The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief, and Manipulation - Hardcover

Rivers, Melissa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1101903821 ISBN 13: 9781101903827

Publisher: Crown Archetype, 2015

Synopsis

This New York Times bestseller is a hilarious and inspiring tribute to the iconic comedian Joan Rivers by the person who knew her best--her daughter, Melissa.
 
Joan and Melissa Rivers had one of the most celebrated mother-daughter relationships of all time.  If you think Joan said some outrageous things to her audiences as a comedian, you won’t believe what she said and did in private. Her love for her daughter knew no bounds—or boundaries, apparently. ("Melissa, I acknowledge that you have boundaries. I just choose to not respect them.") In The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation, Melissa shares stories (like when she was nine months old and her parents delivered her to Johnny Carson as a birthday gift), bon mots (“Missy, is there anything better than seeing a really good looking couple pushing a baby that looks like a Sasquatch who got caught in a house fire?”), and life lessons from growing up in the Rosenberg-Rivers household (“I can do tips and discounts and figure out the number of gay men in an audience to make it a good show. That’s all the math you’ll ever need.”). These were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to life in the family that Melissa describes as more Addams than Cleaver. And at the center of it all was a tiny blond force of nature.
 
In The Book of Joan, Melissa Rivers relates funny, poignant and irreverent observations, thoughts, and tales about the woman who raised her and is the reason she considers valium one of the four basic food groups.

About this title

About the Author:

MELISSA RIVERS is an Ivy League graduate, co-creator of the Red Carpet franchise, and the executive producer for the E! Entertainment series Fashion Police. She is also the author of Red Carpet Ready: Secrets for Making the Most of Any Moment You're in the Spotlight and is the first celebrity to partner with renowned online footwear brand Zappos.com. She lives with her two dogs and son, Cooper, in Los Angeles.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Review:

“Melissa [Rivers] weaves together anecdotes, memories, speeches, lists and advice to create a sweet, personal narrative infused with Joan's trademark wit... Like any great standup comedian's act, the short chapters keep the audience wanting more, and her writing echoes her mother's self-deprecating, saucy tone.”—Associated Press

“Melissa [Rivers] has written a book, cleverly weaving Mom’s material into a bittersweet biography of their life together.”—People
“Joan Rivers famously asked, ‘Can we talk?’ So the question for her daughter, Melissa Rivers...is ‘Can she write?’ The answer is, clearly, yes.” —Newsday
 
“We have a winner. Oh yes we do. Of all the celebrity memoirs to have appeared in the last few months, we have from way back in the pack, the one that made an incredible stretch run to become the unquestioned leader...If there are any smart mothers out there notable for their outspoken candor and their pop cultural literacy, Melissa Rivers’ book will take care of their early summer reading needs quite nicely.” —The Buffalo News
 
“Very funny” —Page Six
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Archetype
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1101903821
• ISBN 13: 9781101903827
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304