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Summary
Summary
Actor, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Rob Lowe offers up a collection of personal stories in an honest and celebratory memoir about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and son, addiction and recovery, and sex and love.
Rob Low is back with stories he only tells his best friends.
When Rob Lowe's first book was published in 2011, he received the kind of rapturous reviews that writers dream of and rocketed to the top of the bestseller list. Now, in Love Life , he expands his scope, using stories and observations from his life in a poignant and humorous series of true tales about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and sons, addiction and recovery, and sex and love.
In Love Life , you will find stories about:
-Kissing unexpectedly
-The secrets they don't teach you in acting school
-His great-great-great-great-great grandfather's role in the American Revolution
- Parks and Recreation , Behind the Candelabra , and Californication
-Trying to coach a kids' basketball team dominated by helicopter parents
-The hot tub at the Playboy mansion
-Starring in and producting a flop TV series
-Camping at Sea World
-Playing saxophone for President Bill Clinton
-The first journey to college with his son
-Warren Beatty
-The benefits of marriage
Throughout this entertaining book, you will find yourself in the presence of a master raconteur, a multi-talented performer whose love for life is as intriguing as his love life.
Author Notes
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe was born on March 17, 1964 in Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended Santa Monica High School, the same high school as fellow actors Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, and Chris Penn. One of Lowe's earliest roles came in the 1983 TV movie Thursday's Child, for which he received his first Golden Globe nomination for "Best Actor in a TV Movie/Miniseries. His breakthrough came in 1983, when he and Emilio Estevez were cast in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which remains one of his most famous roles. Lowe played the role of Sodapop Curtis, the brother of the main character Ponyboy Curtis. Lowe and Estevez reunited in St. Elmo's Fire, making them the two more prominent actors from the group known as the Brat Pack. Lowe is also known for playing Sam Seaborn in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2003. His performance in the show garnered Lowe an Emmy and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In 2005, he starred as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in a London West End production of Sorkin's play A Few Good Men, the first time the two had worked together since The West Wing. Despite his two canceled TV series and flops like View From the Top and the made-for-TV movie Perfect Strangers during his post West Wing run, Lowe found success in the TV miniseries genre. In 2004 he marked his return to this genre; he had appeared in 1994's The Stand, based on Stephen King's book of the same name. In 2004, Lowe starred in the TNT remake of the Stephen King miniseries Salem's Lot which was the highest rated cable program of that summer and the highest ratings TNT original programming had at the time. In 2005, Lowe starred in the miniseries Beach Girls on the Lifetime network, based on the Luanne Rice novel of the same name. The series premiere received the highest ratings for a movie premiere in Lifetime history. In that same year, Lowe filmed his critically acclaimed role as super movie agent in the 2006 independent film Thank You for Smoking. In 2006, it was announced that Lowe would join the cast of Brothers & Sisters for a guest run of several episodes. In January 2007, ABC announced that Lowe would be staying on Brothers and Sisters as a "special guest star" for the rest of season 1 after Lowe's initial appearance on the show in November 2006 brought the best ratings and demographic showing for the show since its premiere. Soon after ABC announced an early season 2 renewal for Brother & Sisters in March 2007, Lowe announced he would be returning for the show's second season. He continued to appear in the series until the end of the 2009/2010 season.
Rob Lowe authored the book Stories I Only Tell My Best Friends: An Autobiography whcih made the 2011 Publisher's Weekly Best Seller List. He followed that with more stories in his book Love Life in 2014.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Lowe, a veteran actor in film and television follows up his bestselling 2011 memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, with this smart collection of personal vignettes. As a narrator, Lowe is clearly in his element. His sardonic humor shines through at some points (as when describing how he was abruptly removed as the coach of his son's basketball team via a parental coup d'etat), while other scenes are more introspective. Some of the strongest moments feature Lowe describing himself at his weakest: mourning the loss of his longtime manager, Bernie Brillstein, or dropping his oldest child off at college. The audiobook offers the expected behind-the-scenes Hollywood sneak peeks, but with the added bonus of Lowe's vocal impressions of his colleagues. His take on Warren Beatty is first-rate, and his impersonation of Danny Glover ordering everything on the menu is worth the price of admission by itself. This audio performance reveals someone who is (at last) completely comfortable in his own skin and ready to share his story, equal parts gossip and hard-won wisdom. A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* After 30 years in show business, Lowe is the star of his first sequel. But instead of