Pieces of My Heart: A Life

Overall it was a positive, upbeat book with interesting details about his life, people that he connected with throughout his life, and bits of wisdom that life taught him. It was a pleasant surprise in some ways and I enjoyed reading it.

RJ, as he prefers to be called, has had it all: good looks, a long and successful career, an amazing love life, and appreciative children. Writing now in his late 70s, he lives to tell the tale . . .RJ began his career as a part of the famed movie studio system, and it served him well. He knew from a young age that he wanted to be an actor, spurred on by being a golf caddy to the stars (especially Clark Gable) and despite the wishes of his critical father who wanted him to go into the family business. The system promoted him and taught him the ropes. Starting there at age 18, he was eventually able to out-earn his dad and he quickly met bevies of beautiful and talented women. His first great love was Barbara Stanwyck; he was 22 to her 45. She became his clandestine mate for four years, never able to take their relationship public. "What ultimately broke it up was the [very] fact that it couldn't go anywhere--it was a classic backstreet romance." Yet he stayed in touch with her until the end of her life, shortly after a burglar broke into her home and pistol-whipped her when she was elderly.Beyond a doubt, however, RJ's greatest love was Natalie Wood whom he married twice. By now, he was 27 and she was only 19 when they married for the first time. She wrote in her journal upon their engagement, "Two lonely stars with no place in the sun found their orbit--each other--and they were one." But such celestial happiness was not to last. Her career soared while his languished, and Warren Beatty enchanted her during the filming of Splendor in the Grass. So after 3½ years together, they were all-too-soon divorced.RJ speaks fondly of his second wife, the "beautiful" Marion Marshall, but with nowhere near the passion that he reserves for Natalie (or for that matter, Barbara). Nonetheless, they had a daughter together, Katie. Yet a few nights after her birth, he and Natalie crossed paths again: "My heart stopped when I saw her. At the same time, I felt a terrible, conflicting disloyalty to Marion, who deserved a husband totally focused on her." Divorce inevitably followed, and he and Natalie were free to marry again, having their own daughter, Courtney.But their love had one more unhappy ending this time. After another 9 years together, they spent a fatal Thanksgiving weekend together aboard their yacht, moored off Catalina Island. Natalie's costar at the time, Christopher Walken, was their only guest after three others had cancelled. It seems that there was perhaps a little rivalry, or at least some disagreement, between RJ and him that flared after they and Natalie had all had too much to drink. She retired to bed, and RJ smashed a wine bottle on the table while arguing with Walken. What happened to Natalie in the meantime will always remain a mystery. Either she attempted to board the yacht's dinghy to escape the conflict or she tried to pull it closer into the boat to keep it from knocking against the wall of her cabin. In any event, she fell into the water and drowned.In the aftermath of this tragedy, RJ tried to be there for his daughters and for Natalie's daughter with Richard Gregson, Natasha. These girls had bonded in sisterhood, and RJ asked Natasha's father if he could continue to raise them together, and Gregson agreed. And then RJ married for the fourth time to Jill St. John, who rescued him from his depression after Natalie's death. He speaks of her--as he speaks of most people--in very positive terms. You come away from this book remembering less of RJ's successful acting career than you do of his love of women and relentless decency toward others. One has the sense that he must be a very nice man . . .

Lots of photosMostly about RJs personal relationships

It is a book. I used it to read.

I had no particular expectation, picking up the book: I had always liked Robert Wagner as an actor but was not what might be termed a ‘rabid fan’. So it came as a surprise to find how much I truly enjoyed reading his autobiography! It brought unexpected pleasure and unanticipated insights, both in facts and philosophy.I found I really liked how he came across as a person, how he said what he thought about people, even those he disliked, but without daggers, and often with a lot of praise and love.As my banner suggests, a great deal of the pleasure came from the astounding number of names of the great stars of Hollywood who populate the narrative: icons whom RJ himself idolized as a boy, and then for whom he caddied, and then with whom he worked, and then finally who became mentors and even close, lifelong friends. I’ve always been an old movie buff, even as a kid, so these names were my idols, too: Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Barbara Stanwyck, David Niven, and so many, many more!He writes about the often-brutal business side of Hollywood, along with the cruel pain and losses he has suffered ~ the death of Natalie Wood being the most well-known ~ and also the many blessings he has had, especially his children and stepchildren, while living a long life. (The book was published in 2008, he just turned 91 this year). He shares his insights along the way in such a style that I found them interesting, believable - - not self-aggrandizing - - the writing easy to read, real and relatable: Great fun, and very human stuff!

I bought this book after enjoying re-runs of Hart to Hart on television recently. I found the style of writing very easy to read and the humour of Mr Wagner shines throughout. His stories of meeting countless big names when he first started in movies and how he learnt from them is entertaining and sometimes educational. His love affairs and marriages get the same treatment. The raw emotion shown when discusing various tragedies in his own life and others is truly moving. I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it.

Knowing his reputation as a "Ladies Man", I thought that if he was too honest, I would not see him in the same light. Love reading autobiographies, but some have left me so disillusioned that I cannot bear to watch or hear them again. Not so this one, he certainly did not appear to take advantage of anyone and came across as being very honest. Really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Maybe because it was in RJ's words. I have always liked him as an actor and found it very interesting. He had lovely things to say about most of his fellow actors. I especially liked his stories about David Niven who he seems to have been very fond of.

A good read as far as celebrity biographies go. Robert Wagner does not shy away from talking about his career or his relationships

Fascinating book about RJW and his life in Hollywood, the death of Natalie Wood, learning a great deal about Hollywood to the present days. If your a film fan this is the book for you,very entertaining and well written.