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The Third Gilmore Girl
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award
Winner for Readers' Favorite Memoir (2024)鈥淐ome for the Gilmore Girls anecdotes, stay for the revealing truths about what it takes to build a lifelong career in and out of Hollywood鈥� (The A.V. Club) in this candid and captivating memoir from award-winning and beloved actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more.
Kelly Bishop鈥檚 long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey鈥檚 mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.
Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she鈥檚 learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced鈥攁mong them marching for women鈥檚 rights and losing her second husband to cancer鈥擝ishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.
Full of witty insights, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.
Kelly Bishop鈥檚 long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey鈥檚 mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.
Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she鈥檚 learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced鈥攁mong them marching for women鈥檚 rights and losing her second husband to cancer鈥擝ishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.
Full of witty insights, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2024
5,794 people are currently reading
142k people want to read
About the author
Kelly Bishop
1听book589听followersKelly Bishop is an American actress and dancer, best known for her roles as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series Gilmore Girls and as Marjorie Houseman, the mother of Jennifer Grey's Frances "Baby" Houseman in the film Dirty Dancing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,178 reviews
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September 20, 2024broadway? nyc? abortion activism? dirty dancing? gilmore girls? icon!
September 26, 2024
It was truly such an honor and a privilege to have read this book.
Kelly Bishop is one of those people who, though she doesn鈥檛 even know I exist, feels like a great friend of mine. Her passion for dance, art, storytelling, animals, music鈥tc. speaks to me deeply.
Her confidence, humor, and positivity shines bright throughout this brilliantly crafted memoir.
Emily Gilmore has always been a favorite character of mine, and now she is even more so!
I will, forever and always, feel extremely proud to be an honorary Gilmore Girl.
Kelly Bishop is one of those people who, though she doesn鈥檛 even know I exist, feels like a great friend of mine. Her passion for dance, art, storytelling, animals, music鈥tc. speaks to me deeply.
Her confidence, humor, and positivity shines bright throughout this brilliantly crafted memoir.
Emily Gilmore has always been a favorite character of mine, and now she is even more so!
I will, forever and always, feel extremely proud to be an honorary Gilmore Girl.
September 20, 2024
Emily/Kelly, I adore you.
If you鈥檙e a GG fan, you鈥檙e going to love this memoir.
If you鈥檙e a GG fan, you鈥檙e going to love this memoir.
Read
October 22, 2024still a queen even though she's team logan
September 19, 2024
I rarely rate memoirs but this was SO good and had me in tears at the end.
July 26, 2024
I鈥檓 a huge fan of Gilmore Girls and Emily Gilmore is probably my favourite character, not least because of Kelly Bishop鈥檚 brilliant performances. I also love dance so the fact that Bishop started out as a dancer has always intrigued me. So, I was pleased to have an opportunity to read her memoir covering her early life and long career in show business. Bishop worked her way up from the bottom, her hopes of becoming a ballet dancer dashed after she moved to New York at 18, she took any dancing job she could get. She finally transitioned into acting in the early 1970s aged 30, undeterred by messy divorce proceedings, and desperate for cash to feed her menagerie of rescue animals 鈥� something that鈥檚 been a feature of her life ever since.
It's clear early on that Bishop is just as feisty as Emily but without the privilege or the family money. Her memoir, produced with the aid of Lindsay Harrison, is forthright and conversational. Admittedly it can be a bit breathless at times but it鈥檚 still a fascinating account of what it鈥檚 like to work in show business from the bottom up, as well as Broadway in the 1970s and 80s. Her early relationships were mostly disastrous, as was her first marriage to a man who spent all her money on gambling and alcohol. But her big break as a performer came with a central role in the premiere of a new musical, the now-iconic A Chorus Line. A role for which she won a coveted Tony award. Not that her life then became smooth sailing, she had some decent parts, some very minor ones in everything from B-movies to daytime soaps, although she memorably played Baby鈥檚 mother in Dirty Dancing. She also met second husband Lee Leonard the love of her life, and they were together for 37 years until his death from the last in a succession of cancer-related illnesses.
