Books

“Sharon Rich has triumphantly brought Jeanette MacDonald to life on paper and given the reader a true pictorial treasury.” – Barney Glazer, South Pasadena Review

“Sharon Rich has pulled together an outstanding collection of black-and-white photographs of the great musical star Jeanette MacDonald. This book contains hundreds of photos of Jeanette, her costars, family and associates, ranging from lovely formal portraits to funny “gag” shots (like the dog house she had herself rolled onto the set of Naughty Marietta in to apologize to the director, W.S. Van Dyke, for a goof she had made, and a boxing match between herself and Nelson Eddy staged to promote Sweethearts). Strongly recommended.”

“What a wonderful pictorial book. Thank you, Sharon, for all your hard work and love going into this book. Thank you, Blossom, for encouraging her to bring Jeanette’s story to her readers and fans. What a cherish.”

“An important history of Hollywood. The print quality was good and clear with several pages of glossy color photos. many of the black and white photos were unusual and not normally included in other publications.”

“I found the book interesting in that it was written in her own words; and how she suffered in that her health suffered, and that she was fooled about her husband, and that she truly loved Nelson Eddy.”

“It’s always fascinating to see what a celebrity has to say about their time in the limelight even if it’s seen through a gauze towards rewriting history. This is another fascinating insight into the world of Jeanette during her heyday.”

“This autobiography as told by jeanette macdonald is very fragile – like like jeanette herself..so talented and so far above in Hollywood of the 30’s.. miss macdonald tells us this version of her life..yet one feels there is much more to her story..by some annotations and some splices of certain sentences..but very good information on her childhood and early career..excellent read.”

“An amazingly researched and detailed reporting of Nelson Eddy’s early career – so insightful. I had only known this meticulous musician as a ‘movie star’, but upon reading this and other outstanding works by Sharon Rich, I have come to appreciate all NE did to reach the heights of his chosen profession: concert artist. These revelations have contributed to the countless hours of enjoyable listening to his extensive body of work. Highly recommended to Nelson Eddy fans as well as to aspiring singers, young and old!”

“I think Ms. Rich must have found every review that was ever published. A large portion of the book is reproductions of and copied reviews. I’m sure this was done to flesh out the meager supply of eyewitness and recollections of Mr. Eddy’s years prior to 1935 when he first appeared in Naughty Marietta. I liked it and it was a needed reference to supplement Ms. Rich’s definitive Sweethearts.”

“Loved it! A great collection of hand-written letters by MGM’s musical songbird, before she was a star. Lively, entertaining, and she sure wasn’t a boring prude like some others have made her out to be. Ms. Rich wisely keeps the annotations to a minimum, since Naughty Marietta tells it like it was in her own words. I particularly enjoyed MacDonald’s Broadway and Hollywood gossip from the good old days! Lots of good dish.”

“Interesting and wonderful! Rarely do we get such an insight into someone’s true nature . This is a collection of very personal letters by a big movie star to her friend of many years. How she sounded, processed her life, various events, etc. is crystal clear. An intriguing glimpse at a well known figure from a lost era. Her letters reveal the great gap between the work of publicists and the real person. Very provocative reading in that regard.”

“Definitely the real Jeanette ! I am a huge fan of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, and I’m sure Jeanette MacDonald would not have wanted this book published, since it shows her in several love affairs with married and unmarried men. This book is great in that she is just writing with no pretenses to her lover/ex-lover/then friend her Big Irving. Jeanette’s life was fascinating and yet tragic and lonely at the end without a certain baritone. I highly recommend this book, it is always wonderful to read the truth for a change. Let Jeanette and Nelson’s beautiful voices live on through their wonderfully nostalgic movies & cds!! There will never be anyone like them again!”

“A memoir on the life of Nikola Tesla. It reminded me of another DaVinci Code in a way. The whole thing is great… really fascinating!” Tommy Kovac, podcaster, Splat From the Past

“Fascinating book! A very interesting story about a personal life of this great man.”

“History comes alive! A fantastic and unconventional book. Kudos to the authors for unraveling the life of an enigmatic personality. Here history has been juxtaposed brilliantly with pristine imagination. An absolute treat for connoisseurs of good literature!”

“This book is exceptionally well-written, and the story is captivating.”

“I rarely ever would take the time to write a review on a product though Amazon.. but much to my own surprise, I found myself extremely excited to share my thoughts on this well-written and very informative book written by Sharon Rich & D. D. Vujic. I recommend you get this book, you will not regret it..!!

“Offers considerable proof they may have been secret lovers for years.” – Robert Osborne

“One of the finest books about Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Hollywood during the Golden Era. It is a bittersweet love story of a famous couple whose musical duets on the silver screen thrilled a generation of moviegoers. They were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the knowledge, thanks to Miss Rich, that the actors were in love off the screen, gives their films a heartbeat. Included are love letters, notes from diaries, and observations of those who kept their secret. You will enjoy every word of Sweethearts and you will find a new meaning when viewing their musicals. Then you’ll read it a second time. – Jane Ellen Wayne, The Golden Guys of MGM

“That rarity among star bios, an absorbingly written, exhaustively researched, and fully sourced work.” – Preview, American Film Institute

“The star-crossed love affair of the century. Sharon Rich paints a story of love so passionate, volatile and ultimately futile, even Shakespeare’s frustrated lovers pale by comparison. At least Romeo and Juliet solved matters in less than a week. The account is anything but sugar-coated. Ms. Rich’s book certainly contains much to raise the eyebrows. She names names and pulls no punches. Still, this is not a sensational expose; one comes away feeling sorry for the protagonists, and wishing that their story could have had a happier resolution. Further, Ms. Rich appears to have scrupulously documented each element of her narrative. Nelson’s own letters, and the frequent comments of Jeanette’s older sister, Blossom Rock, give credibility to an amazing story.” – Rob Ray, Past Times

“One of Hollywood’s least well-kept secrets. Rich affords a long, exciting, revealing look at two of the most important screen personalities of the 1930s. Vital reading to anyone interested in film history, Hollywood, or popular culture.” – Mike Tribby, Booklist

“A bonanza for MacDonald/Eddy fans, a pan full of nuggets for aficionados of Hollywood and MGM.” – Kirkus Reviews