Wildflower

First I want to give a bit of background on why I chose to read this book. I have just got back from an amazing two week vacation in Koh Samui Thailand and before I left I made a conscious decision that I was going to read a real hard cover book on this vacation and not waste my time on Facebook (I deleted the Facebook app from my phone before I left for my trip). I have a 5 year old daughter and other than baby/kids books, cooking books and diet books I have not read a real book since before she was born. The reason for not reading a book for this long has been a combination of ongoing baby brain as well as the effects of suffering postnatal (postpartum) depression and anxiety after my daughter was born (wasn't able to concentrate like I used to). Once I decided to read a book on vacation the decision was relatively easy which one to pick, I love autobiographies and one of my favourite people in this world is Drew Barrymore, perfect! I have loved Drew ever since I first saw E.T. in the movie theater when I was a little girl. My whole life people (both complete strangers and my friends) have been telling me I look like Drew Barrymore. We are both Pisces. She is one year younger than me so we both grew up in the same era except she grew up in Hollywood and I grew up in Australia, which of course is a million miles away in more ways than one! Anyway now to the book... I absolutely loved it! I wish it never ended, I would have loved to have read more of her stories. It awakened me in so many ways. After I finished it I felt incredible, I felt so inspired to be a better person, to be a better mother and to be a better wife and to become better organized and more effective in my life. But then something terrible happened! I literally finished reading the book this Sunday 3rd of April 2016 and then the very next day, Monday 4th of April, I am reading the news online and one of the headlines is Drew Barrymore and her husband Will Kopelman are divorcing. WTF! How did this happen? I am totally gutted and can't help but wonder after everything I have read in the book, is she just full of s**t? Because if you read the book you will be left thinking this marriage is going to have a happy ever after ending, not end before even 4 years! You believe her, that she is going to fight for it and make her marriage work no matter what, so then to hear this news that they are splitting it is just very sad and confusing. The timing was just really off for me given I had just immersed myself in reading her wonderful stories. But ultimately I think she is a really genuine and real person and I'm sorry she is going through this tough time. And although I am saddened that her marriage has not worked out, I am happy that she got the opportunity to experience motherhood and realize it is the best thing ever and I know she will continue to always be the most wonderful mother to her two beautiful daughters. I highly recommend this book, I think it is great. I love her, I think she is an awesome human being and I wish her all the best in life always and all the happiness in the world. ** Please note that I read the hardcover format of this book, not the kindle edition.

I don't normally read memoirs because to me it's almost an invasion of privacy they tend to make me feel uncomfortable. I purchased this story trying to understand why adult Drew seems almost unbelievably and unrealistically perky on her new talk show. After finishing her story it made me realize she is coming from a grateful place. I get it now. What I do like about her new show is that she seems to consider it a public platform to spread positivity and good. It has always seemed to me her eyes reflected secrets and guarded emotions. This woman/child has been through so much in her young life. As a mother I couldn't help feeling like wanting to reach out and give her a hug of comfort to let her know her childhood upbringing wasn't her fault. However as she hit her teenaged years her choices were her responsibility. You could almost feel her loneliness and sense of relief upon her emancipation. I am glad for her that she managed to find forgiveness for both her parents. If anything that released much angst and anxiety from her soul. My hope for her is that she and ex husband Will have found their balance as parents and peers, it is so much better for their children if they have done so (speaking from personal experience). If you like memoirs I would reccommend this story, it ended on a positive note. However as a viewer and reader I would implore Drew to stop being so hard on herself (also speaking from personal experience) you're in the process of life learning. Your daughters adore you and being a parent is hard enough without you dog piling on yourself. Just breathe and keep moving forward and allow yourself the gift of joy. you seem to have found your happy revel in it, in my humble opinion. Somehow I think I'm hoping she reads this review.

A super well-written conversational-tone page turner. Extremely valuable insight for young women. Winning life philosophy. What has meaning. You don't have to know or follow Drew Barrymore to love this book.

