This is the 1 st book I have ever read about Danny Kaye, the old-timey entertainer
who starred in such musical classics of my youth as "Hans Christian Andersen"
and "White Christmas," so I'm not sure how accurate are the facts presented in
this biography. However, I can tell you that the title is misleading and the writing
is often annoying.
With a title like "The Secret Life of Danny Kaye," I was expecting to find out
something scandalous about the now-deceased comic star of stage and screen.
But it wasn't until I had read almost % of the book that I realized the title made
reference to a television show Kaye was in. There is therefore no motive for the
title (Freedland could just as easily have called the work "Wonder Man" - a Kaye
movie - and been more accurate) besides the author wanting to sell more books
with a salacious-sounding title. I found that quite annoying, like buying a book
called "Strip Tease" and finding out it's about something innocuous like stripping
furniture!
Also annoying in this Michael Freedland biography was the writing style. The
author frequently traps the reader in labyrinthine sentences which end up
meaning the opposite of the point he intends to convey. As a result, reading the
book is more like reading the first draft essay of a college student who thinks he
needs to use multi-syllabic words in order to impress his professor without
knowing what those words mean. I'm surprised this author has other books under
his biographical belt, and am curious whether they also contain such convoluted
language. However, not curious enough to pick up another book he has written!
Ultimately, however, this book is a biography about Danny Kaye, and I did learn
things I didn't know about Kaye'slife, which means the book does accomplish its
purpose. However, like the mouse who is forced to endure a maze before
getting a piece a cheese, I wonder if the infonnation gleaned is worth the hassle
of the journey. I think I'd have been happier just to rent a few Danny Kaye movies
and draw my own conclusions about the man starring in them.
Submitted by Gerti
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