--- product_id: 812088179 title: "Madonna: Like an Icon: A Candid Biography Exploring the Complex Personality and Legendary Drive of a Pop Superstar" price: "VT4484" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/812088179-madonna-like-an-icon-a-candid-biography-exploring-the-complex store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Madonna: Like an Icon: A Candid Biography Exploring the Complex Personality and Legendary Drive of a Pop Superstar **Price:** VT4484 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Madonna: Like an Icon: A Candid Biography Exploring the Complex Personality and Legendary Drive of a Pop Superstar - **How much does it cost?** VT4484 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/812088179-madonna-like-an-icon-a-candid-biography-exploring-the-complex) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Madonna: Like an Icon: A Candid Biography Exploring the Complex Personality and Legendary Drive of a Pop Superstar - Kindle edition by O'Brien, Lucy. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Madonna: Like an Icon: A Candid Biography Exploring the Complex Personality and Legendary Drive of a Pop Superstar. Review: The Best Book About Madonna - "Madonna: Like An Icon" is probably the most insightful book about Madonna that I've ever read. It's not a trashy unauthorized biography, it is a serious look at Madonna as an artistic force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, that may not be something everyone is into, because many people would rather buy into the myth of Madonna as a man-eating, sex-crazed control freak. The author of this book, Lucy O'Brien, has said that too many biographies of the icon have focused on her sex life and her image-changing at the expense of her work. Beneath the sometimes superficial facade, Madonna's work has a depth and sociological resonance that many people underestimate or fail to understand. However, to be fair, this is not exactly a biography. But what's the point of a "Madonna biography" by now? Her life is the stuff of myth that even casual fans are familiar with. Instead, O'Brien only focuses attention on Madonna's personal life when it relates to her art, her passion and her identity as an artist. It's more of a character study, and a very insightful one. Her mother's subservience, religious fanaticism, and untimely death made Madonna reject traditional values. Although this is well-known by now, O'Brien adds dimension and legitimacy to this theory. The sexual assault she faced in New York compelled her to project an image of assertiveness and control, in order to prevent losing control and facing attack again. This dominating attitude was reflected in her work, constantly turning the tables on men in the game of sex. The details on her love life were also only mentioned when they related to her music. The vulnerability and loneliness she encountered during the crumbling of her marriage to Sean Penn made her create the confessional "Like a Prayer" while a string of disappointing lovers afterwards contributed to the cynical tone of "Erotica". There is also a great deal of attention that focused on her tours, her creative process, her cultural impact, and her artistic influences. I found this very refreshing. It showed how much the author respected and admired her as an artist, not just a "controversial chameleon". While O'Brien is a big fan of Madonna's, she is fair and objective when needed. She is rather critical of her "Sex" book and questions her interests in Kabbalah. Something that I also enjoyed were the interviews from her collaborators and friends. They portrayed Madonna in a light that is very different than the "queen bitch" Madonna of legend. Many people remark on how warm, vulnerable, and sweet she can be in unguarded moments. Those intimate moments with close friends and trusted colleagues. I've always suspected that this version of Madonna is closer to the real thing than the controlled, imperious image she often presents to the world. The interviews with her collaborators also revealed how focused, savvy, direct, and, yes, wildly talented she is when working. Her work is her safe haven, the place where she can freely express herself and reveal herself and explore new territories. "Madonna: Like An Icon" drives that point home like no other book that I've ever read before. Review: 'Like An Icon': An Intimate Study and Portrait of Madonna - One desertcart.com reviewer complained that 'Like An Icon' is just a re-hashing of old stories and that there's not much to this biography. I totally disagree. 'Like An Icon' by Lucy O'Brien dismantles the curious and elusive celebrity and pop 'icon' known as Madonna and pieces her back together, revealing her motivations, fears, accomplishments, setbacks and failures. While other biographies seem to take a distant, detached observer stand-point, re-telling the same stories and quotes that appear in magazines or through a simple Google search, O'Brien manages to truly delve into Madonna and her psyche, making for an intimate and very revealing case study. Having listened to Madonna's music and albums, I was hesitant to give this biography a try because I was afraid it would be the usual run-of-the-mill biography that didn't reveal much more than I already knew. I am glad to say that I was completely wrong. 'Like An Icon' is not perfect. It's strange; it covers Madonna from birth through motherhood, from the debut self-titled 'Madonna' album through the very early stages of 'Hard Candy'. I expected the more recent material, perhaps the 2000s onward, would be the most revealing due to the access of information. This is not the case. The most telling chapters of the book are of early, pre-fame Madonna. We learn of her parents, of her relationship with her mother and her issues with her father and brothers, all of which are reflected in some of her modern songs. We learn of Madonna's sexual assault, and how she manages to embrace sex later on in her career in an attempt to profit from it. The book reveals back stories of many of her albums and individual songs, making for a very interesting read. As a reader, I found myself most interested in reading of how Madonna approached each album and how each was, in some way, an attempt to either top herself or a response to the previous album's failure. The reader is treated to very rare side of Madonna; an intimate, up-close and