Pieces of My Heart: A Life

This very moving autobiography is just a sheer delight. Mr Wagner writes a very honest, gutsy book. It is a rich tapestry of Hollywood and emotions that take you on a wonderful journey through another era. From the way he describes his relationship with Natalie, his feelings of loss......the strength he managed to find to go on, it makes this a special book indeed. One cannot help but be struck by Mr Wagners emotional intelligence.....it is truely remarkable. No wonder he is close to so many people.....no wonder they are so close to him. He is a truely rare human being. While he is awestruck with his fellow actors, he is never intimidated by them, and his relationships with them are a joy to read. This book is a treasure. It is a real gift.

In full disclosure, I admit that Robert Wagner was my first (and only major) movie/TV star crush. I fell madly in love with him when I was in my early teens during the run of "It Takes a Thief." Many years later, I was waiting at a traffic light on Sunset Boulevard and looked over at the Range Rover next to me. He was just as handsome in real life. Robert Wagner has written a book that transcends the usual Hollywood memoir. He's honest and intelligent, and writes from the heart. Thankfully, he doesn't stoop to dissing his fellow actors. I was surprised to hear about his affair with Barbara Stanwyck. I would never have imagined that one!). Anyway, RJ, if you're reading this, thanks and much love.

What a worthwhile book! Mr. Wagner has mentally stored a mountain-full of memories that he now shares with us. Wonderful details spanning many years give insight and humanity to people who, for many of us, have always seemed to be on another planet. There are surprises, for sure. I came away from the book "liking" most of these folks, and Mr. Wagner's love and respect for his cohorts is obvious. For those few for which he held disdain, it was for very good reasons. The fame and fortune gleaned from a lifetime in the film business do not seem to be his most treasured prizes at all -- but rather the friendships he amassed. I found the workings of the Hollywood studio system as well as his transition to television -- and the differences between the two, to be quite interesting. He certainly was well established in both arenas. The telling of his life story indicates to me that Mr. Wagner is a man of principle, a man with admirable values and a man of deep emotion. I am definitely not star struck, a groupie, or an autograph collector. But I think I would just like to be Robert Wagner's next door neighbor. I encourage you to read this book. It's the old "I couldn't put it down" thing.

I initially purchased Robert Wagner's autobiography because his late wife, Natalie Wood, is my favorite movie star. I wanted more insight into her personality. The book does have quite a bit about his two marriages with Natalie, and about the fading studio system in Hollywood in the fifties which brought them together. It also chronicles the devastation brought on by her untimely death by drowning. But this book is a surprisingly compelling portrait of a handsome, charismatic, approachable leading man who has been in the limelight for most of his life. I really didn't know much about Robert Wagner when I started reading this book. I had seen most of his movies, and I liked his old television series "Hart to Hart" with Stefanie Powers. But I knew nothing of his personal life, or about his background. The depiction of his journey from young rebel to solid leading man to Hollywood icon is told here with great charm and in-depth self-examination. Of course the big surprise is the revelation of his early romance with the much older Barbara Stanwyck when Wagner was first starting off in Hollywood -- she was twice his age and the relationship lasted four years! But there is fascinating information all through the book about Wagner's love affairs, his co-stars and his friendships with other Hollywood legends. He is especially lovely when writing about his current wife, Jill St. John, herself a sex symbol and Bond girl, who helped him get over Natalie Wood's death. I also like that he writes warmly about his close relationship with his children. I recommend this book highly to film buffs and those who enjoy movie star biographies and memoirs. Robert Wagner comes across as a wonderful man, and one who is still sexy as all get-out. UPDATE: This memoir mentions that Wagner and Wood travelled to London in 1976 to do Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" for Laurence Olivier. Natalie Wood played Maggie, Wagner played Brick and Olivier played Big Daddy. Wagner calls the production his "professional high point." I just discovered that the production, along with four other plays directed by Olivier, is available on DVD in a collection called Laurence Olivier Presents. So for Natalie Wood fans who are longing to see her in something new, or for Wagner fans who would like to see him in a truly pithy dramatic role, here's your chance.

I had to give this a 5 star because it seemed so honest and genuinely moving. At the end of the book, I have to say I LIKED Robert Wagner. I think people he calls a friend are very lucky indeed. He seems to have real values. Anyone who likes "star" bios will certainly not be disappointed with this book.