Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life by
actress Julianna Margulies is a well-written autobiography arranged in
chronological order for the most part, which I truly appreciate as a reader. Dubbed
“Sunshine Girl” by her mother Francesca because she was always a cheerful baby
and young child, Margulies recounts both challenges and opportunities in her
life.
The biography focuses largely on her life
as a child and an adolescent growing up in a home her father Paul left soon
after her birth because of differences he had with her mother. Always present
in her life – though just not nearly enough – her father had well-paying jobs
in advertising that afforded him the opportunity to provide for higher
education for all three of his daughters.
Her mother, a trained ballerina, created
many difficulties in all their lives, causing Margulies’ oldest sister to move
in with Paul during her teen years, leaving just the two younger girls to deal
with a complicated situation at home. Both unreasonable and erratic, Francesca put
herself ahead of her daughters and had lots of men coming and going through
their household. The worst was when as a woman in her forties, Francesca took
up with a 21-year-old, which caused a great divide between her and Margulies,
though they later reconciled.
Margulies’ intelligence and strong writing
ability are evident throughout her book. Her drive to be the best she can be at
everything she does comes through. Growing up in an unconventional home in New
Hampshire, New York, Paris, and in England, she is fluent in French as well as
in English.
Mostly thought of for her role as Nurse
Hathaway on the television show ER and as attorney Alicia Florrick on The Good
Wife, Margulies also has experience on the stage and in film. Many were
surprised when she left ER after her contract expired, leaving millions of
dollars on the table. She explains her choice and still remains confident it
was the right one for her at that time. She accepted the role in The Good Wife
because she was able to have it filmed in New York where she lives with her
lawyer husband and son.
She does not hesitate to reveal intimate stories
about relationships, difficult choices, and rejections, both personal and
professional. Her ability to recall so many events in detail is enviable. I
highly recommend this autobiography for those who enjoy reading about the lives
of celebrities.
Julianna Margulies is an actress, a
producer, and an author. She published a children’s book in 2016 called Three
Magic Balloons, based on a story her father wrote for his three daughters.
My review will be posted on Goodreads
starting March 4, 2021.
I would like to thank Random House
Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an ARC in return for an
objective review.
No comments:
Post a Comment