Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone, Wendy Leigh
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Book Reviews of Life with My Sister Madonna
Book Review: Great Insight
Summary: 5 Stars
First I have to say that I've been a Madonna fan my entire life, and reading this book has certainly been an eye opener into her life, from a perspective we would never otherwise get.
I really relate to the book, mostly because I have the same kind of relationship with my sisters, and really, there's just no convincing siblings of anything. They see you how they see you, and that's the end.
The book though, really touches on a lot of issues that most people already know. Yes, Madonna is a [...], a huge [...]. I've known that forever. This book just pushes that notion further down the pike, both confirming and taking that, "[...] on a mission" persona to a whole nother level.
However, I still think Madonna is one of the best entertainers going and I don't like Madonna because of her personality, I like her for what she does, and that's entertain. Her creativity is nothing short of spectacular, and everytime she releases an album we see something different and unique.
It does sadden me the way she has treated her brother and others, and the way she's totally turned her back on the gay community, which is about 95% of her fan base, yet we come back for more everytime.
Whatever your feelings, this book is a great read, and recommend it to any fan or non fan.
Book Review: Enjoyable Look At Her
Summary: 5 Stars
I am one who doesn't see why there is all this anger against Christopher for writing this book. Other bios have been written about other people and those same critics don't care.
I have to say I was not surprised by anything in the book. They had their falling out when she "outed" him publicly and he didn't want her to. We read about her stiffing her own brother for thousands of dollars, really, who is surprised? We read about her publicity-affair with Warren Beatty, and of course he tells us she was always fascinated by classic movie stars. The way she rips off every dead female celebrity, it's no shock to hear that she used to sit around with Chris watching these movies. Fans said they wouldn't buy the book "out of respect" but you know they did! She appears to always have been a snotty brat.
If you are a fan, even a casual fan, you'll like Chris's bio. It's a good look at the past, of a self-called icon. Buy it if for no other reason than to help the poor guy out. He'll never get it from his sister.
Book Review: GREAT READ!
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVED THIS BOOK. I COULD HARDLY PUT IT DOWN, I HAD TO SPEND ALL DAY SUNDAY FINISHING IT, HAD TOO.
TO ALL THE REVIEWS THAT PUT CHRISTOPHER DOWN, I FELT HE HELD BACK IN SOME AREAS, HE COULD
HAVE REALLY ROASTED HER ABOUT HER LOVE LIFE, AND ENDLESS BOYFRIENDS. BUT HE DID'NT! I THOUGHT
HE STUCK TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF HIS LIFE WITH MADONNA, AND NOT ALL OF HER DIRT. WHEN SHE
DID THINGS TO HIM, HE COMMENTED ON THAT, AND HOW IT AFFECTED HIM. AS WOULD BE EXPECTED, IT'S A
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HIS LIFE. AT TIMES I FELT HIM BEING A LITTLE PROTECTIVE OF HER. JUST LIKE A GOOD
BROTHER WOULD BE. IF YOU WANT A TREAT, GET THIS BOOK. A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO IS REMOTELY
INTERESTED IN MADONNA.
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the best book about Madonna I have read so far. Christopher gives us a look inside his and Madonna's life together. I have been a Madonna music fan for 25 years. The older I get the more I dislike her shallow egotistical ways. She is very insensitive, and cheap. I always suspected that, but it was confirmed in this book. I will still continue to be Madonna fan b/c I like her music. Unfortunately, her personality is harsh and cruel and she needs to start caring more about others.Book Review: Insight into a Mega-Star from Middle Class Michigan
Summary: 4 Stars
Who really wants to perform, solo, in front of a crowd larger than a mid-sized city? Who would surrender their privacy to the point of risking their personal safety or subject their family to the demands of this life? Almost by definition, the modern star system is a meritocracy for narcissists. You have to expect total self involvement from a star the size of Madonna and you have to figure this will take its toll on everyone around her.
Christopher can design houses, furniture, make up, and stage sets, skills definitely needed by Madonna. He was needy and young enough to mold. She was a penny pincher. Chris was the perfect prey.
There are many people in exploitive relationships at work or at home, but few have both and not many have the overpowering dynamic of wealth and fame. Don Felder Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001) describes a somewhat similar abusive attachment. Chris has the added baggage of the family tie which he constantly feels, and she feels when it's convenient.
Chris is not perfect. Passive aggressive behavior surfaces most notably in Demi Moore's furniture delivery. Other instances are somewhat deserved such as the wedding toast and the wording of some emails. But Chris has never had a life of his own, so how should he react?
While Chris is obviously very talented, he is a poor businessman. He gets what should be lucrative jobs (restaurant design, Bill Clinton's furniture, he writes for popular magazines) so he shouldn't be broke.
Madonna's indifference to her family is striking. She uses them as props from time to time, and sucked the youth and artistic sensibility of her brother. Elvis took good care of Mom and Vernon and even Marvin Gaye was a good provider for his ungrateful Dad. Madonna has none of this and her income is outsized compared to theirs. It is like John Lennon's near denial of his son Julian and Yoko Ono's later treatment of him and other relatives.
Her relationship with Guy, now over, may have been somewhat by default. There are not many men her age who would want to be eclipsed by their wives, so she had have one 10 years younger. Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon--and the Journey of a Generation describes how for each, talent got in the way of a relationship. One strategy, hiding or mitigating the career would never work for Madonna, but it appears she altered her relations with the gay community (a definite fan base) as well as her brother to please him.
Unlike most posters here, I never was a fan, but did respect what she did. Female entertainers were supposed to respect society's limits and Madonna unapologetically pushed them. In her early work she signaled a welcome to a gay audience that had not just been neglected, but relegated to the shadows and this memoir shows how that happened and you understand how that has disappeared. She built her career in the era of backlash against confident and assertive women. This book sheds some light on how she did it.