I’ve written about my thrice list (authors I’ve read more than twice) and my premiere list (a handful of authors I’ve read ten times). There are a few authors who stand somewhere in the middle. Last time I wrote about my fondness for Ann Hood. Andrew Morton is just a bit behind her.
I first encountered Andrew Morton when he was making the publicity rounds for his biography of Princess Diana. It was later revealed that Diana was the book’s main source, giving him a lopsided credibility. It was as close as you could get to her in those days.
I’ve continued to read him sporadically since then. What is it that I like about his books? It’s simple: they’re cheap and appealing celebrity dish. Here are five of them and what I thought.
1.
Here is the book that started it all. Andrew had close access to the princess in the last days of her marriage to then Prince Charles. The story is familiar now: the arranged marriage, the infidelity, the strain of keeping up appearances. At the time, though, knowing she was guiding him made it riveting.
2.
I’m not sure when Andrew wrote this book, but it was a pleasant vicarious experience when I discovered it years later. Madonna was a struggling dancer in New York City who hit the big time when MTV was launching and looking for a younger Deborah Harry to fill the content hours. You can feel the ’80s as the pages turn.
3.
Andrew goes a little darker in this examination of Tom Cruise. Raised by women, Tom commuted from New Jersey in high school to audition for movies and theater. His half naked photos were submitted to gay skin magazines by a hapless agent, leading to years of false rumors about his sexuality. Later his three marriages and devotion to Scientology caused regrettable headlines. Mr. Cruise does not get kid glove treatment here.
4.
Morton moves from critical portrait to hit piece in this memoir released in 2011. Relying heavily on Jon Voight and former employees, Morton portrays Angelina as a neglected child who becomes a heroin addict, marries impulsively, and engages in peculiar behavior. After her teen crush Johnny Depp charms her on the Venetian set of The Tourist, a maid finds a bunch of used sex toys in Angie’s hotel room.
5.
Moving back into royal territory, Morton examines the life of Diana’s daughter-in-law. A LA private school girl raised in two homes after her parents split, Meghan does a degree at Northwestern, finds success as an actress, and gets involved in high profile charity causes. This was all a lot fresher before she and Harry began their PR blitz in 2021.
Books Smitten 