As I Am: An Autobiography

Patricia Neal had an extraordinary life.So much happened to her.So many highs and lows.This is a fairly frank biography except perhaps when it comes to her ex husband,Roald Dahl.It is difficult to know whether she loved him or hated him.Sometimes she refers to him as Roald and other times Papa.She goes in to her conversion to Catholicism at great length but only about a paragraph to her divorce.she doesnt explain why she agreed to it having staunchly refused to countenance the idea of a divorce previously.She is it has to be said brutally honest in her assessment of her own actions and those of her children.I cannot think that it would have been easy reading for any of them.However it is a very readable account of the life of a distinguished actress up till 1987.

This is a really great read; I sought this book out about 12 years' ago after seeing the movie of her struggle back to fitness after a serious stroke during pregnancy. She was dragged, cajoled and sometimes bullied back to health by Roald Dahl. I lost my copy years ago and simply had to buy another. Patricia had such an interesting life, one that has been touched by tragedy on more than one occasion. Her marriage to Dahl was a roller coaster and she lost so many loved ones along the way. Just buy it!

What a fantastic life this woman lead. Told with such honesty. A great actress

Very well written and interesting

Arrived on time and as promised.

Never delivered, then received an email a week later to say it wasn't available. VERY POOR!!!

Not happy- an ex library book!!!!

Confession: I worked for Miss Neal for several years. It makes me very sad to realize that she is being rapidly forgotten. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for "HUD" with Paul Newman. She also appeared in the original "DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL"' and in "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S." Those are just the highlights. Then she suffered a massive stroke at age 39 at the height of her career. Her life is rightly compared to a Greek tragedy. Her husband Roald Dahl developed a recovery plan for her that changed the treatment for stroke survivors to this day, then dumped her.This book is Miss Neal's own story. If you are interested in Hollywood, read it. If you are interested in theatre, read it. If you are interested in helping a stroke survivor, read it. If you are interested in amazing human stories, read it.

Flew through this book. It was so well-written, honest and interesting, I could hardly put it down.Although I couldn't understand her behavior when she was younger, being a well brought up woman, she seemed pretty loose, I do admire her courage and ability to cope through all her tragedies. I can even kind of understand her marrying someone she didn't really love because she knew she'd never find another true love because she had already found him, and she wanted to start a family. Her husband did a lot to help her and she acknowledges that, said she wouldn't have survived if it weren't for him, but he seemed cruel and rude to most everyone, she went along with whatever he said, even cutting her mother out of her life at one point. In fact, I never realized she had so many tragedies in her life.But throughout, she didn't try to excuse her behavior or choices and I found that really refreshing. She was a very talented actress, I enjoyed her in "Hud" and the episode on "Little House on the Prairie", especially and she certainly had to cope with more than most people.Was inspirational, sad and interesting all at the same time.Anyone who has had to deal with someone who had a stroke will learn a lot from this book.

To my great surprise, I enjoyed this autobiography very much and was sorry when it ended. I had seen a few of Patricia Neal's movies, but was not a fan, and expected to skim through the book; instead I found myself savoring every word. What a life she's had, full of dramatic highs and lows. She found early success on Broadway and won an Oscar during her long Hollywood career, and is known for her love affair with Gary Cooper (she details many other affairs, as well) and her strokes, when she was 39 and pregnant, which left her unable to speak and walk.Her turbulent marriage to eccentric writer Roald Dahl, the death of a child, the accident that left another child brain-damaged, and her relationships with a who's-who list of show biz greats combine to make this a book that is very hard to put down. It is written with so much energy and determination that I became fascinated with Patricia Neal. She is known publicly for her great personal strength, but honestly reveals her weaknesses and fears as well. Highly recommended as an outstanding Hollywood autobiography.Kona

In a frank and very honest way, this amazing life journey will keep you wanting more.Patricia Neal was a rarity among performance artists and her life was very complex and rich.She had it all... and lost it all at 39.Building back one word at a time this truly amazing human and artist knew everyone involvedon Broadway & Hollywood... but she kept her feet on the ground through immense personal tragedy, few of uscould even think of coping with.If you want to read about the real deal, this is it.

A good story for people who like movie star biographies with a little spice( she had a three year affair with Garry Cooper in the late 1940's) and an inspirational story for those who have had strokes and other serious afflictions and need to believe that is possible with determination to overcome adversities such as serious bad health. She had to learn to talk see and walk after a massive stroke left her partially paralysed. Honest and thorough, Neale writes with passion and humour and is an entertaining author. She was the wife of Rhaol Dahl.

Patricia explains in detail the ups and downs that have occurred in her fruitful life. The strength she showed after her near fatal stroke is a true inspiration to not only other strike victims but to all of us. She totally exposes her feelings regarding her relationship with Gary Cooper, the subsequent abortion and the animosity she received from his daughter. What a beautiful and sad love they shared. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Patricia Neal the actress but also anyone who is inspired by a very brave woman. Also anyone who like myself are fans of Gary Cooper will be very interested in the personal side of this man and the huge part he played in Patricia's life.

Like other reviewers have said, I could not put it down! Truly a fascinating story. The tragedies in her life were heartbreaking, yet she overcame them. I admire her perseverance in recovering from her awful cerebral aneurysms at age 39. The effect this had on her life and her family is explored in great detail in the book.

Beautifully written with Richard DeNeut ("Ear of the Heart" - Mother Dolores Hart's biography). Interesting story of her life and career.The pictures are from Mr. DeNeut's collection from his Globe Photos company, before the paparazzi took over.