If This Was Happiness

A Biography of Rita Hayworth

By: Barbara Leaming

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Rita Hayworth was the epitome of 1940s glamour. A legendary "Love Goddess", she was a huge box-office star, and her sultry beauty and sensational figure made her into one of Hollywood's greatest sex-symbols: a pin-up so incendiary that GIs pasted it on to the first atom bomb ever detonated.

Yet behind the smoldering image lay a tragic secret that wrecked her private life. A pathologically shy child, she was thrust at an early age into a sordid limelight as her vaudevillian father's dancing partner, and suffered sexual and physical abuse at his hands. A desperate need for protection led her into five marriages, including nuptials with Orson Welles and Prince Aly Khan. All of them resulted in exploitation and disaster, as did affairs with some of the world's most glamorous men.

©1989 Barbara Leaming (P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Hayworth fans will learn much from this biography by the author of Orson Welles. The surprising story of the acutely shy Margarita Carmen Cansino, who was dubbed the 'Love Goddess', contains more melodrama than most romance novels." (Publishers Weekly)

In-depth study

much better than the usual hollywood biography.

incredible story

Loved it. The narrator did. good job, the author was very detailed and understanding to Rita's plight.She had a rough life and sadly didn't get better off screen.

A tremendous tragedy . . .

. . . that is as much an engaging exploration of Hayworth's intriguing life as it is a case study of the lifelong and profound effects of childhood trauma. Irrevocably broken by that trauma, Hayworth spent a lifetime and multiple fortunes trying to repair the unrepairable and, in the process, lived a life so intensely self-centered that she unwittingly hurt all of those around her. Extremely well written, excellent narration, and definitely one to listen to twice because it's so packed with characters and events that you miss both content and import on the first go.

Love the golden era stars

Well told with a sad end that lots of families can relate to. I would recommend

Fabulous!

Love it! Haven't read a bad Leaning book yet!
The narrator was perfect for this story.