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Frank & Ava: In Love and War Hardcover – October 13, 2015

by John Brady (Author)

4.3 324 ratings

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"If I had to go back in Hollywood history and name two people who were most desperately and passionately in love with each other, I would say Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner were It."―Liz Smith.

It began in Hollywood's golden age when Ava was emerging as a movie star. But she fell in (and out of) love too easily. Mickey Rooney married her because he wanted another conquest. Artie Shaw treated her like a dumb brunette, giving her a reading list on their honeymoon. Neither marriage lasted a year. Then, after being courted by Howard Hughes and numerous others, along came Frank Sinatra.

His passion for Ava destroyed his marriage and brought him close to ruin. Their wild affair broke all the rules of the prudish era as Frank left his wife and children and pursued Ava on an international stage. They became romantic renegades, with the press following them from location to location.

"Oh, God, Frank Sinatra could be the sweetest, most charming man in the world when he was in the mood," said Ava. They married, but then came the quarrels, separations, infidelities, and reconciliations. Eventually, there was a divorce, and they thought it was over. It wasn't.

Through all of the tortured years of separation and splintered affairs with others, they maintained a secretive relationship known only to those who recognized that this was the love of a lifetime. Over the years, they attempted to reconcile, romanced and nurtured each other, right to the end.

The love story of this couple has never been fully explored or explained―until now. Frank & Ava delves deeply into the lives of these two iconic stars and their turbulent lifelong relationship. More than anything else, this is the story of a romance lived out under battlefield conditions.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A tantalizing lagniappe for those fascinated by the star-crossed duo ― twinned in obsession, emotional instability, infidelity, and, finally, friendship.” ―The Boston Globe

"Details Sinatra and Gardner's tumultuous romance. Their scandalous affair, six-year marriage and eventual divorce in the late 1950s are put under the microscope, all the while painting a broader portrait of Hollywood's Golden Age. ―USA Today

“Anyone remotely curious about either of these larger-than-life characters will want to read Brady's book.” ―Publishers Weekly on Frank & Ava

“Brady reveals the human side of a grand love affair that somehow survived a marriage and a divorce, epic battles, and sweeping romantic gestures...This honest and contemporary look at an almost mythical couple is a quick-paced and poignant tale that will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers.” ―Library Journal on Frank & Ava

"More than a story of a dizzying love affair, Frank & Ava depicts the profound aftershocks of a relationship."
-BookPage on Frank & Ava

“A riveting account of the most unlikely Republican in the history of American politics. John Brady's fascinating rise-and-fall biography of Lee Atwater also makes you wonder who'd be sitting in the White House today if he had not died at the too-early age of 40.” ―Christopher Buckley, author of Thank You for Smoking, on Bad Boy: The Life and Politics of Lee Atwater

“John Brady has made a compelling story of all the unprincipled things Lee Atwater did to make our national politics into a low-down gutter fight. He was indeed the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the political valley till he came to the Valley of Death. In a better world, angels' stories would enthrall us more than those about bad guys like Atwater, but in the one we have, the bad guys' stories rule.” ―George V. Higgins, author of The Friends of Eddie Coyle, on Bad Boy: The Life and Politics of Lee Atwater

“It seems to say almost everything to be said about talking to others for publication.” ―Columbia Journalism Review on The Craft of Interviewing

“This is a must-read book for serious film buffs, and fun for anyone who is interested in the stories of some of the most successful screenwriters at work today.” ―People magazine on The Craft of the Screenwriter

“A worthy and needed guide.” ―Gay Talese, author of Frank Sinatra Has a Cold, on The Interviewer's Handbook

About the Author

John Brady is a veteran writer, editor, and author of five books, including The Craft of the Screenwriter and the investigative biography Bad Boy: The Life and Politics of Lee Atwater. A longtime Sinatra specialist, he worked at Warner/Reprise Records in the 1970s when Frank Sinatra came out of a brief retirement as "Ol' Blue Eyes." Brady was editor-in-chief at Writer's Digest and Boston magazine, and founding editor of The Artist's Magazine. His byline has appeared in New York, New Times, Esquire, American Film, The Washington Post Magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine and numerous other publications. He has taught journalism at Boston University, Emerson College, the Scripps School of Journalism (Ohio University) and was Hearst Visiting Professor at the University of Missouri Journalism School. He lives and writes in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition (October 13, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250070910
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250070913
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.16 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #214,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #767 in Rich & Famous Biographies
- #1,951 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.3 324 ratings

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D. K. Daniel

How stars were made, unmade and remade into legends

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2015

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I love reading about classic Hollywood with its larger-than-life stars and backstories of sexual and financial intrigue. A book like this is rare, though, because it's fair and focuses on facts, not gossip, and shows how real feelings got hurt on the way to bedrooms and banks. It’s a smooth read, too, and amusing with a bandwagon of anecdotes. I’d highly recommend it for getting a feel for Hollywood’s Golden Age -- or just for remembering what it was like when the antics of movie stars were the reality show of the day.

