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This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection Audiobook
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(3.01) - 4,616 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
"This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection" is Carol Burnett's second memoir. In her first memoir, One More Time, which was written in 1986, she went into details about growing up with alcoholic parents. She and her sister were mostly raised by their grandmother whom they called Nanny. In This Time Together, Burnett writes a little more about the rest of her life and her career, especially the 11-year run of The Carol Burnett Show, a rarity at a time when women were not generally in charge of their own shows. Today, Burnett is said to be the inspiration for women like Ellen DeGeneres and Tina Fey, but, in her modest way, Burnett declares, "If they had the fire in the belly, they would have done it anyway, you know?"
Burnett's brand of comedy is not quite as edgy as we're used to today, having a more homespun character, like Burnett herself. This is reflected in This Time Together which is not a tell-all by any means. It's not full of scandalous details about celebrities and their vices, although Burnett does go into her clashes with Harvey Korman on the show. The rest of the time, Burnett comes across as a maternal type of figure who included everyone on the show under her protective umbrella. She was generous with others, trying to give them the exposure they deserved and was the one who discovered Vicki Lawrence who played her younger sister on TV sketches.
Burnett also talks about her first two marriages, to Don Saroyan, her college sweetheart and Joe Hamilton, the executive producer of The Carol Burnett Show. However, her tone is free of rancor and her emphasis is on her current happiness with drummer Brian Miller who is 20 years her junior. When it comes to her daughter's succumbing to cancer, Burnett's emphasis is on learning to live with this terrible occurrence and becoming stronger.
Overall, this book has a strong positive energy which resembles its writer and presents a different side of show business, suggesting that it doesn't have to be as cut-throat as it is generally portrayed. Burnett radiates contentment with herself and her life and is an inspiration to others who might be going through hard times because of the way she insists upon looking at the glass as half full.
Carol Burnett grew up in San Antonio, Texas to alcoholic parents and was raised by her grandmother. She started her career by performing in nightclubs in New York and then in the Broadway play, Once Upon a Mattress. After this, she became a regular on The Garry Moore Show and eventually started her own production, The Carol Burnett Show which aired for 11 years on CBS; the show won many Emmys and Golden Globe awards. Since then, Burnett has worked sporadically, appearing in various movies. She has been married three times and had three children, one of whom, Carrie Hamilton, died of lung and brain cancer. She has been best friends with Julie Andrews since the 1960s.
"Carol Burnett was one of my favorite TV personalities when I was a kid. Reading this book brought back some fun memories and added depth to my knowledge of this amazing woman. I always thought that Carol Burnett would make a wonderful next-door neighbor (unlike most celebrities who were a bit "over the top" for my taste) and after reading this I'd love to have Carol in my neighborhood! This isn't a life changing book and not even much of a thought provoking book. But it was a beautiful ray of sunshine to read this in the middle of a dreary February."
— Linda (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
This touching and hilarious memoir is 100 percent Carol Burnett -- funny, irreverent, and irresistible.
Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another.
In engaging anecdotes, Carol discusses her remarkable friendships with stars such at Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, and Julie Andrews; the background behind famous scenes, like the moment she swept down the stairs in her curtain-rod dress in the legendary “Went With the Wind” skit; and things that would happen only to Carol--the prank with Julie Andrews that went wrong in front of the First Lady; the famous Tarzan Yell that saved her during a mugging; and the time she faked a wooden leg to get served in a famous ice cream emporium.
This poignant look back allows us to cry with the actress during her sorrows, rejoice in her successes, and finally, always, to laugh.
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Quotes
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These short memories, of the people Burnett met and interviewed over the years, on- and off-camera, bring it back — the golden age of variety shows....Burnett has a writer's eye for the moment, the detail, the slip that reveals character. She's never mean and always grateful.
— Los Angeles Times -
Carol was a huge star on television because she was funny, daring, and always genuine. We loved Carol because we felt we knew her. With this book, we do. She trusts us with her personal anecdotes, happy, sad, hilarious and poignant. Thank you Carol.
— Billy Crystal -
I read This Time Together in one sitting and when I finished I felt like Carol had been sitting beside me telling me these wonderful stories of her life. It's funny, it's endearing and very moving. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
— Julie Andrews -
I grew up watching Carol Burnett. She's an amazing actress, talented writer and legendary comedienne. She inspired me to do what I'm doing today. And believe me, if I knew how to read, I would definitely read this book.
— Ellen DeGeneres -
I love this book because it's written the way she talks--nothing stilted, nothing distanced. You'll read it in one gulp (I did) and then you'll read it again. She's an excellent writer--so spot-on intelligent and hilarious.—Hal Prince
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Reading Carol Burnett's book, THIS TIME TOGETHER, makes me realize that every American family prays that they can have someone as lovely as Carol as their next door neighbor.
