Debra TateSharon Tate: Recollection

I was very young when Sharon Tate was stolen from us, and therefore was aware mainly of what the sensationalist media reported about the murderers. When "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" came out, this book came up as a suggested read, so I decided to buy it for my older sister. I messed up the gift setting, and it was shipped to me, and I ordered another and had it shipped to her anonymously. After reading the copy that was sent to me, I learned quite a lot about her life. It is quite an interesting read and the images are the best! I still pick it up periodically and read it cover to cover. She was quite an amazing person and I'm glad I have this book!

I've had Recollection in my wish list for a few months now. Admittedly, I held off on buying it because I felt the price was too high and coffee table books about actors invariably contain the same old photos one can find online for free. I was wrong on both counts. While Recollection could be considered pricey, you get every one of your pennies worth. You're also going to get some high quality photos that don't necessarily pop up in a cursory Google search. I own quite a few coffee table books covering various subjects and I can say, without a doubt, that Recollection qualifies as one of the best.First, the quality of the photographs in this book are amazing. I don't say that lightly. I have far too many books that contain pictures that are flipped, stretched and pixelated beyond belief. Even if you don't consider yourself a collector, it's still a bit of a pain to pay good chunk of change for a coffee table book that contains photos that look like they were culled from the internet and resized to fit a large page or inexplicably flipped (why do that?). Thankfully, all the photos in this book are crisp, clear (save for a few screen grabs) and seemingly in their original form. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the book contains a number of photos I've never seen before. I am by no means a Sharon aficionado but I figured this book wouldn't contain that many new pictures. Aside from the personal family photos, there were also many from Sharon's career I had never seen. That alone is worth the price. I was also pleased with the quality, design layout of the book.As a few reviews here have already bemoaned, Recollections contains minimal text. I thought it was common knowledge that coffee table books (or "photo-bios") are generally devoted to photographs but I was obviously wrong. If you're looking for a traditional biography, you will be disappointed. The majority of the text that is present was written by Sharon's younger sister Debra. She shares memories and anecdotes of her older sister, some of which she has also shared on various television shows. There are also bits of text from Sharon's friends, her widower Roman Polanski (who also writes the foreword), other family members and Sharon herself. While the text is minimal, I felt it did a good job of conveying the type of person Sharon was and how people felt about her. The text, along with the beautiful pictures, allows Sharon's spirit and beauty to come through loud and clear on every page. As the point of this book was not to dwell on her death, there is no information about that. The book simply ends the year Sharon died, 1969. As the circumstances surrounding her death have been covered and recovered elsewhere, this isn't an issue for me.I'm aware that Debra Tate has become something of a polarizing figure these days, but I think she did an excellent job with this book. Her aim was to focus on Sharon's life and I think she did just that. When Sharon is discussed, her death inevitably becomes the focal point. That is to be expected considering the amount of coverage the murders got and still get, but this book is like a beautiful palate cleanser that reminds us that Sharon wasn't just a victim or a footnote in creepy Los Angeles crime history. Aside from being exquisitely beautiful (and how!), she also seemingly had a beautiful personality and soul. For those reasons, she should be remembered and celebrated.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Sharon beyond the Manson spookiness or anyone who just likes beautiful photographs. If you're into 60s fashion, this is also a book to grab as the clothing and makeup from that time are well represented. I have an embarrassing amount of books (I may be a hoarder!), but Recollection is one that I know I will continue to trot out a few times a month to look through.

