Reviews for A Fine Romance

by Candice Bergen

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Actress Bergen performs a beautifully entertaining and down-to-earth reading of her memoir, which is as heartwarming and stirring as her performance. There is tenderness in her voice as she reads the first letter that her late husband, Louis Malle, wrote to her, and wonderment when she recounts traveling with him. She speaks with candor about widowhood, motherhood, remarriage, and aging in a society driven by appearance, all of which are conveyed effectively by Bergen's signature gravelly voice. Most endearing of all is Bergen's delightful sense of humor-dry and self-deprecating-sparing herself little dignity as she describes her fears during childbirth, her passion for food, and her "skewed sense of moral superiority to women who are intensely self-disciplined when it comes to food." She sounds on the verge of laughter as she recounts the pranks on the set of the television show Murphy Brown. Bergen's memoir is a charming blend of joy, sentimentality, and unabashed honesty that is augmented by Bergen's skillful and heartfelt performance. A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Humor and honesty strike a fine balance in this absorbing follow-up memoir by actress/writer Bergen (Knock Wood). The book is more an investigation of human experience-marriage, motherhood, family, friendship, work, aging, and death-than a celebrity behind-the-scenes memoir. Bergen shares details of her marriage to brilliant film director Louis Malle, from their first meeting through his untimely death, and winningly describes becoming a mother at a later age than some. There are cherished everyday moments and major events here, from trick-or-treating adventures to facing Malle's final illness. She provides multidimensional and idiosyncratic portraits of Malle, their daughter Chloe and, much later, of her second husband, Marshall Rose. Of course, there are details about her work in film, on stage, and in the hit television series Murphy Brown, a show that earned Bergen five Emmys and drew much-publicized comments by Dan Quayle during the presidential campaign of 1992. Yet, this account is not focused on fame. It is Bergen's perceptive, wry, and often surprising take on life that will strike a resonant chord with readers on a down-to-earth, human level. VERDICT Witty and poignant and touching upon the many phases and challenges of daily existence, this book will appeal to a wide audience, especially those who are familiar with Bergen's work. For circulating libraries and entertainment collections. [See Prepub Alert, 10/20/14.]-Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bergen reads her own work in this delightfully honest, open, and humorous memoir, a follow-up to her Knock Wood. The author bares her soul, revealing the merging of her personal and professional lives. Writing about her nontraditional marriage to French film Louis Malle, motherhood at age 39, early widowhood, and remarriage, Bergen presents glimpses of her work including a behind-the-scenes look at her hit television series Murphy Brown and nursing Malle through his final illness. The author excels at both writing and narrating. Her skill with timing and inflection makes for a fascinating, compelling audio experience. VERDICT Of interest to fans of the author and Murphy Brown, as well as anyone who enjoys contemporary memoirs. ["This is witty and poignant, touching upon the many phases and challenges of daily existence": LJ 2/1/15 review of the S. & S. hc.]-Laurie Selwyn, -formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

With her trademark wit, Bergen (Knock Wood) leads readers through the highs and lows of her professional and personal life in this entertaining and poignant memoir chock-full of Hollywood cameos. After a disastrous first date unexpectedly leads to love, Bergen marries French director Louis Malle in 1980 and the pair travel the world as their respective films take them from India to France. Always ambivalent about motherhood, Bergen decides to have a child at the relatively late age of 39. Their daughter, Chloe, is born in 1985-an event that changes the dynamic of Bergen's relationship with Malle, as he's unable to be wholly present for Chloe's upbringing due to filming commitments. The desire for a steady schedule is one perk that draws Bergen to the groundbreaking CBS comedy series Murphy Brown. Her descriptions of the rewards and challenges that came with playing the titular tough-talking "Mike Wallace in a skirt," her first foray into both TV and real comedy, are among the book's strongest sections. Dealt a crushing blow when Malle was diagnosed with a rare and fatal neurological disease and died in 1995, Bergen recounts finding her footing again both in her career-she spent several seasons on the series Boston Legal-and in her love life, marrying New York real estate developer Marshall Rose in 2000. Never afraid to poke fun at herself or celebrity culture, Bergen is as fresh, funny, and biting as Murphy Brown was nearly 30 years ago. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

She has been Dan Quayle's nemesis on TV's Murphy Brown and the irascible Shirley Schmidt on Boston Legal. She has been the so-called sister of ventriloquist's dummy Charlie McCarthy and was married to the iconic director Louis Malle. Yet in her second memoir (following Knock Wood, 1984), Bergen emerges as Everywoman, equally comfortable in ratty sweats or vintage Versace, playing Scrabble or attending the Oscars. Placing the late-in-life birth of her daughter, Chloe, at the epicenter of the past 30-plus years, Bergen revisits times that brought her unimaginable success onscreen and unspeakable heartache off. She comes across in ways one would imagine, sparkling and sophisticated, but also in ways one would not. She is as bawdy as she is beautiful, as gutsy as she is fragile, as savvy as she is sensitive. Bergen expresses her fierce adoration of Chloe, her sheer delight in her second marriage to financier Marshall Rose, and her brazen acceptance of the indignities of aging in an industry that prizes youth. A disarming and refreshing read.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2015 Booklist