Amazon Review
Given the Queen of Pop's enduring popularity, it's surprising that Madonna: An Intimate Portrait is the first real and even half-credible attempt at a full-length examination of her life and work. Author J Randy Taraborrelli's previous subjects have included Frank Sinatra and Cher but it's obvious that Madonna has a special place in the author's heart, thanks to his balanced and well thought-out examination. Though little more than an extended tabloid tale, the book, to its credit, is a fairly comprehensive account of Madonna's career and takes us behind the scenes of her personal life like no other book has done so far. Of course, a good deal of what is presented here is far from new or exclusive, just rehashed in a more entertaining tabloid style.
The fights, the men, the marriages and the music; it's all here though how much you believe and how much you take with a rather generous helping of salt is entirely up to you. Irritatingly, conversations the author has never been privy to are often presented as virtually verbatim and dubious "friends" are anonymously quoted, but this all adds to its sensational gossip-column style. It's a pacy read and Taraborrelli has a keen eye for what makes a juicy anecdote; particularly amusing was Sean Penn allegedly punching a hole in the apartment wall after he and Madonna had an argument about her past relationship with the pop star Prince. Madonna phoned Prince and told him to come over to plaster up the damage, since it was "his fault". Apparently, Prince turned up and fixed the hole. It's anecdotes like this that make the book such a great read and Madonna's personal and professional life is so full of ups and downs that you can't help but root for her the whole way through. Madonna fans will find nothing new here, but in the absence of her own autobiography (which surely can't be far off) this is as good a portrait of a true legend as you are going to read. --Jonathan Weir
