An old book of my mum's, found while I was staying with her. I skimmed through her Marilyn Monroe collection, but in one sitting - during dinner no less - I managed to complete 'Judy and Liza'. It is a short but entirely satisfactory biography on the life of one of Hollywood's most talented, beautiful and tragic starlets, Judy Garland, and is subsequently about her daughter, Liza Minnelli.
'Judy and Liza' explores and explains the history between mother and daughter, their lives and beyond - from Garland (Frances Gumm)'s birth up to Liza's career in the eighties. There was the love, the complexities, the trials, the anxieties, the comebacks, the antithesis between fame and family, and the depression. But with the rises and falls and all the bleakness, both ladies were hugely talented (great singers especially) and intelligent (they'd have to be to survive the way they lived). Towards the end, at the point of catharsis, 'Judy and Liza' tells of Liza's rise to fame on her own. It talks about how she takes being compared to her mother as both a blessing and a hinderance - professionally and personally - long after Garland's tragic death.
A great, eye-opening read of a classic. A star-studded bio sure to remind everyone that no one is perfect; we're all human, we've always had problems. The rich and famous likely have much bigger ones.
Final Score: 5/5
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