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 enlarge | Author: Valerie Bertinelli
Publisher: Free Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy Used: $2.75
You Save: $23.25 (89%)
New (70) Used (104) Collectible (7) from $2.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  191 reviews
Sales Rank: 1655
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Free Press Hardcover Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1416568182
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.45028092
EAN: 9781416568186
ASIN: 1416568182
Publication Date: February 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: some scratches on dust jacket-rest is perfect
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| Customer Reviews:
 good read September 15, 2008
I liked this book alot and it was very inspirational to anyone trying to lose weight. I wish it would have been alittle more juicier regarding her marriage to eddie van halen. I felt alot was left out.
OMG VAL! September 4, 2008
The sex. The drugs. The rock n roll. And that was even before she met Eddie Van Halen.
The shock value not the writing--which has a breezy, high school girl's diary quality--is the reason to read this book.
She claims to be an emotional eater -- by the end you understand what she had to be so emotional about.
For the longest time VB was on the side of the angels. Presented by the media as America's Sweetheart; the good girl who would tame the bad boy; the suffering wife who tried and failed; kind but unhappy fat woman -- these are the monikers she could have continued to milk for sympathy. Instead she put it all out there without a trace of vindictiveness. This alone keeps her on the side of angels.
Geography Lesson August 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Valerie, You lived in "Clarkston", Michigan--not Pine Knob, Michigan. Pine Knob is a ski resort in the winter and a concert venue in the summer. There were other references in your book which clearly indicate you and your editors did not do their research.
For the most part, I agree with reviewers that said she's so insecure. I also didn't appreciate the democrat slant and comments. Too many celebrities, especially women, expect all or most women to be democrats. It ain't so. You surround yourself with so many sycophants and not enough real people to realize that. There are plenty of right-wingers on the coasts too.
Each time I thought she really was a grounded person, something would lurk around the corner proving otherwise. While she never talks money and how much she made while acting or even their household expenses, it would have been nice to read about to enable the reader to put things into perspective. I wasn't left with the impression that they were spend-thrifts (with the exception of drugs) but again, perspective would have been an added bonus.
 Lightweight and Uninspiring August 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Like everyone else who seems to have posted a review here, I was interested in reading this because Valerie Bertinelli is about my age and I liked her as Barbara Cooper on "One Day At A Time".
Anyway, I was expecting a lot more depth and insight in this book. It jumps around a lot and we rarely get any thoughtful, mature introspection. Another reviewer said that it was like a school girl's diary, and that perfectly describes it. There are loads of experiences summed up in half a paragraph, without the background, the impacts, and so on.
Throughout the book Valerie constantly says that she can't stand criticism, but I wish her editors had pushed a bit and tried to get her to focus on a few events and give us more - especially on her weight loss, since that was the point of the whole book. She should also have been encouraged to give us less of her politics. A trite bio by a television actress is hardly the appropriate platform for politics.
She's likeable as always, but might want to lay off the politics August 4, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm only a few years younger than Valerie and grew up watching "One Day" and emulating her hairstyles as a kid. I've always found her likable and entertaining and frankly, to be a little envied (before I knew better) when she married Eddie Van Halen, which was the talk of my high school at the time.
Her book, while not exactly cerebral, is an interesting read, and actually confirmed what I surmised from watching her interviews over the years: She is a good person with a natural sweetness but is much more edgy and a spitfire than one would believe from watching any of her work. It certainly makes her more interesting.
I do have to say, though, that she might have been better off had she kept her politics out of the book. I'll say up-front that I am somewhat of a conservative and therefore my exegesis is slanted right, but I cringed when she states she hasn't "forgiven" her dad for his conservative views and is encouraging him to become a Democrat, yet she voted for Clinton because she liked his wife. This sort of superficial, knee-jerk, bumper sticker politics is typical of Hollywood and frankly, sounds dumb. She is obviously trying to sound politically aware but comes across childish and naive. She owes Mr. Bertinelli an apology for the public condescension and frankly, more respect,as she could certainly learn a few things from him.
I was surprised at the number of grammatical errors, many of which were obvious. What was the proofreader thinking?!
All in all, though, the books is fairly engaging and she is very frank and honest about her own role in the events played out across its pages. She appears to have brought up a good kid and made a real effort to make a difficult marriage work, so I have to give her props for that, her silly political musings notwithstanding.
And let's face it...she still has great hair.
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