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"The New York Times Book Review" Vivid...The story of Gia Carangi...should be set out among the fashion magazines in modeling agency waiting rooms and any other place where teen-age girls who've been called pretty a little too often hang out...Stephen Fried's exhaustive account of Gia's brief life seems to have an important unanswered quesition on every page: why didn't anyone help Gia?
Product Description
At age seventeen, Gia Carangi was working the counter at her father's Philadelphia luncheonette, Hoagie City. Within a year, Gia was one of the top models of the late 1970's, gracing the covers of Cosmopolitan and Vogue, partying at New York's Studio 54 and the Mudd Club, and redefining the industry's standard of beauty. She was the darling of moguls and movie stars, royalty and rockers. Gia was also a girl in pain, desperate for her mother's approval-- and a drug addict on a tragic slide toward oblivion, who started going directly from $10,000-a-day fashion shoots to the heroin shooting galleries on New York's Lower East Side. Finally blackballed from modeling, Gia entered a vastly different world on the streets of New york and Atlantic City, and later in a rehab clinic. At twenty-six, she became on of the first women in America to die of AIDS, a hospital welfare case visited only by rehab friends and what remained of her family.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews with Gia's gamily, lovers, friends, and colleagues, "Thing of Beauty" creates a poignant portrait of an unforgettable character-- and a powerful narrative about beauty and sexuality, fame and objectification, mothers and daughters, love and death.
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The 1970s came early for Gia Marie Carangi. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The 1970s came early for Gia Marie Carangi. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Having read through the reviews, I find that no one is really expressing my view on the book.
Gia was obviously no saint and I don't think the book in any way tries to portray her as a tragic victim. The author shows himself to be more than aware of her faults. I don't think you need a qualification in social work (see other reviews) to realise that there are many who start with less than Gia. I think the author would agree with this but I don't think this is particularly relevant to the book.
Other reviews complain about the author's fascination with the age in general, David Bowie, Studio 54, other models. I find this the book's strength. It documents the last age when people could sleep around and abuse substances with a kind of innocence. I think the parts of the book which handle the intial rumours of a new kind of mysterious plague and reality of Gia's AIDs are fascinating. I really think the book captures the spirit of the early to mid eighties extremely well.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Gia Marie Carangi was a person of many sides. This book is a fantastic look at the woman that changed magazine covers as we know them: a foul mouthed brunette kick up the ass for early 80s fashion. Gia had many inner demons: I feel if she had got help earlier, she would still be with us today. In the end, I think AIDs wasn't the only thing that led to her tragic demise way before her time: the lack of attention and love she so craved all her life also contributed to the incredible pain she had felt. Gia was Gay, but wished she was straight so she could please her mother, which is sad. I think that Gia should never be forgot. A wonderful book about a true one off: Gia Marie Carangi: 1960-1986. You broke the mould, babe.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
this book is excellent,very tragic and looks deep in to the world of modelling and its down falls.the author has captured gia!s life and her greatest struggles in life,to be loved,would reccomend this book to anyone,far better than the film,excellent reading,i was hooked.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
amazingly sad !!!!!
I could not wait to have this book and read it . When I got it I could not stop reading it, it was so fascinating and so powerfull and it leaves you with impression thhat this one... Read more
Published 14 months ago by corky
Thing of Beauty
Stephen Fried writes a powerful and moving story of the results of 'excess'. Gia in her life summed up 'The Fab 80s'. A era that made the 'Swinging 60s' look tame. Read more
Published 17 months ago by John
An interesting read, if you're interested in the subject and the era
I enjoyed reading this book, although (as has been mentioned) the sole focus isn't always really on Gia Carangi. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mrs. Ea Gould
Amazing, True, and Sad.
This is the life of a young girl, everyone should know her story, for educational and memorial reasons!
Published on 11 Aug 2009 by L. Poole
An all round interesting read about Gia..
After reading all the reviews about the book my expectations were quite high. It was a good book & it paints a picture of Gia and the influences (good & bad) that touched her... Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2009 by A. Dickson
An excellent reason not to put your daughter on the catwalk.
It's unfair to criticise this book for not concentrating enough on Gia. She gave few interview and died in 1986, but Stephen Fried did speak to a lot of people in her life, such as... Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2003 by Mrs. O. Chalmers
Amazing life but very badly written book
I was really looking forward to this book, but what a disappointment!! Call me selfish, but I expected the book be about Gia and not other people. If I want know about D. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2001
The Demon within Gia
This book deserves it's 5 crowns given. I Can't help but feel sorry for Gia and the all the pain she put herself through. I Felt so sad while reading about her life. Read more
Published on 28 July 1999
RISE AND FALL OF A BEAUTY
WE HAVE READ THE BOOK AND WATCHED THE FILM A THOUSAND TIMES AND WE COULDN'T HELP OURSELVES FROM CRYING. THE STORY IS AMAZING, CAPTIVATING AND DAZZLING. Read more
Published on 28 July 1999
Gia Was In A Lot Of Emotional Pain That Killed Her
I bought the book the other and I read in less than one night I cried so much after reading it HBO was so right to let Angelina Jolie play the self-destructive Ms. Read more
Published on 21 July 1999
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