Queen Meryl : the iconic roles, heroic deeds, and legendary life of Meryl Streep / Erin Carlson ; illustrations by Justin Teodoro.

By:

Carlson, Erin, 1981-

Contributor(s):

Teodoro, Justin [illustrator.]

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: New York : Hachette Books, 2019Edition: First editionDescription: x, 306 pages : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type:

text
still image

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

9780316485272 (hardcover) :
0316485276 (hardcover)

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Biographies.

DDC classification:

791.4302/8092 B 23

Contents:

Introduction: Gird your loins! -- From geek to Streep -- Runaway Meryl -- Mother Meryl -- Meryl goes nuclear -- Meryl the lion -- Meryl the heartbreaker -- Meryl the martyr -- Middle-aged Meryl -- Meryl the immortal -- Meryl the river goddess -- Meryl the romantic -- Mozart Meryl -- Meryl the wallflower -- Meryl the shape-shifter -- Meryl the editrix -- Meryl the nun -- Meryl masters the art of French cooking -- Meryl the stateswoman -- Meryl the superhero -- A Streeping genius.

Summary: "This is the story of how an awkward, ambitious suburban teen from humble beginnings transformed herself into a high school homecoming queen, and later, the most celebrated actress of our time. Meryl Streep came of age during the women's movement of the seventies, and has worn her activism on her sleeve even when it was unfashionable. As she reached forty, the age when many leading ladies fade away, Streep plunged forward, leaping into roles that interested her and winning a pile of awards along the way. Meanwhile, she remained an unlikely box-office draw, steering The Devil Wears Prada to blockbuster success and critical acclaim. She never tackles the same character twice. Instead, she leverages her rarified platform to channel a range of dynamic, complicated women--Joanna Kramer, Karen Silkwood, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, and Katherine Graham, to name a few--rather than play second fiddle to the male lead. Her Streepness will have none of that. Journalist and author Erin Carlson documents all of Meryl's Oscars, accents, causes, memes, friendships, and feuds. Curated with illustrations by artist Justin Teodoro, along with unexpected sidebars, lists, and intermissions, Queen Meryl is a captivating and inspiring portrait of an artis and trailblazer still at the top of her game"--Page 4 of cover.

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Non-Fiction	Adult Non-Fiction	791.43028092 CAR	Available		36748002535278

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A captivating and inspiring portrait of legendary actress Meryl Streep and her work, Queen Meryl explores the fearless icon's trailblazing roles in film, her feminist activism, and the indelible mark she's left on pop culture.
Meryl Streep is the most celebrated actress of our time. She's a chameleon who disappears fully into each character she plays. She never tackles the same role twice. Instead, she leverages her rarified platform to channel a range of dynamic, complicated women--Joanna Kramer, Karen Silkwood, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, Katharine Graham--rather than limit herself to marginal roles for which other actresses must settle: Supportive Wife. Supportive Mother. Supportive Yet Utterly Disposable Love Interest. Streep will have none of that.
The once-awkward, frizzy-haired suburban teen blossomed into a rising ingénue on the stage at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama. She came of age during the women's movement of the '60s and '70s, and has worn her activism on her sleeve even when it was unfashionable. When she reached 40, the age when many leading ladies fade away, Streep plunged forward, taking her pick of parts that interested her and winning a pile of awards along the way. Meanwhile, she remained an unlikely box-office draw, her clout even managing to grow with age: The Devil Wears Prada , starring Streep as the Anna Wintour avatar Miranda Priestly, scored $326 million worldwide.
Journalist and author Erin Carlson documents all of Streep's Oscars, accents, causes, memes, friendships, and feuds; also exploring the "off-brand" forays into action-adventure ( The River Wild ) and musicals ( Mamma Mia! ), and how Streep managed to sneak her feminism into each character. In the spirit of nontraditional bestsellers like Notorious RBG and The Tao of Bill Murray , Queen Meryl is illustrated by artist Justin Teodoro and filled with fascinating lists and sidebars, delivering joy in homage to its unique and brilliant subject.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [277]-300) and index.

