Life Is Not a Stage, Florence Henderson
Life Is Not a Stage, Florence Henderson
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Life Is Not a Stage
From Broadway Baby to a Lovely Lady and Beyond

Author: Florence Henderson, Joel Brokaw

Narrator: Florence Henderson

Unabridged: 8 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Center Street

Published: 09/20/2011


Synopsis

For millions of people around the world, Carol Brady is synonymous with motherhood, but growing up as the youngest of ten children in rural Indiana in the aftermath of the Great Depression, Florence Henderson lived a life quite different from that of the quintessential TV mom she later played on television.
Florence's father was a dirt-poor tobacco tenant farmer who was nearly fifty years old when he married Florence's twenty-five-year-old mother, and was nearly seventy when Florence was born. Florence's childhood was full of deprivation and abandonment. Her father was an alcoholic at a time when there was no rehab or help for the disease. Their home rarely had electricity or running water. When she was twelve, Florence's mother left the family to work in Cleveland and never returned.
Florence opens up about her childhood, as well as the challenges she's faced as an adult, including stage fright, postpartum depression, her extramarital affairs, divorce, her hearing loss, and heart problems. She writes with honesty and wisdom of how her faith and ability to survive has brought her through rough times to a life of profound joy and purpose.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Alex on June 01, 2011

Really fun and interesting. I had a very distinct image of who Florence Henderson was in my mind and in certain ways I was absolutely right but in many I was completely off. This is a fast read and very well written (although sometimes the time line is a little hard to follow) and completely enjoyab......more

Goodreads review by Dawn on February 10, 2018

A very good memoir about a very talented lady. Many only know her from The Brady Bunch. I also remember her Wesson Oil commercials and her cooking show. I did know that she was a talented singer because my Mom had told me that she and my Dad once saw her perform at a resort in the Poconos. I did not......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on October 18, 2011

I picked up this book because The Brady Bunch is one of my favorite TV shows. I thought I would skim those parts, look at the photos and that's it. But no! The book was so good from start to finish -- with Florence explaining how her rough childhood impacted her as an adult, balancing motherhood (wi......more

Goodreads review by Tiffeny on August 27, 2014

I picked this book up mostly to read about Florence Henderson's experience with The Brady Bunch. For the most part I enjoyed reading about her personal and professional life before and beyond. I thought it was a decently written biography. There were things that bothered me. From the Introduction sh......more

Goodreads review by Penny on January 25, 2012

Henderson's early life was tragic, but she is not. In this frank and fun memoir, she describes the dire poverty in which she was raised, but dwells more on the people who helped her get out of her rural town and into a successful stage and TV career. Parts of her story serve as a lesson on breaking......more