Famous Father Girl audiobook

If you are a fan of Leonard Bernstein and his music, you will want to read this beautifully written memoir by his daughter, Jamie. The composer of "Our Town" and "West Side Story," Bernstein was a loving, funny, complicated man who led an extraordinary life. Bernstein tells the most wonderful and sometimes heartbreaking stories of her father, the life he led, and the people he knew. A must read for any true fan of music.

Because I have been such a fan of Leonard Bernstein's glorious music for West Side Story, Candide and On The Town, this book was of interest to me. When I was growing up, he was a larger than life figure to me, as I would watch him on The Young People's Concert Series on TV. He was so full of obvious passion for music that his conducting and educating was inspiring and fascinating to view as a young person. When I was older, I remember reading about his personal life (complicated) and his quest to be remembered for more "serious" classical pieces than West Side Story (unfulfilled). What must it have been like to be brought up by such a complex, incredibly talented man as one's father?Jamie Bernstein, the eldest of his three children, does a very good job of letting the reader know what this experience was like. Jamie describes her childhood and beyond with empathy, honesty and compassion towards her father, mother and her two younger siblings. There is plenty of name-dropping as the Bernstein's lives included very famous people such as the Kennedys. Mike Nichols, John Lennon and more. She does a very good job of explaining how the music Bernstein composed became intertwined into their lives. This is an unflinching look at what it was like to be the child of such a complex, extraordinarily gifted father, and it also gives insight into her parents marriage. There is humor, poignancy and love in this memoir, and I thought it was very well done.

I received an uncorrected proof copy of this memoir from HarperCollins. Author Jamie Bernstein is the oldest daughter of renown composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. In this memoir, she tells the story of her childhood and early adult life, all of which are heavily dominated by the charisma and large personality of her famous father. Jamie and her younger siblings Alexander and Nina were raised by her parents largely in New York City. Her father's fame and connections meant that they regularly interacted with famous individuals including the Kennedys and John Lennon. Although their father traveled frequently for work, he was a hands-on and loving father and an eternal teacher when he was around. All three of his children were heavily influenced by his love of music and approach to life. "In my mind's eye, my father is always in a scruffy brown wool bathrobe; my cheek still prickles at the memory of his scratchy morning hugs. He was frequently away on conducting tours, often for weeks at a time; we never felt we got enough of him" (11). The great takeaway from Jamie's tale is both the larger than life aspect of her father's personality but also her own lifelong devotion to him. Although as a young adult she was sometimes resentful of his constant intrusion and shadow over her life, ultimately she is grateful: "Daddy himself was the greatest passport of all" (345). Indeed, the title itself captures this theme of how much the family was overshadowed by Leonard, as Jamie was nicknamed "famous father girl" by friends in second grade (44). Jamie's mother Felicia fades into the background of this novel just as she did in life when compared to the grand persona of the maestro. This was an entertaining coming of age tale with the added bonus of featuring several famous individuals, apartments overlooking Central Park, and large country homes. I appreciated Jamie's candid discussion of her family's joys and heartaches and liked that the book concluded with a discussion of her father's legacy and memory in the years after his death.

Liked this a lot. Read it in prep for the two competing Bernstein movies that they are making. What shines through in this memoir is the complicated love a girl has for her charismatic, talented father and how that can color your future relationships and personal goals. Bernstein accomplishes this in bot a "poor, poor me" way, but in a clear sighted, balanced way. No doubt, JB had moments of rage aimed at her father, rage that in the immediate moment had great meaning, but through the long lens of their relationship, had far less meaning. Did it sometimes feel like she was looking at her father through rose-colored glasses? Sure. But leave the microscopic examination of Bernstein to the scholars, and be glad that we get to hold loving daughter's view of a complicated man up against more objective biopgraphies.

A unique perspective on Leonard Bernstein. Written by his daughter, the book chronicles her own struggles growing up in the shadow of her brilliant world famous father. A bold, blunt, honest portrayal of life in the Bernstein family. Hold on tight for a captivating emotional roller coaster ride filled with humor, joy & sorrow. Language may be a bit rough for the faint of heart. The story provides rich insights into the life and times of the mid 20th Century. A refreshing style of writing. Enjoyed the journey ... loved the story.

I remember Bernstein’s concerts for young people and was crazy for West Side Story. Jamie Bernstein fleshes out the family side of this often outrageous composer/conductor. I admire the way in which she has come to terms with her “elf’s thread” a family anagram for self-hatred, and has laid down the burden of being the child of a famous father. I look forward to watching her documentary on Netflix.

