A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson
by Michael Troyan
Published by The University of Kentucky Press
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
Modern actors and actresses don’t seem to have the charisma, style and elegance of yesteryear’s stars. Maybe that’s because most of today’s actors are really nothing but pitiful celebrities striving to be what once was, when Hollywood was golden.
I long for yesterday when it comes to film stars: Betty Davis, Myrna Loy, Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and so many more. Oh, yes, and that includes Greer Garson. The beautiful and talented woman we thought was born in Ireland in 1908, was really born in London in 1904.
Author Michael Troyan delves into Greer Garson’s life, as much as anyone could, given that she was an extremely private woman. He carries you through her intense desire to succeed as an actress, her ‘discovery’ and career struggles to resist being typecast, all the way through her marriages, and to her death on April 5, 1996 at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital with Van Cliburn at her bedside.
I’d always thought of Ms. Garson as a brilliant actress who could get any part she wanted. I had no idea of her struggles with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. One of my favorite films is the record-breaking “Mrs. Miniver.” I get chills thinking about her Academy Award-winning performance.
And while it felt a bit like voyeurism looking in on her life, I’m glad I visited it through Troyan’s eyes. It was a satisfying trip. And the author did a marvelous job showing us a small part of the woman who was Greer Garson.
For a compelling look at one of the best actresses to ever grace the stage, big or small screen, read A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson.
Armchair Interviews says: This is a wonderful slice of our American film history.