Two decades ago, a Rolling Stone writer rhapsodized about the then-wife of a popular singer-songwriter: "Her beauty compels one to restore one's faith in the innate goodness of man." Certainly, I believe this description applies to the late Sharon Tate. Gifted with a singular loveliness and gentleness......possessed of a palpable kindness and selflessness....capable of enacting wondrous benefits in the lives of others......Sharon was a rare human being indeed.I am grateful to Debra Tate, Roman Polanski and the myriad friends and colleagues who offer their evocations to Sharon in this book. Their words, coupled with dozens of images of the stunningly beauteous actress, make a powerful impact.I first learned about Sharon in the late summer of 1976. I was seventeen then and newly enrolled at university. I was young, robust and decades away from the angry jaws of menopause - an affliction that can (and does) render the sufferer somewhat akin to the late actress Ann Ramsay (star of "Throw Momma From the Train"). I was also abjectly miserable - dealing with ongoing heartbreak and tragedy from the previous year.One afternoon, I walked downtown and purchased a copy of Bugliosi's bestselling book. As I perused the author's words, there was only one redeeming transcender in the midst of evil and stupidity: Sharon Tate. Her goodness and tenderness leapt from the pages into my heart - a grateful distraction from the roiling anguish that pervaded. As the years passed, I blessedly recovered - but I hadn't forgotten Sharon. In time, I read further books in which Sharon's attributes were manifest. No longer engulfed in my own towering angst, I began to grieve for Sharon and for those who loved her so dearly.Quite simply, Sharon embodied and exuded love. Polanski's autobiography gives ample credence to her self-giving - not given out of fear and self-abnegation - rather, flowing from a love that filled her heart like a vital sustenance. Her love and her efforts for others deeply fulfilled her - they did not diminish her. She experienced impending motherhood with "love in the flesh" - as a priest once described pregnancy. The kindly cleric also blathered too much pre-Vatican II bathos, but he was quite accurate in this instance. Like many newly pregnant women, Sharon evidently endured morning sickness and fatigue while filming her last movie, but her love, hope and joy saw her through.As I had never met Sharon, this is my enduring sorrow: I believe Sharon would have been such a wonderful, nurturing and loving mother. All the gifts she exuded in such abundance would have enveloped her child so greatly; when her baby opened his eyes for the first time, he would likely have asked (if he could talk): "Is this what the religionists mean by being born again? If so, it's not bad."Thank you from my heart, once again, to Debra Tate and all who gave of their hearts and memories to this excellent book. In the midst of loss and sadness, let us remember that Sharon's gifts were transcendent. They surely enhanced the lives of many others. Notably, they allowed her widower to experience joy and love after surviving Nazi human bestiality. Likely, Sharon enabled Roman to find love again and experience the joys of parenthood that were cruelly denied him so long ago.Let our hearts never forget Sharon.....her heart shall live on.....forevermore.

Very good quality photo book. Congratulations to Debra Tate for creating this lovely book of her gorgeous sister Sharon Tate. Roman Polanski's forewords about Sharon are heartbreaking and filled with sweetness. This is a good book if you're a fan of Sharon Tate or cinema.

I have been a Sharon Tate fan for a long time now and this book did not disappoint! It is my favourite book I have ever owned. The photographs and the quotes are amazing and so interesting, Sharon looks gorgeous as always. I love Debra Tate, she should be really proud

Livre arrivé ce jour 28 décembre. Très beau livre.

Bellissimo tributo alla Tate confezionato editorialmente in modo impeccabile: fotografie stupende, grande formato, carta di ottimo livello e scritti della famiglia molto toccanti. Forse non sarebbe diventata una grande attrice, ma è stata comunque un'icona pop di bellezza e classe.

Aunque la huella de Sharon Tate en el mundo del cine es escasa (su estremecedor asesinato no le dió tiempo para más), como icono de los 60 es una figura mítica (que se lo digan a Tarantino). Y este libro, escrito por su hermana y magníficamente presentado (tapa dura, buen papel, gran calidad de reproducción en las imágenes, buen tamaño), hace justicia a ese mito. No es tanto una biografía (aunque incluye datos de su vida, por supuesto en inglés) como un formidable catálogo de imágenes de la hermosa actriz, acompañados de comentarios breves de quienes la conocieron, presentadas mayoritariamente a toda página , en color y blanco y negro. Hay gran cantidad de fotos privadas y familiares poco vistas, pero también una deslumbrante galería de retratos publicitarios de estudio y de backstage, que hacen de este libro un tributo definitivo e imprescindible para los amantes de la hermosísima y malograda actriz, incluso para los que no dominan el inglés, ya que como digo el 80 % del libro es puramente visual.