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    Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
    Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
    Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
    Audiobook17 hours

    Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century

    Written by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

    Narrated by Paul Boehmer

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    From veteran entertainment reporter Sam Kashner and biographer Nancy Schoenberger comes the definitive account of the greatest Hollywood love story ever told—the romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Kashner has interviewed Elizabeth Taylor numerous times and is the only journalist given access to her extensive collection of personal letters and journals, and he and Schoenberger have also interviewed the Burton family at length, including Burton’s actress daughter Kate. This is truly an authorized and singularly informed biography of these two larger-than-life stars, and of their glamorous, volatile, and audacious relationship.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 15, 2010
    ISBN9780061988806
    Author

    Sam Kashner

    Sam Kashner is the author of four nonfiction books, including the memoir When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School, and one novel, Sinatraland. He has written extensively for Vanity Fair as a contributing editor.  Nancy Schoenberger is the author of Dangerous Muse: the Life of Lady Caroline Blackwood; Wayne and Ford: the Films, The Friendship, and the Forging of an American Hero; and three prize-winning books of poetry.  She teaches at The College of William and Mary where she directs the Creative Writing Program.  

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    Reviews for Furious Love

    3.5/5

    97 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A genuinely poorly written book, but an absolutely riveting story. Get past the repetitions and copy-paste errors, and you're in for a ride.
    • 5/5
      As a kid I remember hearing about them as a couple in the late 60’s and that later Liz wasn’t invited to the funeral. But no context. This memoir brings all of that into focus beautifully… tragically…lovingly.
    • 4/5
      Long before "Bennifer" became "Brangelina", to the dismay of Jennifer Anniston fans and the delight of the tabloids, there was the shock and awe of the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton affair of the early 1960s, which scandalized the world and drew the scolding of everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper to Pope John XXIII.Those who were around in the 60s and besotted by Hollywood royalty will relish wallowing once again in all the juicy details and the conspicuous consumption that marked an era when people could still be shocked by the marital hijinks of screen idols. Those who have come late to the party will get a peek at a world of self-indulgence and high passion -- all played out on the public stage.This is a long book, and probably lingers overlong on detail, but under all the gleeful shock and voyeurism, a portrait emerges of two very flawed and needy people who each thought the other would make their life perfect and complete, but who, in the end, were separately unable to make the kinds of sacrifices required by an enduring relationship.
    • 4/5
      I've never been a particular fan of either Taylor or Burton's careers, nor especially interested in their romance -- but I was unexpectedly caught up in this excellent account of their passionate, enduring, ferocious love for each other. The author, who was given access to Taylor's letters from Burton, walked a nice line between revelation and discretion. We see both Burton and Taylor up close, warts and all, but always with a sense of affection and respect.

      Kashner makes a plausible case for the damage their public "Liz-n-Dick" partnership personna had an increasingly damaging effect on the private relationship between Elizabeth and Richard. Their drinking, particularly Burton's became increasingly damaging as well. (Taylor was blessed with a much greater capacity to drink with become drunk, or to suffer as much physically from it.) Unfortunately, when Burton tried to get sober, Taylor didn't quit her own drinking in support, and in fact often chided him for having become boring. Kashner takes pains to remind his readers that all this played out in the sixties and early seventies, before "alcoholism" was recognized as a disease.

      What shines through the tragedy, the extravagant lifestyles, the ups-and-downs of their theater and film careers, is their enduring love for each other. They were not always good for each other, but they were passionately in love and remained so all their lives. In the end, I think that was the most compelling aspect of the book: an up-close look at so great and consuming a love, despite its terrible aspects.
    • 2/5
      I lost interest and skimmed my way through the book. Liz and Dick have a unique love story. Most people think of Prince Charles and Di as "THE couple" because of the fairy-tale wedding, but I think we can agree that Liz and Dick, at least for a while, loved each other. They tried to make it work twice and they failed.

      I've tried to analyze what I could. Is it possible that their success killed their marriages? I'm not wild about their addictions to alcohol and medications. They loved being together and hated being apart. So it's pretty sad that they just couldn't make it work.

      If the impression I received from the book is correct, the paparazzi was out of control back then as it is today. Even famous couples need privacy--a place to escape. They need normalcy as much as you and I do.

      But my favorite part was probably reading the fact that Dick wrote Liz one last letter right before he died. She kept those letters ever since. Loving each other even unto the point of death is pretty unique.
    • 1/5
      It's a long litany of stories about how the two drank, had sex, blamed everyone but themselves, indulged in every vice they could, continued to make movies, and then whined about all the publicity. I'm all for a good juicy gossip book, but it isn't well written gossip. Seems to repeat itself a lot. Needs another round of editing and proofreading. No wonder it's so long, with all the repetition and overly long descriptions of drinking! I gave up after a while, couldn't stand yet another story about self-destruction being blamed on everyone but themselves.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I loved Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner. It is not a serious book but it is fun and interesting. I am not cinemate but I like to read about the successful actors and directors in hopes of learning something of how movies are made and what makes success. Elizabeth Taylor in my opinion comes off as more admirable than Richard Burton. Both great actors, she seems more stable than he though both were alcoholics. Richard was ashamed of being an actor. It was a little sissy like for him. He was scholarly and preferred to read, write and teach. He carried his library with him throughout their peregrinations. The traveled with a vast entourage that I think must have put financial pressure on them. She would have as many as 70 security men. If you are into movies or just curious about these two characters I recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Very well done. It was engaging, fascinating, & a really intimate look at a very public couple. It left me feeling more sorry for them both more than anything. A love of a lifetime, for both of them. Plus, the addition of 2 of Richard's unpublished poems in the back of the book that were found in his papers after his death. He was actually a good writer, I wish his books, etc that he started throughout his life would have been finished & published posthumously. There are 2 sections of black & white photos in the book as well, which I really enjoyed seeing. Makes me wonder if her final wish, to be buried beside him when she died, was fulfilled....
    • 4/5
      This turned out to be much better than I thought. Instead of the usual gossipy trash one normally sees in celebrity biographies, the authors stay even-keeled and provide the reader with a chronological overview of the Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor romance and marriage. They don't really dive in too deeply, but they were given access to the letters that Burton sent to Taylor throughout their life together.

      I was surprised by learning just how deeply in love the two of them were with each other, which is something one really wouldn't know given the media's past coverage. I always thought it was just one of those publicity-seeking unions, but they were truly soulmates.

      Both Burton's and Taylor's alcohol and drug dependencies are covered, with more depth given to Burton's insecurities. So, not a bad volume to read on the beach during the summer.


      Book Season = Summer
    • 4/5
      Before Bennifer, before Brangelina, there was Liz and Dick. Their relationship started the paparazzi craze that is still going strong decades later. I've never seen an Elizabeth Taylor or Richard Burton film, but I became more interested in their story after Taylor's death last year. I only knew her as the lady that sold perfume...and I didn't know him at all. At one point I had a hardover of the book checked out from the library, but never got around to it. Then picked up the paperback from Target one day. It still sat around. Finally, after reading Beautiful Ruins, I decided it was time for Furious Love.Their story is glamorous and tragic. They loved each other so much they couldn't stand to be together. Burton wrote fantastic love letters. Taylor loved with an amazing passion. They really were amazing. And now I feel the need to hunt down their best movies (there's a list of what they each thought were their best in the book) and see them together (and not together) on screen.