Neal is an extraordinary actress and so versatile. I loved learning more about her. Thank you NetGalley for this audio. Sorry I forgot to send the review.

4 stars

A wonderful biography! Patricia Neal had a truly fascinating life, & this book is a tender & honest portrayal of her career, family life, health struggles, philanthropy, & spiritual journey. I really enjoyed it.

[What I liked:]

•Thoroughly researched, this biography manages to include so many details about Neal & her life I never knew without getting bogged down in an emotionless recitation of facts.

•The biographer interviewed Neal several times & became friends with her, staying in touch until her passing. He doesn’t white wash Neal’s difficult moments or her mistakes & regrets, but you can tell he admires her. Neal’s story is told with warmth & humor, & her resilience & personality shine through.

•I’ve been familiar with Neal as an actor since childhood (especially in The Homecoming, & in Heidi), but I didn’t know much about her. Her life story is fascinating, from her early success on the stage, to her relationships with Cary Grant & Roald Dahl, to her struggles with severe health issues (& those of her children). I only admire her all the more having read this!

[What I didn’t like as much:]

•This book is quite long. There is a lot to tell, & it was worth the read for me, but it’s a time commitment.

CW: child death, infidelity

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

The life of Patricia Neal is a very interesting topic to listen to in an audiobook, she achieved a great many successes and went through some very difficult situations. I started this book with very little knowledge about Miss Neal, so the thought of an 16 hour audiobook was a bit daunting. The book covers her entire life in great detail and gives the reader many interesting facts. I found that the more I listened, the more I wanted to know, it was very easy to get engrossed in the story. I always enjoy listening/reading books about the 40's, 50’s and 60’s. Miss Neal endured many sad times but persevered and grew stronger with each one. She was a very tough lady and an amazing actress. I thought the narration was done beautifully and was very easy to listen to. ⅘ stars

I've been a fan of Patricia Neal ever since I was in junior high, and watched The Fountainhead for the first time. The strength of her performance, the incredible chemistry she shares with Gary Cooper, and the power of Ayn Rand's words, amazing!

Stephen Michael Shearer's biography, Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life, is a thorough accounting of Ms. Neal's entire life. From her humble roots to her quiet passing, Mr. Shearer also details every last bit of her acting career. Interspersed with quotes of those who knew her well, snippets from interviews, and tid-bits from her memoirs, An Unquiet Life seems a very honest assessment of this incredible woman's journey.

The audio is nicely performed by Christa Lewis.

Patricia Neal was an acclaimed actress with a Golden Globe and an Academy Award under her belt. She was married to the famous author, Roald Dahl. She had several dramatic ups and downs in her life but she still managed to do some amazing accomplishments..

I had never heard of Patricia Neal…I know…GASP! I have probably seen a good bit of her work and just did not realize who she was. I love her tenacity and her intelligence. It is hard to believe all of her life changes. Her life was definitely a challenge. She was full of strength and fortitude!

The only thing holding me back from giving this 5 stars is all of the descriptions of every show, movie, play Patricia was ever in. In my opinion, and it is only my opinion, this could have been left out and just hit the high spots or just give a synopsis of the ones that she won awards for. This made the biography a bit long and tedious in places.

The narrator, Christa Lewis is excellent! I am on the lookout for more books read by her!

Need a good, old Hollywood biography…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

First book of 2021 finished! I love classic movies and Patricia Neal, so this was a great read (errr...listen). This book details her eventful career and, often sad, life and marriage to author Roald Dahl. We know a lot about the movies she's famous for but it was great learning more about her stage and tv roles later in her career.

In this detailed biography, the actress Patricia Neal is seen to have a remarkable life story… Stephen Michael Shearer’s warm and meticulous retelling of this actress’ life, career and loves in an immersive book (and audiobook). Her one-time husband, the author Roald Dahl, is just a small chapter of her inspiring true story.

In my first job as an expat in Finland – in an English speaking kindergarten – the staff, kids and I created an art exhibition around Roald Dahl’s book, James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl was that enigmatic Tales of the Unexpected (1979-88) presenter and author of many books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny the Champion of the World and Matilda. These three children’s books and many more were made into films.

I had heard of his (one time) wife Patricia Neal after my mum once told me (years ago) about the biopic, The Patricia Neal Story (1981). All I recalled from this conversation was that Patricia was played by Glenda Jackson and her then on screen husband Roald Dahl by Dirk Bogarde. Then by sheer coincidence recently my mum mentioned Neal and Dahl were to be immortalised on the screen once more, in the film To Olivia (2020). Like the former biopic, this film is based on a then tragic time during this couple’s relationship. With more of the true stories behind these films later in this post.

It was after reading about Patricia Neal that she had had an inspiring life and a high profile career of her own. Neal was a versatile actress of stage and screen, a champion of a pioneering treatment for Cerebrovascular Accidents (strokes) and that she had done so much, much more in her life. To my joy, I then discovered Neals life had inspired the book and audiobook Patricia Neal An Unquiet Life (2021) by Stephen Michael Shearer.

This is my first audiobook review, and I couldn’t have picked a book with a better narrator, Christa Lewis. Lewis has a lovely soothing and expressive voice, so as a narrator boasting both these attributes was a big plus for me. Often the wrong voice or delivery for an audiobook has often put me off a perfectly good book, which I discover after I hunted it down in paperback. But I digress…

Shearer is an intensely visual writer and for this, he is well complemented with this narrator in this audiobook version of his book. Lewis’ voice echoes his warm and understanding passion for this actress. I was transfixed throughout her emphatic narration for this book as she reads Shearer’s words. She literally performed this book and I believe she would have the power to move you even if she read the phonebook from A to Z.

