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In a wise, warmhearted memoir that celebrates her extraordinary life and stellar career, Swoosie Kurtz shares just the right combination of personal misadventure and showbiz lore, candidly reflecting on the right choices that empowered her, the wrong choices that enlightened her, and the intimate journey of caring for an aging parent.
Animating this remarkable memoir is Swoosie’s relationship with her equally remarkable parents. Her father, Frank, was an Olympic athlete and highly decorated World War II airman. He flew a record number of missions in a cobbled-together B-17D called the Swoose. Her mother, Margo, was the quintessential military wife but with the spunk and will to match her husband’s. Her 1945 memoir, My Rival, the Sky, chronicled their lives up to the time of the birth of their daughter.
Today, Margo, who is fast approaching her hundredth birthday, lives with Swoosie. And Swoosie’s life has become a precarious and precious balancing act as she struggles to stay ahead of her mother’s increasing needs while navigating a showbiz career that keeps one foot in Hollywood and the other on Broadway.
The critics love Swoosie Kurtz….
“Inimitable…one of the best comic actors of our time.” —USA Today
“[An] expert comic actress…may just be the most seductive woman on the New York stage right now.” —Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
and “full of surprises…expressive…devastating…unforgettable.” —Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“This expert comic actress…may just be the most seductive woman on the New York stage right now.” —Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
“Full of surprises…expressive…devastating…unforgettable.” —Ben Brantley, The New York Times
A multiple Tony, Emmy, Obie and Drama Desk Award winner, Swoosie Kurtz is a Broadway icon whose work also includes big screen blockbusters like Liar, Liar and Dangerous Liaisons, indie favorites like Citizen Ruth, True Stories and Cruel Intentions and beloved TV hits Sisters and Pushing Daisies. She is currently starring in the CBS hit series Mike & Molly. Her distinctive name comes from The Swoose, the famed B-17 bomber flown by her father, Col. Frank Kurtz, the most decorated Air Force pilot of World War II.
Anonymous
Posted Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Such a good book! It is really three stories that gel together effortlessly: Her rise to star status in her career, her parents incredible life together along with excerpts from her mother's book so there is her mother's first-person account too. Ms Kurtz is an amazing woman!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is a most fascinating look at past and present in a family story. Well worth the read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JoniRodgers
Posted Tue Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
It's fascinating to read about a person's work when they are as driven and passionate about it as Swoosie Kurtz is about theater, but this memoir is mostly about the family relationships that have sustained her. This would be a great Mothers Day gift and also an excellent book club book. Highly recommending.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun May 11 00:00:00 EDT 2014
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Overview
In a wise, warmhearted memoir that celebrates her extraordinary life and stellar career, Swoosie Kurtz shares just the right combination of personal misadventure and showbiz lore, candidly reflecting on the right choices that empowered her, the wrong choices that enlightened her, and the intimate journey of caring for an aging parent.
Animating this remarkable memoir is Swoosie’s relationship with her equally remarkable parents. Her father, ...