There is a way…to do a memoir right. Candice Bergen shows how in A Fine Romance. Readers of Knock Wood will not be surprised: The self-possessed, witty and down-to-earth voice that made Bergen's first memoir a hit when it was published in 1984 has only been deepened by life's surprises…Bergen tells all…with aplomb and a sense of humor. She is also plain-spoken…As a fictional newswoman, Murphy Brown was iconically brassy. As a memoirist, Candice Bergen is flesh-and-blood classy.

06/29/2015
Actress Bergen performs a beautifully entertaining and down-to-earth reading of her memoir, which is as heartwarming and stirring as her performance. There is tenderness in her voice as she reads the first letter that her late husband, Louis Malle, wrote to her, and wonderment when she recounts traveling with him. She speaks with candor about widowhood, motherhood, remarriage, and aging in a society driven by appearance, all of which are conveyed effectively by Bergen’s signature gravelly voice. Most endearing of all is Bergen’s delightful sense of humor—dry and self-deprecating—sparing herself little dignity as she describes her fears during childbirth, her passion for food, and her “skewed sense of moral superiority to women who are intensely self-disciplined when it comes to food.” She sounds on the verge of laughter as she recounts the pranks on the set of the television show Murphy Brown. Bergen’s memoir is a charming blend of joy, sentimentality, and unabashed honesty that is augmented by Bergen’s skillful and heartfelt performance. A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Apr.)

02/16/2015
With her trademark wit, Bergen (Knock Wood) leads readers through the highs and lows of her professional and personal life in this entertaining and poignant memoir chock-full of Hollywood cameos. After a disastrous first date unexpectedly leads to love, Bergen marries French director Louis Malle in 1980 and the pair travel the world as their respective films take them from India to France. Always ambivalent about motherhood, Bergen decides to have a child at the relatively late age of 39. Their daughter, Chloe, is born in 1985—an event that changes the dynamic of Bergen’s relationship with Malle, as he’s unable to be wholly present for Chloe’s upbringing due to filming commitments. The desire for a steady schedule is one perk that draws Bergen to the groundbreaking CBS comedy series Murphy Brown. Her descriptions of the rewards and challenges that came with playing the titular tough-talking “Mike Wallace in a skirt,” her first foray into both TV and real comedy, are among the book’s strongest sections. Dealt a crushing blow when Malle was diagnosed with a rare and fatal neurological disease and died in 1995, Bergen recounts finding her footing again both in her career—she spent several seasons on the series Boston Legal—and in her love life, marrying New York real estate developer Marshall Rose in 2000. Never afraid to poke fun at herself or celebrity culture, Bergen is as fresh, funny, and biting as Murphy Brown was nearly 30 years ago. (Apr.)

Candice’s book is candid, honest, interesting, and reading it, you love her more than ever.

Honest, self-deprecating and well-written.

Candice Bergen's memoir is moving with the wisdom that only age can bring. The woman you thought had everything has been through more than most of us could bear. Revelatory, anguished, and utterly inspirational.

Bergen has a way of making readers think they are friends who understand her life and know her dreams and frustrations. The book is forthcoming and refreshingly human.

"Candice Bergen’s follow-up to her Knock Wood is among the more commendable celebrity memoirs you’ll encounter. . . . Along with writing skill . . . you’ll be impressed with [her] candor and wisdom."

"Three decades after writing her memoir Knock Wood, Candice Bergen has penned a follow-up, A Fine Romance . . . with candor, humor and poignancy."

Bergen may not have had Murphy’s sharp elbows or unswerving career focus, but she reveals herself to be just as complicated and sophisticated as her television counterpart—and infinitely more introspective. . . . [A Fine Romance] succeeds in the way a good memoir should. It presents a human life in full—with great glories and heartaches and watercolored memories. Bergen tells her story with humor, confidence and candor. Perhaps she’s not so different from Murphy after all."

"Candice Bergen shows how to do a memoir right. . . . The self-possessed, witty, and down-to-earth voice that made Bergen's first memoir a hit when it was published in 1984 has only been deepened by life's surprises. . . . As a fictional newswoman, Murphy Brown was iconically brassy. As a memoirist, Candice Bergen is flesh-and-blood classy."

"A Fine Romance is full of heart. Even though Bergen is surrounded by celebrity friends at the turn of every page, it's evident she is about as down-to-earth as they come. There is an honesty in her writing that is both refreshing and encouraging.

Bergen’s rapier wit, warm personality and unflinching honesty make these stories of life and love all the more appealing.

"You'll fall for Bergen's A Fine Romance. . . . Her writing and storytelling are superb throughout. . . . With this memoir, we're all likely to be wishing Bergen herself—funny, insightful, self-deprecating, flawed (and not especially concerned about that), and slugging her way through her older years with bemused determination—was living next door.

Bergen is . . . daring in her smart, self-mocking memoir A Fine Romance. . . . She’s awfully good company.

A Fine Romance is just that. Candice tells her own story with honesty and humor—a story of loves lost and found, of marriages, joys and heartaches. I am not sure Candice ever realized her own beauty or how well she writes. Well, she is, and she does.

Candy's memoir is intimate and surprisingly candid. We learn, we laugh, we marvel because her voice is as honest, funny, and rapier-smart as Murphy’s. Add in self-reflection and self-deprecation and you have one heck of a great read.

Bergen is a talented and graceful writer—something she first demonstrated in Knock Wood, which chronicled her Hollywood youth and coming of age as the daughter of famed comedian and ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. Her literary voice is enormously engaging, capable of infusing considerable wit and poignancy. . . . She has something real to say here, and one hopes that her journey will continue for many years to come—and that eventually she'll write about that too.

