Queen Meryl

July 1, 2019
Entertainment journalist Carlson follows I’ll Have What She’s Having, her 2017 examination of writer and director Nora Ephron’s romantic comedies, with this fast-paced and enjoyable homage to acting legend Meryl Streep. In a breathless, admiring tone, Carlson quickly covers Streep’s childhood and education before rushing onto her career. Streep’s roles—including Linda in The Deer Hunter, her star-making role in Kramer vs. Kramer, and as the unforgettable Miranda Priestly in the film adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada—are meticulously covered. Though Streep has had an extraordinary run, Carlson too eagerly absolves her of any responsibility for less than apt role choices (She-Devil with Roseanne Barr, for example). The focus is on Streep’s extraordinary dramatic gifts, but Carlson regularly reminds readers of the difficulties women face—especially in Hollywood—over getting equal pay, dealing with ageism, and deflecting unwanted sexual attention (Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, and Harvey Weinstein are mentioned unflatteringly) as well as of Streep’s feminist activism. Generously supplemented with gossipy sidebars and lists and with fashion magazine–like brush-and-ink drawings, Carlson’s latest will be embraced by Streep-struck fans, but cinephiles will have to wait longer for an in-depth examination of Streep’s extraordinary career. Agent: Daniel Greenberg, Levine, Greenberg, Rostan Literary Agency

July 15, 2019
Meryl Streep, actor, wife, mother, and feminist spokesperson, has had a sensational career. With 21 Oscar nominations and three wins, along with multiple international acting awards, Streep can aptly be called Queen Meryl, the most celebrated actor in America. Entertainment journalist Carlson (I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy, 2017) gleefully recounts Streep's career from her earnest performance as the Virgin Mary in a family Nativity play (she was 6) to her acclaimed roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Lady, and The Post. As a student at the Yale School of Drama, Streep stood out for her ability to create complex characters, and she was often cast in Yale Repertory Theatre shows--while holding down off-campus jobs to pay her tuition. After graduating at 26, she immediately became "a Broadway starlet," Carlson discovered, thanks to the support of Joe Papp, founder of the Public Theater. Her film career took off in 1977 when she was cast in Julia, a drama starring Jane Fonda. Fonda encouraged Streep to improvise and also "imparted an object lesson in kindness" that inspired Streep's generosity to her less experienced co-stars. Drawing on a copious number of articles, reviews, profiles, and interviews as well as archival material and a previous biography of Streep, Carlson creates a mostly engaging, deeply admiring chronicle of Streep's life: her long marriage to sculptor Don Gummer, motherhood, sometimes unexpected role choices, friendships, political activism and views, and the movie synopses, production anecdotes, and reviews that document Streep's prolific acting career. Although she was highly praised for most of her work, some dissenting voices emerged in the 1980s. "Streep can come off like a piece of fine china, white, hard, perfect," one critic wrote. She never felt perfect, she admitted, but most of the time, she felt confident. "Usually I think I can play anything," she told an interviewer in 1980. "I have great faith in myself." An enthusiastic homage to a legend.

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August 2, 2019

While entertainment journalist Carlson's (I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy) not so subtle coronation of Meryl Streep as Her Highness of Hollywood might be dead-on, the author's incessantly cloying style, habit of referring to the actress as "Queen Meryl" and her acolytes as "Streepers," and hagiographic approach make for an annoying appraisal of Streep's career trajectory. In a People magazine meets TMZ mashup, Carlson wends her way through Streep's biography and considerable cinematic canon, paying particular attention to reviews; critics' assessments; Streep's relationships with actors, directors, and writers; and, of course, the cornucopia of awards. Scattered throughout the text are frequent digressions in the form of shadow-boxed sidebars affixed with a little crown and lengthier asides that Carlson calls an "intermission." In addition to the films, Carlson focuses on Streep's strong familial bonds. VERDICT Potentially fun for Streep fan boys and girls, although Michael Schulman's Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, which Carlson references, is preferred.--Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
In this bubbly biography, journalist Carlson (I'll Have What She's Having, 2017) bounces cheerfully through actress Meryl Streep's life and career with an admiring eye, paying more attention to film roles than to any personal struggles. While Carlson touches at least in passing on each of those roles, she delves more deeply into critically acclaimed or popular movies, such as Kramer vs. Kramer, Out of Africa, Silkwood, Sophie's Choice, Mamma Mia, and The Devil Wears Prada. Sidebars, though diverting, often repeat information from the main text. The book is illustrated with cartoonish line drawings and a few stock photos. For sources, Carlson relies primarily on magazine articles and secondarily on interviews with some of Streep's associates, though not with Streep herself. While Streep's career doesn't trace a particular narrative arc, the author solidly establishes that Streep has kept working steadily, in a large variety of roles, into middle age and beyond. Fans should be delighted by the juicy details of life on various sets and tales of Streep's good-humored devotion to her craft.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)