Melissa "Dog/Wolf Lover" Martin's Reading & Ramblings: Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

Award-winning actress Drew Barrymore shares funny, insightful, and profound stories from her past and present told from the place of happiness she's achieved today.

Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross country road trip, saying goodbye to her father in a way only he could have understood, and many more adventures and lessons that have led her to the successful, happy, and healthy place she is today. It is the first book Drew has written about her life since the age of 14. @goodreads

MY REVIEW:

4 STARS

I have always loved Drew Barrymore so I was excited to read this new book. Drew says in the preface that she didn't write the book in any particular format, it's not a sweeping life story but an elaboration on times in her life as she remembered them. I thought the way it was written, with the back and forth from different years of Drew's life was awesome.

In the beginning chapter of the book, Drew talks about having an avocado tree in their tiny backyard and a cascading bougainvillea flower out front. She felt close to nature with these flowers and tree. She was especially sentimental about the avocado tree....

avocado tree:

•••••

In fact the significance of the avocado tree is still as strong as can be for me. I even have it in my will that I want to be buried under one, or have some of my ashes put there. Some avocado tree preferably on a hill that is nowhere near anything this time. Just up on a rolling mountain, preferably with an ocean view. I can dream!

•••••

Let us all be wildflowers!

•••••

Drew talks about different friendships through out the years. She talks about her business "Flower" with her best friend, which makes movies, a cosmetic line and many other ventures.

Drew talks about how her mom wasn't really a mom to her and she was emancipated at a young age. Her dad was a hippie with another story you will just have to read about.

I loved the story she told about her dogs! Being a dog lover, this would appeal to me. She spent many wonderful years with three dogs she rescued and had a most wonderful bond. They were her family until she made another family of her own. The dogs were Flossy, Templeton and Vivian.

Flossy outlived all of them and it was sad hearing about them passing away, even when Flossy passed. They all had a wonderful life, I can tell you.

I love that she has dogs with her daughters, they named them Lucy (my dogs name!) and Douglas. Drew says:

The house is chaos sometimes when the dogs are trying to eat the kids' food or jumping into the tub with them. But it's worth it. Life with dogs is better. I just wouldn't have it any other way. They say that dogs can give and receive love through their eyes. The unspoken ability to lock in and actually feel love between human and animal is an extraordinary thing.

•••••

I love when she talks about her beautiful girls, Olive and Frankie. I would say for her this is her best moment of her life, having those girls and bringing them up to be strong women.

Olive & Frankie:

There is a little section called Dear Olive and Dear Frankie. They are so sweet, I will add some words Drew said to each of them.

DEAR OLIVE

I love you in the way where you discover the most selfless true love that one can experience. You are the keeper of my heart. The love of my life. You are trying to just figure it all out right now, but the truth is, I can't wait till you will just collapse in my arms and stay for a while. Like forever.

DEAR FRANKIE

To say I love you is the understatement of the world. To show that I do for the rest of my life will be my honor and my pleasure. As I sing to you the tune of "Rubber Duckie" ... "Little Frankie, you're the one, you always make my day so fun. Little Frankie, I'm awfully fond of you."

I thought is was a great book...