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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | 921 WOOD | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 921 WOOD | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The heartbreaking, never-before-told story of Hollywood icon Natalie Wood's glamorous life, sudden death, and lasting legacy, written by her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner.
More Than Love is a memoir of loss, grief, and coming-of-age by a daughter of Hollywood royalty. Natasha Gregson Wagner's mother, Natalie Wood, was a child actress who became a legendary movie star, the dark-haired beauty of Splendor in the Grass, Rebel Without a Cause, and West Side Story . She and Natasha's stepfather, the actor Robert Wagner, were a Hollywood it-couple twice over, first in the 1950s, and then again when they remarried in the 70s.
But Natalie's sudden death by drowning off Catalina Island at the age of forty-three devastated her family, made her stepfather a person of interest, and turned a vibrant wife, mother, and actress into a tragic figure. The events of that weekend have long been a mystery, and despite the rumors, scandalous media coverage, and accusations of wrongdoing, there has never been an account of how the tragedy was experienced by her daughter. For the first time Natasha addresses the questions surrounding that night to clear her beloved stepfather's name.
More Than Love begins on the morning after her mother's death in November 1981 when eleven-year-old Natasha hears the news on the radio that her mother's body has been found off the coast of Catalina after her parents had spent the weekend on the family boat, The Splendour .
From this profound and shattering loss, Natasha shares her memories of her earliest bonds with her mother; her warm, loving, and slightly chaotic childhood as the daughter of two stars; the lost and confused years of her adolescence; and her halting attempts to move forward as a young woman.
Beautifully told, More Than Love is an emotionally powerful tale of a daughter coming to terms with her grief, as well as a riveting portrait of a famous mother and a vanished Hollywood.
Author Notes
Natasha Gregson Wagner has acted in such films as Another Day in Paradise , High Fidelity , Two Girls and a Guy , and David Lynch's Lost Highway , and in the television shows Ally McBeal , House MD , and Chicago Hope. In 2016, she coauthored a coffee table book titled Natalie Wood: Reflections of a Legendary Life . She is one of the producers of the HBO documentary of her mother's life: Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind. Wagner lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this heart-wrenching debut, actor and author Wagner (Natalie Wood: Reflections of a Legendary Life) pays loving tribute to her late mother, Hollywood legend Natalie Wood. Wagner was 11 years old and on a sleepover at her best friend's when she heard on the radio that the drowned body of her mother had been found near Catalina Island, Calif., on Nov. 29, 1981. But rather than casting her mother as a tragic character, Wagner sets aside the controversy surrounding Wood's death (friends and family believed that husband Robert Wagner was responsible for her death) to show a fiercely loving mother who wanted Natasha and her younger sister, Courtney, to enjoy the simple pleasures of childhood rather than follow in her footsteps as a child star. Wagner pulls no punches as she describes the repercussions of her mother's death--her sister Courtney's attempts to self-medicate with drugs; and Natalie's estranged younger sister, Lana, who continues to believe that Wagner had something to with Natalie's death, are explored. Endearing details will humanize for readers this beloved Hollywood star, such as the petite Wood's love of lamb chops and beef bourguignon (but "right before a project she'd do a grapefruit fast"). Wagner's beautifully written and unashamedly emotional memoir is a love letter to Natalie Wood and an enduring gift to her fans. (May)
Kirkus Review
A Hollywood actress reflects on the life and death of her mother, Natalie Wood (1938-1981). Wagner was 11 years old when her mother, with whom she felt inextricably "entwined," drowned. In this eloquent debut memoir, the author examines Wood's life and the relationship they had while offering her perspective on the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother's untimely demise. Born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko in San Francisco, Wood was the daughter of Russian immigrants. At age 4, she caught the attention of a Hollywood director. Five years later, Wood had not only played opposite such legends as Orson Welles; she had also earned enough celebrity status to negotiate movie contracts that included jobs for the star-struck parents who would control their daughter throughout adolescence and young adulthood. In 1957, Wood married Robert Wagner, her "childhood movie crush," in part to escape a lonely and restrictive family life. The two divorced and then reunited in the early 1970s, after Wood ended her marriage to the author's birth father, producer Richard Gregson. For most of the author's childhood, life with Wood and "Daddy Wagner" was idyllic. But as the author remembers her beautiful mother presiding over dazzling celebrity parties, she also remembers the terror she felt being apart from Wood, which haunted her long after her mother's death. When the author's parents returned to full-time acting, the pressures mounted. Wood developed a dependence on alcohol, high levels of which were found in her blood after she died. The author denies years of tabloid speculation that Robert Wagner murdered her mother, suggesting instead that the reports, which came from Wood's envious younger sister and a family employee, were motivated by greed. Fascinating as these details are, it is Wagner's sensitive, probing depiction of how she coped without Wood that makes for the most compelling reading in a book that celebrates both a brilliant actress and a bygone film era. An intimate and heartfelt memoir. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Natasha Wagner was 11 when her mother, Natalie Wood, drowned in a boating accident. As a child, Natasha was obsessed with her famous mother, begging her to call frequently when they were apart and even worrying about her when they were home. Her mother's death ripped a hole in her life and left her with relationship anxiety. Natasha's memories are vivid and heartbreaking, carefully pieced together from conversations, photographs, Natalie's writings, news stories, and her family's recollections. Wagner speaks freely about her battle with anxiety, her work in therapy, and her failed marriage. Like her famous parents, she was determined to be an actor, but her journey was rockier and more difficult than her mother's rise from child star to Hollywood icon. This memoir, like Wagner's life, is filled with the film elite, and her insider's view is fascinating. What makes this work memorable, however, is her willingness to share her psychological struggles so candidly. While rumors still circulate about Natalie Wood's death, her daughter remains convinced of Robert Wagner's innocence. She admits that her parents had conflicts but believes in their overpowering love. And it's this love that comes through in this personal account that fans of old Hollywood will savor.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Excerpted from More Than Love: An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood by Natasha Gregson Wagner All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
