of seeing her own daughter suffer the same illness, though she was able to overcome it after a long battle. One way or another, all these problems affected Olivia deeply, but while she sometimes considered quitting the music business altogether, she continues to record and perform as and when it suits her. Like her personal life, her musical career has had its ups and downs. Olivia made plenty of good contacts in the London music business, particularly with Cliff Richard and the Shadows, before seizing what appeared to be a great opportunity to start her career in America as the lead singer of a manufactured pop group. Things didn't work out as planned so Olivia returned to London and soon afterwards began her solo career. The most productive years of her career are covered extensively, from her folksy early albums up to her 1985 album Soul kiss. Along the way, the author discusses the controversy that Olivia unwittingly caused in the world of country music. There is an unfortunate error in the book where the author mentions Jack Jones when he means George Jones at one point, though further down the same page he correctly specifies George. I didn't learn anything much from this particular chapter, although it reinforced my long-held belief that Olivia's brief incursion into the world of country m

I would first like to address Mr. Bobby Morrow's review. Terribly insensitive review. It's one thing to review a book for its content (or lack thereof), but to belittle Olivia Newton-John in the process serves no purpose. Did you actually say that you presume the publishers may have shelved her own effort at a biography because she "droned on about cancer"? That's not just insensitive and cruel, it's also in very bad taste. You're obviously a fan; otherwise you wouldn't know about the "turbulent" Kramer years--so why all the personal digs on what you perceive as Olivia's "blandness." Again, your comments are invective and do not apply to the book itself. Olivia built her career on luck, raw talent, charm and beauty. Perhaps had she slathered herself in PR-generated smut to sell herself, she wouldn't seem so bland to you. I'm sure Olivia is quite pleased that, during the height of her popularity, she didn't have to pose nude for a coffee table magazine in order to keep the public interested in her. Indictments against Olivia in your review include the inference about Matt Lattanzi being on the payroll. For what? His silence about his sexuality or Olivia's? Are you one of Olivia's "gay" fans who secretly and steadfastly holds that Olivia is gay and resents her for not coming out of the closet? Is that what you mean by saying there is nothing but "pre-approved, sugar-coated" boring revelations offered in the book? I see. You want dirt. You want scandalous. You want the Sandra Dee image blasted away so that we, the entitled public, can finally see Olivia in all her disgusting humanness. If you want to know about the real underbelly that lies behind every squeaky-clean celebrity, there's plenty of fodder out there to satisfy your appetite. But you're right. Olivia is very private and nearly fetishistic about maintaining her privacy and keeping it separate to prevent it from encroaching on her public image. To her, her public persona is another entity. And, as a public figure, she gives her audiences her all. But when the media pushes too hard, she's proven she knows how to push back. A UK "This is Your Life" host had the gall to bring up the ugly subject of Bruce Welch on live-TV. Olivia was visibly shaken by the question. Her expression of shock and disbelief relayed how uncomfortable she was and she handled the situation by telling the host she didn't want to talk about unpleasant memories from the past. Finally, as an Olivia fan, you should be very aware of the dearth of genuinely well-written material about Newton-John. Never before has there been a more articulate, well researched, thoroughly detailed and professionally produced biography about the artist. Branson-Trent's plagiarized project in Xerox is atrocious and little else has ever been published about ONJ that stands out enough to warrant your harsh review of Ewbank's book. ABOUT THE BOOK: The book is flawless. Whether a committed fan of Olivia or just some