nabbing a superhero franchise a la Robert Downey Jr., he's been reborn as a winning memoirist. Love Life is the highly anticipated follow-up to his glowingly reviewed Stories I Only Tell My Friends (2011). How many other 1980s heartthrobs have been blessed with a second (or third) act while approaching 50? Rather than being a desperate cash-grab from a fading star, Love Life is certain to boost Lowe's professional profile even further while allowing the versatile actor to maintain an ever-thriving television career (Californication and Parks and Recreation are both recalled with candor and fondness). Those expecting more Hollywood tales will not be disappointed with first-person stories involving Warren Beatty, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, and Madonna that only someone of Lowe's stature could credibly share with such awestruck enthusiasm and thoughtful detail. Lowe credits his longevity to more than just talent, fame, or luck, however. He fills many pages with humble, effusive praise for his stable marriage and shares funny, relatable tales of fatherhood. These are the successes that matter most to him, the ones that have helped him stay sober and grounded while loving life to the fullest. High-Demand Backstory: The spectacular and even somewhat surprising commercial and critical success of the author's previous memoir means automatic library interest in the latest installment.--Keech, Chris Copyright 2014 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
Celebrities, from Rob Lowe to Diane Keaton, narrate the audiobooks of their memoirs. LET'S BE HONEST: Celebrities don't usually write great memoirs. But the best ones offer up dish and dirt and some sensationally bizarre yarns. I got hooked in my 20s with Desi Arnaz's "A Book" and Kirk Douglas's racy "The Ragman's Son" and Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Yes I Can." Friends might shake their heads at my choices, but did they know that Kirk Douglas seduced an anti-Semitic hotel owner so that he could whisper at the moment of climax that she was in bed with a Jew? You see my point. When actors record the audio versions of their memoirs, the experience of peeking into their lives can be even more intimate. Not all actors excel at narration, however. Sean Pratt, who has been recording books since 1996 and took on the gargantuan task of reading "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace, told me that what works in front of a camera doesn't necessarily translate to the intimacy of a studio and microphone. "It's a whole different kind of performance," he said. "It's jazz. It's bebop. You're always changing the delivery style." Testing Pratt's thesis, and hoping to satisfy my craving for some popcorn listening, I took on four recent audiobooks by actors. Pratt was right: When it works, it's magical. And when it doesn't - well, you know Audible lets you "return" books you hated and get a refund, right? You probably won't be returning Rob Lowe's LOVE LIFE (Simon and Schuster), though. His first memoir, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" (2011), established him as an engaging riffer with outrageous stories. The new book is more loosely woven, with passages about going on a date with Madonna and his growing love of offbeat roles that undermine his pretty-boy reputation. (Check out what they did to his face in "Behind the Candelabra.") He also touches on politics and his shift from lifelong Democrat to independent voter with a libertarian streak as he found himself supporting Arnold Schwarzenegger's run for governor of California. "Like 'recreational' drug use, the idea of slavish party loyalty seems like an outdated and unhealthy concept," he says. Ultimately, this is a book about being a grown-up - about Lowe loving his wife of more than 20 years, and the emotional turmoil that struck him while dropping off his son at college. Lowe's voice grows husky when he recalls that he used to wrap the boy in a blanket "like a burrito." Some may tear up; I cringed a little. But Lowe is generally smooth and self-assured. He treats listeners to his rendition of the "Ohio Scream," a bloodcurdling shriek that plays a part in a campfire prank in which he dresses up as Bigfoot. Wackiness ensues. A groin is kicked. It is his. A different kind of pain runs through HANDBOOK FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE LIFE: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, and Still Came Out Smiling (With Great Hair) (Random House). Rosie Perez takes the reader through her rags-to-riches story with great energy. Perez was abandoned by her mother for her first three years of life. The mother later reclaimed little Rosie only to place her in an orphanage. Perez would visit her mother's home occasionally, where there was no warmth but plenty of violence, and a half-brother who she says sexually assaulted her. Perez learned to live with adversity, and even to thrive. At the orphanage, she made friends with girls with names like Crazy Cindy and Puerto Rican-Jew Evita Feinstein. They survived the fierce tutelage of some very tough nuns, who maintained discipline with beatings. Little wonder that years later, Perez would receive a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Perez was entranced by television and music, and was mad for "Soul Train" and the movies of Woody Allen and Neil Simon. She also gets to know her father, a brazen ladies' man who introduced her to the wonders of his native Puerto Rico. Eventually her love of dancing lands her a gig on "Soul Train" and a career as a choreographer before Spike Lee cast her in "Do the Right Thing." That film provides one of the book's funniest scenes. Her father took his friends, family and pastor to see the movie. But