Bishop鈥檚 next, major break came when she auditioned for Gilmore Girls a pilot created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, kickstarting a lasting friendship and professional collaboration 鈥� Sherman-Palladino contributed the foreword for Bishop鈥檚 book. Bishop then appeared in Sherman-Palladino鈥檚 Bunheads and more recently The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. As you might expect Bishop鈥檚 politically liberal, pro-choice, vocal about animal welfare, and slightly woo in time-honoured Hollywood tradition. She鈥檚 also amazingly resilient, now close to 80, she鈥檚 overcome devastating personal loss, illness and injuries but she's still marching on. I can鈥檛 wait to see what she does next.
Thanks to Netgalley UK and publisher Square Peg for an ARC
It's clear early on that Bishop is just as feisty as Emily but without the privilege or the family money. Her memoir, produced with the aid of Lindsay Harrison, is forthright and conversational. Admittedly it can be a bit breathless at times but it鈥檚 still a fascinating account of what it鈥檚 like to work in show business from the bottom up, as well as Broadway in the 1970s and 80s. Her early relationships were mostly disastrous, as was her first marriage to a man who spent all her money on gambling and alcohol. But her big break as a performer came with a central role in the premiere of a new musical, the now-iconic A Chorus Line. A role for which she won a coveted Tony award. Not that her life then became smooth sailing, she had some decent parts, some very minor ones in everything from B-movies to daytime soaps, although she memorably played Baby鈥檚 mother in Dirty Dancing. She also met second husband Lee Leonard the love of her life, and they were together for 37 years until his death from the last in a succession of cancer-related illnesses.
Bishop鈥檚 next, major break came when she auditioned for Gilmore Girls a pilot created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, kickstarting a lasting friendship and professional collaboration 鈥� Sherman-Palladino contributed the foreword for Bishop鈥檚 book. Bishop then appeared in Sherman-Palladino鈥檚 Bunheads and more recently The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. As you might expect Bishop鈥檚 politically liberal, pro-choice, vocal about animal welfare, and slightly woo in time-honoured Hollywood tradition. She鈥檚 also amazingly resilient, now close to 80, she鈥檚 overcome devastating personal loss, illness and injuries but she's still marching on. I can鈥檛 wait to see what she does next.
Thanks to Netgalley UK and publisher Square Peg for an ARC
January 1, 2025
I love Kelly Bishop so much 馃槶 This is a beautiful look at a rich life and career and it's filled with wit, wisdom, and sass. If you'd like the best experience, definitely listen to the audiobook!
This was one of my favorite nonfiction books of 2024!
to hear more of my thoughts over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
This was one of my favorite nonfiction books of 2024!
to hear more of my thoughts over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
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March 16, 2025Read along with all the winners of the 欧宝娱乐 choice awards:
October 28, 2024
one of the easiest 5 star ratings I've ever given, and I am so honored to have gone to her author event & to live at the same time as this woman.
Read
January 3, 2025This was such a fun, quick listen. Almost made me want to go watch Gilmore Girls again.
April 5, 2025
This was a delightful memoir. As Kelly says, 鈥業 liked it very much.鈥�
A memoir which you can鈥檛 put down? Yes.
What an absolute breath of fresh air this memoir was, delightfully told by the author. Kelly Bishop has led and continues to lead an amazingly full life, approached in the most positive and half glass full manner. She鈥檚 been knocked down over the years, and with every step taken she has carried these with tenacity and drive. Fully ambitious with never once accepting financial assistance or handouts, the hard work ethic and the desire to do everything on her own terms was evident. Saying no to opportunities that may have given short term rewards, she always had her eye on what the bigger picture would blossom into.
From her earliest love of ballet as a young girl, to moving across the country to follow her dreams, her mother afforded her this without support from an unsupportive and abusive father. Kelly loves passionately, and the love for her mum was evident. The story of her life from appearing in A Chorus Line (the background of this extraordinary 鈥� it was based on the girls she danced with and their real life chat 鈥� beautiful songs were created from her own writings!) to everything in between the Gilmore Girls and beyond were covered in detail, as was her personal life.
What struck me was her keen observations of everything she was involved in. An interesting and well observed life made this memoir a lovely experience. Fans of TGG will be thrilled, she loved every moment. Her involvement was as beautiful as the show 鈥� no pretentious behaviour and true comradery. Even if the actors turned up when they were ready.. her on screen husband and Kelly would not dare to turn up late, thanks to their immaculate theatre training and experience. I loved how much she鈥檚 loved her work, and her life.
