Present Regarding Books The Moon's a Balloon
| Title | : | The Moon's a Balloon |
| Author | : | David Niven |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 327 pages |
| Published | : | October 27th 1994 by Penguin (first published 1971) |
| Categories | : | Biography. Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Humor. Biography Memoir |
David Niven
Paperback | Pages: 327 pages Rating: 4.16 | 5170 Users | 261 Reviews
Rendition Supposing Books The Moon's a Balloon
One of the bestselling memoirs of all time, David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon is an account of one of the most remarkable lives Hollywood has ever seen. Beginning with the tragic early loss of his aristocratic father, then regaling us with tales of school, army and wartime hi-jinx, Niven shows how, even as an unknown young man, he knew how to live the good life. But it is his astonishing stories of life in Hollywood and his accounts of working and partying with the legends of the silver screen - Lawrence Oliver, Vivien Leigh, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and dozens of others, while making some of the most acclaimed films of the last century - which turn David Niven's memoir into an outright masterpiece. An intimate, gossipy, heartfelt and above all charming account of life inside Hollywood's dream factory, The Moon is a Balloon is a classic to be read and enjoyed time and again..Details Books As The Moon's a Balloon
| Original Title: | The Moon's a Balloon |
| ISBN: | 0140239243 (ISBN13: 9780140239249) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | David Niven |
Rating Regarding Books The Moon's a Balloon
Ratings: 4.16 From 5170 Users | 261 ReviewsCriticism Regarding Books The Moon's a Balloon
Mmm. Trubshawe...Niven..."Goats? Bad show...A hugely popular memoir of a man I admired far more before I actually read it. A pretty straightforward run down of his life and career, it suffers from dated attitudes and a probable skating over of some very bad behaviour. Strangely it retains a gruesome, voyeuristic interest. How many names can one man drop? I lost count...
David Niven is not just an actor who writes, he is an actor with something to say who says it well-in written form. The combination of all 3 qualities is not so easily found. He is, as is said, witty, urbane, and sophisticated; he has moved in exciting, glamorous circles; he has known tragedy and he has witnessed it in others lives and he has been present for it all. His gift to us is his ability to articulate memory and insight. What a surprise it was to me: I opened the door of this book
C1971: I have always felt that this is the best Hollywood autobiography. It helped that I always liked David Niven in films and the relatively early days of cinema are so interesting. However, his early life and career during the Second World War were, dare I say it, even more captivating. I am certain that, as with everyones memories, there were a few less than accurate details due to his reputation as being a raconteur of note. This is a laugh out loud funny book! I have re-read this book on
I read this at some point in the '90s. I don't recall any details, just a general sense of having read something pleasant and somewhat entertaining, befitting of the biography of a true, English gentleman.
Charming. Absolutely charming. This isn't the greatest of memoirs I have read but Niven's rather down to earth narration makes it worthwhile. For someone so well known, he could have been much more arrogant but it is one of the aspects that makes this book so readable that he does not mind telling of his failures. And, yet, I would have hoped for more insights and opinions rather than a more or less straight run-down of his life and career.
Its easy to see why this is considered one of the greatest Hollywood biographies. Through a combination of good fortune and good contacts Niven made his way to the top during Holywood's golden era, maybe not the greatest actor , as John Mortimer commented - "I don't think his acting ever quite achieved the brilliance or the polish of his dinner-party conversations." he still managed to win an Oscar for Separate Tables in 1958. Friends with the rich and famous from Marilyn Monroe (who he slept
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