My Judy Garland Life [Hardcover]

Susie Boyt's latest is a dazzling, spine-tingling, catch-your-breath-in-awe compilation. The word "unique" is bandied about far too easily , but Boyt's book truly is unique. Where else would you find a sonnet to the author's favourite petits fours rubbing shoulders with a treatise on hunger, food and eating; where else a list of dramatis personae ranging from the Wizard of Oz to Cordelia to Lucien Freud to Johns Berryman and Keats? Bonjela (for mouth ulcers) makes a surreal appearance, to be followed by deep (and deeply fascinating)observations on drug addiction, mourning, and the art of consolation. This book scales the heights and explores the depths, moving from the sublime to the crazy; from the blackest melancholy of personal bereavement to the rainbow-coloured elation of singing a duet with Mickey Rooney in a fashionable West-End restaurant. The writing itself is vivid, original and higly inventive, with phrases such as "vanilla chilblains" and "sugar prayers" making this particular writer stop to relish them in admiration.

I began the book in ignorance and innocence, knowing shamefully little about Judy Garland, and never having been a fan of anyone (except of God the Father in my devout Catholic childhood). Yet I was gripped, amazed and fascinated by the sheer emotion and adoration poured out on Judy by her countless fans, who see her as muse, mentor, goddess, role model, inspiration and even alter ego. Boyt explores the whole nature of hero-worship - its links with obsession, neediness and the wish to live at a higher level- yet the book moves far beyond its subject. Indeed, nothing seems beyond Boyt's scope as she turns her formidable intelligence on a range of issues from eating disorders, the nature of love, the perils of childhood, the rollercoaster ride of fame, the uses of fear, and the joys and travails of motherhood.

Early in the book, she summarizes what she calls her new beliefs, inspired by Judy Garland herself. These beliefs are so wise, subtle and profound that to have drawn them up at the end of a long, long life would be achievement indeed. To have done so before the age of 40 is little short of miraculous.

This is an intensely personal and exquisitely conceived narrative that analyses the impact of a legend and enduring icon on one person's life. Two parallel journeys are interwoven with humour, pathos, anecdote, whimsical speculation and extraordinary insight. Garland's personality and legacy strides like a colossus throughout; yet never overpowers the author's articulate and sensitive observations of her own life and experiences. This is a sincere and brave venture that assimilates with great skill biography and autobiography. It will strike a chord with anybody out there who still has a heart and isn't frightened to admit it. The book encapsulates that intense intimacy and personal bond that many Garland fans feel towards Judy; that 'profound kinship' that unites devotees across the world. It's an acutely sensitive book where Susie reflects on her own battles to understand and master her own day-to-day life; the emotional world of love, laughter and loss that we all inhabit, and Judy is a passive companion throughout this process. At one point Boyt observes: 'I wasn't there at the moments of [Judy's] greatest triumphs and her cruelest despair. But she has been at mine' and it is a sentiment fans of any star or performer will share. One chapter, entitled 'World's Greatest Entertainer' stands alone as one of, if not THE most eloquent analysis of Garland's talent that I have ever encountered. Susie has captured the impact of Judy: THE voice, THE personality, THE agony, ecstasy and rollercoaster extremities. The book is rich with anecdotes, eloquent and evocative childhood memories, amusing 'what if...' speculation, humour and tears; and Judy is the key point of reference in Susie's life - omnipresent but never really getting in the way of Susie's story. It is such a brave and exciting new direction in biography/memoir; beautifully illustrated with some superb and rare Garland photographs. Anybody out there who has ever idolised or respected a performer or role model of any shape or form will love this book. Garland fans will lap it up. Superb, and so cleverly and eloquently written.

This is an utterly wonderful book, part biography, part memoir, part novel, that sets out to examing all the different faces of love, loss and fame and find out what it really means to be human. Beautifully written, at times hilarious at other moments poignant or even heart-breaking, it is, deep down, a very high spirited book about grief. Its breadth is incredible, going from stage school antics, how to get someone into rehab, the history of psychoanalysis in the USA, the travails of being from a big dynasty, the dynamics of mourning, cake decorating, show tunes, the loneliness of the understudy...and of course Judy Garland in all her majesty!
A must not just for Judy fans, but for fans of fine writing and life.