— Tony Bennett
Awards
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Nominated for Audie Awards, 2011
This Time Together Listener Reviews
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" Great, very well-written show business stories . "
— Terry, 2/9/2014 -
" Loved the book! She has had many fun adventures and the story telling is wonderful! "
— Cindy, 2/9/2014 -
" Amazing book - not only is she a very funny entertainer, but she's a great writer. Stores, some funny, some poignant. "
— New_worlds, 2/6/2014 -
" I have always liked Carol Burnett, she has always reminded me of my mother! I loved watching her show when I was young. I listened to this book on cd while I drove home, and it great fun to listen too, as she reads it herself. It is just a lot of short little vingnettes about her life and her show and how it got started. And so much more fun to listen to her tell it, than to her read it. I loved when she did the tarzan yell! Perfect for a drive! "
— Heather, 1/31/2014 -
" I love the Carol Burnett show and good "old-time" TV variety shows and such, so when I saw this for $1 at the library book sale, I had to grab it. It's a funny collection of memories Carol has both of her life on and off the screen. She's a personable writer, and I found a lot of incidental things about her personality in this book. Great, quick read. "
— Anna, 1/24/2014 -
" I love Carol Burnett and this was a fun look into her life. There were a couple parts that had me laughing out loud. And it's all done in short little chapters which makes for easy reading. "
— Tami, 1/18/2014 -
" very enjoyable LOL is overly used....but I really did "
— Rachel, 1/16/2014 -
" A must read for anyone who has ever been a fan of Carol Burnett. "
— Christy, 12/14/2013 -
" This was a fun e-read while I was waiting at doctor's appointments. I remember seeing the variety acts that she talked about. This made it so much fun to know about the back stories. "
— Pam, 11/25/2013 -
" Listened to CD narrated by Carol herself. A series of anecdotes that string together well. Covers her family life, career, friends and acquaintances. Entertaining and inspiring. Not real indepth, but just an enjoyable time together. "
— Sandy, 11/25/2013 -
" Learned about Carol Burnett. Listened in car, was read by her. "
— Barb, 10/16/2013 -
" I loved this. I loved the anecdotal, witty, conversational style. I loved hearing about a life that was remarkable. I loved remembering a time when you could watch prime time as a family. "
— Stefanieq, 10/16/2013 -
" A wonderful perspective written by this wonderful comedianne. And to quote Ms. Burnett "I'm so glad we had this time together". "
— Lori, 9/23/2013 -
" Loved the book! It brought back many memories and she shared many insights that were more than interesting - very touching. Fun read for sure! "
— Julie, 5/23/2013 -
" BTW...this was the Barnes and Noble NOOK ebook version; wondering why the Kindle editions are getting their own category; or did I miss an edition? Enjoyable autobiography of a beloved actress/comedianne. It felt a bit superficial at times; but overall; time well spent. "
— Pat, 4/27/2013 -
" I enjoyed this and granted you learn things that you have in her past books it is still enjoyable. The audio is read by her as well. "
— Sadi, 3/5/2013 -
" Very quick, entertaining read. Carol Burnett comes across exactly as you'd expect - warm, extremely funny, smart, kind. Highly recommended! "
— Rhonda, 9/17/2012 -
" A very intelligent and talented woman. "
— Catherine, 6/24/2012 -
" This was a fun read! Short stories from Carol Burnett's life. I grew up watching her television show, so it was fun to read about her life and funny stories acout the show. "
— Debby, 6/23/2012 -
" Interesting, but not quite what I expected. Some parts of this book were poignant. Other parts were amusing but not with the hilarity I'd expect from Burnett; more dry wit overall. "
— Terri, 5/12/2012 -
" It's positive, warm, and funny. It brings back memories of watching the Carol Burnett Show in the 70s. I've added "The Carol Burnett Show: Show Stoppers" to our DVD cue and I hope that the Gone with the Wind sketch is on there. "
— MaryKay, 4/23/2012 -
" Very funny stories from a classy lady. "
— Acorral, 4/19/2012 -
" I read this on a flight, and it was such a pleasant way to pass away time in the air. She writes of experiences with so many Hollywood legends. I thoroughly enjoyed her personal glimpses. Lots of laughs. "
— Marilyn, 1/1/2012 -
" I LOVE Carol Burnett. She is just so darn funny without having to resort to filth. I finished this book in a weekend. "
— Lisa, 7/3/2011 -
" This book made me laugh out loud in the dentist's waiting room. Awkward! "
— Anita, 6/28/2011 -
" This was a delightful listen. It is narrated by Carol herself. It lightly traces her early career and family life. "
— Shari, 6/15/2011 -
" Fun, but entirely too short! This is a book of random reminisces, and it left me wanting more...I guess I'll have to read her other books! "
— Courtney, 6/14/2011 -
" Very good book by Carol Burnett. A book about her life and her career. Many stories about guests on her Carol Burnett show. She also tells of the famous people she met in her life, many of who she became friends with. "
— Jamie, 6/13/2011 -
" I love The Carol Burnett Show and I love Carol Burnett. It was a joy to read this book full of witty recollections and memories. "
— Pamela(AllHoney), 6/3/2011 -
" I loved this book, but then I love Carol Burnett ... "
— Ilene, 6/2/2011 -
" A delightful book-a great vacation read! "
— Tammy, 6/2/2011 -
" Burnett fans will enjoy her many stories and anecdotes about her life and variety show. "
— Holly, 6/2/2011 -
" Best birthday present ever! Thank you, Vicky. Love ya. <br/> "
— Tabitha, 5/29/2011
About Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett is widely recognized for her work on stage and screen, most notably The Carol Burnett Show, which was named in 2007 by Time magazine as one of “100 Best Television Shows of All Time.” A highly acclaimed actress for her comedic and dramatic roles on television, film, and Broadway, Burnett has been honored with twelve People’s Choice Awards, eight Golden Globes, six Emmy Awards, the Horatio Alger Award, the Peabody Award, and the Ace Award. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is a Kennedy Center honoree, and has been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. She is also a New York Times bestselling author.