I Love Lucy is a show that everyone has seen at least one episode of and many have a favorite episode (the candy factory episode is mine) yet not many of us know Lucy's backstory. After her passing in 1989, her children were going through her belongings they discovered that her attorney had twenty recorded tapes where Lucy told her life story.

Lucy tells of growing up in Jamestown, New York until a family member offered to send her to drama school and that changed the course of her life. Lucy details her time as a background actress, becoming a leading lady, and of course, meeting Desi. While Lucy does not get into detail about Desi's affair, she does explain that the point of no return was when he could not keep his temper in check. Despite divorcing, Lucy and Desi remained the closest and friends and the best parents their children could have asked for.

As a huge Lucy fan, I have been wanting to read this for a very long time. I found her story to be interesting and informative. My favorite parts were finding out friends from her childhood ended up as characters on I Love Lucy - including the friend who originally tinted her hair red. All in all, I loved this book...almost as much as I Love Lucy. ( )

Didn't finish. My expectations, as set by prior reviews, were not met. This manuscript was a little too glossy in some parts. Eve Arden's bio, which I am also reading right now, is better.

But here we run into the issues we always face with classic film and TV personalities. They were very much type cast--- and coached to be that way all the time. This was one of the issues with Lucy in her early movies. They couldn't really find a type for her and, once the show found one that worked, audiences wouldn't settle for anything else. Arden's book is written like the made-for-her personality. Lucy's... it has that struggle(especially since I gather this was an unfinished project, published posthumously). I'm not, in any way, trying to avoid the hard stories. I just wish it had a distinctive voice and a bit more polish.

I will always love Lucy. If you want a good book about the show days, read the one written by the show's writer, Jess Oppenheimer. If you want one about her life... actually I recommend something on film. You can't capture her beauty, vibrance, classy-ness, and toughness on paper. ( )

There is so much more to Lucy than the funny, witty, memorable comedian. She was a regular woman with hopes, dreams, struggles, fears, and daily life just like any other woman in her era.
Reading this book was a wonderful experience for me. ( )

Very awesome book. Written by the crazy red head herself and packed full of info that not many people know. I now have even more respect and love for this woman after having read this book. I dare say... I just Love Lucy 💜 ( )

Amazing book written by an amazing woman. It was very interesting and easy to read/follow. She has written an honest and funny memoir probably because she was thinking it will never get published. My only wish would have been a bigger section on "I love Lucy" show. Like if Vivian Vance and William frawley really hated each other.. What took to film amazing episodes like the chocolate factory, Lucy in Italy scenes... Still I will be grateful with what I have :) ( )