My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Harper Horizon for an advance copy of this advance copy about a young woman growing into herself and the adventures she had in the film trade.

Carolyn Pfeiffer always knew there was a lot more waiting for her in life than staying in the small town that she was raised in. Thought being a woman, dreams outside of the norm, maybe college, husband, children, were considered just dreams. Carolyn Pfeiffer dreamed of a life in fashion in cities like New York, maybe something in the arts. No one, not even Pfeiffer herself, knew where she would wind up. Working with famous names in the film industry, seeing the world, making some mistakes, but even better, making art. Chasing the Panther: Adventures and Misadventures of a Cinematic Life by Carolyn Pfeiffer is a memoir of a young girl going after dreams she never really knew she had, living life, making art, and learning a lot of different things along the way.

As a young woman growing up in a small town in North Carolina, Carolyn Pfeiffer heard a lot of nos in her life. No you are too old to play with those black children, you are too old not to wear dresses, don't do this, don't do that. Finally Pfeiffer was able to get her parents to agree to one dreams. Let Pfeiffer go to New York and at least try to work in fashion. And Pfeiffer did so, opening up a whole new world. Soon she was best friends with an English woman who happened to be dating Burt Reynolds, and in love with a young man, who went to Italy for art. Soon Pfeiffer traveled to Europe, learning about love, getting robbed and taking chances. In Italy her English soon got her jobs, teaching and translating first for officers in the military, and later in the film industry, where Pfeiffer began to make her mark. Soon she was working and forging relationships with many of the most powerful people in film, and assisting in movies like Doctor Zhivago. And Pfeiffer was just getting started.

A book that almost has a touch of Zelig in its telling. Pfeiffer worked with and seemed to know everyone with a gift for having bad things happened, followed by incredible luck. Well not just luck opportunity combined with her skills and her own ability. Still it is amazing what happened to Pfeiffer in just a short period of time. And who she knew. The book is very well written, with a sense of almost confessional and professional, telling about her life, loves, and mistakes, and a guide to how certain movies were made, and a history of film in Europe. Both are equally fascinating, with a nice mix of gossip, and stories, and about her life, and feelings. There is a lot about the production of certain movies, how they were filmed, weather problems in Spain for Doctor Zhivago, casting problems, and more. Pfeiffer is a very good storyteller and a film historian which makes for very interesting reading.

Recommended for film buffs for many stories behind the scenes as well as how certain films were made and the problems involved in their creation. Also for people who enjoy interesting memoirs about fascinating people Carolyn Pfeiffer is definitely an interesting person.