My Sister Roseanne: The True Story of Roseanne Barr Arnold

Rating:
Summary: Not Worth Your Time
Review: If you were to total all the interesting parts of this book, you'd come up with about thirty pages. Mostly, it chronicles how Roseanne Barr went off her rocker when she got involved with Tom Arnold and then, with the aid of false memory syndrome, betrayed her family. If you have a lot of patience and don't mind reading the same thing over and over couched in different (yet still unlyrical) language, then it might entertain you just for the dirt it gives on a major celebrity.

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable portrait of "self will run riot"
Review: This book is an invaluable portrait of Roseanne and her family, and how her family coped with Roseanne's sexual abuse allegations in the early 1990s. It is also, primarily, the story of sisters, who worked together to create a successful business (Roseanne's career) and how the relationship came apart when Roseanne became a household name. On one level, the book is not without its flaws: it is overwritten and at times repetitive. However, these flaws are balanced by the author's mostly successful attempts to present all sides of the story in straight-forward prose. Barr is as candid discussing her own shortcomings -- and those of her family -- as she is in portraying Roseanne's and the book emerges as a cut above the average tell-all memoir. That the Barr family seemed to become a closer unit in the wake of Roseanne's abuse allegations is the real story here.

Rating:
Summary: The Tale of Two Sisters
Review: This story paints a very different portrait of Roseanne. According to Geraldine; the author and Roseanne's sister; "Rosanne; the domestic goddess" was a creative venture between the two sisters. Geraldine helped Roseanne get to the top; only to be abandoned. The entire story leads you to speculate what happened and before the end; you can pretty much figure it all out. If you wondered what happened with Roseanne and her family after she publicly described her memories of sexual molestation; this story tells you; the sad details. (no conclusion as to where the truth lies; but it literally broke the family apart) An interesting story about two sisters growing up in Utah and making a dream come true. Although Roseanne was known for her comedy; this tells the story of a very unhappy and unfunny woman and her sister. It's an interesting read; even if she wasn't famous; the story line is unique. The book flows nicely and is an easy read.