Finding Zsa Zsa

June 1, 2019

Living by their own rules, the Hungarian sisters Zsa Zsa, Eva, and Magda Gabor, plus their controlling mother, Jolie, entertained and outraged America and the world for decades. With their heavy accents, quick wit, wigs, and jewels, they were perfect material for talk shows and gossip columns. Staggs (All About All About Eve; Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard), a longtime observer of all things Gabor, offers as truthful a biography of the family as we're likely to get. The women were much married, with 23 husbands among them--Zsa Zsa (born Sári) had nine husbands, including actor George Sanders and hotel tycoon Conrad Hilton, plus countless lovers. As the author sees it, Zsa Zsa lacked the discipline and work ethic to sustain a meaningful career and was hobbled by lifelong bipolar disorder and a later nervous breakdown. Eva was the most serious actress, while Magda, hardened by her wartime experiences, was the most realistic. While the Gabors were frequently hilarious, Staggs doesn't neglect the dark side of their story. VERDICT The Gabors lived full lives, and by the end of this book, readers may be as exhausted as the Gabors must have been. Still, this wild ride is recommended for fans of the actors and lovers of tell-alls.--Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 24, 2019
Celebrity biographer Staggs (Inventing Elsa Maxwell) dishes up an entertaining biography of the glamorous Gabor sisters: Eva, Magda, and Zsa Zsa. Beginning by parsing the contradictory versions of the Gabor family’s days in Hungary before and during WWII-era German occupation, Staggs is unapologetically fond of these three women, who were groomed by their controlling mother, Jolie, to pursue fame above all else. Eva and Zsa Zsa arrived in America shortly before WWII and were pursuing movie careers when, after the war, they were joined by the other Gabors. Magda and Eva strived to be taken seriously as actresses even as they and Zsa Zsa—content to headline B movies, perhaps most memorably in Queen of Outer Space—became better known for their tempestuous personal lives. Zsa Zsa’s ill-fated marriage to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton was tabloid fodder for years. As Hollywood’s studio system faded, Magda worked in regional theater, Eva found a signature role on Green Acres, and Zsa Zsa became a talk show regular. While readers may sometimes lose the narrative thread of Staggs’s painstakingly detailed account, his take on the Gabors—oft-derided in their day as exemplars of style over substance—as hardworking show business survivors is clear and refreshingly admiring. Pop culture buffs will just adore this penthouse view of the Gabors. Agent: Eric Myers, Eric Myers Agency.

July 1, 2019
A colorful history of the glamorous pop-culture icons of the previous century. In this latest biography of the Gabors, film historian Staggs (Inventing Elsa Maxwell, 2012, etc.) attempts to "set the record straight" in portraying their larger-than-life history and the numerous legends, rumors, and scandals connected to each family member: sisters Magda, Zsa Zsa, and Eva, and mother, Jolie. As the title indicates, Zsa Zsa takes center stage throughout the narrative. "Clichés about this legendary family seem indestructible," writes the author in the preface. "I hope, however, to have punctured two of the silliest. The first is that they were famous for being famous....The other outlandish notion is that they somehow foreshadowed the Kardashians and others of that ilk. This one is nourished by those who know nothing of the Gabors and too much about the Ks, not one of whom has the sophistication...of an Eva or a Zsa Zsa." The Gabors indeed live jet-setting, productive lives and individually achieved a vast array of accomplishments in the entertainment and fashion industries. Yet perhaps their biggest achievement was one of self-invention. As refugees from Hungary landing in the United States, they carefully cultivated their mystique of glittering fabulousness and spent their lives preserving that image. Though certainly more cosmopolitan than the likes of the Kardashians, they frankly did foreshadow the glamorous lifestyles of current celebrity sensations. Ultimately, the book is an old-fashioned Hollywood biography, however respectfully eschewing the malicious Kitty Kelly style of dishing. Staggs diligently references sources and allows their personalities and escapades to come vividly to life, including their numerous love affairs and marriages (more than 20 among the three sisters) and their many career milestones. Beneath all the glitz, these were business-savvy women, and the author misses the opportunity to claim their relevance for contemporary readers, leaving them enmeshed within their long-reigning "camp" status. Theirs is an interesting, occasionally wayward American success story begging for a revisionist approach to the telling. An entertaining yet predictable portrait of a flamboyantly iconic family.

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