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A Passion for Life

The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor

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A Passion for Life

Written by: Donald Spoto
Narrated by: C. M. Hébert
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About this listen

Born in England to socially ambitious parents, Elizabeth Taylor was catapulted into child stardom and molded by MGM into the great violet-eyed beauty of postwar America. Along the way, without training or counsel, she became an award-winning actress, dazzling audiences everywhere with spectacular performances.

Spoto explores the gripping story of her brutalizing six-month marriage to compulsive gambler and hotel heir Nicky Hilton, her romances with top Hollywood directors, and her marriage to the ailing Michael Wilding. Four years later, she would be swept off her feet by showman Mike Todd into an alternately violent and loving marriage that would end with Todd’s death in a plane crash, leaving Taylor a twice-divorced widow with three children at the age of 26. And here are Taylor’s years with Eddie Fisher, Republican Senator John Warner, and Richard Burton, with whom she would share a hedonistic, brash lifestyle that would virtually define the 1960s jet set.

©1995 Donald Spoto (P)1995 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity Marriage Biography

What the critics say

“At once scathing and sympathetic…. Spoto provides acute commentary on Taylor’s films as well as a filmography in a revelatory portrait of a self-styled femme fatale beset by self-destructive impulses and feelings of emptiness.” ( Publishers Weekly)
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This offering from Danish Biographer Donald Spoto treads dangerously close to crossing the line between "biography" and "puff piece". The author's esteem for Elizabeth Taylor is glaring - he includes every conceivable accolade in the book.. but practically ignores any criticism (notwithstanding acknowledging borderline gluttony & inconveniently diagnosed alcoholism). His research is impeccable, and the included quotes & opinions are illustrative.. but I can't help feeling that I didn't get the full picture after reading this book.
Who *was* Liz Taylor? Surely not this unfairly victimized "hopeless romantic" paragon that Spoto describes.

Reader C.M. Hébert doesn't help the situation with an "average" narration performance, either. Don't get me wrong - Hébert's diction, timbre, and cadence are creditable - but it is evident at times that she is reading a book lying open on her lap (simply collecting a paycheck). Besides struggling to soundmatch re-recorded segments when splicing the recording together, Blackstone Audio Inc. could have cast this project better.

Altogether, 'A Passion For Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor" merits 5.5/10-stars. It was a reasonable distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons as a 'Plus' selection.. but save your Credit for something less reverential should they ask for one.

[Incidentally: Anyone who believes in the meritocracy/"Land Of Opportunity" American ethos will be both infuriated and encouraged by Elizabeth Taylor's life story. Pushed into notoriety by attention whore/"ambitious" British parents, Taylor got a Hollywood opportunity that she ABSOLUTELY Did Not deserve.. but then worked ridiculously hard and proved her worth - *earning* admiration. Her story is incredibly edifying, when you think about it]

Strikingly Deferential

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Very interesting story of the life of Elizabeth Taylor. It was detailed and full of descriptions and easy timelines to follow.

A complicated life

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I think the problem with this is not the writing or performance but rather the sheer drudgery and stupidity of Elizabeth Taylor’s silly life.

Not good - what a silly life story

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