Rating: 
Summary: A list, a series of events, not a story
Review: After reading this autobio, I feel I know little more about Liz than I would have from reading her resume. She chronologically recounts the passage of her life without revealing much about herself personally or emotionally. She gushes over most people. Most seem to like her too, but aside from her generous charity work, it's hard to understand why, since we don't learn much about her as a person. She conveniently elects not to reveal the names of those she wishes to protect, while having no qualms about publishing gossip about those she doesn't. The last portion of the book is marginally more interesting than the first.
Rating: 
Summary: Shadow Lady
Review: As a person who believes a fine way to keep up on national affairs is to read "People" magazine, I naturally couldn't resist the autobiography of uber gossip columnist Liz Smith. If I had to use one word to describe this book, it would be "cautious." Ms. Smith is ever-mindful of what goes around can indeed come around and therefore, the book has an "I Will Not Be Offensive" air, particularly to mega stars, publishers, and the like.Ms. Smith must be a lady who lives in the "now." There is no past, no future, just today. She entertainingly writes of her childhood in Texas, but once she has left home, Texas and the family disappear. She had two marriages, both unsuccessful, and she writes as if she doesn't remember them very well. She doesn't complain, she doesn't reflect, just moves on. She never tackles the power/respect problems, i.e., how many of these glittery people are really her friends, and how many merely fear the power of her column? How does she feel about her entire literary reputation is based upon a gossip column? I think it would be a lonely and uncertain life; however, I don't even know if Ms. Smith has considered such things. In her excellent last chapter, she discusses frankly what goals she had had and whether she had met or exceeded them. Perhaps she did not reach high enough. The writing is snappy, and moderately interesting. Grade: C
Rating: 
Summary: What a book!!
Review: Enjoyed the book very much, such fun and what a life! The book was like being a fly on the wall!
Rating:
Summary: A fun and funny read...
Review: Go. Go now and get this book. Lots of lovely yummy tidbits from a sweet-spirited, good writer. I'm not usually keen on memoirs, but not one page of the book bored me. A fabulous read and a great gift--for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much about her Lesbianism
Review: I listened to this audio book because I had a long ride and I heard an interesting interview with Liz Smith about this book. After hearing the audio book, I guess the interview was interesting because of the interviewer's skills, not Smith's. I don't recall ever reading a Liz Smith column, but, as she has been writing gossip for 30 years, I naturally assumed that this memoir would summarize 30 years of gossip. Greatest hits, stories behind stories, embarrassments, stories that were bigger than mere gossip, follow-ups to scandals past, etc. Sadly, this was not to be. NATURAL BLONDE is a straight-up autobiography. This book is about Liz Smith and her life, not the lives of her columns many subjects. The book is told chronologically, giving equal weight to each stage of Smith's life. Consequently, the first two tapes - half the audio book - is about her largely uninteresting early life. Sorry, but who cares? At the end, as she sums up her life, she asks herself a series of "was this a life well spent" questions. They're mostly along the line of "I wanted to make money" and "I wanted to meet famous people." Missing is any sentiment of leaving the world a better place. Granted, Smith raises money for literacy, but at one point she admits that taking care of two dogs is too much responsibility for her (in terms of caring for others). If the impression is that a gossip columnist must lead a shallow life, this book confirms it. Finally, in the second half of her book, Smith gets into some expanded stories about famous people. This unfortunately short list includes Truman Capote, Donald and Ivana Trump, Malcolm Forbes, Katherine Hepburn and a few others. Unfortunately, the stories she tells about these personalities (and it is their personalities, not their accomplishments, that she covers) are anticlimactic. I was left was left wanting more substance - or at least more of a reason to be interested. Smith is more interesting discussing the newspaper industry. Her story about Kitty Kelly seems to go somewhere. Her commentary about New York City's tabloid wars was insightful if all too brief. More of this would have strengthened the book. The audiocassette version probably has two advantages over the print edition. The first is Smith's narration. Her voice adds something to the words. The second is that I can't imagine slogging through the print version of the first half of the book. In this case, the edits help the story. In sum, NATURAL BLONDE is NOT the real thing
Rating:
Summary: Unnaturally bland
Review: I listened to this audio book because I had a long ride and I heard an interesting interview with Liz Smith about this book. After hearing the audio book, I guess the interview was interesting because of the interviewer's skills, not Smith's. I don't recall ever reading a Liz Smith column, but, as she has been writing gossip for 30 years, I naturally assumed that this memoir would summarize 30 years of gossip. Greatest hits, stories behind stories, embarrassments, stories that were bigger than mere gossip, follow-ups to scandals past, etc. Sadly, this was not to be. NATURAL BLONDE is a straight-up autobiography. This book is about Liz Smith and her life, not the lives of her columns many subjects. The book is told chronologically, giving equal weight to each stage of Smith's life. Consequently, the first two tapes - half the audio book - is about her largely uninteresting early life. Sorry, but who cares? At the end, as she sums up her life, she asks herself a series of "was this a life well spent" questions. They're mostly along the line of "I wanted to make money" and "I wanted to meet famous people." Missing is any sentiment of leaving the world a better place. Granted, Smith raises money for literacy, but at one point she admits that taking care of two dogs is too much responsibility for her (in terms of caring for others). If the impression is that a gossip columnist must lead a shallow life, this book confirms it. Finally, in the second half of her book, Smith gets into some expanded stories about famous people. This unfortunately short list includes Truman Capote, Donald and Ivana Trump, Malcolm Forbes, Katherine Hepburn and a few others. Unfortunately, the stories she tells about these personalities (and it is their personalities, not their accomplishments, that she covers) are anticlimactic. I was left was left wanting more substance - or at least more of a reason to be interested. Smith is more interesting discussing the newspaper industry. Her story about Kitty Kelly seems to go somewhere. Her commentary about New York City's tabloid wars was insightful if all too brief. More of this would have strengthened the book. The audiocassette version probably has two advantages over the print edition. The first is Smith's narration. Her voice adds something to the words. The second is that I can't imagine slogging through the print version of the first half of the book. In this case, the edits help the story. In sum, NATURAL BLONDE is NOT the real thing
Rating:
Summary: good for summer
Review: I've always enjoyed reading Liz Smith - and I did enjoy this book too. I actually enjoyed reading about her youth more than I did about the stars she writes about - it was an inside look at the woman who knows everyone. Once she got her career on track - it is still interesting - but you've read it all before. In some parts she is very vague - and in others - you get a little too much. But, a good summer read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great fun
Review: If you learn anything about Liz Smith from her book, it would be that she is extremely well liked by the people she writes about. What a career! - invitations for great weekend getaways with the rich and famous, staying at luxiourious hotels and riding on private jets, dinners during the week with her close friends Barbara Walters and Joel Schumaker. When you get to the chapter where she reveals that she has been Katharine Hepburn's guest at Fenwick on several ocassions, the average reader may feel that their own life is pretty drab. Liz Smith does not reveal that much about herself but her engaging personality comes through in her writing. It is apparent that she is fair, honest, and extremely likable. When she does dish the dirt on a few famous names (and this happens only a few times), it is because they actually deserve it. Lee Radziwell and theater critic John Simon, for example, have been exposed by others in the press as mean spirited individuals, and Smith's quoting of their comments really comes as no surprise. What is surprising are the people that I didn't really expect to like (like Ivana Trump) and Smith allows you to see them in a different light. Smith sometimes make you wonder if she herself is somewhat snobbish toward the common people - she is irritated to find that Roy Cohn has invited a lowly tv repairman to dine with them and Barbara Walters. And one of the things that she dislikes about ballooning is the fact that you sometimes have to share a brandy with the farmer in who's field you have landed. Well, I suppose she can't be perfect. Her book is a very entertaining read and recommended for those who are curious about the private lives of the rich and famous.
Rating:
Summary: an entertaining look at an era
Review: Okay, this is not a master autobiography or a juicy tell all. But I barely knew who Liz Smith was and found her book fascinating. More than the gossip, high life and name dropping, I kind of liked her early childhood in Texas, her brothers, her fascination with movies and Hollywood and her take on life. Liz Smith comes across as one of the few gossip trade people with a conscience. Plus, she's damned funny and these anecdotes with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Barbara Walters etc... are very entertaining. Heck, I even enjoyed the evolution of the Hamptons in the 60's and 70's. Liz doesn't spare herself either -- this book is not uncritical of her own life. After reading about all her hobnobbing, one gets the feeling that she herself was lonely and alone for a good part of the time. I liked her honest and refreshing approach. Not a work of art, but a fun read with a good look at our nation's history through the eyes of a young Texan who was literally blown out of her bed by the first test atomic blast.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste Your Money
Review: The Milford Book Club of DE recently chose Liz Smith's, NATURAL BLONDE, to read. Boy, were we disappointed!!!! The nine of us agreed that is you lived in Yew York, a big city, were over 70 years old and enamored with the lives of the "rich and famous", perhaps you would find this book entertaining. We did not. Beginning with the Prologue, "Is it possible that gossip can be good for you?....There is power in telling something you know or think you know." Liz Smith was defending her life's work of "gossip" as if she had a degree in sociology. Perhaps this shows one positive aspect of television; our generation doesn' have to depend on gossip columnists to jump start a career. In our opinion, the book was poorly written as there was no sequence of events. We found ourselves reading an event and then trying to determine if it came before or after the Trumps, the Kennedy's or the Lee Baileys information. Were do these events fit into her life? The book jumps from past to the future and back again with no continuity. Reading about the parties, the drugs, the traveling and the constant mentioning of unfamiliar "stars" was shallow and boring. Our opinions were all unanimous; we can't believe we spent money on this book. The nine of us are donating our books to a local charity, as we don't want to take up precious bookshelf space.
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