The steamy, doomed affair between the post-WWII era’s top singer and one of its most beautiful women is definitely a story worth telling. But hear this -- John Brady’s “Frank and Ava: In Love and War” does so much more than revisit Hollywood’s hottest hook-up. Brady lays out how stars
back then were made, unmade and remade into legends.

Frank had the pipes and the drive to go to the top. Ava was a backwater beauty with no talent, but she tried to become an actress when she arrived at MGM still a teenager. Her first misstep was marrying Mickey Rooney, her second marrying Artie Shaw. Whether Frank was strike No. 3 is a matter of opinion. I’m not sure they did each other a lot of good in the long run. Frank couldn’t let go and Ava was a lost soul.

For the movie studios and the record companies, it was all about business. And business was good when sparks flew between Frank and Ava. I think they were in love -- really in love -- and might have stayed together if he had been a firefighter (like his dad) and she had been a simple Southern housewife (like her mom). Instead, they willingly fed a publicity machine that ultimately gobbled them up.

One other thing: “Frank and Ava” is a great primer on American culture in the 1940s and 1950s -- and a realistic portrait of the movie factory that mixed dreams with lies to create an image that looked good but was so much smoke. The book is revealing and fun, not unlike F&A themselves.

37 people found this helpful

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R. Ginocchio

Pretty good, could have used some restraint

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2019

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A pretty good examination of the lives and careers of both Frank and Ava, with plenty of detail on their relationship. Not fawning over either and still appreciative of their relative talents. Only drawback is using too many off color quotes and stories more in line with an 80's tell all. Could have found a way to avoid the low-brow quotes and comments of others that were gleaned from other sources or attributed second hand to the featured subjects.

4 people found this helpful

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Pat O'Connor, editor of Crime Magazine

Star-Crossed Lovers

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2015

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There are many books that could still be written about both Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. She was the biggest movie start of her era and he was "the voice" for over 40 years. John Brady's account of their long love affair is the one that opens up the interior of their lives in a way never chartered before. Behind these two star-crossed lovers lurked weaknesses unimaginable in people so accomplished, insecurities that made it impossible for them to live together and, at least for Sinatra, to live with any sense of completeness without her.
The research that went into the writing of Frank & Ava: In Love and War brings alive one of Hollywood's most fascinating eras also sets this book apart. Brady never takes sides. Unlike most who write about iconic figures, he goes where his sources lead him, weaving a tale from beginning to end without intruding on the main event. It was love, it was war, and it was what might have been but never could be.

7 people found this helpful

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andrew review

Enjoyable.

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2015

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Brady writes well and the book moves quickly but it is comprised of stories found in other books and thus breaks no new ground. The book really summarizes the careers of Gardner and Sinatra. along parallel lines except where they intersect. More in depth treatments of their lives are available, notably The Voice by James Kaplan and Ava by Lee Server are excellent. This book does provide an interesting summary of both careers for those interested in a quick read.

6 people found this helpful

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Rainstorm9

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2019

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Just like Ava and Frank themselves , this book reads as interesting, funny, tragic, magical, frank, smart and entertaining. Two more colorful, talented and often times insecure and volatile characters, separately and together, you will rarely meet and this book does a superb job of putting you in the front seat of the wild ride that was their time (don’t read it if you can’t handle cussing...because those two were quoted doing so frequently...which just makes them more relatable and human in my opinion). A great companion to Ava’s autobiography.

The book was in great shape for a reasonable price and shipped fast. Very happy with this purchase.

5 people found this helpful

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Jack J. Santos

I now officially feel like a hollywood insider...great story!

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2015

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As a child of the 60s, I rarely paid attention to Sinatra’s music, much less Gardner’s movies. My late age mellowing into the 50s classics led me to be intrigued enough to pick up this book. Wow, I am glad I did. With a reporter’s eye for facts and story, John Brady’s narrative is fast-paced, informative, and entertaining. Chock full of insider anecdotes, I discovered these were real people, with real emotions, and lots of money to act out. I couldn’t put this book down, and enjoyed reading all about Frank and Ava’s life – together and separate – until the end. Connecting to basic human feelings we all share, this book left a tear in my eye, which I expect will return whenever I hear Ol’ Blue Eyes again, or watch “The Barefoot Contessa”. Great book.

21 people found this helpful

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Marilyn A. Gatlin

I thought this book was pretty good.

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2016

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I thought this book was pretty good. these newer bios are intersting to those of who lived at that time and only knew the superficial gossip. This book offers a deeper grasp of the pressures of those times plus a deeper and more sympathies view of the principles involved-I.e Frank and Ava.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

melissa

great romance...

Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2018

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very well written and a fast-paced read one feels like you are a fly one the wall i would recommend this to anyone who loves Frank or Ava or that era Enjoy!!!

Susan H.

Nothing particularly new information wise but interesting nevertheless. I ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Nothing particularly new information wise but interesting nevertheless. I would agree with the reviewer who said for the fans. I think that’s bang on.

Luna

Entertaining book!

Reviewed in Canada on July 12, 2016

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Loved this juicy book on Frank and Ava filled with all kinds of interesting tidbits on their lives. Well researched and very entertaining.

Glinky10

Lovely book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

Nice book, brought as a present for someone that asked for it. I'm sure they will be pleased.