Room to Dream
A Life
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4.6 • 43 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An unprecedented look into the personal and creative life of the visionary auteur David Lynch, through his own words and those of his closest colleagues, friends, and family
“Insightful . . . an impressively industrious and comprehensive account of Lynch’s career.”—The New York Times Book Review
In this unique hybrid of biography and memoir, David Lynch opens up about a life lived in pursuit of his singular vision, and the many heartaches and struggles he faced to bring his unorthodox projects to fruition. Lynch’s lyrical, intimate, and unfiltered personal reflections riff off biographical sections written by close collaborator Kristine McKenna and based on more than one hundred interviews with surprisingly candid ex-wives, family members, actors, agents, musicians, and colleagues in various fields who all have their own takes on what happened.
Room to Dream is a landmark book that offers a onetime all-access pass into the life and mind of one of our most enigmatic and utterly original artists.
With insights into . . .
Eraserhead
The Elephant Man
Dune
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
Lost Highway
The Straight Story
Mulholland Drive
INLAND EMPIRE
Twin Peaks: The Return
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The avant-garde director of The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet and cocreator of Twin Peaks remembers a life as surreal as his movies in this exuberant biography/memoir. In chapters that alternate between Lynch's first-person narrative and biographical accounts written by McKenna (Talk to Her), the book presents an illuminating look into Lynch's life, drawing heavily on McKenna's interviews with actors, ex-wives, and friends that paint an admiring portrait of a charismatic man given to intuitive improvisations, like sticking the script supervisor into a blue-wigged speaking role in Mulholland Drive. Interspersed chapters contain Lynch's own memories that explore his creative process from its roots in strange visual imagery to his long-shot quests for financing (" It's about a man who's three and a half feet tall, with a red pompadour, who runs on sixty-cycle alternating-current electricity'" went one unsuccessful pitch). Lynch is a great raconteur, and at the book's heart are his anecdotes, featuring colorful grotesques like the hunch-backed con-man who borrowed his phone to make fraudulent fund-raising calls, and dark intrusions of sexuality into wholesome landscapes (as a boy in idyllic Boise, Idaho, he recalls, he once saw a naked, bleeding woman silently wandering the night-time streets). The result is an entertainingly offbeat show-biz saga and a fine evocation of Lynch's unique voice and sensibility. Photos.
Customer Reviews
Excellent
This book is a fascinating journey that blends memoir with creative exploration, offering both an intimate look at the life of David Lynch and a deep dive into the world of his art and films. The alternating structure—switching between personal biography and Lynch’s own reflections—creates a unique rhythm that keeps you completely engaged from start to finish.
What I loved most is how the book captures the essence of creativity and imagination. It feels as though you’re being invited inside the mind of a true visionary, learning not only about his life but also about the unconventional ways he approaches his work. The stories are vivid, the insights are inspiring, and there’s a sense of authenticity on every page.
Whether you’re a fan of his films or simply someone who appreciates creative storytelling, Room to Dream is a must-read. It’s thought-provoking, heartfelt, and endlessly captivating. Five stars without hesitation!