I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this book and give an honest opinion. I have long been a fan of Julianna Marguiles. I knew nothing of her past and growing up mostly as an ex-pat. I loved the story of her one day of being a hair model. I also enjoyed hearing about her relationships between her parents. I was disappointed in a few things. One, she talks about her father passing but then nothing about her mother other than talking to her about her past. I am not sure what happens to her mom (and I am curious if she ever found a lasting relationship). Two, she doesn't name names of who she dated (thank god for google) so part of it was hard to read because it was so vaguely. Three, she glosses over her years on ER and the Good Wife, which I was most interested in. I enjoyed this book a lot but wish it had more details that I outlined.

Loved JM in the Good wife and other shoes but somehow the biography fell a bit flat.. I learned a few things about her and enjoyed it since I've also seen her about the city.

I enjoy a good celebrity memoir. The best bits of this one kick in after the halfway mark. Before it’s her interesting but uneventful childhood (although she lives in a lot of different places, the narrative about this time is lack luster).

Margulies openly shares her childhood with readers, even the struggles seeing her mother put herself before her children. If you like her on ER. The Good Wife or one of her many guest staring roles like Scrubs, you’ll probably like her style here too.

In Sunshine Girl, Julianna Margulies writes with an assured voice about her frequently restless childhood and her famed career in TV as Nurse Hathaway and Alicia Florrick. Fans will undoubtedly appreciate learning more about Margulies’ childhood traipsing through Europe and New England with her flighty mother, but will be most eager to get to the back third of the book for fun behind-the-scenes stories. I was impressed with Margulies’ debut as an author, and her self-description as a type-A achiever is certainly verified by this well constructed and finely written memoir, but I found myself often questioning the motivations of the book. Why is Margulies writing this now? What does she want to say about her life and career? Clues to the answers to these questions are more easily detected in the chapters that penetrate the parts of her life when she is most successful in her career, and I wished that she dove in deeper there. Still, Margulies has a clear sense of prose, and the book reads unambiguously which makes it a breezy endeavor, which I think will help readers get a solid sense of her life and character.

Life Lessons in Sunshine

Sunshine Girl enthralled me from the moment I started reading! I love biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs; but Margulies’ book brought new meaning to the genre. It was a beautiful coming of age story that transpired through raw and honest experiences. I couldn’t get enough. Having been a fan of Margulies’ since her time on ER and The Mists of Avalon, I was grateful to find out just how relatable she is. But even if you’re not familiar with her acting, you’ll still enjoy the journey as it catalogs her life starting from childhood. And what a childhood it was. Be sure to put this on your must read list!

Thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC. I have been a fan of Julianne Margulies since her ER days and was delighted to see she wrote an autobiography. I began reading it three hours ago and haven't been able to put it down. Very well-written, Ms. Margulies tells the story of her life, beginning with a childhood filled with several moves between the U.S. and Europe at the whims of her mercurial, artistic parents and their chaotic lifestyles. The book articulates a life constantly in motion, and it's easy to see how she found a home as an actress, after playing many roles in her childhood between the two lives she lived with her parents. Engaging book, highly recommend.

SUNSHINE GIRL is a lovely read. It would be interesting even if Margulies was not a star. Her stories from her peripatetic childhood were especially interesting. I had never heard of either Eurythmy, Anthroposophy or Rudolph Steiner before! the book truly reflects Margulies' inner strength and relentless determination, qualities which have obviously served her well.

I received an advance copy of Sunshine Girl, by Juliana Marguiles. I have been a fan of Julia, since her days on ER. This is a great book for fans of hers.

Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life by actress Julianna Margulies is a well-written autobiography arranged in chronological order for the most part, which I truly appreciate as a reader. Dubbed “Sunshine Girl” by her mother Francesca because she was always a cheerful baby and young child, Margulies recounts both challenges and opportunities in her life.

The biography focuses largely on her life as a child and an adolescent growing up in a home her father Paul left soon after her birth because of differences he had with her mother. Always present in her life – though just not nearly enough – her father had well-paying jobs in advertising that afforded him the opportunity to provide for higher education for all three of his daughters.

Her mother, a trained ballerina, created many difficulties in all their lives, causing Margulies’ oldest sister to move in with Paul during her teen years, leaving just the two younger girls to deal with a complicated situation at home. Both unreasonable and erratic, Francesca put herself ahead of her daughters and had lots of men coming and going through their household. The worst was when as a woman in her forties, Francesca took up with a 21-year-old, which caused a great divide between her and Margulies, though they later reconciled.

Margulies’ intelligence and strong writing ability are evident throughout her book. Her drive to be the best she can be at everything she does comes through. Growing up in an unconventional home in New Hampshire, New York, Paris, and in England, she is fluent in French as well as in English.

Mostly thought of for her role as Nurse Hathaway on the television show ER and as attorney Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife, Margulies also has experience on the stage and in film. Many were surprised when she left ER after her contract expired, leaving millions of dollars on the table. She explains her choice and still remains confident it was the right one for her at that time. She accepted the role in The Good Wife because she was able to have it filmed in New York where she lives with her lawyer husband and son.

She does not hesitate to reveal intimate stories about relationships, difficult choices, and rejections, both personal and professional. Her ability to recall so many events in detail is enviable. I highly recommend this autobiography for those who enjoy reading about the lives of celebrities.

Julianna Margulies is an actress, a producer, and an author. She published a children’s book in 2016 called Three Magic Balloons, based on a story her father wrote for his three daughters.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting March 4, 2021.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I had been looking forward to this book for months, since I watched author on ER and The Good Wife. Author seems down to earth, considering the success she has had in her life. Wonderful book.

Thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

ER is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and I also loved The Good Wife, so reading this was a fun opportunity to spend some time with Margulies and get a peek into the behind the scenes. I kind of wish I listened on audio since it would be fun to hear it in her voice. So if you're a fan of hers, definitely pick this up!

Wow! I never would have expected one of my favorite books this year would be a memoir, but this book certainly surpassed any expectations I had. Julianna Margulies has shared the honest, disturbing and inspirational story of her life.

Years of watching her, loving her as an actor, didn’t prepare me for the incredible difficulties and insecurities she experienced growing up. She describes her unstable family, ultimately forgiving them for the difficult childhood she had. Being dragged from place to place, house to house, country to country really shocked me. Her poise, grace and bountiful talent is all I saw before reading this.

I urge book clubs to select this book, I think it will give bountiful opportunities for rich discussion. I learned lessons from this book and certainly will remind myself that looking at someone tells us nothing about their character or life history.

Thank you Julianna and Netgalley for sharing this experience with me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
It is an entertaining if not earth shattering read. I have enjoyed and greatly admired the author in her tv roles. While her life growing up is interesting, somehow it doesn't seem significant enough to warrant a book that seems somewhat self-serving.

Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life by Juliana Margulies is a wonderful memoir written by one of my favorite actresses.

Being able to learn so much about Ms. Margulies, reading her past, her hopes, her dreams, her mistakes, and her imperfections, as well as finding her strengths, was truly a joy to read.

She is real, she is intelligent, she is hilarious, and she is a great writer. I truly enjoyed this book.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this great ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.