A wonderful voice in telling her story which I highly recommend. In the words of Kelly 鈥� I liked it very much.
I listened to this via the Libby app and my public library.
馃┌馃拑馃懐
A memoir which you can鈥檛 put down? Yes.
What an absolute breath of fresh air this memoir was, delightfully told by the author. Kelly Bishop has led and continues to lead an amazingly full life, approached in the most positive and half glass full manner. She鈥檚 been knocked down over the years, and with every step taken she has carried these with tenacity and drive. Fully ambitious with never once accepting financial assistance or handouts, the hard work ethic and the desire to do everything on her own terms was evident. Saying no to opportunities that may have given short term rewards, she always had her eye on what the bigger picture would blossom into.
From her earliest love of ballet as a young girl, to moving across the country to follow her dreams, her mother afforded her this without support from an unsupportive and abusive father. Kelly loves passionately, and the love for her mum was evident. The story of her life from appearing in A Chorus Line (the background of this extraordinary 鈥� it was based on the girls she danced with and their real life chat 鈥� beautiful songs were created from her own writings!) to everything in between the Gilmore Girls and beyond were covered in detail, as was her personal life.
What struck me was her keen observations of everything she was involved in. An interesting and well observed life made this memoir a lovely experience. Fans of TGG will be thrilled, she loved every moment. Her involvement was as beautiful as the show 鈥� no pretentious behaviour and true comradery. Even if the actors turned up when they were ready.. her on screen husband and Kelly would not dare to turn up late, thanks to their immaculate theatre training and experience. I loved how much she鈥檚 loved her work, and her life.
A wonderful voice in telling her story which I highly recommend. In the words of Kelly 鈥� I liked it very much.
I listened to this via the Libby app and my public library.
馃┌馃拑馃懐
September 30, 2024
I was really excited for this book, and while it delivered wonderful stories of Kelly鈥檚 journey to being on Gilmore Girls, it fell a little flat to me. It felt less like a story and more like an excuse to make political, social, and spiritual stances. She only spent 1.5 chapters on Gilmore Girls, which was disappointing to me, and again, she told her life story almost as if it was a news article or history textbook and not a memoir. It鈥檚 a short book so I鈥檓 still glad I read it, but it didn鈥檛 live up to my expectations.
October 9, 2024
4 stars
Anyone who knows me knows that 鈥楪ilmore Girls鈥� is my all-time favorite show. It came out my freshman year of high school and I was around the same age as Rory, and my mom was just a bit younger than Lorelai. We had so much fun watching it together. I always had a soft spot for Emily Gilmore. I was interested to know more about her. I loved hearing her stories about Gilmore Girls, but also loved hearing about her time with 鈥楢 Chorus Line鈥�. I鈥檓 such a fan of that musical and I had no idea that so much of 鈥楢t the Ballet鈥� was based off of her and that she was Sheila from the original cast.
Anyone who knows me knows that 鈥楪ilmore Girls鈥� is my all-time favorite show. It came out my freshman year of high school and I was around the same age as Rory, and my mom was just a bit younger than Lorelai. We had so much fun watching it together. I always had a soft spot for Emily Gilmore. I was interested to know more about her. I loved hearing her stories about Gilmore Girls, but also loved hearing about her time with 鈥楢 Chorus Line鈥�. I鈥檓 such a fan of that musical and I had no idea that so much of 鈥楢t the Ballet鈥� was based off of her and that she was Sheila from the original cast.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Kelly Bishop
Narration Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
Length: 6h 49m
December 5, 2024
This was a solid celeb memoir. I loved the early parts but found the back half to mostly be a resume. I found her so likable and loved listening to bishop tell her own story. I barely knew anything about her and still found it overall good but not outstanding.
