The FIRST TIME

The pop singer, Oscar-winning actress, and television star reveals the details of her volatile life, including her years with the late Sonny Bono, stories about her childhood, and her professional experiences

A collection of short, easily digestible anecdotesof her first Rolling Stones concert, her first solo recording, her first wedding ceremonytold by Cher and committed to paper in a tone of talkiness that seems to come straight from the tape recorder. Each brief recollection, some not more than a paragraph in span, stands on its own, but the separate reflections combine to tell the larger story of Chers bumpy rise from poor sassy kid and naive starlet to independent singer and award-winning actress. Much to her credit, Cher has bypassed the common pitfall of the confessional genre: that of over-analyzing minor events and attributing to them major, long-term outcomes. Instead, the memories are stated sparsely; she doesnt spend too much time explaining them or justifying them emotionally. The result: a lighter, more enjoyable read. Though her bits and pieces dont always hang together solidly, and dont always follow in exact chronological order, the overall effect is nevertheless like listening in on Chers candid musings about significant events in her life. Oddly enough, her gimmicky format (most vignettes end too conveniently with an aphorism) actually works. Co-author Coplon has also been co-author to Sarah, Duchess of York. Despite cute, contrived styling, the reminiscences unfold in an honest and personal (though sometimes performed) fashion. As an added bonus, one can open the book at almost any page and start right inthe perfect arrangement for hard-pressed readers. (32 pages color and b&w photos) (Television satellite tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Cher has battled on and off with chronic fatigue syndrome, so perhaps that's why she was too tired to write a real book. Even with a cowriter, all she could come up with are short vignettes playing on the "first" theme: "My First Bicycle" and "My First Bra" from the early chapters, and later, "My First Fifteen Minutes of Fame," "My First Mansion," and "My First Affidavit from a Plastic Surgeon." Finally, the collection concludes with "My First Tragedy," on the death of Sonny Bono. Each of these many, many vignettes gets a page or a couple of pages. The first-person writing is breezy enough, and interested fans will learn something of Cher and her life. But for the most part, this is like a TV show made up of clips. Just when you want to see more, the focus moves on to something else. Expect to see Cher on the talk-show circuit, hawking the book like she once hawked hair products ("My First Infomercial"). Ilene Cooper

Cher's quasi-autobiography is divided into anecdotal mini-chapters, each with a title including "first" ("My First Memory," "My First Plastic Surgery"). The gimmicky format results in a lack of both continuity and depth?the text reads as if it were transcribed from tape recordings, and frequent passages of re-created dialog seem awkward and false. Scattered throughout, however, are entertaining reminiscences and infrequent glimpses of a likable and straightforward person. Especially touching are fragments that reveal the vulnerable child who survived a chaotic upbringing by idolizing Holly Golightly, listening to Broadway scores, using clothes to express herself, and dreaming of stardom. These moments of enlightenment make one hope for a thoughtful autobiography in the future. Cher has been the subject of a few biographies, the best of which is Lawrence J. Quirk's Totally Uninhibited (LJ 8/91). Recommended for public libraries with a demand for celebrity biographies.
-?Bruce Henson, Georgia Inst. of Technology
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.