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Product Description
Product Description
From the Inside Flap A sweeping saga spanning 1898 to 1984 stretching from the mining fields of South Wales to the film sets of Hollywood and from the playhouses of Cardiff to the grand theatres of Broadway - this new and far reaching biography rakes over the coals of the life of Britain's greatest ever actor, Richard Burton. And how one extraordinary man had three fathers, three mothers, seven brothers, six sisters and four wives, and how he loved them all. And how that man earned US$75 million from the start of his career in 1951 to when he died in 1984; the equivalent of US$1.5 billion in today's money, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood history. From the Back Cover And God Created Burton is the first complete biography of the greatest Welshman ever to have lived. The man conquered Hollywood like no other British actor, before or since. His achievements were considered all the greater as they were accomplished in the era of such great British actors as Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud as well as great American stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Cary Grant. Burton's achievement was even more pronounced as his prowess uniquely spanned theatre, film and television unlike any other actor before him. In the end, he became a genuine legend in his own lifetime and in the mid-sixties, for one year, he stood at the very pinnacle of Hollywood as the world's most bankable actor. He also loved and lost some the most beautiful and talented actresses of the era, including Elizabeth Taylor, Claire Bloom and Susan Strasberg. But he could have achieved even more if it had not been for his addiction to alcohol, a fate inherited from his father and which stayed with him right to the end of his days, eventually killing him and tarnishing an otherwise extraordinary career.
About the Author
Tom Rubython is a well known journalist and author, previously specialising in the twin worlds of business and sport. And God Created Burton is his debut book in the world of entertainment and the arts. Previously editor of well known business and sports magazines, he has scored twin success in books with the best selling biographies of racing drivers, Ayrton Senna and latterly James Hunt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read many books about the Hollywood greats including Richard Burton. I thought that Melvyn Bragg's book was good but this is great - a staggering achievement by the writer. There are so many things I have learnt from the book. The book is very well paced and the natural style of the writer takes us though the high and low periods of Richard's life seamlessly - you can feel the changes in his life happening thought the changing pace of the narrative which seems to reflect exactly where Richard's career is and where his life is at the moment it is being described. I loved Chapter 20 which describes what happened when Richard went to Hollywood for the first time and his affair with Jean Simmons. The precise recounting of events is even more impressive as it happened nearly 60 years ago.
The book is huge with 61 chapters, yet each page turned offers fresh insight into the rise of this handsome son of a welsh miner. A tale of rags to riches which is both inspirational and heart warming, it is a warts and all account of a loveable rogue.
This is a biography which reads like a blockbuster novel once you pick it up you can't put it down. This is my first review ever published on Amazon but I felt I just had to comment.
The book is huge with 61 chapters, yet each page turned offers fresh insight into the rise of this handsome son of a welsh miner. A tale of rags to riches which is both inspirational and heart warming, it is a warts and all account of a loveable rogue.
This is a biography which reads like a blockbuster novel once you pick it up you can't put it down. This is my first review ever published on Amazon but I felt I just had to comment.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am now two-thirds of the way through this book. Most of it seems to be accurate, but as I know or have known several of the people mentioned, I do not agree with all the contents. Also there is quite a lot of repetition, which I find annoying. The photographs are certainly interesting. Even though it states in the preface to the book that it has been checked by the family, they did need a professional to check for typo errors. I do find this annoying when errors are not corrected. It happens in nearly every good I read.
Anyway to sum up it is worth reading if you are interested in Richard Burton, who was a fine actor, but it is a little overlong.
Jeanne
Anyway to sum up it is worth reading if you are interested in Richard Burton, who was a fine actor, but it is a little overlong.
Jeanne
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Excellent book based on thorough research and interviews with friends and family. I was particularly pleased with the approach to and ultimate unbiased review of the Jenkins family and their profound influence on Richard Burton which remained with him throughout his life.It also dealt very sensitively with his relationships with his wives who in most cases were the victims in his self destructive approach to life.I was pleased also that reference to Elisabeth Taylor`s determination to
possess him exclusively, was recorded with many examples and situations which made me feel rather sorry for the man.
possess him exclusively, was recorded with many examples and situations which made me feel rather sorry for the man.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Refreshing new bio on Burton
Even only one third through this book, it was refreshing to appreciate such a well written biog about Richard Burton that didn't simply linger on the Liz Taylor years. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BIG MAMMA
The View from Wales
There is something heroic about the sheer ambition of this project from a writer so ill-suited to take on the subject of an actor. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Welshtheatrewriter
Lazy & Error Ridden
Too many mistakes from the outset and too many to mention individually here. Very scrappy and lazy repetitive use of language. Where was the editor or the proof reader? Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. W. Nicol
Highly Recommended
I am a keen reader of biographies and this did not disappoint. Not taking away the fact that Richard Burton was obviously an interesting and charismatic character, Tom Rubython... Read more
Published 9 months ago by David Curtis
Not the best biography- but worth a quick read
This is a simply written biography of Richard Burton and I would not rate it highly. It is more like a tabloid paper version of his life and it is an easy read. Read more
Published 9 months ago by warthog
The man with the mellifluous voice
When you first see this book you will probably be put off by its sheer heft. It's a big, big book and not one for the faint hearted. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bonnie Bodrum
Sloppy; biography by numbers
This is the second biography I've read by this author (the other being "Shunt" - a biog of James Hunt) and they follow an identical structure beginning with a dramatic chapter... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ted
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