Anyone who is a fan of Meryl's and her legacy of work will find much to love about this book. Although it took me a little bit of time to get used to the writing style (there's a lot of personal interjections from the author), I thought there was so much great info and humor in here about the Queen's life and her roles.

My two favorite parts of this book: the many quotes from Meryl herself from various interviews and the behind-the-scenes takes on her movies/TV roles. I loved the recaps of each role and Meryl's process behind choosing the part and making the project itself. I now have tons of Meryl movies to add to my to-watch list that I haven't seen yet (How have I never seen "Bridges of Madison County" or "Iron Lady" yet?!) Even the movies that I knew history about, such as "Deer Hunter" or "Kramer vs. Kramer" still had inside info to offer in these pages to better round out my classic Hollywood knowledge.

This is a must-read for people who enjoy learning about movies and Hollywood - so much fun! And I'm even more convinced that Meryl is a queen/icon/legend now!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I love Meryl Streep and so finding a book that had some information about her life was a fun thing. Yes you do know a fair amount already that is in this book, however it goes into more detail and gives you more background that you normally find, unless of course you sit there and research her yourself. So it was nice to have it right at my fingertips.

I am a huge Meryl Streep fan and knew I needed to read this when I saw it. First, so much research went into this book! There are so many footnotes and stories about Meryl. There were so many roles and award nominations that I never knew about. There are several movies of hers that I made a list of to watch.

I enjoyed the stories about her movies but I truly enjoyed the stories of her activism and how she has stayed relevant in a career that typically does not embrace the aging of woman. She is truly an amazing lady and I greatly enjoyed this book.

How fun is this! I love Meryl Streep (I mean, who doesn’t?!) so this is a really cool look at her life and various roles.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I mostly skimmed through this book and hope to sit down with it or maybe get a copy on audio.

This was such a fun book for Meryl Streep fans!! Filled with many stories and lots of information about Streep's life.

I requested an e-arc of this title because I really liked I'll Have What She's Having, Carlson's book about Nora Ephron and When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle. That book was a great behind-the-scenes look at the films, and it was so cool to hear from so many of the people who'd been involved in the movies (as Carlson conducted tons of interviews for the book).

Queen Meryl was different. Rather than a tight look at pivotal moment's in the actress' career, Carlson takes a sweeping look at her life. Yes, that means that if you haven't seen every Streep movie, spoilers abound, as Carlson often gives a quick plot overview. (There's also a sidebar on all the movies in which Meryl's character dies.)

And yet, I don't feel like I know anything more about Meryl than I did prior to reading. I'm not sure what this title offers beyond what one can already find on IMDB or with a quick google of "Meryl Streep." I can't help but feel that the scope of the book did Carlson's hard work a disservice; that, had she focused on 3-4 of Meryl's movies, the book overall would have had much more to offer the reader.

If what you're looking for is a brief overview of Streep's career, you'll find that here.

Goodreads:
Meryl Streep is the most celebrated actress of our time. She's a chameleon who disappears fully into each character she plays. She never tackles the same role twice. Instead, she leverages her rarified platform to channel a range of dynamic, complicated women--Joanna Kramer, Karen Silkwood, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, Katharine Graham--rather than limit herself to marginal roles for which other actresses must settle: Supportive Wife. Supportive Mother. Supportive Yet Utterly Disposable Love Interest. Streep will have none of that.
The once-awkward, frizzy-haired suburban teen blossomed into a rising ingénue on the stage at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama. She came of age during the women's movement of the '60s and '70s, and has worn her activism on her sleeve even when it was unfashionable. When she reached 40, the age when many leading ladies fade away, Streep plunged forward, taking her pick of parts that interested her and winning a pile of awards along the way. Meanwhile, she remained an unlikely box-office draw, her clout even managing to grow with age: The Devil Wears Prada, starring Streep as the Anna Wintour avatar Miranda Priestly, scored $326 million worldwide.
Journalist and author Erin Carlson documents all of Streep's Oscars, accents, causes, memes, friendships, and feuds; also exploring the "off-brand" forays into action-adventure (The River Wild) and musicals (Mamma Mia!), and how Streep managed to sneak her feminism into each character. In the spirit of nontraditional bestsellers like Notorious RBG and The Tao of Bill Murray, Queen Meryl is illustrated by artist Justin Teodoro and filled with fascinating lists and sidebars, delivering joy in homage to its unique and brilliant subject.

