My First Five Husbands..And the Ones Who Got Away
The youngestGolden Girlsstar offers a chatty, thoughtful and effervescent tour of her surprisingly turbulent professional and private life. Like her TV alter ego Blanche Devereaux, McClanahan charts her experiences through the men in her life (and isn't shy about assigning ratings to the life in her men—she gives enthusiastic "A"s toBenson's Robert Guillaume and Brad Davis, who at the time was nine years older than her son). Days after giving birth, she was abandoned by her first husband and pushed into a second marriage (before her divorce was final). She remembers a photo taken of the event: "We looked happy. Much like smiling travelers waving from the deck of the departing Titanic." Both men continued to play large roles in her life as she navigated through numerous affairs and six marriages. After much stage work, she found success in her late 30s on TV'sMaude. Later, "languishing inLove Boatlimbo," she was rescued byThe Golden Girls, which brought her an Emmy and financial security. Fans will relish her sweet and tart memories of friendships and tensions filming that show. A breast cancer survivor, she ends the book happily celebrating an active career and a decade with husband number six. Photos.(Apr. 10)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.