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- Title: In Pieces
- Author: Sally Field
- Narrator: Sally Field
- Length: 10:30:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 18/09/2018
- Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA
- Genre: Biography & Memoir, Arts & Entertainment, Memoir, Women
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
There’s a particular magic that happens when a memoir is read by its author – a vulnerability in the pauses, a truth in the cadence that no professional narrator could perfectly replicate. Sally Field’s “In Pieces” delivers this intimacy tenfold, creating an audiobook experience that feels less like a performance and more like a late-night confession from an old friend. As someone who’s spent years collecting oral histories and listening to family stories across three continents, I can tell you this is a rare gift.
I first pressed play on “In Pieces” during a long drive through the Sonoran Desert, the red rocks standing like silent witnesses to Field’s unfolding story. Much like those Oaxacan evenings where grandmothers wove family histories into the night air, Field’s narration carries that same weight of hard-won wisdom. Her voice – sometimes trembling, often wry, always authentic – transforms what could have been another celebrity memoir into something far more profound: a universal story about the women who shape us and the selves we must piece together from their legacy.
“”The Story That Unfolds Like Patchwork””
Field structures her memoir like the quilted title suggests – discrete fragments of memory that gradually reveal their connections. We move from her complicated relationship with her glamorous but emotionally distant mother (a former actress herself) to the early days of “Gidget” and “The Flying Nun”, where Hollywood molded her into America’s sweetheart while silencing her personal voice. The most piercing sections detail her relationship with Burt Reynolds – a love story that becomes a masterclass in how women contort themselves to fit masculine expectations. Field writes about craft with the precision of someone who’s spent a lifetime honing it: her descriptions of preparing for “Sybil” or “Norma Rae” aren’t industry anecdotes but revelations about how acting became her survival mechanism.
“”The Narration: A Study in Emotional Truth””
Field’s performance elevates the material beyond the printed page. Listen for:
– The hitch in her breath when recounting childhood rejections
– The way her voice hardens almost imperceptibly when describing industry sexism
– The quiet triumph in her delivery of the line “I became an actor because I needed to be loved”
Unlike many actor-narrated memoirs that feel overly rehearsed, Field’s delivery has the rawness of someone discovering these truths alongside you. It reminded me of watching a master potter at work in Puebla – the way her voice shapes each memory with both precision and tenderness.
“”Themes That Resonate Across Borders””
What struck me most – and what makes this memoir transcend celebrity fare – are the universal threads:
– “”Mother wounds as creative fuel:”” Field’s portrait of Margaret Field mirrors so many matriarchs I’ve encountered in my travels – women who gifted their daughters both trauma and tenacity
– “”The cost of being “likable”:”” Her stories of 1960s Hollywood eerily parallel the modern pressures women face worldwide to shrink their authenticity
– “”Art as salvation:”” Field’s journey from seeking external validation through roles to finding her own voice mirrors the creative awakenings I’ve witnessed in storytellers from Marrakech to Oaxaca
“”Considerations for Listeners””
This isn’t a light Hollywood romp. Field delves into sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and professional betrayals with unflinching honesty. Some sections – particularly those about her mother’s decline – require emotional stamina. The nonlinear structure may frustrate listeners wanting a traditional rise-to-fame narrative. But these very elements make the audiobook so powerful; like life itself, the story resists neat arcs.
“”How It Compares””
Unlike most celebrity memoirs that polish their subjects into shiny icons (think Rob Lowe’s “Stories I Only Tell My Friends”), “In Pieces” belongs to the grittier tradition of Mary Karr’s “The Liars’ Club” or Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking”. It’s closer in spirit to the unvarnished family stories I’ve collected in my travels than to typical Hollywood autobiography.
“”Who Will Treasure This””
– Seekers of psychologically rich memoirs
– Students of acting and creative process
– Anyone who’s wrestled with complicated maternal bonds
– Listeners who appreciate narration that reveals as much as the text
As the desert gave way to mountains during my listening journey, I realized “In Pieces” does what the best memoirs do: it makes you reassemble your own story in its reflection. Field’s voice – by turns fragile and ferocious – stays with you like the imprint of a shared secret.
With stories yet to be heard, Marcus
Marcus Rivera
