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If This Was Happiness: A Biography of Rita Hayworth Audiobook
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(3.04) - 228 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Rita Hayworth was the epitome of 1940s Hollywood glamour. A huge box office star, her sultry figure was pasted by GIs onto the first atom bomb ever detonated. Yet behind the smoldering image lay a tragic secret that wrecked her private life. A pathologically shy child, Rita was thrust into the sordid limelight as her vaudevillian father’s dancing partner at an early age, suffering sexual and physical abuse at his hands. A desperate need for protection led her into five disastrous marriages, including those to Orson Welles and Prince Aly Khan. At the age of forty-two, Alzheimer’s disease began to ravage her mind, cutting short her career at its peak.
This is a haunting and sympathetic tribute to a talented but insecure beauty who was created, and ultimately destroyed, by the movies.
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"Learned lots I didn't know! For all her glamour, Rita was a neurotic mess, clinging to men who were really bad for her. And all this because of the incest that occurred, thanks to her narcissistic father. An excellent read that explains many of the bad decisions she made. "
— Laini (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Hayworth fans will learn much from this biography by the author of Orson Welles. The surprising story of the acutely shy Margarita Carmen Cansino, who was dubbed ‘the Love Goddess,’ contains more melodrama than most romance novels.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Hayworth made her name in films such as Cover Girl and Gilda. She also attained fame and notoriety through her marriages to Orson Welles, Prince Aly Khan, and Dick Haymes, among others. Finally she became probably the best-known victim of Alzheimer’s disease. Leaming…contends that Hayworth was sexually abused by her father…The truth will never be known, but she does make a reasonably convincing case.”
— Library Journal -
“Anna Fields simply aims to make herself disappear into this heartrending narrative, giving center stage to Leaming’s economical and insightful chronicling of a train wreck of a life. The reader paces the story with precision, giving emphasis where needed but taking care to avoid theatricality.”
— Audiobookstoday.com
If This Was Happiness Listener Reviews
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" This was good, but I lost interest somewhere after her marriage to Orson Welles. It convinced me to never have anything to do with Hollywood. Then I moved to Hollywood shortly thereafter. "
— Allison, 7/21/2013 -
" What a sad life. I think she could have been a great actress if she didn't have the trauma and lack of support. "
— Jamie, 12/30/2012 -
" Rita Hayworth will always be one of my favorite film goddesses, it's a shame she had such an effed up life. "
— Kit, 9/26/2012 -
" This one I think was a pretty decent biography, though as usual focused a lot on the trashier, tabloid types of gossip. "
— Sally, 5/19/2012 -
" Sad life story of Hayworth. Compelling reading. "
— Linda, 8/15/2011 -
" Tragic life of a memorable film actress. "
— Helen, 7/31/2011 -
" Not much to say about this book. It was a very ordinary biography about a famous person who despite the fact that she was beautiful and made a lot of money had a mostly sad and lonely life. "
— Althea, 12/25/2010 -
" One of the best Hollywood biographies I've read in a long time. Rita's life was not an easy one and Barbara Leaming captures the troubled woman behind the star image with great sensitivity. "
— Tara, 10/29/2010 -
" Learned lots I didn't know! For all her glamour, Rita was a neurotic mess, clinging to men who were really bad for her. And all this because of the incest that occurred, thanks to her narcissistic father. An excellent read that explains many of the bad decisions she made. "
— Laini, 7/31/2010 -
" Sad life story of Hayworth. Compelling reading. "
— Linda, 4/6/2010 -
" What a very sad life she lived all the way til the end. Before you read about these stars you see them as their characters but it's always a shock to read what life was really like for them. <br/>Very interesting read. "
— Leah, 7/7/2009 -
" This was good, but I lost interest somewhere after her marriage to Orson Welles. It convinced me to never have anything to do with Hollywood. Then I moved to Hollywood shortly thereafter. "
— Allison, 9/9/2008 -
" Rita Hayworth will always be one of my favorite film goddesses, it's a shame she had such an effed up life. "
— Kit, 12/2/2007
About Barbara Leaming
Barbara Leaming is the author of the New York Times bestseller Katharine Hepburn. She was for many years professor of theater and film at Hunter College. Her articles have appeared in Vanity Fair and the New York Times Magazine. She lives in Connecticut.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.