Candy gives us a glimpse into the fascinating world of fame and shares with us the ordinary in the extraordinary.

"A surprisingly frank and even bawdy mélange of celebrity fairy tale, marriage confessional and accounting of the mundane."

"A surprisingly frank and even bawdy mélange of celebrity fairy tale, marriage confessional and accounting of the mundane."

Bergen is a talented and graceful writer—something she first demonstrated in Knock Wood, which chronicled her Hollywood youth and coming of age as the daughter of famed comedian and ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. Her literary voice is enormously engaging, capable of infusing considerable wit and poignancy. . . . She has something real to say here, and one hopes that her journey will continue for many years to come—and that eventually she'll write about that too.

"You'll fall for Bergen's A Fine Romance. . . . Her writing and storytelling are superb throughout. . . . With this memoir, we're all likely to be wishing Bergen herself—funny, insightful, self-deprecating, flawed (and not especially concerned about that), and slugging her way through her older years with bemused determination—was living next door.

"A Fine Romance is full of heart. Even though Bergen is surrounded by celebrity friends at the turn of every page, it's evident she is about as down-to-earth as they come. There is an honesty in her writing that is both refreshing and encouraging.

Bergen is unflinchingly honest—about herself, her relationships, the imperfections of people in her life. . . . Bergen tells her story with humor, confidence and candor.

05/15/2015
Bergen reads her own work in this delightfully honest, open, and humorous memoir, a follow-up to her Knock Wood. The author bares her soul, revealing the merging of her personal and professional lives. Writing about her nontraditional marriage to French film Louis Malle, motherhood at age 39, early widowhood, and remarriage, Bergen presents glimpses of her work including a behind-the-scenes look at her hit television series Murphy Brown and nursing Malle through his final illness. The author excels at both writing and narrating. Her skill with timing and inflection makes for a fascinating, compelling audio experience. VERDICT Of interest to fans of the author and Murphy Brown, as well as anyone who enjoys contemporary memoirs. ["This is witty and poignant, touching upon the many phases and challenges of daily existence": LJ 2/1/15 review of the S. & S. hc.]—Laurie Selwyn, formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX

02/01/2015
Humor and honesty strike a fine balance in this absorbing follow-up memoir by actress/writer Bergen (Knock Wood). The book is more an investigation of human experience—marriage, motherhood, family, friendship, work, aging, and death—than a celebrity behind-the-scenes memoir. Bergen shares details of her marriage to brilliant film director Louis Malle, from their first meeting through his untimely death, and winningly describes becoming a mother at a later age than some. There are cherished everyday moments and major events here, from trick-or-treating adventures to facing Malle's final illness. She provides multidimensional and idiosyncratic portraits of Malle, their daughter Chloe and, much later, of her second husband, Marshall Rose. Of course, there are details about her work in film, on stage, and in the hit television series Murphy Brown, a show that earned Bergen five Emmys and drew much-publicized comments by Dan Quayle during the presidential campaign of 1992. Yet, this account is not focused on fame. It is Bergen's perceptive, wry, and often surprising take on life that will strike a resonant chord with readers on a down-to-earth, human level. VERDICT Witty and poignant and touching upon the many phases and challenges of daily existence, this book will appeal to a wide audience, especially those who are familiar with Bergen's work. For circulating libraries and entertainment collections. [See Prepub Alert, 10/20/14.]—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

The best reason to listen to Candice Bergen’s second memoir is to meet a bright and talented woman who has lived a remarkable life, mostly in the public eye. The well-written and affecting book covers the years of her marriage to French film director Louis Malle; their daughter’s birth; the balancing of their respective careers, including Bergen’s television hit, “Murphy Brown”; and Malle’s death. The actress offers a careful, somewhat stilted reading. It’s not bad exactly, but the metronomic pacing and flat tone are not as affecting as her writing, which is genuinely involving. Despite this, Bergen’s many fans will find much to enjoy. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

2014-12-17
Award-winning actress Bergen continues the story begun in the best-selling memoir, Knock Wood (1984). This second installment of the author's autobiography focuses on the three great loves of her life: her two husbands and her daughter. When she met her first husband, French director Louis Malle (1932-1995), "[s]parks decidedly did not fly." Less than a year after their first awkward introduction, however, the two were married. The showbiz woman who "dealt strictly in commerce" was soon immersed in a world of elegance and high art alongside a dynamic man she affectionately calls a "cultural commando." During the early years of her marriage, Bergen struggled with ambivalence over whether or not to have a family. At age 39, she gave birth to a daughter, Chloe, who would in time become even closer to Bergen than the globe-trotting Malle. Her stalled acting career took off shortly afterward when she was chosen to play the lead in the iconic TV series Murphy Brown. By the early 1990s, the show would inspire a "family values" controversy for its fearless portrayal of a hard-driving career woman who becomes an unwed mother. Bergen admits that the success strained relations with her husband. At the same time, it also helped her to carve out her professional identity as a comedian while giving her the "weight" and "self-definition" she needed to define the boundaries of home and family. Her golden life ground to a temporary halt when Malle was diagnosed with a rare and fatal brain disease. Within three years of his death, however, Bergen met her next husband, billionaire New York real estate developer Marshall Rose. More settled than the peripatetic Malle, Rose not only offered the actress entree among the New York City social elite, he also brought her the next great challenge of her life: learning how to appreciate a life genuinely lived in tandem.A glamorously bittersweet showbiz memoir.