This is a well detailed bio. At times it felt like it was just a bit too detailed and the author was repeating herself. So it took me a bit to get through, but all in all worth a read if you're a Natalie Wood fan. ( )

Great book if you love old Hollywood. She was always one of my mom's favorite actresses. Loved West Side Story and Gypsy. What a sad life she had though, esp. at the end. Overall though, probably one of the best bios I've read. Very thorough. ( )

This is a very thoroughly researched account of Natalie Wood's rather dramatic and definitely sad life. From child star to teen icon to full blown movie star, everything in her life is meticulously documented, although that does mean that sometimes there's a lack of a strong narrative.

It's one of my oldest news memories, hearing about Natalie Wood's death, and while I understood it was strange for some reason, I was unaware of the details. This filled in not just those final hours (although the official record is decidedly patchy), but her importance in Hollywood for several decades.

I hope there's a special circle in Hell for pushy stage mothers.

Interesting life and detailed and thorough research, but it lacked something in narrative. ( )

Highly detailed, this biography presents a tragic picture of a beloved actress. ( )

If you are over the age of 25 in America, you have heard of Natalie Wood. The tragically deceased movie star is akin to an icon in our nation's past. This thoroughly researched biography gives insight into her early life and behind the scenes information about her movies. With quotes from original sources, such as Wood's family members and staff, and second hand sources, such as magazine articles, the details of Natalie's life are spread before us.
I was only semi-knowledgeable about this actress prior to reading the book. I had only ever seen her three most famous movies, Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story, and Miracle on 34th Street. Since this book, I have been compelled to familiarize myself with more of her work.
The author is, I believe, a first-time biographer, and although I haven't read terribly many biographies, I found her style somewhat heavy-handed. She also needs to familiarize herself better with the concepts of "foreshadowing" and "irony." One thing I found very annoying about the writing was that the author felt the need to remind us, over and over, of who people were. For example, she introduces us to Debbie Reynolds "who was originally considered for the part of Judy." Then, a paragraph later, she quotes Reynolds again, identifying her as "the actress who almost got [Natalie's] part." Scarcely a paragraph later, Reynolds "who almost played Judy" is quoted again. I did not need these reminders, as I (and I would imagine most other reasonably intelligent readers) can remember what was written from paragraph to paragraph. Also, I am quite unfamiliar with movie stars and directors from this period, so I would imagine people who were alive during this time or more well-versed on in this subject might be even more frustrated than I was.
Finstad also kept pushing the idea that "Natalie Wood" was a "composite" of Natalie herself and her mother, Maria. I was willing to accept the assertion at first, as Maria pushed Natalie into stardom, but later, as Natalie grew up, it seemed Finstad was massaging the facts to support her claim.
In conclusion, I learned a lot from Finstad's thorough research and interviews with close friends and family members of Ms. Wood, but I would not read a book by her again. I have wish-listed another biography of Natalie Wood, and would be interested to see whether this concept of the "composite" Natalie Wood is more pervasive. ( )