Writing is at times hamfisted but not bad. Many actor/actress bios are poorly written. I read Spoto's Hickcock book about 20 years ago (???) but I have no recollections of the writing itself.

I always wondered what made Crawford seem so demented (just saw Johnny Guitar for the fourth time and it never fails to be a car wreck of a film) and now I have a better idea of what a weird life she had. Her entire childhood was spent in servitude, essentially working as a maid, and when she made it in Hollywood, her mother and spoiled brother just used her (although probably not in as evil of a way as did Clara Bow's family). Crawford was beautiful when she was young, before she started wearing almost clownish amounts of eyebrow pencil and lipstick exaggerating her already very prominent features.

Not bad. Didn't know too much about Crawford before. She had a rough life. Hard to know what is truth and what is fiction concerning Christina and her story in Mommie Dearest. Only ones who really know are Joan and her children.

Interesting read overall. ( )

A good book about the often misunderstood and misrepresented life of one of Hollywood's greatest and most influential actresses: Joan Crawford. Spoto presents Miss Crawford's life in an unbiased manner and often attempts to refute the claims of abuse made by Crawfords adopted children. The book was easy to read and proved that there never was a dull moment in the life of Joan Crawford, movie star! ( )

As the subtitle suggests, Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford, by Donald Spoto, is a biography of that American movie star, whose heyday was in the 1930s and 1940s, but who continued working up into the 1970s. Many people might remember her adopted daughter's memoir (and the subsequent television film), Mommie Dearest: this book goes some way to setting the record straight in terms of Crawford's reputation. However, the troubled relationship between mother and daughter is only part of the woman's life story, and this volume works best when it discusses Crawford's work life and how it impacted her private life. Going from poverty to the heights of wealth and power is always an intriguing human story, and Spoto does a good job of bringing the star's human qualities for the forefront. There is also some interesting discussion about how Hollywood studios worked during its "Golden Age," during which time Crawford was one of the brightest lights, although the story is unfortunately not situated in the broader cultural and historical setting of the time. Still, an interesting portrayal of one of the first people to play the role of "movie star." Recommended for those interested in the period and the film industry. ( )

Fairly good biography on Joan Crawford that describes her dismal beginnings, her determination to get ahead, her rise in Hollywood, and eventual decline. The book debunks most of Mommie Dearest with quotes from Christine Crawford herself. There are lots of other quotes from those who knew or worked with Joan Crawford as well as quotes from Joan herself. The book also debunks the myth that Crawford married Douglas Fairbanks Jr as a way to get ahead since by that time, she was already a more well known star than Fairbanks. This book confirms what I've read elsewhere that Crawford was the hardest working actress in Hollywood. She really worked at being a good actress. However, the book does contain some errors which includes on page 46 saying Crawford was in 1927's The Unknown with Lon Chaney Sr and Gil Terry - it was Norman Kerry and on page 97 referring to Walter Huston's character name in 1932's Rain as Reverend Davidson when it was Mr. Davidson. The book does a fairly good job of follow-up as to what happened to Crawford's four children and three husbands although it would have been better to have it all at the end in a kind of follow-up section. While the book does discuss her will and estate, it fails to mention who, if anyone, received her 1945 Best Actress Oscar for Mildred Pierce. There is also no filmography although the author does a good job of covering her films and t.v. work - it would have been nice to have a list as an appendix. For anyone who wants an alternative view to Mommie Dearest - I would recommend this book. ( )