Stephen Michael Shearer is a sterling advocate for Patricia. His updated biography – with more about the recent film and more – of 720 pages engaged me from the start to finish of this 15 hours and 59 minutes long audiobook. Don’t let this lengthy time put you off as in this biography superlatives alone, Shearer is just one of the most immersive, most supportive, and most intricate writers I’ve discovered.

Shearer’s always well-researched narrative is in such detail that you feel that he’s been with Patricia Neal as he documents her life. He writes vividly as if she’s right there next to him, as she recalls every minute and moment and her remembrances are added word for word by this author.

In his book, you feel that you have been there as he takes a role in telling her story like a close friend and constant support throughout Neal’s life. He tells about her childhood, the ups and downs of her theatre, Hollywood and British film career and those relationships with men in her life such as actor Gary Cooper and Roald Dahl. And so much more.

Everything Shearer writes is supported by facts and quotes. Be it Shearer’s addition of warm quoted anecdotes from her peers and often from famous Hollywood names. Kirk Douglas is quoted in the warm first pages of this book and later mentioned in her story. Shearer’s intensive use of relevant – often glowing quotes – from critics and his well researched historical context add substance to these times, events and much more.

Shearer shines with his wonderful detailed descriptions and deep analysis of her films and theatre career. Your knowledge of her films and theatre roles is expanded on through Shearer’s strong analysis and plot descriptions. These are combined with verified accounts of events off-screen and he outlines her co-stars and contemporaries own biographies. This book is as much a true story about them and those times in Hollywood.

Patricia Neal was born in Packard, Kentucky in 1926 and was the second of three children. In the first half of this book, you learn that she wanted to be an actress from an early age. This book adds quotes from her personal letters and writing as Shearer tells of her early life including her prolific career in the theatre and her career in films such as John Loves Mary (1949) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1949).

Shearer writes candidly about her relationships with the men in her life including the actor Gary Cooper. And as for her life, after her “meet-cute” at a dinner party with Roald Dahl, I’ll let you discover the next instalment of her life for yourselves.. just so that I don’t spoil things for those of you wanting to watch her biopics.

Both these biopic films focussing on their marriage are as much – if not more – about her life and not just her then one-time husband. The Patricia Neal Story (1981) is a TV Movie that focuses on the repercussions of her strokes on the Dahl family. To Olivia (2020) stars Keeley Hawes as Patricia Neal and Hugh Bonneville as Roald Dahl. It tells about a time in 1962 after their 7-year-old daughter Olivia died of measles encephalitis unexpectedly.

By the end of this book, I realised that in my mind, Neal had now taken centre stage in my thoughts. I felt I knew this woman, mother, two-time wife and actress much more intimately and knew more about those others related to in Shearer’s in-depth biography. After listening to his book, Neal was more understood as a person and actress.

Now through Shearer’s telling of her life, I was pleased and excited to discover that he was a script advisor for To Olivia. This is now the primary reason I want to see both her biopics. I am especially keen to watch the result of Shearer’s collaboration and to compare it to others in the biopic genre including The Patricia Neal Story.

Both of these films have been added to my review pile. This is not because the former also stars Outlander (2014-) Sam Heughan cast as Paul Newman, or as the latter film stars the late, Dallas (1978-91) star, Ken Kercheval. But it’s to see if this team-up of biographer and screenwriter leads the way in the telling of Patricia Neal’s story in a rare, near true biopic of an actress’ life.

I was given an advance audiobook in exchange for a honest review. Bravo! To the memory of Patricia Neal.. An Academy Award /BAFTA Winning woman. Itotally enjoyed learning more about the actress. She was just as comfortable sitting with the English aristocracy as she was in America with the working actors looking for the next job.. She has given her time, name, and given money freely for projects that were near to her heart. A rehabilitation wing is named in her honor at the regional hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. A life spent among her many projects. The wing is dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of stroke victims, which Neal had survived several strokes during her life but never let it hold her back.. Knoxville was considered Patricia’s childhood backyard.. Tip of my hat to the narrator who took the words of the author and developed the personality for them.,quite exceptional.The author exhaustively researched an put the bits-of information into chronological order. Thanks to #NetGalley,#strphenMichaelSchearer

"Patricia Neal has traveled the road from triumph to despair in ways few of us can imagine. There is a sincerity and dedication behind this work." -- Paul Newman

Patricia Neal (1926-2010) was born in Packard, Kentucky, but spent most of her childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was a exceptionally talented actress known for her lengthy film career including over thirty films starring with leading men Gary Cooper, Ronald Reagan, John Wayne and John Garfield. Her recognition in the film industry won her many awards including a Golden Globe and a Tony Award.

Along with Patricia Neal's fame came love, heartache, affairs, abortion, a failed marriage, tragedy and illness (including strokes). This audiobook is a raw, honest and open account of her life. The author interviewed Patricia on several occasions in preparation for the book. Before her death she was very adamant that she wanted the truth about her life published in her memory.

This audiobook is over 15 hours detailing Patricia Neal's behind the scenes film career and personal life. It includes a eye-opening complex look at Hollywood during the 1940's and 1950's.

Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life Audiobook by Stephen Michael Shearer is narrated by Christa Lewis. It will be published Dec 28, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review.