personal look at a woman deemed an icon. She's revealed to be shy, reserved, unsure of herself at times. Yet, as the chapters go forward, and we see Madonna evolve from a dancer trying to make it in New York to a spiritual, devoted mother grappling with the desire for fame and immortality while rising above her flaws. In a curious move, I found the later or modern chapters of 'Like An Icon' to be lacking in some respect. The earlier chapters reveal a very colorful portrait of Madonna, making you believe that O'Brien was always behind her and taking notes from conception through each album. The later chapters reveals a very changed Madonna; one who is in some respects more tame, conservative, coarse and a tad bit unlikable. There's less insight into the album and music-making process after the 'Ray of Light' era. While O'Brien touches on everything from 'Music', 'American Life', the tours, the infamous VMA Britney smooch, these chapters felt very reserved and pulled back, as if the older Madonna became, the more elusive she became and the harder it was to capture her essence in prose. By far the most interesting chapters were from the end of the 'Like a Prayer' era through the notorious 'Sex' chapter, showing how Madonna went from the safe 'pop' realm to the dark, adult artistic realm and how it threatened her fame and changed her. After reading this biography, I feel as if I understand Madonna a great deal more. Even though the book doesn't delve into the 'Hard Candy' era, having read about Madonna's evolution through the years even has left me with some understanding as to why she may be, in some respects, finally looking back and going with styles and trends that aren't groundbreaking but are rather dated and familiar to her. O'Brien does a wonderful job of revealing situations and instances in Madonna's life that fans would recognize as themes in Madonna's musics, videos or photos. Yes, like any biography of a celebrity, especially one as exposed and one with a long career like that of Madonna, there's going to be rehashing of stories already told, familiar quotes, a sense of deja vu, but trust me - this is really the 'definitive' biography and the only one you will need to read if you are curious to know more about Madonna. It's not all pleasant; O'Brien's portrayal of Madonna in her later years is not very flattering and questions the star's motivations. Yet, this made the biography all the more great to me. This was a full, round-about look at Madonna and her rise to fame. It's an explanation of why she's managed to keep her career afloat through the years while many of her '80s contemporaries have faded off into obscurity. It's an explanation of why each generation still talks about Madonna and knows a different side or iteration of her. It's a case and study of why Madonna is indeed a pop icon and visual artist. This is a great story and holds little back; definitely worth your attention and read. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B000W9175Q | | Accessibility | Learn more | | Best Sellers Rank | #725,379 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #47 in Women Artists #56 in Fashion Biographies & Memoirs #216 in Pop Culture Music | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (116) | | Edition | Reprint | | Enhanced typesetting | Enabled | | File size | 1.0 MB | | ISBN-13 | 978-0061856822 | | Language | English | | Page Flip | Enabled | | Print length | 397 pages | | Publication date | October 13, 2009 | | Publisher | Dey Street Books | | Screen Reader | Supported | | Word Wise | Enabled | | X-Ray | Not Enabled | ## Images ![Madonna: Like an Icon: A Candid Biography Exploring the Complex Personality and Legendary Drive of a Pop Superstar - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41tRyCwy90L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Best Book About Madonna *by W***. on February 9, 2010* "Madonna: Like An Icon" is probably the most insightful book about Madonna that I've ever read. It's not a trashy unauthorized biography, it is a serious look at Madonna as an artistic force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, that may not be something everyone is into, because many people would rather buy into the myth of Madonna as a man-eating, sex-crazed control freak. The author of this book, Lucy O'Brien, has said that too many biographies of the icon have focused on her sex life and her image-changing at the expense of her work. Beneath the sometimes superficial facade, Madonna's work has a depth and sociological resonance that many people underestimate or fail to understand. However, to be fair, this is not exactly a biography. But what's the point of a "Madonna biography" by now? Her life is the stuff of myth that even casual fans are familiar with. Instead, O'Brien only focuses attention on Madonna's personal life when it relates to her art, her passion and her identity as an artist. It's more of a character study, and a very insightful one. Her mother's subservience, religious fanaticism, and untimely death made Madonna reject traditional values. Although this is well-known by now, O'Brien adds dimension and legitimacy to this theory. The sexual assault she faced in New York compelled her to project an image of assertiveness and control, in order to prevent losing control and facing attack again. This dominating attitude was reflected in her work, constantly turning the tables on men in the game of sex. The details on her love life were also only mentioned when they related to her music. The vulnerability and loneliness she encountered during the crumbling of her marriage to Sean Penn made her create the confessional "Like a Prayer" while a string of disappointing lovers afterwards contributed to the cynical tone of "Erotica". There is also a great deal of attention that focused on her tours, her creative process, her cultural impact, and her artistic influences. I found this very refreshing. It showed how much the author respected and admired her as an artist, not just a "controversial chameleon". While O'Brien is a big fan of Madonna's, she is fair and objective when needed. She is rather critical of her "Sex" book and questions her interests in Kabbalah. Something that I also enjoyed were the interviews from her collaborators and friends. They portrayed Madonna in a light that is very different than the "queen bitch" Madonna of legend. Many people remark on how warm, vulnerable, and sweet she can be in unguarded moments. Those intimate moments with close friends and trusted colleagues. I've always suspected that this version of Madonna is closer to the real thing than the controlled, imperious image she often presents to the world. The interviews with her collaborators also revealed how focused, savvy, direct, and, yes, wildly talented she is when working. Her work is her safe haven, the place where she can freely express herself and reveal herself and explore new territories. "Madonna: Like An Icon" drives that point home like no other book that I've ever read before. