Last Girl Before Freeway, Leslie Bennetts
Last Girl Before Freeway, Leslie Bennetts
3 Rating(s)
List: $38.99 | Sale: $27.30
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Last Girl Before Freeway
The Life, Loves, Losses, and Liberation of Joan Rivers

Author: Leslie Bennetts

Narrator: Erin Bennett

Unabridged: 16 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/15/2016

Synopsis

Named one of "40 Gifts for the Book Lover on Your List," by Good Housekeeping: The definitive book about Joan Rivers' tumultuous, victorious, tragic, hilarious, and fascinating life.

Joan Rivers was more than a legendary comedian; she was an icon and a role model to millions, a fearless pioneer who left a legacy of expanded opportunity when she died in 2014. Her life was a dramatic roller coaster of triumphant highs and devastating lows: the suicide of her husband, her feud with Johnny Carson, her estrangement from her daughter, her many plastic surgeries, her ferocious ambition and her massive insecurities.

But Rivers' career was also hugely significant in American cultural history, breaking down barriers for her gender and pushing the boundaries of truth-telling for women in public life. A juicy, intimate biography of one of the greatest comedians ever -- a performer whose sixty year career was borne, simply, out of a desire to make people laugh so she could feel loved -- Last Girl Before Freeway delves into the inner workings of a woman who both reflected and redefined the world around her.

About Leslie Bennetts

Leslie Bennetts has been a contributing editor at Vanity Fair since 1988, writing on subjects that have ranged from movie stars to U.S. antiterrorism policy. Before joining that magazine, she was the first woman ever to cover a presidential campaign for The New York Times. Bennetts lives in New York City with her husband and their two children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Barbara on October 11, 2023

Joan Rivers, born Joan Alexandra Molinksy in 1933, was an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and television host. Joan Alexandra Molinksy In this lively biography, which is informative, poignant, and funny, author Leslie Bennetts provides an insightful portrait of Joan's life - from childho......more

Goodreads review by lp on August 25, 2016

I went into this book not sure if I liked or disliked Joan Rivers. I wish I had mapped out my emotions page-by-page—it seems they were changing drastically every few paragraphs. But after reading this I feel I must make this declarative statement: I Love Joan Rivers! Despite my previous misgivings,......more

Goodreads review by Niki on November 16, 2016

Given her place in history, there are very few books about Joan written by anyone other than Joan: she alone, seemed to control her narrative. One of the few outliers is the heartwarming book by daughter Melissa after her death. Joan was the one who chronicled the stories and the rumors (not always......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on January 10, 2020

I felt that this book, while interesting, was too long. I felt that I already knew most things I read here, which isn’t the fault of the author. It’s interesting tho that she’s drawing a portrait of JR being basically a mass of contradictions—and I felt at times like she just twisted stories to meet......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on February 24, 2024

This started out ok, Joan was polarizing, but definitely a trailblazer. The final chapter when Joan was ‘quoted’ from the afterlife was a bit much!......more

Quotes

"Highly readable.... Bennetts' clear-eyed biography shows why this ambitious, 'stubbornly paradoxical' woman who 'wasn't ready to cede the spotlight' continues to command our attention. (3 out of 4 stars)"—Jocelyn McClurg, USA Today

"You may think you know Joan Rivers, but I'll bet you'll be shocked by the revelations in Leslie Bennetts's irresistible biography. Before there was a women's movement or much hope for a woman in stand-up comedy, Joan made it by ridiculing everything she craved, from beauty and respectability to fashion and power. With unmatched energy and an ambition that made Napoleon look like Gandhi, she broke the boundaries of taste and commonsense-and widened the path for us all."—Gloria Steinem

"Joan was a great friend of mine and this is one hell of a book. A terrific read from start to finish, it captures Joan completely. Five stars."—Larry King, television and radio host

"The story of Joan Rivers is also the story of the trials and tribulations faced by talented and ambitious American women for decades, and Leslie Bennetts tells her story in riveting, surprising, heart rending, and hilarious detail."—Tina Brown, author of The Diana Chronicles

"Leslie Bennetts has delivered a big, juicy biography of comedy's First Lady that takes the reader behind the scenes in the male dominated entertainment industry. That would be fascinating enough, but what stays is a portrait of a woman whose drive is fueled almost entirely on self-loathing. We know by now that most comics are in great pain-this account understands the high cost of all of those outrageous over-the-top screamingly funny classic Joan Rivers zingers."—Betsy Lerner, author of The Bridge Ladies

"[An] affectionate and entertaining bio."—O, the Oprah Magazine

"In this first detailed biography of Rivers since her death, Bennetts reveals the woman behind the schtick. It's all here.... Celebrity mavens and fans of well-written biographies will enjoy this title."—Rosellen Brewer, Library Journal

"[A] fascinating biography."—Entertainment Weekly

"Undeniably dishy.... A fat and full book that will satisfy fans who want all of Joan in one place."—Ilene Cooper, Kirkus Reviews

"Thoroughly researched and eminently readable.... Last Girl Before Freeway is likely to be, for our time, the definitive biography of [Rivers]."—Jonah Raskins, NY Journal of Books

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