From the onset, I knew I would enjoy reading this memoir. From the eight grade all the way through high school, Rob Lowe was my Hollywood teen crush. After reading "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton in 8th Grade English class, I along with most of my "boy-crazy" classmates in Penleigh Ladies College eagerly awaited the release of the movie featuring a group of future Hollywood teenage hearthtrobs. Each of us declared our favorite actor; mine, of course, was Rob Lowe. I continued to watch every Rob Lowe release (including "Youngblood", "Class", "Oxford Blues", "St. Elmo's Fire", "Square Dance" and "About Last Night") and adorned my walls with his posters. Consequently, I knew that reading his autobiography would in a way be like a trip down memory lane.
Rob Lowe had a passion for becoming an actor at an early age. Early in his career,he frequently starred in ABC's Afterschool Specials, which interestingly enough I watched religiously due to the their "controversial" (often the story lines dealt with teen issues that were not regularly discussed in the open such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse, violence/physical abuse etc.) and inspiring storylines. Yet as I was unaware of Rob Lowe as an actor at the time, I do not remember his roles. His breakthrough role which made me and most of the teen population aware of him was his role as Sodapop in "The Outsiders"
Rob describes the audition process and the behind-the-scenes making of the movie. This was fascinating since the movie served as the launching pad for several acclaimed Hollywood actors including: Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze (although this wasn't his first film), Ralph Macchio and Thomas C. Howell. Furthermore, the movie was directed by the well-respected yet notebly difficult to work with director, Francis Coppola. Despite having his major scene removed from the final version and having his role reduced dramatically, Rob Lowe still went on to embark on a successful career.
While Rob Lowe "name-dropped" his personal experiences with famous celebrites including Hollywood legends (such as Cary Grant, Lucille Ball, Liza Minelli), friends (e.g., Emilio Estevez, Charlie & Martin Sheen) and co-stars (e.g., Tom Cruise, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore), he maintained his class by not directly critisizing or exposing sensational details about these famous individuals. However, his anecdotes did provide interesting insights into several celebrities such as " Tom (Cruise) has a new perspective on his acting style, telling me, "I want to spend time with you but Joel (his character in Risky Business) doesn't.", " Swayze is a relentless spirit. He never sleeps, works out like an animal and writes and records music on a portable studio he has set up in his hotel room (during the making of "Youngblood")
and " My personal life would painfully and very publically implode. Of all the many people I had worked with over the years, there was only one who took the time to write a note of support: Jodie( Foster)."
The ultimate theme of his autobiography is the road to self-healing. As a young actor, Rob was engulfed by his fast-life of alcohol and sex. He came across as being immature, self- absorbed and ultimately, destructive. Rob recognized that "Fake confidence on the outside (which he typically acquired through alcohol and female attention) often trumps truthful turmoil on the inside." Following his notorious sex scandal he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. While I respect his decision to seek substance abuse help, I perceived that he somewhat portrayed the actual taped sexual encounter as a badge of honor rather than something he was ashamed of and was more upset about the effects of the media attention surrounding the act. Many may counteract my surprise towards his behavior with the cliche "well he's a guy, what do you expect"; however, does he want to send the message to his sons that his sexual impropriety was acceptable. This was the only aspect of the book which disappointed me.
Following rehab, Rob gained control of his life as a result of greater self-awareness and self-preservation.
He learnt that "while I do love people, I hate small talk, am bored by idle banter, and wildly uncomfortable with people I don't know. I want a real connection..." and that he did, by proposing to his best friend and lover, Sheryl. Rob vowed that "after spending the eighties working on a career, I will spend the nineties working on my life." Since then, it appears, he has been able to maintain a healthy balance in his career and family, which includes his wife of almost 20 years, two sons and dogs.
I applaud Rob Lowe's strength to find his way out of a destructive youth and embrace the true meaning of life. I also applaud his early career for giving me hours of daydreaming during my teenage years. Finally, I applaud him for writing this well-written and fascinating autobiography.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
"Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" was a refreshing read when compared to most modern fiction. Not including historical fiction novels, modern fiction often deals with human angst and tragedy. There is also "chick-lit" which is mindless reading typically revolving around a female character's quest to find "Mr Right" in the dating jungle. I am not denying that I have enjoyed novels that have fallen into the above categories; however, I have increasingly become unsatisfied with these forms of modern fiction and have been yearning for a change, which is why I embraced "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand".
The novel is set in England and written by a British author. Simplicity is the essence of the novel, which also characterizes and why I find British productions (television and movies) so appealing. The British have a magical skill of transforming a simple storyline into a riveting yet relaxing production. Such is the case with "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand".
The story is about a retired, widowed Colonel, living in a small English village, who falls in love with an also widowed, Pakastani store owner. The love is not an over-the-top, dramatic love affair but is built on a sweet friendship. They experience barriers in the form of non-acceptance from the local community and family members, but this too is also handled without excess melodrama (with the exception of one family member's dramatic and unnecessary actions in response to his own personal problems at the end of the novel).
