Book Review: Unsinkable: A Memoir

Book: Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds and Dorian Hannaway

Source: Library

Description:

Unsinkable is the definitive memoir by film legend and Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds.

In Unsinkable, the late great actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer Debbie Reynolds shares the highs and lows of her life as an actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age, anecdotes about her lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, her experiences as the foremost collector of Hollywood memorabilia, and intimate details of her marriages and family life with her children, Carrie and Todd Fisher.

A story of heartbreak, hope, and survival, “America’s Sweetheart” Debbie Reynolds picks up where she left off in her first memoir, Debbie: My Life, and is illustrated with previously unpublished photos from Reynolds’s personal collection.



Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Unsinkable is a fascinating and lively read that was written in a conversational tone as Debbie Reynolds goes over her life, her family, her Hollywood career, her disastrous love life and her hard fought but ultimately unfulfilled dream of creating a museum to celebrate movie memorabilia.

In this well-written and engaging memoir which is separated into two parts, Mrs. Reynolds experienced a hosts of ups and downs but she never lost that zest for life nor turned bitter. Which is remarkable giving everything she went through in her three marriages. It was heartbreaking to read especially given the financial problems she had with her second and third marriages. And speaking of her third marriage, it was the worst and gave her the most problems. But she was a romantic and she put her whole heart into each relationship even if the outcome was not happily ever after. She does described the Eddie Fisher/Elizabeth Taylor scandal which did hurt her but what surprised me was her reconciliation of her friendship with Taylor several years later.

Her children Carrie and Todd were mentioned throughout but the primary focus of the book is Reynolds. Her film career which she gives more insight to in part II, almost reads like a fairytale because at around 16 years old, she was discovered by a talent scout at a Miss Burbank contest in 1948. She had only entered the contest to get a free blouse and scarf that each contestant received but wound up gaining a career in entertainment.

Old Hollywood definitely get it's fair share of coverage in this book with Reynolds regaling the reader with tales of her time on movie sets, her co-stars and friends and some crazy things that went on behind the scenes. I love looking at all the wonderful pictures that were featured throughout.

I was struck by how candid she was in this book but her words came across as humorous, touching and inspiring. Reynolds never gave up even when there were times when she really wanted to or when times were tough. This was good and if you're a fan of the late Debbie Reynolds and Old Hollywood you may want to give this a read.