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Life with My Sister Madonna

Authors: Christopher Ciccone, Wendy Leigh
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

22 reviews
Sales Rank: 169

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3

ISBN: 1847374387
EAN: 9781847374387
ASIN: 1847374387

Publication Date: July 14, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW book sent quickly from uk

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Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable August 9, 2008
S. Rand (UK)
This book by Madonna's brother isn't as you might fear (or hope) a character assassination of his sister. It's not a bitter expose either. I wouldn't be surprised if Madonna actually authorised this just to chuck some work Christopher's way.
The most enjoyable parts of it for me are in the details of how Madonna's career took off and how the dynamics of their brother/sister relationship were affected.
Chris Ciccone comes across as a pretty okay guy who hasn't blamed everything that didn't go his way on his sister. There's not much new to learn about Madonna but this is at least a book written by someone who really knows her. And it's an easy read.

5 out of 5 stars

brilliant holiday read August 4, 2008
J. WALKER (YORKSHIRE)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

Fantastic biography by Madonna's brother Chris. Although he professes his deep sincere love for his sister this is a clear case of making much needed cash for the author which will include all his fees from interviews and magazine deals he has made since the book came out.

I imagine Madonna feels totally betrayed by her brother who enjoyed a very privileged life whilst living and touring with her in her up and coming years. He was reliant on Madonna for all his finances and I imagine she was sick of him being a leech.

Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, full of juicy gossip about Madonna and to be fair because Madonna is so private this is the first true look into how she has lived her life to date which is worth the read alone.

It is very clear that Chris is bitter towards his sister and has a big chip on his shoulder because he thinks Guy Richie does not like GAY men.
(chris is gay!)

There is nothing to hurt Madonna in this book, so what if she is selfish and spoilt! Personally I imagine Chris could have said a LOT MORE!!

FANTASTIC READ - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

4 out of 5 stars

Madonna - One Of The Biggest Earners/Egos In The Past 25 Years! August 3, 2008
H. Astill (UK)
An interesting alternative view on Madonna's life from her brother Christopher. I thought it would be a biography on Madoona written by him but it's really HIS Autobiography but remembers to add in any snippett he can of when his life was involved with his sister. He also likes to mention any other famous person he crosses paths with. I was a bit dissapointed with the poor selection of photos in it, there are more of him with his friends rather than of Madonna, which I would've preferred to see. It's still a good read!

I feel for him, as the impression I get is he's been used by her like she's done with so many other people in her life. Saying that, he's aware of it, nurses his wounds and comes back to her for more time and time again, not being able to resist living under her spotlight. He seems a bit scared of her at times, also seems to treat her like a surrogate mother - at her beck and call like a puppy dog and she seems to act like a mother to him, not necessarily in a kind loving way more the telling off and bossy way!

I enjoy reading about Madonna, I find her fascinating but it must be said by the time I'd finished this book I'd had my fill of her! She has a HUGE ego, seems quite immature, spoilt and an emotional cripple - I wish she wasn't, I wanted to read this and like her but yet another book I've read about her and again this is the impression I get. How can she really follow Kabbalah and still act like she is the centre of the universe like a spoilt diva!

This book is easy to read and I enjoyed it. I expect Christopher's earned some well deserved money out of his sister this time!

1 out of 5 stars

sad,sad,sad July 31, 2008
Mari Collet (ireland)
0 out of 7 found this review helpful

I havn't even read this book but the exerts in the newspapers have been enough to turn me off. Chris is just airing his dirty linen in public ! Petty gripes and basic jealousy have fueled this book. The only one who comes out looking bad is him.

1 out of 5 stars

Or, how I let my sister walk all over me July 30, 2008
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

There's a very true saying that you can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your family. If you could, most modern celebrities would have no family.

And it might as well be the title for "Life With My Sister Madonna," written by the pop singer's brother Christopher Ciccone. While it starts off vaguely interesting, Ciccone's book eventually devolves into a justifiable but long-winded rant about his sister's flaws, which grows more tedious and bland with each passing page. Even dozens of celebrity cameos can't make it interesting.

Christopher and Madonna were raised in a large Italian-American household of siblings and half-siblings, and both became interested in dance at the same time. But while Christopher's interest veered off into painting and design, his sister rapidly became a punky pop singer who used sexuality and shock tactics to get herself publicity. But with fame came a worldview that was increasingly selfcentric.

As Madonna's star rose, Christopher stayed close as her dresser and designer, all throughout her disastrous marriage to Sean Penn, several tours, and up until shortly before the birth of her first child. But Madonna's selfish demands, unreasonable behavior and relationship with second hubby Guy Richie put a wedge between the siblings at last.

The basic message of "Life With My Sister Madonna" is that Madonna is a manipulative, control-freaky, fame-hungry diva who would use anything (including her mother's grave) to get attention, and would stiff and ignore her family whenever it suits her mood.

Well, like we didn't know that already.

In fact, nothing much in this supposedly intimate tell-all is shocking, because virtually all of what is inside has been reported a dozen times before. Lesbian flings, using and dropping people, the "Daddy Chair" for a conveniently-timed conception, her abusive first marriage and many other stories have been reported in books and tabloid media. And despite having been there for it all, Ciccone adds little to them.

There are a few that haven't made the news -- the gay jokes at her wedding, her refusal to pay her brother for his work, her harassing his psychiatrist -- but most of the time Ciccone just gives his personal impressions of people like Madonna's yes-lackey Ingrid Casares. More often we get to hear about Ciccone's not-terribly-interesting love life, artistic pursuits, and how he came out to his family.

And unfortunately Ciccone's writing doesn't improve matters. It starts off tolerably, but takes a sharp nose-dive when Ciccone becomes Madonna's dresser (basically he mopped the sweat off her body and told her how awesome she was), and preens a lot about how invaluable he was to Madonna. By the time Ritchie appears, it's degenerated into a gooey dribble of celebrity name-dropping and complaints, composed in a vaguely stoned manner.

In fact, the most interesting part of the entire book is Ciccone's meetings with various stars such as Warren Beatty, Dolly Parton and Gwyneth Paltrow. Yet even then, there's the underlying feeling that he's telling us to demonstrate, "See? These people are nice, and my sister isn't!"

Which is rather funny, because Ciccone doesn't come across very well himself -- he seems rather brittle and doormattish, allowing a thousand nasty things his sister does to slide because... well, because she's Madonna and she's a star. It's hard to muster much sympathy for someone who allows himself to be ill-treated from day one, merely because his sister is famous.

"Life with My Sister Madonna" is pretty much a long, boring nightmare of divatastic proportions. It promises to be juicy, but after the first bite it dries into a mummy.

www.pcprotech.co.uk

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