The Book of Joan
Tales of Mirth, Mischief, and Manipulation
-
-
4.2 • 19 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
This New York Times bestseller is a hilarious and inspiring tribute to the iconic comedian Joan Rivers by the person who knew her best--her daughter, Melissa.
Joan and Melissa Rivers had one of the most celebrated mother-daughter relationships of all time. If you think Joan said some outrageous things to her audiences as a comedian, you won’t believe what she said and did in private. Her love for her daughter knew no bounds—or boundaries, apparently. ("Melissa, I acknowledge that you have boundaries. I just choose to not respect them.") In The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation, Melissa shares stories (like when she was nine months old and her parents delivered her to Johnny Carson as a birthday gift), bon mots (“Missy, is there anything better than seeing a really good looking couple pushing a baby that looks like a Sasquatch who got caught in a house fire?”), and life lessons from growing up in the Rosenberg-Rivers household (“I can do tips and discounts and figure out the number of gay men in an audience to make it a good show. That’s all the math you’ll ever need.”). These were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to life in the family that Melissa describes as more Addams than Cleaver. And at the center of it all was a tiny blond force of nature.
In The Book of Joan, Melissa Rivers relates funny, poignant and irreverent observations, thoughts, and tales about the woman who raised her and is the reason she considers valium one of the four basic food groups.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Melissa Rivers offers a humorous and tender retrospective on the life and character of her mother, the late comedian Joan Rivers (1933 2014). Melissa recollects her mother's hilarious and outlandish behavior, her persistence to overcome her personal demons, her larger-than-life presence as a celebrity, mother, and grandmother, and their final moments together. Melissa portrays her mother as intelligent and sensitive, with a strong sense of traditional values about life and family. Her impact on her daughter's life is clear from the stories Melissa shares, but also in Melissa's narration. Melissa's speech patterns and the slight rasp in her voice are reminiscent of her mother. Moreover, she conjures Joan's spirit in a pitch-perfect imitation of her mother. While much of the memoir achieves its goal to make people laugh, it also succeeds in defining Joan Rivers beyond her outrageous sense of humor. A Crown Archetype hardcover.
