A VERY GOOD WEEK

This was a good week for Sharon Gless. Apparently There Were Complaints, the memoir my wife has been wrestling with for an awfully long time, finally went to print; Simon & Schuster sent out a preview copy or two, resulting in a lovely review from Publisher’s Weekly, and recording sessions began on the audio version which, like the book itself, should be available the first week of December.

The recording of the book is being done at The Kitchen, a Miami based film dubbing center owned by our good friends Deeny Kaplan and  Ken Lorber. It was there, just one block west of Biscayne Boulevard, that I recorded the audio version of my own memoir, Cagney & Lacey… and Me.

This time is different. I read my book aloud. Sharon is performing hers. I have always prided myself on my reading aloud for interpretation, but there is no competition regarding this skill set in our house hold. My EMMY award winning spouse brings it all to the mic and, as always, I am in awe of her talent.

What was (until now) unknown, was just how well her writing would be received by others. It is one thing that I have read and loved the book… I have already confessed to being a sucker for La Gless. But now a professional critic has joined the club. Here is an excerpt or three of that Publisher’s Weekly review… one that might very well set the tone for other critics in the trade to follow:

Emmy Award-winning actor Gless debuts with a no-holds-barred look at her long and storied career…

…As she reflects on her ascendance through Hollywood, her signature wit and bold personality take the stage in entertaining stories…

Written by a masterful storyteller, this smart account boldly reveals both the grit and the glamour of Gless’s life, candidly contending with her substance abuse, various affairs, and the fact that writing her memoir took almost seven years. Fans will be delighted.

Publisher’s Weekly is more than a disseminator of information; it is one of considerable influence in the trade. If that holds true in this case, this will be more than a good week in the life of Sharon Gless. It could be transformative. Or, who knows, maybe a prequel to a sequel?

Barney Rosenzweig