Julie's Review: Love Life

Author: Rob Lowe
Series: None
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Hours: 7 Hours, 33 Minutes
Obtained: Audible
Genre:  Memoir
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: An intimate look at some significant milestones in his life
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Summary: ROB LOWE IS BACK WITH STORIES HE ONLY TELLS HIS BEST FRIENDS. When Rob Lowe’s first book was published in 2011, he received the kind of rapturous reviews that writers dream of and rocketed to the top of the bestseller list. Now, in Love Life, he expands his scope, using stories and observations from his life in a poignant and humorous series of true tales about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and sons, addiction and recovery, and sex and love. ~amazon.com

 Review: Love Life is another peek into Rob's life but this is more about his personal journeys and stories than his life as an actor like Stories I Only Tell My Friends was. In Love Life, we get a better sense of Rob as a father, son, and husband.

It is his stories about his sons that made me tear up and have a glimpse into my future when my kids leave the nest. It is obvious that he has sheltered his sons from the spotlight but choosing to raise them outside Hollywood with people who weren't necessarily in the "business". He wanted his sons to have more experiences than just a Hollywood one. It is also evident that he loves both Matthew and John Owen fiercely and played a big part in their lives.

I loved hearing about how he worked on Schwarzenegger's Governor campaign. I loved hearing that he has a passion and fascination about politics and history. It is his passion for those two subjects that made him so convincing as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and Robert McAllister on Brothers and Sisters.

It is the last couple chapters that moved me to tears though. It is crystal clear that ever since he met his wife, Sheryl, he's never looked any further. It is also clear that she was instrumental in getting him to realize he would get more out of life sober than drunk. Staying sober has been all Rob but she's been the rock to keep him strong.

It is his confession in the final chapter of the book that had me in shock and then awe because it wasn't what it seemed. I loved how he wrote it and revealed the truth. I admire him for that and how he's constantly trying to better himself.

People interested in entertainment memoirs will find this one interesting but it's more of his personal journey than his professional one. Although, they do often go hand in hand.

I loved listening to Rob perform the audio. It was like sitting at a table with him and hearing him tell me what he's learned in life. Rob isn't afraid to try something new, to put himself out there. In Hollywood and in life, this is rare. It is rare for people to gamble what they are comfortable with or in, to take a risk.

 If Rob was to write another book, I'd be right there listening to it or reading it.

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Julie's Review: Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Summary: A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye. A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood. The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable. ~henryholt.com

Review: I don't think I'm much different from any girl in my age group who had a serious crush on Rob Lowe. So when I heard he was writing a memoir I was interested. When it was published and received rave reviews, I was intrigued enough to want to read it. I'm not a memoir reader. I've tried and I dislike them. This isn't like any memoir I've read...it's interesting and not at all self-serving. I felt like I was sitting across the dinner table with him and he was telling me stories about the business. I think this is rare in a memoir as is the fact that I believe he was unfailingly honest. Did he leave stuff out about his life? Yes, but I'm ok with that. Maybe he'll write another book and I'll run out to buy it.

I've always been fascinated with Hollywood and what it takes to become a "star". In fact, I'm pretty sure that if I had ever tried my hand at Hollywood I would have failed miserably. He does an excellent job of taking the reader through his early career and the movies he made. The ones that took off and the ones that didn't. I've always loved The Outsiders (if you haven't read it, you must and the movie is excellent) and this movie launched a lot of young actors into stardom. This was one of those movies that when you revisit it as an adult it resonates with you like never before. To this day his portrayal of Sodapop is one of my favorites.

He does an excellent job of showing the dark side of a child actor. One where life moves to fast and if you don't have a solid family set to reign you in, it spins quickly out of control.

There wasn't a movie in this book that I haven't seen and my love for The West Wingwas prominent when it was on. I will admit that shortly after he left, I stopped watching. I loved Sam Seaborn and Rob was perfect in the role. I will also ditch another show that he leaves (Brothers & Sisters) because he added something to the show that wasn't there without him.

What I admire most about him though was his quest to get sober and figure himself out. No one had to drag him to rehab, he did it himself. For me, this is what has made him a successful recovery addict; his ability to recognize that he needed to do something. I believe that the love of a good woman helped him through this period and I'm thrilled that they are still together. Sheryl was his rock that was able to create a stable life for him and that he definitely wanted/needed.

Sure he name drops but in a way that doesn't make you think he's showing off about who he knows. He does it with a story and often before the end of it you are wondering who it is before he reveals it.

By the end of the book, I was an admirer of him for what he has gone through in his life and who he turned out to be. I can't wait to see what he has in store in the next phase of his career. Whatever it might be, I know he'll excel at it.

If you are interested in anything Hollywood, then Stories I Only Tell My Friends is for you. It's honest, raw and delightful.

Final Take: 4.75/5

P.S. It also has a few nice pages of pictures. :)

Thanks to Henry Holt for sending me a copy of this book!