Not the Girl Next Door, Charlotte Chandler
Not the Girl Next Door, Charlotte Chandler
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Not the Girl Next Door
Joan Crawford, a Personal Biography

Author: Charlotte Chandler

Narrator: Christine Williams

Unabridged: 9 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook (DRM Protected)

Published: 02/05/2008

Synopsis

She was beautiful, talented, irascible, ruthless, vulnerable, and a true Hollywood legend. From abused child to dance-hall entertainer to silent-film actress, she went on to become one of Hollywood’s screen goddesses with films such as Possessed opposite Clark Gable, with whom she began a torrid off-screen affair, Grand Hotel, and Mildred Pierce, her Academy Award–winning film. Joan Crawford succeeded and survived through sheer determination, talent, invention, and re-invention.Now, Charlotte Chandler, the acclaimed biographer of Ingrid Bergman (Ingrid), Bette Davis (The Girl Who Walked Home Alone), and Groucho Marx (Hello, I Must Be Going), gives us a revealing and often surprising portrait of Joan Crawford, much of it in Joan Crawford’s own words.

About Charlotte Chandler

Charlotte Chandler's first book, Hello, I Must Be Going, was a bestseller about Groucho Marx. Her second book, The Ultimate Seduction, included conversations with Mae West, Tennessee Williams, Henry Moore, and others. Her next book, I, Fellini, was a New York Times Notable Book and has been published in twenty-five foreign editions. Her book about Billy Wilder, Nobody's Perfect, is being produced as a stage play by David Brown. She lives in New York City.

About Christine Williams

Christine Williams is a singer and actor based in Ashland, Oregon. Her performance credits include productions at regional theaters and on concert stages across the country and around the world, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Barbican Centre in London to the Aspen Music Festival and the Grotowski Institute in Poland.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Larry on April 24, 2017

I was expecting a little more information. I thought it was a little light weight and was expecting more from Charlotte Chandler. I will have to look for a another biography of Joan with a little more detail. There was a lot of good information on her movies though.......more

Goodreads review by Bert on October 20, 2018

Nothing new here really. Considering this is subtitled “a personal biography” I was expecting a book that was more devoted to Joan’s personal life, her life outside of the movies, nope. What we have here is much the same as Possessed by Donald Spoto, a good and thorough look at Joan’s film career. C......more

Goodreads review by Judy on June 12, 2013

I had enjoyed Charlotte Chandler's book about Bette Davis, so had high hopes for her one about Joan Crawford, but was disappointed. Both books are constructed around detailed interviews with the stars carried out many years ago, but, whereas Davis' voice comes across vividly, Crawford's doesn't. Cha......more

Goodreads review by Anna on July 05, 2020

A fascinating look at Crawford's life. I read Mommie Dearest years ago so it was interesting to read something that offered a different perspective. The truth is probably somewhere between the two books.......more

Goodreads review by Gareth on December 26, 2019

This is a difficult book to judge, in that it’s very interesting but it’s not really a biography in the conventional sense. The author had the great fortune to extensively interview Joan Crawford in the 1970s and during those interviews Crawford reflected on her extraordinary life. The problem with......more

Quotes

“Indispensable for future considerations of Crawford.” 
Los Angeles Times

“This is the definitive book on Crawford’s life and her career. It’s entertaining while offering convincing authenticity.” 
Rocky Mountain News

“Reveal[s] a hardworking, disciplined and generous woman who lived for work…Chandler’s bio is a breezy, laudatory read that would have pleased Crawford.” Publishers Weekly

“The former Lucille LaSueur’s story may never have been better told.” Booklist

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List