December 15, 2024
the setup鈥�
First of all, before she was Kelly she was Carole Bishop, a chorus line dancer working on Broadway. The story behind that name change is just one of the many anecdotes shared here. She gained national fame as Emily Gilmore on Gilmore Girls but she had a magnificent career before that iconic role. Kelly tells her story in her own words, one that spans decades and is massive.
the heart of the story鈥�
I鈥檒l admit that initially my interest in Bishop鈥檚 story was mostly because of the Emily Gilmore role. But after seeing such glowing reviews from friends, I knew there had to be much more and there certainly is. I had no idea that she was so deeply connected to the genesis of A Chorus Line, a play I got to see on Broadway and the one that breathed new life into theater. I found her career to be highly interesting but it鈥檚 the woman I found fascinating. Her work ethic and life views are admirable in any era but especially during the time she was a dancer. Her transition to acting is a separate story in itself. And, her recollections of her time on Gilmore Girls was everything I鈥檇 hope to hear.
the narration鈥�
There鈥檚 nothing like hearing a memoir in that person鈥檚 voice and Kelly brought such vibrancy to her own. It鈥檚 conversational, like she was sitting across from me sharing her life. She is wonderful.
the bottom line鈥�
Kelly Bishop has lived a life鈥ull of love, heartaches, unbelievable success and low moments鈥nd she doesn鈥檛 hold back on anything other than names that shouldn鈥檛 be shared. I have a completely different view of her and won鈥檛 ever see her the same way as I rewatch Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time. Bravo, Ms. Bishop!
Posted on
First of all, before she was Kelly she was Carole Bishop, a chorus line dancer working on Broadway. The story behind that name change is just one of the many anecdotes shared here. She gained national fame as Emily Gilmore on Gilmore Girls but she had a magnificent career before that iconic role. Kelly tells her story in her own words, one that spans decades and is massive.
the heart of the story鈥�
I鈥檒l admit that initially my interest in Bishop鈥檚 story was mostly because of the Emily Gilmore role. But after seeing such glowing reviews from friends, I knew there had to be much more and there certainly is. I had no idea that she was so deeply connected to the genesis of A Chorus Line, a play I got to see on Broadway and the one that breathed new life into theater. I found her career to be highly interesting but it鈥檚 the woman I found fascinating. Her work ethic and life views are admirable in any era but especially during the time she was a dancer. Her transition to acting is a separate story in itself. And, her recollections of her time on Gilmore Girls was everything I鈥檇 hope to hear.
the narration鈥�
There鈥檚 nothing like hearing a memoir in that person鈥檚 voice and Kelly brought such vibrancy to her own. It鈥檚 conversational, like she was sitting across from me sharing her life. She is wonderful.
the bottom line鈥�
Kelly Bishop has lived a life鈥ull of love, heartaches, unbelievable success and low moments鈥nd she doesn鈥檛 hold back on anything other than names that shouldn鈥檛 be shared. I have a completely different view of her and won鈥檛 ever see her the same way as I rewatch Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time. Bravo, Ms. Bishop!
Posted on
September 29, 2024
DNF @ 46%. Didn鈥檛 hear a word about Gilmore Girls, but a whole chapter about her abortion. Ironic, isn鈥檛 it? Considering the premise of Gilmore Girls?
October 10, 2024
I loved this SO much. Review to come soon!
For now--I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook.
For now--I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook.
October 1, 2024
If you love your current view of Kelly鈥� don鈥檛 pick up this book. Very disappointing to learn of her behavior. She comes across very arrogant and with a 鈥淚 am owed this鈥� attitude that I wasn鈥檛 fond of. Only a brief 20 pages (or so) of her Gilmore Girls salute. It was the only bright spot. I also have to wonder about her apt timing of this release. Her book hit quite a few political hot topics. Another disappointment. I wish I hadn鈥檛 read the book.
March 14, 2025
This woman's life feels to me like a mixture of fairy tale and soap opera.
No criticism, my goodness, as if you can evaluate a person's life.
Reading this book was amusing and at times sad, and I love this woman.
There is some beautiful wisdom in here and I found the last few pages in particular very inspiring despite all their sadness.
And of course Emily Gilmore made sure I read this book in the first place.
Opinionated, rigid, hard to please, a woman I would never be friends with in real life.
And yet Emily is one of the characters that has impressed me the most in this series, even though I hated her at first 馃槏
No criticism, my goodness, as if you can evaluate a person's life.
Reading this book was amusing and at times sad, and I love this woman.
There is some beautiful wisdom in here and I found the last few pages in particular very inspiring despite all their sadness.
And of course Emily Gilmore made sure I read this book in the first place.
Opinionated, rigid, hard to please, a woman I would never be friends with in real life.
