Still Talking

"Still Talking" is Joan River's follow up to her successful autobiography "Enter Talking". This book starts when Joan decides to leave NBC"s "The Tonight Show" in 1986. She found out that she was never included on a list of potential comedians who would someday replace Johnny Carson, although she had been Johnny's only premanent guest host for years. Once the fledging FOX network offered Joan her own late-night talk show opposite Carson's, Joan jumped at the chance. In "Still Talking" Joan painstakingly discusses how Johnny Carson hung up on her when she tried to explain her reason for going to Fox, how Carson never forgave her, her husband Edgar's suicide after FOX cancelled Joan's show, her battles with her daughter Melissa in dealing with Edgar's death, Joan's low point in her life when the only job she could get was as a square on "Hollywood Squares", and her eventual rise again as the host of her own TV syndicated talk show that garnered her an Emmy. "Still Talking" is one person's courageous battle with life's obstacles and overcoming terrible circumstances. This book goes from the laughter of one of the greatest comedians ever to her personal struggles showing us all that she is a human being with frailties and problems. More than anything, though, Joan Rivers is a survivor, and through it all it is that laughter that has helped her overcome the hardships that have plagued her. "Still Talking" was turned into a NBC TV movie-of-the-week starring Joan and Melissa playing themselves that was extremely successful.

When I opened this book two days ago, I did not expect what I found. This is an impressive and engaging memoir about Joan Rivers' life and career. It centers around her husband's (Edgar Rosenberg) suicide and how that experience shattered her and her daughter. The book is essential reading for those whose lives have been impacted by a loved one's suicide. Rivers spares no punches in describing what lead up to, and the aftermath, of her husband's death. What could easily have been a heavy and morbid subject instead was handled gracefully, with candor and honesty. I think that the reviewers who concentrated on Rivers' comedy style instead of the overall subject matter really missed the point on this one.

Picking up right where her previous book "Enter Talking" left off, pioneering female comic Joan Rivers is matched up with producer Edgar Rosenberg via her "Tonight Show" connections, and soon found herself married. The book not only examines the show-biz ramifications of this loving marriage/business partnership in the entertainment world, it also shows how two 'outcasts' (by Joan's definition) came to cling to one another--and blame eachother when plans and dreams fell through. Some of the minute details (such as how many times Rivers guested on Johnny Carson's show) are sketchy, but Rivers' anger over being wronged so many times by people she trusted is instantly identifable. It's also a show-biz tome of wonderful gossipy bits: Tony Bennett constantly turning up late for a Vegas gig; Shirley MacLaine throwing her weight around (well, she is a Taurus!); Elvis Costello nodding off on camera; Cher being a good pal, always there when needed. Often, Rivers drops name for no other purpose than to fill certain gaps (she keeps mentioning Bill Cosby, Ann-Margret and Woody Allen without explaining these relationships to us--were they personal, friendly, or professional only?). The book's prologue and middle section details Edgar's suicide and Rivers' numbing heartache, yet Joan is careful not to overload her prose with repetitious grief--she's remarkably poised with her pen, sharp and brittle but also a woman in need. In fact, she's far more womanly and human here than her stand-up act ever let on, and many of her stories (triumphs and tragedies) are gripping, emotional, moving, bitterly funny and vividly told. B+