Unexpected
Written: Dec 07 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Straight talk from someone who has been pretty private over the years.
Cons: It's all about Jane, and it's rather disjointed.
The Bottom Line: While it's easy to admire Pauley for opening up a bit, "Skywriting" doesn't quite come together to become a worthwhile book.
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| BBailey182's Full Review: Jane Pauley - Skywriting: A Life Out Of The Blue B... |
An autobiography from Jane Pauley comes with some expectations: plenty of stories about her 30-plus years in broadcasting, a little insight into husband Garry Trudeau, and tales of growing up in Middle America. Ha, ha, ha; ho, ho, ho.
Those expectations changed slightly when the news came upon at the book's release that Pauley had been treated for bipolar disorder. At that point, "Skywriting" figured to go down some different avenues.
That it does. The finished product is rather odd in the sense that in many places it could have been written about almost anyone -- even though that's probably not why you picked up the book in the first place. In other words, this is a glowing example of the fact that famous people have the same problems as the rest of us. It also could have been done better than it was.
Pauley's revelation about bipolar illness came as a shock, because her life seemed to be following a perfect plan. She moved right from college into television, where it took her virtually no time at all to move to a major market (Chicago) and then to the Today's show's co-host role. Pauley arrived on the national scene as smart, warm, attractive and authentic. Barbara Walters had pushed the Today co-host's role out of the window dressing role, while Pauley took it a few steps further. No one confused her with Mike Wallace as an interviewer, but she was a reassuring presence on morning tv. Throw in the marriage to a famous cartoonist ("Doonesbury"), three kids, and piles of fame and salary, and everything should have been happily-ever-after.
Nope. Pauley here reveals that there were all sorts of issues bubbling underneath, including her father's alcoholism and some personal insecurities. They would sometimes manifest themselves in the form of hives. A doctor once said she has enough tension for 20 women. Whew. Pauley altered her life when she left Today to work for a couple of NBC newsmagazines, but the inner problems remained.
The book, then, comes across as something of a matter of personal exploration. I wouldn't quite call it stream of conscience writing; it actually flows pretty well in what's on paper. But it's easy to stop along the way and realize there are all sorts of gaps in the story. For example, there's virtually nothing about what her professional life is like in Indianapolis, just comments about arriving and leaving that job. The tale about Pauley's departure from Today in favor of Deborah Norville comes across as oddly detached.
And there's not a whole lot of joy here. There must have been a bit more laughter along the way than Pauley offers. The lack of anecdotes is at best curious. She mentions in passing that she had a picture of her children blessed by the Pope, but doesn't mention the circumstances.
Pauley was getting ready to start her own talk show when this book came out in 2004. The program lasted a year and was cancelled due to poor ratings. After reading "Skywriting," it's easy to wonder if Pauley wasn't quite ready to fully tackle a new project of that scope. That might not be a fair judgment, since talk shows die all the time, but it's easy to jump to it.
Jane Pauley has always come off as someone who'd be a good friend and who hadn't fallen victim to a television ego. Pauley obviously has gone through some tough times, and was still grappling with those times when she wrote this book. The story doesn't really work well as a book, but it's still easy to root for her to make it all the way back and return to television.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
BBailey182
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Member: Budd Bailey
Location: Buffalo, NY
Reviews written: 511
Trusted by: 97 members
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