Helpful Score: 3
Shania Twain shot to fame on the country music charts in 1995 with her second album The Woman in Me. Her music was part of the new generation of 90s country, featuring such artists as Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, etc, that would blend country and pop for a new sound. In her memoir Shani recounts her life from her childhood in the northern part of Ottawa, Canada to her sudden fame to the heartbreaking realization that her husband was cheating on her with her best friend to her recovery and new life.
As a fan girl of the reclusive Shania Twain, I was super-stoked to see that she decided to release a memoir. I respect her need for privacy, and I think that offering up more information on her own life on her own terms is a healthy way to handle fame.
The book is essentially in three parts: life before fame, stardom, life after she took a break from music and the dissolution of her marriage. By far the strongest part is the first third where we see the rough beginnings of Shania's life and how she came to be the person she is.
The second section is frankly disappointing. Shania barely brushes the surface of what actually went on behind the scenes, instead focusing in on how drained and dissatisfied her newfound fame made her feel. Fans want to know more about what went on at the videoshoot in Egypt, for example, in addition to her feelings.
The last section of the book addresses Shanias time off from music, the birth of her son Eja, and the dissolution of her marriage to music producer Mutt Lange. This part is hard to read, because it is so abundantly clear that those around her have used and abused Shania. It becomes abundantly evident that money and fame cannot buy happiness, although Shania's poverty-stricken depressed mother certainly thought so.
Overall, I found this to be a moving memoir, if a bit flawed. It meanders sometimes and skips over some things that fans would definitely want to know about, but it is an interesting insight into the mind and life of a famous country singer and gives an interesting look at the negative effects of fame, even if they arent as huge as drug overdoses.
Check out my full review.
As a fan girl of the reclusive Shania Twain, I was super-stoked to see that she decided to release a memoir. I respect her need for privacy, and I think that offering up more information on her own life on her own terms is a healthy way to handle fame.
The book is essentially in three parts: life before fame, stardom, life after she took a break from music and the dissolution of her marriage. By far the strongest part is the first third where we see the rough beginnings of Shania's life and how she came to be the person she is.
The second section is frankly disappointing. Shania barely brushes the surface of what actually went on behind the scenes, instead focusing in on how drained and dissatisfied her newfound fame made her feel. Fans want to know more about what went on at the videoshoot in Egypt, for example, in addition to her feelings.
The last section of the book addresses Shanias time off from music, the birth of her son Eja, and the dissolution of her marriage to music producer Mutt Lange. This part is hard to read, because it is so abundantly clear that those around her have used and abused Shania. It becomes abundantly evident that money and fame cannot buy happiness, although Shania's poverty-stricken depressed mother certainly thought so.
Overall, I found this to be a moving memoir, if a bit flawed. It meanders sometimes and skips over some things that fans would definitely want to know about, but it is an interesting insight into the mind and life of a famous country singer and gives an interesting look at the negative effects of fame, even if they arent as huge as drug overdoses.
Check out my full review.
Helpful Score: 1
I knew that Shania Twain was poor growing up and had lost her parents at an early age, but had no idea just how much she's been through until I read her memoir. I gained a lot of respect for her and her ability to survive. I would've given it a higher rating, but I found at times she lost my attention by going into too much detail about insignificant details. Definitely worth the read for any Twain fan though.