And yet Emily is one of the characters that has impressed me the most in this series, even though I hated her at first 馃槏
September 25, 2024
Nearly perfect.
January 18, 2025
Inspiring. I love this woman so much.
March 4, 2025
3.5 stars.
Read
November 19, 2024no rating because i think it鈥檚 odd to rate the entertainment value of someone鈥檚 life story, but i thought this was a very quick and charming read (read it in one day) and makes me think about how much we really can do with our lives. don鈥檛 let 鈥済etting old鈥� discourage you from pursuing your goals and loving your life.. it even has her perspective being in new york during 9 11 and of course her time on gilmore girls :) i also love that she includes her faults as well as all of her accomplishments.. it feels real and vulnerable
February 22, 2025
I read this book in only three days and it kept me engaged the entire time. As I read the book I simultaneously listened to the audiobook which is wonderfully read by the author.
The book was easy for me to read (a huge thing given my recent struggles) but I鈥檝e found it difficult to write any kind of review for it so I鈥檒l keep it short.
I鈥檝e always loved musicals and so I found it really interesting that so much of her real life is in the character she plays in the original Chorus Line.
I loved the Gilmore Girls show and it is the main reason I wanted to read this book. There isn鈥檛 that much about the Gilmore Girls as this book covers her entire life and there is no dishy gossip (thankfully not her style) and not too many details but it was still fun to read the parts about the Gilmore Girls and the people involved. Yes, she was an ideal person to play Emily on the show. I now understand why that final season was a letdown but I disagree with the author about the miniseries that came out after the show. I wasn鈥檛 a huge fan of it either.
The author is an interesting person and her life is worthy of a memoir.
I most appreciated her scrupulous honesty, especially her honesty about herself. She is not shy about saying when she is great at something and she admits her flaws. I find it refreshing when women acknowledge their talents and strengths since so many do not feel comfortable touting themselves.
While she is a very different person than me (spirituality including psychics, etc.) and I certainly don鈥檛 share any of her talents, she was relatable for me anyway and her love of dogs and cats and her down to earth way of being in the world are things I could identify with and things I found appealing.
3-1/2 stars
The book was easy for me to read (a huge thing given my recent struggles) but I鈥檝e found it difficult to write any kind of review for it so I鈥檒l keep it short.
I鈥檝e always loved musicals and so I found it really interesting that so much of her real life is in the character she plays in the original Chorus Line.
I loved the Gilmore Girls show and it is the main reason I wanted to read this book. There isn鈥檛 that much about the Gilmore Girls as this book covers her entire life and there is no dishy gossip (thankfully not her style) and not too many details but it was still fun to read the parts about the Gilmore Girls and the people involved. Yes, she was an ideal person to play Emily on the show. I now understand why that final season was a letdown but I disagree with the author about the miniseries that came out after the show. I wasn鈥檛 a huge fan of it either.
The author is an interesting person and her life is worthy of a memoir.
I most appreciated her scrupulous honesty, especially her honesty about herself. She is not shy about saying when she is great at something and she admits her flaws. I find it refreshing when women acknowledge their talents and strengths since so many do not feel comfortable touting themselves.
While she is a very different person than me (spirituality including psychics, etc.) and I certainly don鈥檛 share any of her talents, she was relatable for me anyway and her love of dogs and cats and her down to earth way of being in the world are things I could identify with and things I found appealing.
3-1/2 stars
October 19, 2024
5/5
Kaip patiko! Kaip ir daugelis, Bishop 啪inau i拧 Gilmore girls 鈥� na, taip turb奴t jau yra, kai neaugi su amerikieti拧kuoju teatru. Ta膷iau nors ir knyga toli gra啪u ne tik apie GG, gal net tre膷dalio nesudaro pasakojimai apie 拧寞 puik懦 serial膮, tai man n臈 kiek nesutrukd臈 m臈gautis istorijomis, nes Bishop jas pasakoja gyvai, 寞domiai, nevyniodama 寞 vat膮, o svarbiausia 鈥� su labai tvirtu stuburu ir ai拧kiu 啪inojimu k膮 nori pasakyti, kas jai svarbu ir pagal kokius moral臈s principus ir 寞sitikinimus ji nugyveno savo ilg膮, spalving膮, i拧拧奴ki懦 ir 寞domybi懦 kupin膮 gyvenim膮. Jos meil臈 gyv奴nams, teatrui, 拧okiui, savo sutuoktiniui ir tiesiog gyvenimui buvo vienos i拧 esmini懦 tem懦, bet nuo拧ird啪iai n臈 sekundei nenuobod啪iavau 鈥� kad ir k膮 ji pasakot懦.
