Dandelion: Memoir of a Free Spirit by Catherine James
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Book Reviews of Dandelion: Memoir of a Free Spirit
Book Review: A must-read for women (and men!) of all ages...
Summary: 5 Stars
The story of Catherine James' life reads like a dazzling, colorful, dizzying, sometimes unbelievable, cult screenplay that the most darling of independent film-makers could only wish to create. Ms. James unabashedly and honestly recounts her amazing journeys through the worlds of delapidated Hollywood, her dysfunctional family, and 60s rock n'roll in such a way as to make it difficult to put her book down for wanting to know what will happen next. Certainly, her relationships with some of the most notrious men of rock n' roll (Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger) is titillating; however, it is her gentle voice, and strong presence in these, and other, very personal accounts that makes the story most interesting. Ms. James' trials, tribulations, and, ultimately, triumphs are relatable to people of all ages - you will find yourself laughing on one page and crying on the next, just as in the book of life. This book is highly recommended, not only for its wonderful entertainment value but for its many resonant life lessons, especially that of forgiveness.Book Review: Memoir of a Dysfunctional Family
Summary: 5 Stars
I have mixed feelings about what is truth and what may be embellishment, after reading this book. Her story is that incredible; that she survived with her sanity intact after all she has experienced. The author has a disclaimer page in her book that says she may have changed some names of the characters she is writing about. I wish she was able to name everyone she wrote about without disguising their identity, because I was left trying to analyze which character's name may not be real. The author's story pushes many emotional buttons and it has the making of a successful movie screenplay. I would recommend that others read this book and judge for themselves the merit of the author's story. The child abuse she endured really upsets me, and as I read it, my heart cries for Catherine after reading her narrative of her dysfunctional childhood, family, boyfriends, husbands. I wish Catherine James the best and admire her for telling her story in print.Book Review: THE NAMES GRAB; THE STORY MAY CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Summary: 5 Stars
"Dandelion" captures Catherine exactly as I knew her in the 1980s, a Joyce Carol Oates ("Gravedigger's Daughter") heroine turning childhood horrors into an admirable life, with an Anne Tyler ("Amateur Marriage") gift for finding the love and humor underlying an abundance of disappointment. The book is written in the deceptively simple prose of a Khaled Hosseini ("Thousand Splendid Suns") and delivers a resolution that's breathtakingly cathartic. Catherine's accounts, from maternal sadism to her fearless plunges into the unknown, from legendary admirers to her persistently upbeat worldview, are not overstated. In fact, Catherine told me personal stories so provocative that to have included them in a book about abuse and survival would have shifted the focus to terror and sensationalism, but true to the nature of the thoughtful, responsible woman I considered, for years, to be one of my best friends, she thankfully chose the former.Book Review: Catherines James Dandelion
Summary: 5 Stars
The marvelous thing about this well written and absorbing life story is the conspiratorial way in which Catherine's writing draws you in, as her narrative unfolds in such a way that she could be just discussing this or that particular period of her life with you over coffee.
You quite often feel as if you could put the book down and and ask her..well what happened after that?" and then you realize..wait, I am reading a book.
Throughout, you are rooting for her, as she is a resourceful lady and an excellent story teller.
Without the famous names, her story of survival and overcoming staggeringly painful early life circumstances would still be inspirational and fulfilling.
A very good read with more substance than the average rock 'n roll tell-all, but thankfully for us, Catherine James has never been average.
Book Review: Great American Story - Catherine James is a heroine
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved Catherine's story and could relate to her life as a young, free-spirited woman in the 60s, 70s and 80s. I couldn't put the book down - I read it in two sittings, TWICE.
The book is full of juicy Hollywood glamor, plus a generous dose of glorious rock-n-roll excess, but it's also a gripping story about a child who endures horrific repeated abuses at the hands of her own mother, and other friends of her mother. The book inspired me as I read about her overcoming the negatives in her life to follow a path to finding peace as a young mommy and a creatively inclined adult. It's refreshing to see how her heart is free of any meanness or vengeance ... even though she has every reason to be bitter about some of her experiences.
Catherine James is a remarkable woman who has shared with us her lovely memoir - I recommend it!