
Mommie Dearest: 40th Anniversary Edition
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Narrated by:
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Tavia Gilbert
About this listen
The 40th anniversary edition of the “shocking” number one New York Times best seller with an exclusive new introduction by the author (Los Angeles Times).
When Christina Crawford’s harrowing chronicle of child abuse was first published in 1978, it brought global attention to the previously closeted subject. It also shed light on the guarded world of Hollywood and stripped away the façade of Christina’s relentless, alcoholic abuser: her adoptive mother, movie star Joan Crawford.
Christina was a young girl shown off to the world as a fortunate little princess. But at home, her lonely, controlling, even ruthless mother made her life a nightmare. A fierce battle of wills, their relationship could be characterized as an ultimately successful, for Christina, struggle for independence. She endured and survived, becoming the voice of so many other victims who suffered in silence, and giving them the courage to forge a productive life out of chaos.
This edition features an exclusive new introduction by the author, plus rare photographs from her personal collection revealing material not found in the original manuscript.
©1978, 1998, 2017 1998, 2017 by Christina Crawford (P)2019 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Joan Crawford was a leading film personality for more than 50 years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression '30s, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress.
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Four stars, not Five
- By bookbug on 02-13-19
By: Lawrence J. Quirk, and others
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Ferocious Ambition
- Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom
- By: Robert Dance
- Narrated by: Greg D. Barnett
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Joan Crawford's remarkable forty-five-year motion picture career is one of the industry's longest. Signing her first contract in 1925, she was crowned an MGM star four years later and by the mid-1930s was the most popular actress in America. In the early 1940s, Crawford's risky decision to move to Warner Bros. was rewarded with an Oscar for Mildred Pierce. This triumph launched a series of film noir classics. She teamed with rival Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, proving that Crawford, whose career had begun by defining big-screen glamor, had matured into a dramatic actress.
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A Most Excellent Film Biography
- By Patrick A. Oconnor on 05-02-24
By: Robert Dance
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If You Ask Me
- (And of Course You Won't)
- By: Betty White
- Narrated by: Betty White
- Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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It-girl Betty White delivers a hilarious, slyly profound take on love, life, celebrity, and everything in between. Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a seven- decade career in Hollywood. Longtime fans and new fans alike will relish Betty's candid take on everything....
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I'd ask Betty!
- By Lizz on 11-30-11
By: Betty White
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Kubrick
- An Odyssey
- By: Robert P. Kolker, Nathan Abrams
- Narrated by: Perry Daniels
- Length: 24 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The enigmatic and elusive filmmaker Stanley Kubrick has not been treated to a full-length biography in over twenty years. Stanley Kubrick: An Odyssey fills that gap. This definitive book is based on access to the latest research, especially Kubrick's archive at the University of the Arts, London, as well as other private papers plus new interviews with family members and those who worked with him. It offers comprehensive and in-depth coverage of Kubrick's personal, private, public, and working life.
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A stellar biography for Kubrick lovers
- By Daniel on 09-10-24
By: Robert P. Kolker, and others
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In Pieces
- By: Sally Field
- Narrated by: Sally Field
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In this intimate, haunting, literary memoir read by the author, an American icon tells her story for the first time, in her own gorgeous words - about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.
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Riveting Life Story of Sally Field's
- By DAW on 09-20-18
By: Sally Field
What listeners say about Mommie Dearest: 40th Anniversary Edition
Highly rated for:
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- Holly W
- 05-31-24
This was my childhood
I was 13 years old when I saw the movie Mommie Dearest. I recall watching the scenes of Joan punishing Christina and having the epiphany “I am not alone in this.”
I bought this Audible edition and listened to it over Mother’s Day week, to remind me that it wasn’t about me. I was collateral damage in my mother’s anger toward herself, that her childhood wasn’t the best, and because she saw herself in me, somehow she needed to take that out on me.
The narration of this recording is excellent, and the book reveals there was so much more the movie never showed.
Thank you, Christina, for making me feel I wasn’t alone.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Richard Lopez
- 11-01-23
What a book!
I am a huge fan of the camp classic movie so I decided to listen to the original book...thankfully only available on Audible. What a book...what an incredible story. So much more in-depth and detailed than the movie naturally. Christina wrote the original tell-all in the 1970s and it still serves as the blueprint for this genre today. A great book filled with incredible stories...the dynamic between Joan and Christina is intricate.
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- RandomReviewer0588
- 10-25-22
A painful capture of one child’s experience with abuse.
Wow, what a sad story. Christina’s account of the pain & suffering she experienced at the hand of her own mother is absolutely heart breaking. I was completely in awe of this girl’s strength throughout her young life & into adulthood. Beautifully written & the narrator’s performance was perfect.
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- Michelle
- 07-20-22
Interesting
Wow - I have always been wary of this book/topic because who knows what is true or not. I have seen the movie countless times and the movie is LIGHT compared to the book. This book is brutal with how her children were treated. Proceed with caution if this topic is upsetting to you. It's really unfortunate and hard to believe.
That being said, the book was very well written and the performance of the narrator was great. It's a quick listen and it gets right into the nitty gritty. Recommended!
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-20-22
What an amazing story!
I’m so happy Christina was able to tell and prove her side of things and wonder if her non-believers ever “heard” the truth! Great job to Christina who held her ground with great strength and never let her demons win! ❤️
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- Jeffery Magruder
- 07-01-22
FINALLY GOT THE STORY!!
Joan Crawford has been one of my favorite Movie stars since I was a kid. Read all kinds of the book reviews when Mommie Dearest first came out. Had a copy of the book but never read it. I was afraid it would change the Movie Star image I had of Joan Crawford. Now 40 years later I heard the book/story on Audible for the first time. I feel very deeply for Christina Crawford & her brother! Although Joan Crawford was a horrible mother, she was a glamorous and great Movie Star! GREAT BOOK! God bless Christina Crawford!!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Antionette Hill
- 10-10-23
Great listen!
I saw the movie version several years ago. This audio version is far more detailed. The narrator was very good. Overall - excellent!
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- Anonymous User
- 02-19-23
Reading between the lines
I loved hearing about Christiania Crawfords life but it also makes Joan out to be a complete awful person when it sounds like to me that Christiania doesn’t take any accountability for her actions such as she was never wrong about any arguments I’m sorry but no one is that perfect it seems to me that they both had similar issues and just butted heads to much
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- Lisa
- 11-08-24
Captivating detailed story
The book is fascinating and detailed recounting many interesting as well as heart breaking stories. What’s difficult is the narrator. The cadence is hard to listen to it’s almost like Mary Poppins is reading the story and the lilt of her voice is distracting.
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- aglaia
- 02-11-25
A Stunning, Fascinating, and Bittersweet Story
This is a tremendous, beautiful book. Christina Crawford is a resilient and amazing human being. Her story is not just about "child abuse," but about a deep, painful, and yet loving relationship between mother and daughter. Joan Crawford was an abuser, and yet Christina finds a bridge between her wounds and a friendship with her mother. I was brought to tears at the end; this story is just beautiful. Do not watch the movie--read the book.
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