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by: Lillian Hellman
List Price: $19.99Amazon.com's Price: $17.99 You Save: $2.00 (10%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 812.52
EAN: 9780316352888
ISBN: 0316352888
Label: Back Bay Books
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: March 29, 2000
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Sales Rank: 407066
Studio: Back Bay Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
'In this widely praised follow-up to her National Book Award--winning first volume of memoirs, An Unfinished Woman, the legendary playwright Lillian Hellman looks back at some of the people who, wittingly or unwittingly, exerted profound influence on her development as a woman and a writer. The portraits include Hellman's recollection of a lifelong friendship that began in childhood, reminiscences that formed the basis of the Academy Award--winning film Julia.'
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The Infamous Miss Hellman
Lillian Hellman's PENTIMENTO, A loose collection of autobiographical essays and stories, has been both controversial and famous, and very specifically so for "Julia." In this particular tale, Hellman describes her attempt to aid a friend by smuggling money to support anti-Nazi efforts in 1930s Germany--and subsequently finding herself unable to protect Julia from the ferocity of the Nazi machine. Powerfully written, it is the centerpiece of the book, and in 1977 was adapted into a very popular ... Read More
Rating:  - A Memoir Should Be, Well, Somewhat True
Lillian Hellman was a fascinating woman but it has been well-established that most of her anectodal vignettes are complete fabrications. Not only"Julia", but also the story about her cousin Beth and "Turtle". The writing is great but is diminished when you read this work as it is, mainly fiction. Then, the actual style is simply bad fiction writing. A pity, such a talented woman had to write these sad fictionalizations in the service of her own neuroses.
Rating: - wonderful, flowing narrative on a life fully lived
I do not have the knowledge or tools to judge whether Hellman has written the truth here. However, what I do know is that it is splendidly written in a quirky style, which I studied when younger, and the stories are full of psychological depth and personal reflection. While I find her plays and scripts somewhat shallow with easy-to-label characters, I admit that I liked this book as a fully realized work of art.
While I do think it matters if she consciously fictionalized her life, ... Read More
Rating:  - Proceed with extreme caution
There was no "Julia." Hellman helped herself to Muriel Gardiner's life story. ALL of Hellman's memoirs must be read with extreme caution -- her "inaccuracies" go well beyond what is normally expected in any autobiography. (And I also think they've been overrated as literature.)
Rating: - a worthwhile journey thru life
Moving collection of real life stories that make you appreciate Hellman's plays. A must read for anyone interested in her relationship with Dashielle Hammett, who penned some of the, if not, Thee best crime novels in American literature. Read his works first, then read this, then read Hellman's plays. You'll feel as though you've spent time with them over a life. (Lillian has 2 further books of memoirs to complete her trilogy.) Her and Dashielle were 2 of the clearest examples of the cliched hard drinking ... Read More
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