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Like An Icon': An Intimate Study and Portrait of Madonna *by A***D on August 24, 2009* One Amazon.com reviewer complained that 'Like An Icon' is just a re-hashing of old stories and that there's not much to this biography. I totally disagree. 'Like An Icon' by Lucy O'Brien dismantles the curious and elusive celebrity and pop 'icon' known as Madonna and pieces her back together, revealing her motivations, fears, accomplishments, setbacks and failures. While other biographies seem to take a distant, detached observer stand-point, re-telling the same stories and quotes that appear in magazines or through a simple Google search, O'Brien manages to truly delve into Madonna and her psyche, making for an intimate and very revealing case study. Having listened to Madonna's music and albums, I was hesitant to give this biography a try because I was afraid it would be the usual run-of-the-mill biography that didn't reveal much more than I already knew. I am glad to say that I was completely wrong. 'Like An Icon' is not perfect. It's strange; it covers Madonna from birth through motherhood, from the debut self-titled 'Madonna' album through the very early stages of 'Hard Candy'. I expected the more recent material, perhaps the 2000s onward, would be the most revealing due to the access of information. This is not the case. The most telling chapters of the book are of early, pre-fame Madonna. We learn of her parents, of her relationship with her mother and her issues with her father and brothers, all of which are reflected in some of her modern songs. We learn of Madonna's sexual assault, and how she manages to embrace sex later on in her career in an attempt to profit from it. The book reveals back stories of many of her albums and individual songs, making for a very interesting read. As a reader, I found myself most interested in reading of how Madonna approached each album and how each was, in some way, an attempt to either top herself or a response to the previous album's failure. The reader is treated to very rare side of Madonna; an intimate, up-close and personal look at a woman deemed an icon. She's revealed to be shy, reserved, unsure of herself at times. Yet, as the chapters go forward, and we see Madonna evolve from a dancer trying to make it in New York to a spiritual, devoted mother grappling with the desire for fame and immortality while rising above her flaws. In a curious move, I found the later or modern chapters of 'Like An Icon' to be lacking in some respect. The earlier chapters reveal a very colorful portrait of Madonna, making you believe that O'Brien was always behind her and taking notes from conception through each album. The later chapters reveals a very changed Madonna; one who is in some respects more tame, conservative, coarse and a tad bit unlikable. There's less insight into the album and music-making process after the 'Ray of Light' era. While O'Brien touches on everything from 'Music', 'American Life', the tours, the infamous VMA Britney smooch, these chapters felt very reserved and pulled back, as if the older Madonna became, the more elusive she became and the harder it was to capture her essence in prose. By far the most interesting chapters were from the end of the 'Like a Prayer' era through the notorious 'Sex' chapter, showing how Madonna went from the safe 'pop' realm to the dark, adult artistic realm and how it threatened her fame and changed her. After reading this biography, I feel as if I understand Madonna a great deal more. Even though the book doesn't delve into the 'Hard Candy' era, having read about Madonna's evolution through the years even has left me with some understanding as to why she may be, in some respects, finally looking back and going with styles and trends that aren't groundbreaking but are rather dated and familiar to her. O'Brien does a wonderful job of revealing situations and instances in Madonna's life that fans would recognize as themes in Madonna's musics, videos or photos. Yes, like any biography of a celebrity, especially one as exposed and one with a long career like that of Madonna, there's going to be rehashing of stories already told, familiar quotes, a sense of deja vu, but trust me - this is really the 'definitive' biography and the only one you will need to read if you are curious to know more about Madonna. It's not all pleasant; O'Brien's portrayal of Madonna in her later years is not very flattering and questions the star's motivations. Yet, this made the biography all the more great to me. This was a full, round-about look at Madonna and her rise to fame. It's an explanation of why she's managed to keep her career afloat through the years while many of her '80s contemporaries have faded off into obscurity. It's an explanation of why each generation still talks about Madonna and knows a different side or iteration of her. It's a case and study of why Madonna is indeed a pop icon and visual artist. This is a great story and holds little back; definitely worth your attention and read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simply the best Madonna biography *by A***A on August 9, 2015* I love almost everything about this book. Lucy O'Brian observes Madonna "a muse, a creator, and a sexual being". Great work by NME author and musician about another great human being. Must have for all anglophiles to understand why Madonna's more of a British director now than an American musician. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/812088179-madonna-like-an-icon-a-candid-biography-exploring-the-complex](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/812088179-madonna-like-an-icon-a-candid-biography-exploring-the-complex) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-06-05*