Uncharted TerriTORI [Paperback]

I love "Beverly Hills, 90210." I like Tori Spelling very much and enjoy her reality show. I also liked her two previous books, but for me, "Uncharted TerriTORI" just does not measure up. First of all, I don't think the book had a real theme like the previous ones did. It's supposed to be about Tori making herself sick by being such a workaholic, but I felt like all the chapters were a bit disjointed. Secondly, I watched Season 5 of "Tori and Dean," and I was disappointed that so many of the events covered on the show were also presented in this book. I already watched the episodes about the family's cross-country road trip and Mama Lola's visit to L.A.; I didn't need to read about them again, especially when the book didn't really offer any new information on these topics. Finally, I just don't think this book was as well-written as Tori's other memoirs. I get the feeling it was put together really quickly...it all felt a little rushed, which may account for some of the problems I've mentioned. I still love you, Tori, but if you choose to publish a fourth book, I hope you put a bit more effort into it.

It took me a while to hop on the Tori Spelling bandwagon. I was never a fan of hers during 90210 and didn't care to see her movies or give her a second thought, really. Then her reality show came out and two of my girlfriends (LibraryLove being one of them) talked about how much they loved her and how funny she was on her show with her family. So I sighed heavily and watched an episode of the show. I was surprised to find I actually liked her! Tori's wit and humor cracked me up and her sweet relationship with Dean was endearing and cute to watch.

So naturally I stayed on the bandwagon and read (and loved) both of her first two books, sTORI telling and Mommywood. I loved how candid she was and how much she shared. My mouth dropped while reading of her mothers' neuroses at her first wedding, and I couldn't imagine having a mother as neurotic as Candy Spelling.

While the show has fallen down my favorite list, I still wanted to read the newest Tori book. But I was so disappointed with this one. More than one chapter detailed events that have aired on the show (stale material, anyone?) and I felt like the book makes Tori Spelling look like a freak-show. I mean, really. The woman is afraid of EVERYTHING and quite frankly, that's exhausting to read about over and over. She (admittedly) lives her life in fear of anything and everything that could happen in a given day. I rolled my eyes more than once, thinking "Get a hold of yourself, woman."

Tori's obsession with other world mediums is out there. She consults psychics (even gifting visits with them for loved ones) and has voodoos performed in her home and on her person. Feeling she had an evil spirit within her, "Mama Lola...combined cornmeal, dried beans, vegetables, and chopped-up yams. She added gin and Florida water, a cologne from the nineteenth century that's still popular in South American and Caribbean cultures...chanted...slashed my clothing into strips." She goes on for an entire chapter about this experience and it leaves me (the reader) wondering why this wasn't a "private" event that she refrained from publishing?

Reading about her going to her mother's for a Christmas party convinced me she is JUST like her mother. Once portrayed to be a loony tune, Candy Spelling raised a daughter just like her. Communicating through Candy's assistant, Tori plans to attend a Christmas party at "The Manor", the obscene Spelling private residence. Reading about Tori getting ready for this was unreal. She went to Papyrus to get their fanciest gift wrap paper for the hostess gift she was giving her mother. When curling her hair, she writes, "How would my mother react? Would she think I was too old for long, loose curls? Would wearing it up be more lady-like?" While picking out her outfit, she writes "I started with red...but then I got nervous about wearing red because I didn't want my mother or anyone else to think I was trying to steal the show. I must have tried on a total of eight dresses." I mean, listen, I get that there are perfectionists out there, but this is exhausting. No wonder Tori winds up in the hospital, literally sick to her stomach with stress and migraines on more than one occasion. She drives herself crazy!

I am disappointed to post a negative review because I've been a fan for a while. But this book paints Tori Spelling as a self-obsessed, neurotic, spoiled and materialistic wack-a-doodle. Definitely not my favorite of her books. Though she was still funny in her writing, the craziness far outweighed the comedy. Maybe next time?

2.5/5 stars

Let's set a few reviewer comments straight. Sure Dean rips Tori's IV out but when she transfers hospitals, she finds out the first hospital misdiagnosed her on many accounts, botched a spinal tap and she did have H1N1 after being told she didn't. It wasn't just a diva move-she had suffered with nothing but a pat on the head for 5 days. I think Dean ripping her IV out was one of the most compassionate things he's ever done for her.

Sure the book rehashes the show, but it gives a lot of behind the scenes anecdotes, too.

I don't see this book as a book of complaints. I see Tori admitting her faults, seeking several sources to try and fix those faults, and in the end admitting she's got a long way to go.

Hey, maybe I am an optimist and choose to see her trying to come to terms with her past, micro-managed present, and future. She wears multiple hats and tries to wear them all well. Why should that bother me? It doesn't. I don't see the celebrity in this book-I see the Mom, wife, woman. And she is struggling in spite of herself. That honesty may get boring to some, but for me, I appreciate a celebrity publically stating she doesn't have it all together as a woman no matter what it looks like on camera.

I believe the Tori in this book is more authentic than what you see on Tori and Dean. But hey, read the book and you be the judge.