沤inoma, kad patir膷iai 啪avumo prid臈jo ir tai, kad klausiau pa膷ios autor臈s 寞skaityt膮 autobiografij膮. Ji pripa啪寞sta, kad 啪mon臈s da啪niausiai j膮 vie拧umoje atpa啪寞sta i拧 balso, tod臈l be jo knyga tikrai prarast懦 jei ne pus臋, tai vis tiek daug charakteringumo. Ir skatinu skaityti 鈥� net jei j奴s, kaip ir a拧, mat臈t tik Gilmore girls nu ir dar Dirty dancing.
Kaip patiko! Kaip ir daugelis, Bishop 啪inau i拧 Gilmore girls 鈥� na, taip turb奴t jau yra, kai neaugi su amerikieti拧kuoju teatru. Ta膷iau nors ir knyga toli gra啪u ne tik apie GG, gal net tre膷dalio nesudaro pasakojimai apie 拧寞 puik懦 serial膮, tai man n臈 kiek nesutrukd臈 m臈gautis istorijomis, nes Bishop jas pasakoja gyvai, 寞domiai, nevyniodama 寞 vat膮, o svarbiausia 鈥� su labai tvirtu stuburu ir ai拧kiu 啪inojimu k膮 nori pasakyti, kas jai svarbu ir pagal kokius moral臈s principus ir 寞sitikinimus ji nugyveno savo ilg膮, spalving膮, i拧拧奴ki懦 ir 寞domybi懦 kupin膮 gyvenim膮. Jos meil臈 gyv奴nams, teatrui, 拧okiui, savo sutuoktiniui ir tiesiog gyvenimui buvo vienos i拧 esmini懦 tem懦, bet nuo拧ird啪iai n臈 sekundei nenuobod啪iavau 鈥� kad ir k膮 ji pasakot懦.
沤inoma, kad patir膷iai 啪avumo prid臈jo ir tai, kad klausiau pa膷ios autor臈s 寞skaityt膮 autobiografij膮. Ji pripa啪寞sta, kad 啪mon臈s da啪niausiai j膮 vie拧umoje atpa啪寞sta i拧 balso, tod臈l be jo knyga tikrai prarast懦 jei ne pus臋, tai vis tiek daug charakteringumo. Ir skatinu skaityti 鈥� net jei j奴s, kaip ir a拧, mat臈t tik Gilmore girls nu ir dar Dirty dancing.
September 25, 2024
A beautiful memoir. Love you Kelly-Emily馃崅馃崄馃挍
September 24, 2024
Breezy outline of a memoir, not deep storytelling, as Bishop skips through life and avoids dealing in detail about many significant situations. It's the CliffsNotes version of Carole (Kelly) Bishop's story.
Much of this (probably too much) is about her dancing and theatrical career. Barely enough is about her Gilmore work to make fans somewhat happy but still she never really goes deep. It seems like she's always putting on airs, trying to avoid stopping long enough to really focus on anything that may make her look bad or take down an emotional wall she has built up.
Her private life is a mess. She constantly picks losers to shack up with and keeps her thoughts to herself until she explodes and ends things. This pattern happens often, and despite her claims of being bluntly direct when dealing with strangers, she has some very deep inabilities to communicate in personal relationships that she doesn't seem to worry about. Like everything else in her life, she just quickly moves on and gives little thought to her selfishness or who she hurts along the way.
Then in the middle of the book this seemingly intelligent but undereducated actress, who sleeps at will with men and invites a few to live with her at various times of life, gets pregnant and indignantly spends over two pages telling us why she had zero emotional or mental guilt about her abortion. She even unnecessarily says, "I was very grateful that abortions were legal when my need for one came along in 1978, but to be perfectly honest, I'm sure I would have found an illegal way to terminate this pregnancy if it had come to that, since as far as I was concerned, it was my only responsible option." Responsible? Killing a life?听Responsible to whom?? Certainly not the separate DNA that was a human being inside her. That's idiotic justification, claiming to be righteous when doing something morally wrong. She wouldn't think of killing an animal or litters inside pregnant animals, but she has no problem pretending that baby isn't a real life so she destroys it?
