THE WALL OF LIFE
Pictures and Stories from this Marvelous Lifetime
By: Shirley Maclaine
Published: October 22, 2024
Publisher: Crown
Non-Fiction/Memoir
I can say I’m somewhat of a fan of Shirley MacLaine. She acted in some of my favorite movies including, Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias. Of course, I also loved her small role in Downton Abbey. In her latest book, (she’s written several) this particular memoir style is slightly different. MacLaine shares photographs from her wall of life. The wall of life is a wall of photos in her home that chronicles some of the most important moments of her life as well as photographs of the people that mean the most to her. On the opposing page of the photo, MacLaine shares a paragraph or two about the photo, who is in it, what was happening at the time, or a story related to the person in the photo. It mostly moves chronologically through her life, but she does jump around a bit based on the pictures on the page.
You’ll find photos of when Shirley was a child with her parents and brother. Did you know her brother is Warren Beatty? I feel dumb for not knowing that. Much of the book includes photos of her with her daughter, Sachi. In snippets, Shirley reveals parts of her life like how she chose her stage name. Her given name is Shirley MacLean Beaty, but she struggled with people knowing how to pronounce Beaty. So, she switched to MacLean but then tweaked the spelling so people would pronounce it correctly. I noticed that Warren added an extra “t” to his last name, possibly to also help with pronunciation.
Shirley began her career as a dancer on Broadway, moving to New York City at just sixteen. (After recently reading Kelly Bishop’s memoir, I wonder if they knew each other since they had similar starts in the business.) Then she moved into acting in movies, known early for Around the World in 80 Days and The Pajama Game.
In the beginning, she worked with actors and directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. Later, she became dear friends with Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Streisand, and Liza Minnelli. MacLaine’s marriage to Steve Parker was unconventional but loving. He spent most of his time in Japan and she was often on set. She raised Sachi practically as a single mom and took her everywhere including numerous trips to Japan where she became immersed in the culture there.
MacLaine writes in the Introduction that she looks at her wall of life “as a stage for asking questions, not just for visitors to ask me things, but for me to ask myself to get at a deeper truth.” We also have a wall of life in our home, full of our favorite pictures and memories together as a family. You’ll often find me reminiscing as I’m looking at the photos and thinking about how fast time flies. At 90, I’m sure MacLaine is also feeling that life has flown by and this book allows her to share intimate pieces of her life story one more time along with some cherished photos for her fans. Fans of celebrity memoirs will enjoy adding this coffee-table style of book to their collection.
Shirley MacLaine is an actress, an author, and a former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed, and eccentric women, she has received numerous accolades over her seven-decade career, including an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, six Golden Globes, and an American Film Insititute Life Achievement Award. Apart from acting, MacLaine has written numerous books on the subjects of metaphysics, spirituality, and reincarnation, as well as a New York Times bestselling memoir, OUT ON A LIMB.
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Posted Under Book Review, memoir, non-fiction, Shirley MacLaine