Rearview Mirror: A Memoir by Alana Stewart

Normally I’m not one to read celebrity memoirs. Most come off as fluff pieces written by a PR person. REARVIEW MIRROR by Alana Stewart does not fall into that group.

Stewart has written a detailed look at her life without whitewashing the bad parts. And there are bad parts. While she has seemingly lived a charmed life, she’s also had her share of troubles and heartache.

The book begins with the harrowing experience that lead Stewart to leave Texas for New York where she eventually into modeling - she was raped in her own apartment by a stranger and left for dead. The authorities seemed to think she had known the person and let them in. The rapist was never caught.

Stewart talks candidly about her childhood growing up without indoor plumbing, her mother’s drug addiction and later death, and the highs and lows of modeling. She also discusses how she came to marry and divorce actor George Hamilton and rock star Rod Stewart. She and Hamilton have remained close friends, while she and Stewart have had a rockier road to friendship after their divorce.

Her three children and their struggles are a large part of the story. She shares their highs and lows and how she dealt with them mostly as a single mother (even when she was married). She also talks briefly about her friendship with actress Farrah Fawcett and how her battle with cancer (and death) has inspired her.

While she has not divulged every secret in her life or her family’s, she has been open enough that readers can feel her pain despite having seen only glitz and glamour before. Her story is inspiring and goes to show that while life may look rosy to the world, inside there are thorns.

REARVIEW MIRROR is a compelling story that pulls readers in. The story flows smoothly at a steady pace making it hard to put down once you begin. It is filled with laughter and tears, sorrow and hope, glamour and solid foundations. In addition, Stewart has included a number of photographs from her youth, modeling career, her two marriages and her life in general.

This story may tell secrets, but it’s not a Hollywood tell-all book. It’s a story of one woman’s life from a small Texas town beginning to a life among the rich and famous, her love of her children, her growth as a person, and her desire to give back to others. 

Author Alana Stewart’s website is http://www.alanastewart.com/Alana/Home.html

Rearview Mirror: A Memoir by Alana Stewart, Vanguard Press, @2012, ISBN: 978-159315074, Hardcover, 288 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 
Do you often see only the glitz and glamour of a celebrity’s life and forget they can have problems too? Thanks so much for stopping by today.