This may feel like I'm going off on a tangent, but her lack of logic and need to defend her bad choice sticks out in this book.
She claims, after already saying she "never felt any religious or spiritual guilt," that she did feel "sadness because I'd be ending a potential life." Um, Carole/Kelly, you weren't ending a POTENTIAL life, you were ending a LIFE. You killed a child that was housed inside you. If you had wanted the baby your perspective on what to call it would have been the opposite.
Then she flippantly adds the twist, "My body, my responsibility." She accepts the blame for failing to use birth control, calling herself stupid for letting her bed partner go ahead inside her without a condom. So she'll feel guilt and "anger at myself" for being stupid when having sex but feel no remorse about ending a life? Correct, because "It was a nonnegotiable statement of fact. I wasn't going to have this child, or any other child, ever." From childhood she hated the idea of having kids and even her wild mother had supported her anti-child stance early in life.
Doesn't that make her as evil as her famous TV character? What little respect I had for her up until that point stopped and I realized that she was as cold, mean, and distant as Emily Gilmore. I'm sure many feminist Gilmore fans will applaud Bishop for what they'd call her "brave" retelling of killing her unwanted child or failing to talk her lover about her decision, because it fits right into the truly irresponsible storyline of all three Gilmore Girls that they can make their own selfish decisions without considering how they impact others.
But at least in the fictional TV world, teen Lorelai chose to raise her unplanned baby. So next time you watch the show, ask yourself, if you're so pro-abortion, why are you so happy that Lorelai Gilmore kept her daughter's life going outside the womb instead of doing what Kelly Bishop would call the "responsible option"? And how much more happiness there could be in the world if others made that truly responsible decision in real life to raise more Rory Gilmores.
Much of this (probably too much) is about her dancing and theatrical career. Barely enough is about her Gilmore work to make fans somewhat happy but still she never really goes deep. It seems like she's always putting on airs, trying to avoid stopping long enough to really focus on anything that may make her look bad or take down an emotional wall she has built up.
Her private life is a mess. She constantly picks losers to shack up with and keeps her thoughts to herself until she explodes and ends things. This pattern happens often, and despite her claims of being bluntly direct when dealing with strangers, she has some very deep inabilities to communicate in personal relationships that she doesn't seem to worry about. Like everything else in her life, she just quickly moves on and gives little thought to her selfishness or who she hurts along the way.
Then in the middle of the book this seemingly intelligent but undereducated actress, who sleeps at will with men and invites a few to live with her at various times of life, gets pregnant and indignantly spends over two pages telling us why she had zero emotional or mental guilt about her abortion. She even unnecessarily says, "I was very grateful that abortions were legal when my need for one came along in 1978, but to be perfectly honest, I'm sure I would have found an illegal way to terminate this pregnancy if it had come to that, since as far as I was concerned, it was my only responsible option." Responsible? Killing a life?听Responsible to whom?? Certainly not the separate DNA that was a human being inside her. That's idiotic justification, claiming to be righteous when doing something morally wrong. She wouldn't think of killing an animal or litters inside pregnant animals, but she has no problem pretending that baby isn't a real life so she destroys it?
This may feel like I'm going off on a tangent, but her lack of logic and need to defend her bad choice sticks out in this book.
She claims, after already saying she "never felt any religious or spiritual guilt," that she did feel "sadness because I'd be ending a potential life." Um, Carole/Kelly, you weren't ending a POTENTIAL life, you were ending a LIFE. You killed a child that was housed inside you. If you had wanted the baby your perspective on what to call it would have been the opposite.
Then she flippantly adds the twist, "My body, my responsibility." She accepts the blame for failing to use birth control, calling herself stupid for letting her bed partner go ahead inside her without a condom. So she'll feel guilt and "anger at myself" for being stupid when having sex but feel no remorse about ending a life? Correct, because "It was a nonnegotiable statement of fact. I wasn't going to have this child, or any other child, ever." From childhood she hated the idea of having kids and even her wild mother had supported her anti-child stance early in life.
