Dear Cary

Dear Cary (My Life with Cary Grant) (2011) by Dyan Cannon. Grant gets portrayed in an unflattering light in this memoir from Cannon, who had a brief relationship and marriage with him back in the '60s. At the time they met, in 1961, Cannon was in her early twenties and Grant was 58. But he was a movie icon, and she was certainly bowled over by him. As their relationship progressed, however, he became increasingly verbally abusive and, in an unbelievable act of betrayal, gave away Cannon's pet dog while she was in the hospital giving birth to their daughter, Jennifer. Cannon, in her own self-description, is no prize. Some of her behavior is outrageous -- it would certainly have made me furious. She is no great shakes as a writer, either. Although the subject matter was interesting, there were times when she barely held my interest. Overall, an acceptable book but nothing to write home about. Grade: C+