My Thoughts:
No-one can't deny that Meryl Streep is an icon to the entertainment business. She's magnificently talented and it just oozes out of her in all of her roles. I loved this book so much, especially the artistic portion of it. The drawings at the end of the chapters were absolutely beautiful. This book was special as the author outlined all of Streep's accomplishments, and friendships, and feuds.
What I love about her is her movies, especially 'The Devil Wears Prada', which is one of my absolute faves of hers. An iconic movie that revolves around the world of fashion. Streep killed that role and I can see if people would easily hate her in real life. The book also has amazing information of the treatment of women in hollywood and the workforce in general. Feminism was always a part of Streep's roles in her movies.

Thank You to Netgalley and Hachette Books for providing me with a copy in a exchange for an honest review.

I think I would have enjoyed this more had I been a big Meryl fan. I haven't seen too many of her movies, but parts of the book were interesting.

This is a great book about the life of an iconic actress, way ahead of her time. It was nice to learn so much about the start of her career and how she made family and a career work. Her personal life, like meeting her husband, as well as her Ivy League education are covered, before we get an in depth look at her movies in chronological order. I really enjoyed learning about her activism and how she wants to make the world a better place for her kids. I would highly recommend it to fans of Meryl Streep. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I'm a long time admirer of actress Meryl Streep and, because I enjoyed an earlier bio entitled, Her Again, I decided to try Queen Meryl as well.

This bio is all about her iconic career as well as her interactions with other performers along the way, like her run-ins with Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman. The bio brought back fond memories of Streep in roles I adored. In addition to her 40+ year brilliant career in movies like: Silkwood, Julia Child, Sophie's Choice, the Deer Hunter, Bridges of Madison County, Kramer vs Kramer, Out of Africa etc., Streep has managed to maintain a no-drama persona and juggle marriage (40+ years) and motherhood (4 grown children) as well as her lending her voice of behalf of women's rights.

There were some interesting illustrations, lists and other tidbits that I enjoyed. I thought the author did a decent job covering Streep's career, but, some parts were slow and caused me to skip forward. Readers interested in a nice review of the Meryl's successful career should give this one a try.

Queen Meryl by Erin Carlson, as you have guessed , is a biography of actor Meryl Streep. The author is known for her entertainment reporting and the book does read like a journal of Streep’s film career, one film at a time. The writing style is refreshing: while informing the reader about each film, the author describes what is happening in the actor’s life at that period in time. Because Streep’s body of work is so extensive, there are plenty of opportunities to glimpse her personal life throughout. Wife, mother, activist, actor, she devotes herself to all. She has been nominated for dozens of awards and has portrayed numerous famous women by meticulously studying her subjects. She has adopted any number of accents convincingly. Her activism has been fearless.: she speaks freely without fear of repercussion even from the likes of a certain president and others. Queen Meryl will appeal to movie buffs and biography enthusiasts alike. Thank you to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a well written and researched memoir, on one of the biggest Superstars in the world "The Devil Wears Prada" Meryl Streep.

It's always fun to get a glimpse inside the life of a famous celebrity, just to see how "normal" they really are.

I absolutely loved this book, and the cover is so fun and colorful.

I have loved Meryl Streep since I saw The Music of the Heart and the love continued from there. I enjoyed reading Queen Meryl for the backstage glimpse into her life and acting career. There were so many things that I didn’t know about Meryl, and the amount of decision making and effort that goes into choosing appropriate roles. I started a list of all the Meryl movies that I haven’t seen and can’t wait to get started! Also, the illustrations for each chapter added a little fun into the book.