One of the best memoirs I've read. As the eldest daughter of Leonard Bernstein (LB), Jamie Bernstein walks a beautiful line between honesty and tenderness in this intimate look at her life in the loud, musical, boisterous household of the family Bernstein. I know nothing of classical music, but I learned along with Jamie how tortuous, demanding and joyful it can be as a world-famous conductor and composer yet LB is a sometimes obnoxious, critical, and loving father and husband who, it turns out, is gay. Growing up in this overwhelming and unsettling shadow is challenging but eventually rewarding for Jamie. You just have to read it to see her maturing and coming to appreciate the legacy of her father and how she can thrive in her own way. She tells the story like no one else could: the family jokes, special language, writing songs for each other and word plays that were unique to their family and are the threads that still bind Jamie and her two younger siblings together. It is an amazing record of LB's worldwide musical achievements and some failures as well as the life of a privileged Jewish family in NYC from the 50s to the present. Superb read. Now, I want to listen to some Bernstein music.

Jamie Bernstein, the oldest child of famed composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein and his actress wife Felicia Montealegre, describes her life growing up with talented, famous, often troubled parents. There are no new revelations here--Bernstein's bisexuality and prescription drug addiction have been discussed and dissected by others--but Jamie provides a unique perspective. She and her brother Alexander (born in 1952 and 1954, respectively) made ample use of marijuana and other illegal drugs as teens and in their early 20s. Jamie struggled in figuring out who she was and in trying to establish her own musical career in the face of her father's outsized personality. Ironically, it was only after their father's death in 1990 (Felicia died from cancer in 1978) that Jamie and her two siblings fully came into their own--as guardians and promoters of their father's legacy.

What an eye opener into the world of a musical genius and icon. The life of Leonard Bernstein was very interesting and surprising. Jamie wrote an easy to read story that left nothing to the imagination. It was obvious she admired and loved her father. After reading this story I will go listen to LB's works of genius . I will appreciate the gifts he left to the world of music lovers.

A wonderful inside view into the family of one of our greatest musical talents. Jamie B does a wonderful job of paying tribute to her famous father while not sugar coating the difficult moments. Kudos to her and here’s to Lenny!

Interesting! The composer/conductor father, the actress mother, lots of love and all the weird and crazy talented people they knew were hard to handle for the three children but money certainly did help them survive. I was happy to "grow up Gretchen Hurd"!

Won in a Goodreads giveaway. Growing up watching Leonard Bernstein's Young Peoples' Concerts, I recall praying for his soul's repose in my seminary chapel the morning after his death. He was a major cultural and entertainment figure in the last century. His daughter pens a uniquely personal memoir of her composing and conducting father and the family he and wife Felicia created. This family and story mirror the times. Opening chapters in the late 1950's-as LB wrote the music for West Side Story-into the Kennedy 60's read like a sitcom of that time-yet in a rarefied atmosphere. Names like Adolph Green, Lillian Hellman and a young Stephen Sondheim dot Jamie's growing up recollections or happy weekends in the country. But relative tranquility pass into the turbulent anti-war, assassination drenched late 60's, and a tranquil family life starts to crumble. The beautiful and artistic Felicia Bernstein married LB in the 40's acknowledging his homo-or bi-sexuality. As LB grows his hair and sideburns, his personal life expands beyond marriage. One of the most painful episodes in the book is Jamie, hearing rumors of her dad's gay life as a young man, is sent by Felicia to LB and LB tells his daughter that as a famous man people are out to get him. But eventually, LB leaves his wife and family as his entourage opens to more gay men-one especially. When he returns to Felicia, she is already ill with cancer. Jamie's account of her mother's battle resonate with anyone who has watched a parent fight terminal illness. Sadly, with Felicia's death in the late 1970's, the book loses much. There are still famous names like "Betty Bacall" and Michael Jackson and Jacqueline Onassis, but Felicia's death opens a massive void for her family and the reader. As LB sputters into an early twilight, there are personal and professional frustrations and failures, as Jamie struggles as the daughter of a legend to chart her own course and land her place in life. This book is rich in historical guideposts and cultural moments: returning to their home in Manhattan's famous Dakota after the 1980 Kennedy Center Honors, LB and Jamie pass John Lennon groupies outside and enter a night shattered by gunshots. Such is the intersection of culture, history and family pathos in these spellbinding pages. While painful to read of a drug addicted a distended bellied Leonard Bernstein, we are reminded the that the greatest genius is ultimately human and prone to the weakness, desire and tragedy which shadow us all.