Reviews for A little family business

The average rating for A little family business based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-06-05 00:00:00 Brian Danis It took me a long time to decide how many stars to give this book, and I'm still not sure if I made the best choice with three. This is a well-written, engaging book, and a lot of time, effort, and research went into the making of it. As I was reading it, however, I felt like there was something bothering me, a nagging feeling that continued until I finally narrowed it down: the fact that the author seemed to take a certain malicious glee in revealing the foibles and the flaws of the Marx Brothers. If Simon Louvish was a friend, he'd be the sort of friend that talked you up to your face, only to turn around and reveal all of your dark, personal secrets to the world the moment you turned your back. He spent an excessive amount of time discussing such topics as the Marx Brothers lying about their ages (not exactly an uncommon occurrence in Hollywood), the ways their marriages and relationships fell apart, the times they fell afoul of the law, and all the times their shows and projects flopped. If the Marx Brothers were living today, this is exactly the sort of thing that would been printed in the tabloids. There's certainly a place for discourse on the clay feet of our idols. Discussion about their fears, failures, and vulnerabilities helps to keep them real and accessible, and this book certainly has that going for it. However, the vague feeling that Louvish was relishing stabbing our heroes in the back left something of a sour taste in my mouth. But the thing is, having read quite a few books about the Marx Brothers, I'd have to rate this as probably the best one not written by a Marx.(Harpo Speaks! remains my favorite, and the book I most enjoyed.) Monkey Business is complete, well-researched, and informative. I just wish it had a more friendly tone.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-01-20 00:00:00 Mary Blaine Dilles And interesting account of the extraordinary lives of some of the pillars of American comedy. I was, however, somewhat disappointed in the writing itself. Among other things, I was annoyed at how often the author would reference himself at several points during the story. In a forward or even an epilogue of the story of other historical people, it would be acceptable for an author to offer a personal opinion or background on their studies, but doing it at several points throughout the book takes the reader out of the subject matter, and constantly reminds them that they're not there in the first half of the twentieth century witnessing the lives of the masters of comedy, but rather simply reading the culmination of someone's research and interviews. A biographer should never use the word "I" in a book (unless of course, they're directly quoting someone).