Doesn't that make her as evil as her famous TV character? What little respect I had for her up until that point stopped and I realized that she was as cold, mean, and distant as Emily Gilmore. I'm sure many feminist Gilmore fans will applaud Bishop for what they'd call her "brave" retelling of killing her unwanted child or failing to talk her lover about her decision, because it fits right into the truly irresponsible storyline of all three Gilmore Girls that they can make their own selfish decisions without considering how they impact others.
But at least in the fictional TV world, teen Lorelai chose to raise her unplanned baby. So next time you watch the show, ask yourself, if you're so pro-abortion, why are you so happy that Lorelai Gilmore kept her daughter's life going outside the womb instead of doing what Kelly Bishop would call the "responsible option"? And how much more happiness there could be in the world if others made that truly responsible decision in real life to raise more Rory Gilmores.
August 8, 2024
I was so excited and honoured to have my ARC request accepted for Kelly Bishop鈥檚 memoir, The Third Gilmore Girl. I dove right in, eager to learn more about the incredible actress that brought the complex character Emily Gilmore to life.
That being said, I find memoirs very hard to rate. I鈥檓 a big believer that celebrities don鈥檛 owe us anything besides what they are willing to give. In this age of social media, where every little action is posted and analyzed by thousands (or millions) of people, celebrities can be picked apart for the most minuscule reason, and sometimes I think we forget that they are humans with feelings that can be hurt and families that can be affected.
Kelly鈥檚 memoir walks the fine line between letting us into her life, and maintaining her privacy, and I think she pulls it off. While I鈥檇 say we learn much more about her career than we do her personal life, we are still left with a great overall picture of who Kelly is and what she values. This is an immensely readable book, that never once left me bored. Kelly鈥檚 long and varied career in show business was extremely interesting. The writing style came across almost like discussing memories with an old friend. Once published, I鈥檒l be torn between purchasing the audiobook (assuming Kelly herself is narrator) or a print copy (I鈥檓 honestly hoping for lots of pictures of Kelly through the years).
At one point, Kelly mentions that she鈥檚 extremely proud of her career, in large part due to the fact that it was on her own terms, without comprising her dignity or privacy. I hope she feels the same way about this delightful memoir.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing the ARC of this book. This review is my honest and voluntary opinion.
That being said, I find memoirs very hard to rate. I鈥檓 a big believer that celebrities don鈥檛 owe us anything besides what they are willing to give. In this age of social media, where every little action is posted and analyzed by thousands (or millions) of people, celebrities can be picked apart for the most minuscule reason, and sometimes I think we forget that they are humans with feelings that can be hurt and families that can be affected.
Kelly鈥檚 memoir walks the fine line between letting us into her life, and maintaining her privacy, and I think she pulls it off. While I鈥檇 say we learn much more about her career than we do her personal life, we are still left with a great overall picture of who Kelly is and what she values. This is an immensely readable book, that never once left me bored. Kelly鈥檚 long and varied career in show business was extremely interesting. The writing style came across almost like discussing memories with an old friend. Once published, I鈥檒l be torn between purchasing the audiobook (assuming Kelly herself is narrator) or a print copy (I鈥檓 honestly hoping for lots of pictures of Kelly through the years).
At one point, Kelly mentions that she鈥檚 extremely proud of her career, in large part due to the fact that it was on her own terms, without comprising her dignity or privacy. I hope she feels the same way about this delightful memoir.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing the ARC of this book. This review is my honest and voluntary opinion.
November 18, 2024
As a longtime fan of the TV shows Gilmore Girls and Bunheads, I was eager to read Kelly Bishop's book. And I wasn't disappointed 鈥� she shared great behind-the-scenes stories from those shows and her movies, including Dirty Dancing, and I especially loved the stories about her role in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line.
I listened to this on audio, which Kelly narrates herself, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy Hollywood or Broadway memoirs. Kelly has had such an interesting life, and I'm so glad she took the time to write out her experiences.
I listened to this on audio, which Kelly narrates herself, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy Hollywood or Broadway memoirs. Kelly has had such an interesting life, and I'm so glad she took the time to write out her experiences.
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February 27, 2025 鈥渢here's a lot more to being human than this finite, mundane, earthbound world we live in, that we're really part of a much greater cosmic whole that's all around us.鈥�
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