"This is the story of how an awkward, ambitious suburban teen from humble beginnings transformed herself into a high school homecoming queen, and later, the most celebrated actress of our time. Meryl Streep came of age during the women's movement of the seventies, and has worn her activism on her sleeve even when it was unfashionable. As she reached forty, the age when many leading ladies fade away, Streep plunged forward, leaping into roles that interested her and winning a pile of awards along the way. Meanwhile, she remained an unlikely box-office draw, steering The Devil Wears Prada to blockbuster success and critical acclaim. She never tackles the same character twice. Instead, she leverages her rarified platform to channel a range of dynamic, complicated women--Joanna Kramer, Karen Silkwood, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, and Katherine Graham, to name a few--rather than play second fiddle to the male lead. Her Streepness will have none of that. Journalist and author Erin Carlson documents all of Meryl's Oscars, accents, causes, memes, friendships, and feuds. Curated with illustrations by artist Justin Teodoro, along with unexpected sidebars, lists, and intermissions, Queen Meryl is a captivating and inspiring portrait of an artis and trailblazer still at the top of her game"--Page 4 of cover.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Entertainment journalist Carlson follows I'll Have What She's Having, her 2017 examination of writer and director Nora Ephron's romantic comedies, with this fast-paced and enjoyable homage to acting legend Meryl Streep. In a breathless, admiring tone, Carlson quickly covers Streep's childhood and education before rushing onto her career. Streep's roles--including Linda in The Deer Hunter, her star-making role in Kramer vs. Kramer, and as the unforgettable Miranda Priestly in the film adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada--are meticulously covered. Though Streep has had an extraordinary run, Carlson too eagerly absolves her of any responsibility for less than apt role choices (She-Devil with Roseanne Barr, for example). The focus is on Streep's extraordinary dramatic gifts, but Carlson regularly reminds readers of the difficulties women face--especially in Hollywood--over getting equal pay, dealing with ageism, and deflecting unwanted sexual attention (Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, and Harvey Weinstein are mentioned unflatteringly) as well as of Streep's feminist activism. Generously supplemented with gossipy sidebars and lists and with fashion magazine--like brush-and-ink drawings, Carlson's latest will be embraced by Streep-struck fans, but cinephiles will have to wait longer for an in-depth examination of Streep's extraordinary career. Agent: Daniel Greenberg, Levine, Greenberg, Rostan Literary Agency (Sept.)

Booklist Review

In this bubbly biography, journalist Carlson (I'll Have What She's Having, 2017) bounces cheerfully through actress Meryl Streep's life and career with an admiring eye, paying more attention to film roles than to any personal struggles. While Carlson touches at least in passing on each of those roles, she delves more deeply into critically acclaimed or popular movies, such as Kramer vs. Kramer, Out of Africa, Silkwood, Sophie's Choice, Mamma Mia, and The Devil Wears Prada. Sidebars, though diverting, often repeat information from the main text. The book is illustrated with cartoonish line drawings and a few stock photos. For sources, Carlson relies primarily on magazine articles and secondarily on interviews with some of Streep's associates, though not with Streep herself. While Streep's career doesn't trace a particular narrative arc, the author solidly establishes that Streep has kept working steadily, in a large variety of roles, into middle age and beyond. Fans should be delighted by the juicy details of life on various sets and tales of Streep's good-humored devotion to her craft.--Margaret Quamme Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Meryl Streep, actor, wife, mother, and feminist spokesperson, has had a sensational career.With 21 Oscar nominations and three wins, along with multiple international acting awards, Streep can aptly be called Queen Meryl, the most celebrated actor in America. Entertainment journalist Carlson (I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy, 2017) gleefully recounts Streep's career from her earnest performance as the Virgin Mary in a family Nativity play (she was 6) to her acclaimed roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Lady, and The Post. As a student at the Yale School of Drama, Streep stood out for her ability to create complex characters, and she was often cast in Yale Repertory Theatre showswhile holding down off-campus jobs to pay her tuition. After graduating at 26, she immediately became "a Broadway starlet," Carlson discovered, thanks to the support of Joe Papp, founder of the Public Theater. Her film career took off in 1977 when she was cast in Julia, a drama starring Jane Fonda. Fonda encouraged Streep to improvise and also "imparted an object lesson in kindness" that inspired Streep's generosity to her less experienced co-stars. Drawing on a copious number of articles, reviews, profiles, and interviews as well as archival material and a previous biography of Streep, Carlson creates a mostly engaging, deeply admiring chronicle of Streep's life: her long marriage to sculptor Don Gummer, motherhood, sometimes unexpected role choices, friendships, political activism and views, and the movie synopses, production anecdotes, and reviews that document Streep's prolific acting career. Although she was highly praised for most of her work, some dissenting voices emerged in the 1980s. "Streep can come off like a piece of fine china, white, hard, perfect," one critic wrote. She never felt perfect, she admitted, but most of the time, she felt confident. "Usually I think I can play anything," she told an interviewer in 1980. "I have great faith in myself."An enthusiastic homage to a legend. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.