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Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
- Narrated by: William Hope
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
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Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
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Summary
This wickedly candid memoir that Ava Gardner dared not publish during her lifetime offers a revealing self-portrait of the film legend's life and loves in Hollywood's golden age.
Ava Gardner was one of Hollywood's great stars during the 1940s and '50s, an Oscar-nominated leading lady who co-starred with Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, and Humphrey Bogart, among others.
But this riveting account of her storied life and career had to wait for publication until after her death, so concerned was Gardner with its frankness. 'I either write the book or sell the jewels,' Gardner told co-author Peter Evans, 'and I'm kinda sentimental about the jewels.'
The legendary actress serves up plenty of gems in these pages, reflecting with delicious humour and cutting wit on a life that took her from an impoverished childhood in North Carolina to the heights of stardom.
Get ready for the most revealing Hollywood autobiography in decades.
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What listeners say about Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- maleficent
- 10-01-17
Fabulous
as fabulous as the lady herself , the so called star's of today don't compare .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- James
- 18-07-13
cigarettes and alcohol!
A complex and really interesting woman, this is an eye opening audiobook, beautifully read by William Hope, this is as much a description of the relationship between her and the ghost writer as about Ava Gardner which is what makes it so different. Highly recommended!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S.J
- 12-04-18
A lovely insight
I wish the book he was originally writing was completed. The conversations were interesting but I felt it lacked something. It conveyed Ava's personality, and showed she was ahead of her time. She was brash, funny and shocking at times.
I read this after hearing that Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' music video character was based on Ava Gardner
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sandor
- 31-01-14
If you love the golden age of the movies it's for
Any additional comments?
If you love the inside stories of the great Hollywood stars as close as possibly from their own mouths, this is for you. The writer spent hours talking to Ava and making copious notes and this is basically the transcript of his notes. Unfortunately the narrator tries to do an Ava voice, which isn't a bit like Ava's ( or any womans) voice, this gets annoying. I put up with this and enjoyed the insider view of the golden age of Hollywood, but if you're not that into that era it's not going to interest you at all.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- PAUL
- 18-10-18
Is it 100% honest?
I have to start by saying I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. As I head into my mid 50's I have adopted an interest in old Hollywood stars and their stories. Ava Gardner is certainly someone that interests me mainly because of her reputation of being the classic 40's and 50's stereotypical star. She had it all at her peak. Gorgeous looks, sassy and confident in her personality and someone that oozed confidence in her abilities in attracting the opposite sex. But I think she was much more than that, and this book opens a small door into her life and loves and how life was back in those glamorous early days.
I'm not 100% sure if Peter Evans book is all fact and no fiction or if he put words into her mouth when writing this semi biography. It may be a lot of her sassy chat, swearing and 'Baby's and Honey's' were over dramatized to make her come across as I in particular would like her to sound or be. But frankly I don't care if it's all fact or some fiction. Apart from the somewhat irritating at times impersonation of Ava it is a very good listen. It starts off a litle slow but as the book goes on she comes out of her shell and you learn a great deal about those wild Hollywood days at MGM and her love of alcohol, cigarettes and men and lots of partying.
It is sad that Peter Evans never got to finish the final chapter due to a heart attack and death. I found that whoever finished the book off did so a little too abruptly. It would have been a better tribute to Peter Evans had it been a little more detailed. But it didn't spoil it for me.
It is also sad that Ava pulled the plug after the many days and late evenings spent chatting with Peter Evans and of course drinking and having fun with him! Frank Sinatra made her pull the plug on what would have been a very good autobiography indeed.
A good read that I didn't want to end!
..
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane
- 11-07-23
Candid Conversations
Thoroughly enjoyed these conversations learnt quite a few things I did not know about Ava, have a trip planned in January to go to her museum in Smithfield - can’t wait!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- luizav
- 13-04-16
Authentic
I recommend this as authentic and genuine personality description.I emjoyed the conversations a lot.Sometims there is a repetitoon of i said..she said...but not botheri g in the whole.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dazler
- 05-11-13
A Joy
What made the experience of listening to Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations the most enjoyable?
I listened to this book over two days and loved every minute of it. It was well read, well written and quite possibly the best Hollywood biography I have read.
Not to be missed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- "idunneit"
- 09-01-16
Enjoyable
It's a fascinating period of time and makes me want to listen to other biographies from stars of the silver screen.
Easy to listen to.
Enjoyed it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- flowertoes
- 08-12-18
Very,very enjoyable,and the narration is top hole,
I cannot remember when I have enjoyed a book more,they certainly do not make them like that anymore....loved it
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