In many ways, the novel resembles a modern Jane Austen novel as the author makes astute observations about society's rules and behavior with a similiar witty and satirical style. Each character, both main and secondary (ie. town and family members) come alive not with wordy physical and narrative descriptons, but through their quirks, mannerisms and behavior in a variety of situations.
My favorite character is Mrs Ali, the widowed Pakistani store owner who falls in love with Major Petigrew. I found a kindred spirit in her love of books. " I tell myself that it does not matter what one reads- favorite authors, particular themes- as long as we read something. It is not even important to own the books" She stroked the library book's yellowing plastic sleeve...
I was also charmed and inspired by her nuggets of wisdom such as " The world is full of small ignorances. We must all do our best to ignore them and thereby keep them small, don't you think?" and "I don't believe the greatest views in the world are great because they are vast or exotic. I think the power comes from the knowledge that they do not change. You look at them and you know they have been the same for a thousand years."
This was author's debut novel. The "Random House Reader's Circle" interview, at the end of the novel, with Helen Simonson provided insight into her background, views and inspirations. She was raised in a small English villiage and moved to the U.S. in her teens or early adulthood (similar to me). Like me, she holds idyllic memories of her birth country, recognizing that "Perhaps home is more precious to those who leave. Away from the everyday annoyances of town and family life, we are free to recollect only the good bits and pine for a landscape that we remembers as always bathed in late-summer evening light." She is a source of inspiration, since she started writing "later" in life and I took note of her keen observation about writers "I have slowly come to the conclusion that this struggle to find consistency and a good routine, and to pile up creative work, is the challenge of all creative people. It is what separates the writer from the person who has an idea for a novel if they could just find the time.We also share a similar literary taste, as she identifies both Jane Austin and Edith Wharton as two of her favorite authors. Finally as a person of British origin, she reflects upon her strong connection to the Indian subcontinent noting that "it is an unexpected part of being British that, no matter the rhetoric, we maintain an enduring sense of connection to the Indian subcontinent."
I thoroughly enjoyed "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" and look forward to reading Helen Simonson's future novels.
The novel is set in England and written by a British author. Simplicity is the essence of the novel, which also characterizes and why I find British productions (television and movies) so appealing. The British have a magical skill of transforming a simple storyline into a riveting yet relaxing production. Such is the case with "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand".
The story is about a retired, widowed Colonel, living in a small English village, who falls in love with an also widowed, Pakastani store owner. The love is not an over-the-top, dramatic love affair but is built on a sweet friendship. They experience barriers in the form of non-acceptance from the local community and family members, but this too is also handled without excess melodrama (with the exception of one family member's dramatic and unnecessary actions in response to his own personal problems at the end of the novel).
In many ways, the novel resembles a modern Jane Austen novel as the author makes astute observations about society's rules and behavior with a similiar witty and satirical style. Each character, both main and secondary (ie. town and family members) come alive not with wordy physical and narrative descriptons, but through their quirks, mannerisms and behavior in a variety of situations.
My favorite character is Mrs Ali, the widowed Pakistani store owner who falls in love with Major Petigrew. I found a kindred spirit in her love of books. " I tell myself that it does not matter what one reads- favorite authors, particular themes- as long as we read something. It is not even important to own the books" She stroked the library book's yellowing plastic sleeve...
I was also charmed and inspired by her nuggets of wisdom such as " The world is full of small ignorances. We must all do our best to ignore them and thereby keep them small, don't you think?" and "I don't believe the greatest views in the world are great because they are vast or exotic. I think the power comes from the knowledge that they do not change. You look at them and you know they have been the same for a thousand years."
This was author's debut novel. The "Random House Reader's Circle" interview, at the end of the novel, with Helen Simonson provided insight into her background, views and inspirations. She was raised in a small English villiage and moved to the U.S. in her teens or early adulthood (similar to me). Like me, she holds idyllic memories of her birth country, recognizing that "Perhaps home is more precious to those who leave. Away from the everyday annoyances of town and family life, we are free to recollect only the good bits and pine for a landscape that we remembers as always bathed in late-summer evening light." She is a source of inspiration, since she started writing "later" in life and I took note of her keen observation about writers "I have slowly come to the conclusion that this struggle to find consistency and a good routine, and to pile up creative work, is the challenge of all creative people. It is what separates the writer from the person who has an idea for a novel if they could just find the time.We also share a similar literary taste, as she identifies both Jane Austin and Edith Wharton as two of her favorite authors. Finally as a person of British origin, she reflects upon her strong connection to the Indian subcontinent noting that "it is an unexpected part of being British that, no matter the rhetoric, we maintain an enduring sense of connection to the Indian subcontinent."
I thoroughly enjoyed "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" and look forward to reading Helen Simonson's future novels.
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