Hilary Liftin

The life of Tori Spelling in her own words. A major focus of the book is her arguments with her mother. We go from her childhood with getting dolls she doesn't like to getting dressed up like Marie Antoinette in a tailor made costume. She touches a little on her work in 90210. A lot about her lover of her father and his passing. Her falling in love with her husband and then getting married and having a baby with him. Good overall and helps you to realize that she's more than the daughter of producer Aaron Spelling.… (meer)

3.5***

Subtitle: A Love Story
Paperback subtitle: A Girl’s Tale of Life, Love and Sugar

Hilary Liftin has had a lifelong addiction to candy. I can relate. I consumed quite a lot of sugary treats as a child. One of my uncles (my mother’s brother) was a pastry chef and had his own bakery. Another uncle (my father’s brother), had a grocery store; I was so jealous of my cousins because I believed they could have all the candy they wanted for free. (I was wrong about that, of course.)

As she recalls her childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, she reflects on the many candies she consumed, adored, sought, hoarded and absolutely without guilt enjoyed. Some of these I had never heard of (Bottle caps?), others were also among my favorites, (Junior Mints, Orange Slices and Circus Peanuts), and still others we will have to agree to disagree on (I love Starlight mints, she can’t abide them; she loves candy corn, I’d sooner kiss a sheep.)

We have, both of us, learned to live with a sweet tooth, and moderate our consumption. But it was sure nice to take a walk down memory lane, when penny candy was plentiful and I had a whole DIME to spend on it!… (meer)

I didn't watch 90210 as a child, I was a little young for it at the time it was out and was much more into Babysitters Club books at the time. I had a rough idea of who Tori Spelling was, but didn't really think much of her until I started watching the TV series Tori and Dean: Inn Love. I bashfully admit that I'm a bit addicted to the series and find their reality show personas really endearing. Long story to say, that's the only reason I wanted to read this book.

The book is well written, the author who wrote it with her did a good job. I was suprised at how it seemed like probably big chunks of her life was left out, but hey - I guess if it's your book you tell your life the way you see it. I also felt like she was more trying to justify her life rather than tell it. But I guess your whole life in the paparazis' eyes can do that to you as well.

I can't say I agree with all of the choices she made in life, but who am I to judge. I especially cringed when she wrote about meeting Dean, cheating on her husband and the consequent divorce. I'm not a fan of that sort of thing and reading her justification was hard. I told my husband after reading the book - "If that was supposed to make me like her more, it really failed."

It was an interesting read and did answer some questions that the reality show brought up for me.… (meer)