Breaking the Silence - Hardcover

Hartley, Mariette; Commire, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399135839 ISBN 13: 9780399135835

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1990

Synopsis

The award-winning actress describes her odyssey from her own turbulent childhood, abusive first marriage, and alcoholism through the struggle and joy of building a new life

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying, always on target, this splendid autobiography by Emmy-winning actress Hartley and playwright Commire rises well above other efforts of its kind. Many of Hartley's themes are familiar--alcoholism, physical and mental abuse, psychoanalysis and eventual redemption--but her intelligence, candor and uncluttered prose cast all afresh. Whether she is describing an outrageous series of outtakes on the set of Gunsmoke or her father's decline and eventual bloody suicide, she offers substance and style. A special pleasure is her humor. On an adolescent rival: "I'll bet she saves all her kilt pins in a little box that says 'Kilt Pins.' " On Fay Wray: "I just wish my demons had been large, furry and visible. They weren't." Photos not seen by PW. First serial to People; BOMC featured alternate.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Television star Hartley's early life was considerably grimmer than her perky personality would suggest: the child of alcoholic parents, she grappled with the painful legacy of her father's suicide and an ill-fated marriage to a man who beat her. But psychoanalysis, she says, has helped her put these problems in perspective, and her intrinsically cheerful nature shines through every sentence of this memoir. Best known for her ill-fated stint as co-host on the CBS Morning Program and a series of Polaroid commercials with James Garner, Hartley is very funny when relating stories of her career and family life with second husband Patrick Boyriven and their children. Her quirky, irreverent style makes this fast-paced, episodic book a delight to read.
-Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0399135839
• ISBN 13: 9780399135835
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 286