Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                

Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Good Girls Don't
Good Girls Don't
Good Girls Don't
Audiobook2 hours

Good Girls Don't

Written by Mara Wilson

Narrated by Mara Wilson

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

In this candid and illuminating Everand Original, writer-actor Mara Wilson navigates the good-girl-versus- bad-girl tropes from early childhood through adolescence and teen life. Good Girls Don’t is a coming-of- age memoir that bravely examines both the friendships Wilson formed as a child actor in Hollywood and the complex family relationships that shaped her.

Looking back on her experiences on and off the set of notable family-friendly films including Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Simple Wish, Wilson shares the challenges and joys of growing up in the public eye while enduring the very personal grief of losing her mother to cancer when she was just eight. She describes periods of acting out to assuage her own sadness, as her contentious grandmother stepped in and her hardworking, grief-stricken father grappled with raising a young daughter and her four siblings.

Wilson also shares intimate thoughts about religion and her struggle to adhere to the learned family values of her “Conservadox” upbringing while exploring clandestine friendships, such as with “bad girl” classmate Skye, that went against the “good” behavior her parents tried to instill in her. We discover the TV shows, films, and risqué pop and rock music that influenced her and hear fascinating, hilarious details of life on movie sets as seen from the perspective of a highly intelligent and emotionally vulnerable child.

And, as Wilson seeks to discard a people-pleasing mentality, she digs into past experiences with fans. We learn about the challenges of maintaining a significant fan base — including her complicated relationship with Edward, the college-age young man who administered a website to engage them — in addition to the ongoing anxiety over others’ opinions of how any move she made would be perceived.

With the transition to adulthood, Wilson reflects on the moments that led up to this next phase of her life. Forging solid friendships as a theater student at New York University, she begins to accept her extraordinary past while finally realizing what being “good” means to her.

Editor's Note

Painfully relatable…

Good girls don’t talk back. Good girls don’t disobey their parents. Good girls don’t disappoint their fans. Writer and former child actor Wilson (“Matilda,” “Mrs. Doubtfire”) opens up about her struggle with the pressure to please other people while growing up in the spotlight on set and dealing with the turmoil of her mother’s death. This memoir is candid, humble, and above all, painfully relatable.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 18, 2023
ISBN9781094460055
Author

Mara Wilson

Mara Wilson, known for her childhood roles in Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, is a writer and actor living in Los Angeles. Recently, she has appeared on Welcome to Night Vale, Broad City, and BoJack Horseman. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Elle, McSweeney’s, Reductress, People, and many other outlets. She also publishes a newsletter of her writing on Substack, “Shan’t We Tell the Vicar?” Wilson’s first book, Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame is available from Penguin Random House. Recently, Wilson voiced Tania de Batz in the audiobook One for All, a gender-swapped version of The Three Musketeers by Lillie Lainoff.

Related to Good Girls Don't

Related audiobooks

Personal Memoirs For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Good Girls Don't

Rating: 3.992248062015504 out of 5 stars
4/5

516 ratings17 reviews

What our readers think

Readers find this title to be a candid and frank look into the personal difficulties and social pressures Mara Wilson faced during her formative years. The writing style is appreciated, although some readers felt it lacked depth. The book provides an insightful and sincere perspective on the traumatic childhood of a child actor. Many readers found it relatable and enjoyed the easy-to-follow narrative. Overall, readers recommend this book for its wit, perceptive insights, and relatability.

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mara’s work is incredibly relatable, moving, and enjoyable, as always!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    short but we'll written. I enjoyed it and would listen again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this to be oddly relatable, it gives you a lot of insight as to what it’s like to grow up in the spotlight at such a young age…
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mara shows more perspective in this book. Comes off genuine and overall well stated.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved the book, as short as it was. I felt all the points Mara wanted to tell us about and I loved her narration, one of the best voices out there!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    LOVED her growing up and now love who she has become. We have had very similar upbringings with our parents.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    It lacked any depth. If your looking for a quick read without much thought it’s great
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very personally read by the author and nicely written about her as well as honest
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "I'm very disappointed in you" felt so relatable ! ?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Too short, I would like to hear more of her story. I may check out her book she wrote before this one. I never realized she lost her mother when she was filming Matilda.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Sincere and interesting. Loved it. Easy to follow as well.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed Where Am I Now and this was a good follow up. Mara and other former child stars that are speaking up about their experiences have put a lot into perspective for those of us who grew up watching them.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    No one knows what pain can lie behind the smiles or the nasty. You put it very well.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very candid and frank look into the personal difficulties and social pressures Mara Wilson struggled with during her formative years.

    My only complaint is that it was quite short as I very much appreciated the writing style and honest breakdown of that time in her life.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very good! Witty and perceptive.
    An insightful look at the traumatic childhood, of a child actor.
    Who wouldn't be a brat if we had to deal with the death of a parent, School and Hollywood?
    Happy she's in a better place, now.
    This is a book I recommend!

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very sad that Mara’s Mother died when she was so young -She gave such a wonderful performance in Matilda- the writing was great- I didn’t enjoy a Simple wish so much -but that was due to the plot-not the actors. Mara has grown up pretty well considering some go off the rails losing a parent at a young age. And yes….she was a “good girl”.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    very boring and a waste of time, nothing too related to the name. Don't recommed