Rosie hadn't warned him about her nude scene, which incidentally involved ice cubes. "When the ice cube scene came on, my father gasped, jumped up, grabbed his heart, and fell out cold - no lie!" It turned out to be a panic attack; he asked her to warn him in the future when she makes an "'artistic' film." "Handbook" is a careering ride, crowded with family struggles and reconciliation and therapy-inflected observations. Perez says of her siblings, "We were kids that were all abused and didn't know how to articulate all the pain and anger." The cuteness can pile on at times, with memories of happy moments in childhood - whether watching television in the orphanage or getting a treat - punctuated with "Yay!" which she pronounces "Yayee!" Moments of pride are followed by "Holla!" Her delivery can be uneven, her spoken rhythm occasionally falters. But those are small flaws in an uplifting and enjoyable debut. Diane Keaton's new book, LET'S JUST SAY IT WASN'T PRETTY (Random House), follows up her first memoir, the well-received "Then Again" (2011). This one is more scattershot. Ostensibly a meditation on the nature of beauty, it chronicles the development of Keaton's distinctive fashion sense and her thoughts on the body. She engages in long arguments with herself and falls into digressions. She folds in memories from her childhood, muses on raising her two children and discusses the meaning she's found in renovating homes. If you ever suspected that her dizzy otherworldliness is an act, you will be reassured of her sincerity after reading that she trips and breaks her toe while walking the dog because "I decided to try the advice of Dr. Tan, my acupuncturist, and take a backward walk with Emmie in an effort to employ the underutilized part of my brain." The book is most lively when she describes her relationship with Woody Allen, who early on told her that she would always do well in show business. "You're funny, and funny is money." He leaves voice mail messages for her in which he calls her "half-wit" and says, "The Golden Globes wanted to know where I could find someone stupid enough to come and pick up my Cecil B. DeMille Award, and all of a sudden it occurred to me, I don't know why, but your face in a beekeeper's hat came to mind." He closes a follow-up message with, "Worm, call me back." She refers to this fondly as a "healinghumor, funny-is-money phone call from Woody." If you say so, Diane. Her narration elevates the work; the warmth of that famous voice brings bubble and flow to the prose. You get the feeling that she could be a terrific audiobook narrator if she had better material. The surprise charmer of the stack is the memoir by Judy Greer, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ME FROM: Confessions of a Co-Star (Random House), a grab bag of essays by a comic actress who has appeared in more than 90 movies and television shows, but whom few people might be able to identify. (She refers to herself as "the ultimate best friend.") Her stories are sweetly weird and scatological, such as her night at the Oscars when she decides she has to take off her Spanx or lose her mind. This effort lands her in a toilet stall wrestling with her undergarments and wondering what would happen if the Big One, that predicted earthquake, were to strike. She fantasizes the news story: "Recognizable actress whose name we can't place is found naked in the rubble that was once the bathroom of the Kodak Theater." Her voice, zinging somewhere between chipper and chipmunk, might grate on the ears of some listeners. But for people searching for a loyal gal pal, this could be just the thing. My long voyage through the seas of four me-me-me memoirs was done; I'd gorged on fluff. After finishing the last book, I was ready for "Moby-Dick" - a version I'd been saving, narrated by the great Frank Muller. Did you know that Ahab's last words were taken from a Star Trek movie? Wait. Reverse that. Maybe I've been spending a little too much time with Hollywood. JOHN SCHWARTZ is a national correspondent for The Times and the author of "Oddly Normal."
Library Journal Review
Lowe's latest is a great listen. Narrated by the author, this book is about his acting career-something he cherishes-and his family, his other great love. There are very few stories that are repeated from Lowe's first autobiographical work, Stories I Tell My Friends, and those are merely brief summaries to provide foundation for new follow-ups. Lowe is a master storyteller and his near-perfect narration provides an outlet for his trademark mimicry; Bill Clinton and Jack Nicholson never sounded so good! To be enjoyed and savored are the stories of family events, such as camping with Bigfoot or his oldest son going off to college. Lowe's visit to the Playboy Mansion while in his teens is quite funny, while his time in rehab is heartrending. He discusses roles he won and lost and his interactions with and respect for other actors and their craft. Lowe provides a fascinating look at a successful actor's life in the public eye without complaint or regret. VERDICT Highly recommended for public libraries.-Karen Perry, Univ. of North Carolina, Greensboro (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Characters of Malibu, Icons of the Valley | p. 1 |
| Matthew Applies to College | p. 19 |
| Rim Acting School | p. 33 |
| A Boy | p. 63 |
| The | p. 99 |
| Percent | p. 75 |
| Rehab | p. 83 |
| The Lion's Den | p. 99 |
| The Mansion | p. 117 |
| Wish Sandwich | p. 129 |
| Freedom and Love | p. 151 |
| An Actor Prepares | p. 161 |
| Change, in the New World | p. 189 |
| Just DO It | p. 199 |
| No One Follows the Frog | p. 217 |
| No Comparison | p. 233 |
| Love Life | p. 245 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 257 |
