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Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger
 
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Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Paperback)

by Laurence Leamer (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd; New edition edition (7 April 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0330439626
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330439626
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 46,012 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description
The life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most extraordinary success stories of our time. A scrawny boy from an Austrian village, he went on to become the greatest bodybuilding champion in history, the biggest movie star in the world, the Republican husband of a Kennedy princess and the popular governor of California. He may even become the president of the United States one day. In this major new biography, acclaimed author Laurence Leamer tells the inside story of Arnold's remarkable rise to fame and power. Leamer has had exclusive interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger and his closest associates, including his wife, Maria Shriver, Austrian schoolfriends, his mentors, bodybuilding competitors, lifelong friends, girlfriends, political rivals, agents, publicists and producers, many of whom have never been interviewed before. Fantastic paints the definitive portrait of the real Arnold - a man of immense discipline, wilful ambition and limitless drive. Leamer takes us from the untold story of his traumatic relationship with his father, to how his first mentor, a Jewish partisan in the Second World War helped shape him; from the movie star who tried to ruin his career to why Arnold overcame the sordid sexual revelations that marred his campaign for governor of California and the game plan that may bring him to the White House. Insightful, highly entertaining, this book captures the public and private Schwarzenegger, a cultural and political figure unlike any other.

About the Author
Laurence Leamer's previous titles include The Kennedy Women, The Kennedy Men and Sons of Camelot.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight, 10 Mar 2007
By Darren Bell "daz1387" (Durham Uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
A very full and interesting book on a very determined man. The book covers Arnolds life from his Austrian beginnings to his governership of california via his love of bodybuilding.
Arnolds determination was forged in the fire of hardcore bodybuilding gyms and his relentless pursuit of his goals makes for a fascinating read. Arnold could simply change things to suit his own unusual style using his extremely powerful presence, which could very well take him to the very top in American politics.
I found the book very easy to read and almost inspiring at times. If you like 'Arnie' and want to know more about the real him, then read this.
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Certainly don't judge THIS book by the cover!, 4 Jun 2006
By K. W. Buxton (Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
While I am possibly shooting myself in the foot by saying so; I will admit to being a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his movies. Thus, it was predominantly the documenting of his movie career that drew me to this book.

You will notice that I have given it 2 stars. The first one goes to the author: because you can't fault him! With every page you read, it is evident that this guy REALLY did his homework surrounding the personal and public life of the Austrian action hero. The second star, I give for the sections of content about his movies. As a movie geek myself, this is what I was most interested in. His rise is again well documented and makes for interesting reading.

However, this book is still far from 'Fantastic'. I haven't read many biographies; but I can say that because it is a 'bio' and not an 'auto-bio', it is often a very dry and quite struggling read. It's just written in such a way that makes it very hard for you to WANT to turn the page. I only read it to the end, just so I could say I had. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have bothered. Especially since the final third of the book is filled to the hilton with political jargon. Yes, I know it's to be expected, because politics is now a big part of his life. But if you're anything like me without any kind of political brain; the last portion of the book will have your mind in a haze.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not dismissing the book completely; but for me, it was a great dissapointment which left me hoping that Arnold's life story will never again see pen and paper.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight in to the life of a driven man, 22 April 2007
By Russell Finn (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a well written, easy to read book about an interesting man. It includes some B&W photos and a comprehensive index. The author is clearly an admirer but the tone in never sycophantic. It covers his life from birth to about 2005 when he became the governor of California.

Arnold comes across as a driven man, applying himself first in body-building, then in the world Hollywood films, and now in politics. There's a bit where several bodybuilders come to Arnold for advice, and as well as giving them astute observations, he praises each of them with "If I had your body, I would be Mr Olympia". These bodybuilders are later upset when they find out that he told them all the same thing, but the one of them (Frank Zane) got the point - "The fact is that Arnold could have won Olympia with a number of different bodies because of his attitude - it was all his attitude".

I recommend this book, even if you're not interested in bodybuilding.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Read
A very good biography covering right through Arnold's life from his childhood and bodybuilding days, right up to his present day role as the Governor of California. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Maz man

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