david niven - the moons a baloon

General Information =================== Title: The Moon's a Balloon Author: David Niven Copyright: 1977 Audiobook Copyright: 1977 Genre: Speech File Information ================ Number of MP3s: 4 Total Duration: 2:11:17 Total MP3 Size: 30.09 Book Description ================ Published in 1972, THE MOON'S A BALLOON proved one of the great bestsellers of the decade--and if you read the first page you'll know why. You are immediate hooked by star David Niven's wild, wicked sense of humor. Whether it is his Dickensian childhood, his outrageous tour of duty with the British military, or his climb to unexpected stardom, this is truly Niven exactly as you imagine he would be. Imagine, however, seems to be an operative word. Niven was less interested in relating the facts of his life than he was in telling a good story and in putting his best face to the public--something that is not entirely unexpected in an autobiography, particularly the autobiography of a Hollywood star. Later writers have noted that Niven played fast and loose with the facts in THE MOON'S A BALLOON, and that for all his charm he could be viciously despicable when the mood took him; it is also worth pointing out that he was never quite the "A List" star that he seems to be in his memoirs. But all this is actually a little beside the point. Whether it is factually accurate and emotionally honest or not, THE MOON'S A BALLOON is simply a delightful read right from the first page, where we meet Nessie, the Picadilly hooker who introduced Niven to the joys of the flesh. Approximately half the book concerns Niven's life before he arrived in Hollywood as a would-be actor, and it is a riotous ride; once Niven hits the film industry, however, he begins to name drop with the best of them--offering memorable glimpses of such famous names as director William Wyler and stars Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh. It is all fascinating stuff. It can also be quite startling. As just one example among many, when writing of his first wife's death Niven mentions that Joan Crawford stepped in to care for his children while he attempted to cope with his grief. Yikes! And although he was a great womanizer and cut a swath through Hollywood's beauties, Niven does no name dropping there; he does, however, describe an affair with a "Great Big Star" who was very likely Merle Oberon, the leading lady of WUTHERING HEIGHTS. True enough, THE MOON'S A BALLOON will hardly stand a cold factual analysis--bu- t it is a tremendously fun thing to read, a joyous and fun book, and while quite a lot of it is of the "tall tale" variety it certainly presents the star as he likely most wished to be seen and be remembered. Don't pick it for bedtime reading, because you'll never put it down! Recommended.-

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 paulyearwig (2008-03-15)

hope you enjoy this, please take the time to leave a comment

Bynx (2008-03-15)

I read this book and the sequel Bring On The Empty Horses when they first came out. Im looking forward to hearing David Niven narrate this himself in his own unique voice. Thanks so much.

cchevis (2008-03-22)

Thanks, guvnah!

providentius (2008-04-29)

What an absolute delight this audiobook was! What a fantastic addition: thank you so much to paulyearwig! Any chance that you have other David Niven audiobooks (like Bring on the Empty Horses, for instance), or any other antiquated delights up your gorgeous sleeve?

scottielass (2010-03-08)

Thank you for sharing paulyearwig, you have a great collection of audio books.