I was surprised at the depth of this memoir. I went into it with few expectations, but I found a pretty profound look at the inner workings of an actress that came up in a particular moment in history, and which gave me some perspective on how a baby boomer might understand herself. In this case, I often struggled with what she thought of herself, many times wishing that she had therapy or even a supportive female friend early in her life and career. The 'tell-all' aspect is basically what I would have suspected from men in positions of power at the time, and it is horrible what happened to her. She clearly has not healed from it. Slow-paced and not particularly organized as far as a timeline, I really think this book is more about her relationship with her mother than anything else. We can all see her a bit in our reflections.

I did not like the early part about her childhood, but the part about being an actress was better. She wrote a lot about Burt Reynolds, mostly negative, whom she dated a couple of years; but she said nothing about her second husband, whom she was married to for 10 years. I don't think she has a very high level of self-awareness, so I came away with an incomplete picture.

When I first started reading In Pieces I wasn't sure I was going to like it. There was so much family history, going clear back to Ms. Field's great grandparents, and I wasn't expecting that. I had a bit of trouble keeping everyone straight in my mind. And I hated her stepfather! From Gidget, on, I was enthralled, however. What a sense of humor this woman has! When I read about her time as a Golden Globes presenter I laughed until I cried!! I loved all of the photos, too. All in all a fascinating book.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually liked it. I listened to the audiobook, which was read by Sally Field, and I liked hearing it in her voice. And I really like Sally Field herself - I think she's a great actress and is just kind of adorable. But her memoir was slow-moving and I kept wishing I was reading the actual book so that I could just skim it.

(Also, she calls her mother "Ba," which for some reason really annoyed me.)

With IN PIECES, actress Sally Field offers an unflinching and moving look at her life. Surprisingly well-written, this memoir offers a portrait of Field, whose private life is a far cry from the public image she portrayed in roles like Gidget and The Flying Nun. Much of IN PIECES deals with Field’s childhood and her relationships with her mother, stepfather, and siblings. When accepting the 1984 Oscar for Best Actress, Field famously said, “I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!” After reading IN PIECES, I now more fully understand the woman and her motivation behind these words.

What an amazing book to read and I rarely say this about books. It is remarkable.

Amazing -- some parallells -- she is younger than I (1948) but the mother/daughter relationship was difficult to process -- I always felt that my Mom had my back but did she know/intuit about the abuse? Too late to ask now -- Maybe Angela can help.

I found this book to be a fascinating insight into the life of a Hollywood actor. We think of the glamorous side and all the money they make, but don't often hear about the struggles and mistakes made along the way. Actors are just as imperfect as the rest of us. I admire Sally Field's courage in writing the book. I found the ending incredibly moving.

I don't understand why Sally Field wrote this book, other to make (more) money. Ridiculing
one of the finest songwriters of the 20th century, Jimmy Webb, was a big problem for me
as well as most of her "tell-alls". I thought that Sally Field was so inappropriate for the role
of Gidget as well. Sandra Dee will always be Gidget and to have this "munchkinesque"
person be Gidget is reprehensible. One more thing: Sally "insisted" on being in the movie,
Lincoln. She was, by far, the worst part of a great film. She ruined it.

Skimmed it in an hour. The only really interesting portion was her relationship with Burt Reynolds. I would have liked to read more about that. Sounds like he was the classic narcissist. Always sabotaging her success and putting his needs above hers and even challenging her about attending awards shows because he thought she had no chance of winning. And of course, win she did!