4 stars

Everyone knows Meryl Streep is Queen, so this was immediately a book I wanted to pick up. If you are a fan, I 100% recommend this book.

First of all, the author definitely did their research. One of the coolest things was how the author outlined all of Meryl Streep’s roles-from the beginning process, to the inspiration for the characters she portrays, to the final product. It’s amazing to get that insider view and was one of my favorite things.

The best part though, is the subject of this book-Meryl Streep. Everything about her is absolutely phenomenal, from her beginnings as a student, to receiving her first major role, to how she fought (and continues to fight) for women in Hollywood, all while maintaining a regular home life. She really is a legendary icon in our generation and this book showcases that perfectly.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review**

Written and researched well, this book is great for fans of Queen Meryl. I am a fan but didn't know much about her before reading this, and now I want to go back and watch allll her movies.

I’ve always been a fan of Meryl Streep and this book only solidified that. As a fan, I had seen most of her movies and new of almost all of them. I knew of her political stances and admired her for showing them. As a GenXer/possible Millennial, depending on who you ask, I was THRILLED to see her in A Devil Wears Prada and loved her in Death Becomes Her. She was amazing in Bridges of Madison County and I adored her in Julie and Julia. I also now have a list of her older movies to watch as well (No, I have not seen Kramer vs Kramer. I’m SORRY OK?!) That being said, reading this book opened my eyes to a celebrity I thought I knew a lot about. And now I only admire her more. A lot more.

Queen Meryl by Erin Carlson is an ode to a national treasure. Carlson opened doors normally kept closed by this private superstar and shares with us everything from her teenage personality, to her insane ambition in college and theater training. We follow her throughout her career—the ups, the downs, and the incredible successes that have brought us the star we know today.

Queen Meryl: The Iconic Roles, Heroic Deeds, and Legendary Life of Meryl Streep is an amazing read that is impossible to put down. This work by Erin Carlson reads like fiction and you will binge this in one sitting. So get ready. Gird Your Loins. Meryl’s life will transfix you from beginning to now.

Meryl Streep is an actress we all know and love. From Mamma Mia to Kramer vs Kramer, and The Devil Wears Prada to Death Becomes Her— all beloved roles and cult favorites. She is the greatest living actress of our decade, an icon playing icons from Margaret Thatcher, to Juila Child, and Emmeline Pankhurst; she has continually transformed herself into iconic, complex and strong women, blazing a trail for actresses to come.

In this book, thanks to the meticulous research done by the author and her team, we get a behind the scenes look into Meryl throughout her years of acting, her activism, and her personal life. With accounts from co-workers, and celebrity friends of Meryl we begin to learn who she truly is as a person.


I was worried going into this book that I may not like it enough to want to go back and pick it up and read. I’m nowhere near a Meryl super fan, I’ve seen a fair few of her movies and always loved watching her on-screen. With that being said, I still very much enjoyed this book, it’s incredibly entertaining and interesting. I’ve learned many cool things about Meryl and am now even more captivated by her, which makes her even more of an icon in my eyes.

The book is so well researched and written, makes it all the more fun to be accompanied by wonderful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.

This was a wonderful palette cleanser of a read.
Highly recommend if you're a huge Meryl fan.
3.5 stars

** ARC provided by Hachette Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

-- Instagram post link to be updated
-- Will be included in my September reading wrap up on YouTube, link will be updated.

This book is strictly for people interested in the career of Meryl Streep. Like many books about well-known people, the author takes a position on it the person he/she write about. By the title of the book, you can see the author admires Meryl Streep. Also like many books of this type, the book largely consists of an examination of the subject of the book's work; the author describes the different movies in which Meryl Streep performed.

However, this book did not provide much personal information about Meryl Streep. After reading the book, I came to feel that Meryl Streep as a person reminds me a lot of Hilary Clinton. Both are smart and well credentialed feminists that came of age at about the same time. However, they are both hard to understand as human beings.