Madonna: A Rebel Life - The Definitive Biography

This is a big long book but such is its readability, I managed to finish it in 2 weeks! Being a Madonna fan, there are lots of things that I already knew however there is so much that I didn't. I now respect the artist and woman even more than I did before. The most enjoyable part of the book without doubt is from her childhood, her move to New York and the peak period leading into the start of the 90's. New York in the 80's was the most happening place in the world and the story tells of how she sofa surfed, struggled to make ends meet, made friends with the likes of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and the other arty types and got her first record deal. There are so many great anecdotes, a particularly funny one is the story behind the making of the Like a Prayer video! Who knew that such an iconic video had a comedy of errors in its making?! It goes through each album, the story behind its making and the videos. It also goes through each of her tours. Everything is in chronological order so you do feel that you get to see her grow and develop as an artist.Yes the amount of detail does make the book laborious at times, especially when Madonna's career and life become a bit boring (the Guy Ritchie years) but stick with it and you will come out having respect and admiration for a young girl who had a tricky childhood, had a dream and became the biggest star in the world. She is insanely talented, incredibly driven and hard working, but most of all, a human with a good heart. A must read for Madonna fans and non-fans alike, especially if you have an interest in music. I applaud Mary Gabriel for the vast detail in the book and the research she did to make it!

This book is an absolute must-read, whether you are a hardcore Madonna fan, or if you are only just getting into her.In fact if I had my way I would insist that everyone read it, as the sheer cultural importance of this woman should never be underestimated!!

I must have read dozens of Madonna biographies over the last 40 years but this one stands out as one of the very best. It's huge and goes into great detail, offering interesting insight and analysis. If you're a fan of the Queen of Pop you'll love it.

This book, for starters is huge. And the detail is insane. I'm only about 200 pages in. The only criticism I have so far is the amount of detail and names of every person surrounding her. I'm not an overly musical person so many names aren't familiar to me. So YouTube and Google are to hand alot. Otherwise I love the book so far. Getting an insight of her personality and work ethic!I hope Madonna does an auto biography some day. I'd be more fascinates to read that. But liking this so far!

Prompt delivery, kept in the know. Book is huge, won't go through letterbox but not a problem.

Fantastic book absolutely loving it. A must read for fans (like me) or even out of general academic interest. For 40 years Madonna has challenged and questioned an outdated patriarchal system and continues to break down those barriers. We should all be grateful and give her credit for having the balls to put her neck on the ine for herself and her generation. Long live the Queen!

The best book on the legendary queen of pop.nearly 900 pages but its so so good.

This book may be great but it's a big Hardback!!!!

I bought this book for myself, but it would make a spectacular gift for anyone who loves Madge.

I originally bought the audiobook and then bought the book digitally on the Books app on my iPhone. I loved both so much that I wanted to buy the physical book. This book is amazing, the colored pictures and the index in the back. Just wow! Such a great book. Buy this book.

Mary Gabriel presents this biography from an academic perspective, particularly from the Cultural History discipline. So, she analyzes Madonna's life and work in correlation to the historical and cultural moments of the 60's, 70's, 80's and so on. She uses Madonna as an avatar, as Gabriel has stated, to study the history of Occident in the last 60 years. The author is obviously a Madonna fan but she maintains an objective point of view overall. She defends Madonna though when it comes to acting and movie roles she has played and she gives her credit as an artist. I loved that she divided the book in 6 parts, naming each one in honor of the place or country Madonna has lived in, suggesting that the cultural environment has always shaped her.I mean, I could go on and on, but I want to encorage anyone (wether you are a fan or not) to buy this book because you will learn and discover not only facts about Madonna, but about Occident history.

Mary Gabriel legt mit beinahe 1200 Seiten eine umfassende und detaillierte Madonna-Biografie vor, die nicht nur spannend ist, sondern neben den bekannten Erfolgen der Queen of Pop immer mit ihm Blick behält, wie sie seit Beginn ihrer Karriere misogynen Anfeindungen ausgesetzt blieb.Für mich persönlich war dieses Buch zugleich eine Zeitreise in meine eigene Jugend und erklärte mir beispielsweise ausführlich, weshalb Madonna zur Ikone der LGBTQ-Bewegung wurde.Meiner Meinung nach absolut lesenswert. Die Biografie bietet in all ihrer Detail-Liebe natürlich vielfach die Möglichkeit, sie multimedial um Musik, Videos, Filme, Interviews zu erweitern, was sie zu einem noch größeren Genuss macht.