Hollywood: A Third Memoir

by Larry McMurtry Narrated by Henry Strozier

Overview

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry follows up Books and Literary Life with this final installment in his memoir trilogy. Tinged with his wry humor and Texas swagger, Hollywood is McMurtry's anecdote-filled take on Tinseltown from the year his Horseman, Pass By was adapted into Hud (1963) to the year he wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Prolific novelist and screenwriter McMurtry shares his history with the movies via breezy anecdotes and insightful reflections on a writer's fluctuating currency in Hollywood. McMurtry muses on the elusive and capricious nature of the filmmaking industry with humor and compassion for some of the people who have inhabited it. With observations on the often predictable decline of movie stars, and recollections of his own projects, McMurtry is always the writer who loves what he does, despite setbacks, delays, or disappointments. He shares some of Tinsel Town's characters, less idiosyncratic today than they once were, and the many opportunities he was given to write for the movies; his endeavors, even those that never made it to the screen, served a purpose in the long, productive trajectory of his career. Unpretentious but wise, passionate but not precious about his craft (when he won an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain he skipped the parties in favor of "a decent cheeseburger" and bed), McMurtry shames his angst-ridden peers with a frank appreciation for the chance to be a part of the massive entertainment machine. (Aug.)

MAY 2011 - AudioFile

This installment of Pulitzer Prize winner McMurtry’s memoirs consists of charming vignettes of his 40 years as a Hollywood screenwriter. His hits include the novels on which the film HUD and the TV miniseries LONESOME DOVE were based, as well as the screenplay for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. While the author’s memories are predominantly gentle and reflective, Henry Strozier’s narration is gravelly and somewhat cynical, a style that works well. His direct and warm tone is reassuring and approachable. Further, his grizzled timbre supports the reading of material that is keenly observed but occasionally repetitive, ambling, and a bit confusing as the time frames of the stories wander. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169070453
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/04/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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