I have always loved Drew and been a fan of her movies. This book is interesting and yet seems to leave a lot out. For example, near the end she talks about her wedding and how her husband's parents walked them down the aisle. But what about her mom? Was she there? Drew was married three times but doesn't even mention those in her book. I looked it up and found: Drew Barrymore has been married three times. She tied the knot with Los Angeles bar owner Jeremy Thomas on March 20, 1994, but filed for divorce about two months later. She married her second husband, comedian Tom Green, in 2001, but the two divorced in 2002. Her longest marriage was to Will Kopelman, an art consultant, from 2012 to 2016. So, it seems her book came out a year before her divorce from Will. But I'm assuming things were not all as rosy as she depicts it if they split up within a year of her books release. I can't help but feel like she just skimmed over and/or left out a lot of things. It's like she sort of paints a picture but it's sort of fuzzy in spots so you can't really get a full sense of what it's a portrait of. She made her marriage to Will sound so perfect, having such great in-laws, great kids etc. that I was sad and surprised when I read the part that says, "Her longest marriage WAS to Will". I think if a person is going to tell the story of their life, they shouldn't try to sanitize it. Leaving parts out. I want to read the whole, true story. Warts and all. Otherwise, what is the point of even writing your autobiography at all? She was pretty young to tell her life story when she wrote this so perhaps as time goes on, she will have more to say and will write a follow-up. I do greatly admire her work with the UN and that she made such a huge difference in so many children's lives in Kenya. It seems she has really been a blessing to them. Huge kudos to her for that. And I still truly love her movies, and I think she is really talented. My favorites are "50 First Dates" - "Music and Lyrics" - "Boys On the Side" - and "Never Been Kissed".

When I received this in the mail, I read it right away and loved it!!! Drew Barrymore is a special person with an upbeat outlook on life and her love for people. Despite her turmoil in her youth, she managed to find herself and make a difference in the world. I recommend this to all Drew Barrymore fans who know there is no one quite like her,. She's one of the few millionaires , if maybe the only one, who is using her powers for good. I hope she's with us another 50 years to grace us with her beautiful spirit.

Born into Hollywood royalty, Drew Barrymore has shown her tremendous talents, as well as how she rose above a troubled childhood. Wildflower is the story of her trajectory, told in an anecdotal style, but not chronologically; it is complete with photos. Imagine that she has sat the reader down and shared tidbits of her life…the good, the bad, and the ugly; she doesn’t mince words. She lays it all out there, from the flaws and fears to the blessings she now enjoys with her marriage and two daughters. Her presentation includes the lessons she has learned along the way, and she shows us her journey, including trips to India and Africa. She touches on a brief marriage…and spends more time revealing how her past experiences prepared her for the marriage she now enjoys and the in-laws she adores. When one adds up the list of her accomplishments—from the production companies, beauty products, and wine-making—and how she then comes home to her dedication to motherhood, one must ask how she does it all. She says: “I’ve been in trouble for saying women can’t have it all. Things have to give if you really want to raise your kids, because it is all-consuming. It’s not that you have to give everything up. That’s the great news. “But you can’t do everything at the same time….” So her stories and her philosophies are encouraging for women, in my opinion. Knowing how to prioritize and even compartmentalize…that’s the secret. A delightful tome that brought some of her stories to her readers…4.5 stars.

I feel like we lived such similar childhoods! I loved the book! I recommend it! I think she’s such an intelligent and thoughtful woman.

Loved!!! Read it on one sitting!

Als langjähriger Fan von Drew Barrymore war der Kauf dieses Buches natürlich ein Muss. Und ich muss sagen, ich wurde nicht enttäuscht! Dieses Buch ist eine Sammlung lustiger und auch emotionaler Geschichten aus dem Leben von Drew - keine Biografie, die sich chronologisch von den frühen Jahren bis heute zieht. Es sind achronologisch angeordnete Anekdoten, die einen zum Schmunzeln und auch zum Nachdenken bringen. Ich liebe jede einzelne Geschichte und genieße es, tief in die Gedanken und Emotionen von Drew eintauchen zu können. Ein sehr gelungenes Buch!

Heartfelt, genuine...real A great read for anyone. A collection of impressions made on Drews life and really life affirming to read

Interesting and heart warming read. A true child star turned great person and loving mother. Drew shows that with passion and determination, we can turn our lives into what we want. #girlpower

A great book documenting the life of Drew Barrymore. She is a survivor of all sorts and you just can't imagine how she made it through her life. This read is honest, genuine and inspiring such as Drew Barrymore. Loved it!!

J'ai bien aimé ce livre qui se concentre principalement sur la seconde partie de carrière de DB (pas trop sur son enfance).