• In Pieces

  • By: Sally Field
  • Narrated by: Sally Field
  • Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (10,925 ratings)

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In Pieces  By  cover art

In Pieces

By: Sally Field
Narrated by: Sally Field
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Publisher's summary

In this intimate, haunting literary memoir and New York Times Notable Book of the year, an American icon tells her own story for the first time - about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.

One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has an infectious charm that has captivated the nation for more than five decades, beginning with her first TV role at the age of 17. From Gidget's sweet-faced "girl next door" to the dazzling complexity of Sybil to the Academy Award-worthy ferocity and depth of Norma Rae and Mary Todd Lincoln, Field has stunned audiences time and time again with her artistic range and emotional acuity.

Yet there is one character who always remained hidden: the shy and anxious little girl within. With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings listeners behind-the-scenes for not only the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood, but deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships - including her complicated love for her own mother.

Powerful and unforgettable, In Pieces is an inspiring and important account of life as a woman in the second half of the 20th century.

©2018 Sally Field (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Actor Sally Field, who has won two Academy Awards, delivers a powerhouse performance of her first memoir. Her aging timbre doesn't detract from the sensitivity that her personal narration brings to the story of her troubled childhood, early television roles, and ultimate success as a sophisticated and well-modulated actor and producer." (AudioFile)

"Field fuels this aching, lyrical memoir with frankness about her emotional childhood, her conflicted relationship with the late Burt Reynolds, and how acting helped her interpret life in all its pain and beauty." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Field lays it all on the line...In Pieces is an indelible portrait of a woman we all thought we knew." (Auburn Citizen)

Featured Article: 45+ Quotes to Boost Your Confidence


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What listeners say about In Pieces

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting Life Story of Sally Field's

Wow. I am, well.... speechless. Sally Field's memoir hides or candy coats nothing in her life. She's an inspiration for women who have been abused sexually or otherwise. She is so honest and forthright in her insecurities, failures and very modest and humble in her achievements.
I highly recommend this book.

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189 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Who knew?

I'm not a writer, reviewing books is difficult for me. However, I completely understand how this is on the best seller's list!!!

A a child of the 1950's I watched this REMARKABLE woman perform, and in the ignorance of youth, I chose not to do a bit of research to explore her... This book, for me, was a totally shocking revelation!
The candor and expressiveness of Ms. Fields will shock and surprise you. As a tv addict, I (in my mind) knew that those inside the small screen had BEAUTIFUL lives. The blunt description of the private life in "In Pieces" will shock you!

There are laughs... but there will certainly be tears as well.

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166 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Field draws you in then drops you off

I was really enjoying this book...the details, the revelations, the insights Sally shared that were so personal. Then, suddenly, the last quarter of the book was in fast forward and seemed like a summary of the past two decades. Was there a deadline looming? Was she tired of exploring her experience and didn’t want to delve into more recent history? It just ended. Would have loved as much detail as the first three quarters and would have listened to several more hours.

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141 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining...but felt rushed and incomplete...

I’m a big Sally Field fan and was very much looking forward to this book, and while overall I enjoyed it, I felt there were parts of her life and roles she played that were skipped. Additionally, I felt the last 3 chapters felt quite rushed, almost as if she was given a finite amount of pages in which to tell the story and had to wrap up quickly because of it. I would’ve liked to hear why she finally broke up with Burt Reynolds, how she felt about him revealing years later that she was the love of his life, etc., and would’ve also liked to hear her discuss her second Oscar win (the infamous “you like me, you really like me!” speech) and what her thoughts were on woman aging in Hollywood. It seemed to veer dramatically at times between being a memoir of her relationship with her mother and her awful step-father, Jocko Mahoney, and her ascent to becoming a major Hollywood star, but didn’t find strike a solid balance in telling both tales...

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108 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sally's story will leave you In Pieces

I thoroughly enjoyed Sally's story and even better her narration of her story. No one else could have done it. She writes of her life and it's challenges from childhood to adulthood, from not being famous to being famous for all the wrong reasons to being celebrated and world famous and the journey encompasses every emotion you can imagine and then some and completely captivates the reader.. I have watched her on the screen over the years as a actor and deeply appreciated her work, Sybill was masterful, as was Norma Rae and Places In the Heart and many other works of Sally's. Having now heard her story and her lack of confidence and the never-ending fears that she surmounted over and over only add to the beautiful nuances she brings to the screen and gives me an even deeper appreciation of what she accomplished as an actress as well as a Mother, Daughter and Sister. There are times in her story when you just want to shake Sally as she makes such self defeating choice after self defeating choice in her personal life. But she takes her lumps and keeps on going and I just love that about her! I will never personally know Sally Field outside of her book but it's enough to give all of us a true picture of how someone who seems so 'small' is not, in any way whatsoever. She climbed mountains in every aspect of her life and she deserves good things for the rest of her life just as she always did, even when she didn't believe it. It was so gratifying to read that she and her Mom were able to say goodbye with nothing left between them but love for each other. This is a wonderful book Sally and it left me in complete awe of you and your tenacity and your bravery to let it all hang out about your life. Ironically I believe BR actually told the truth when he confessed how much he loved you and how he had screwed up badly with you and he knew it but had no choice other than to live with the memories, the consequences and the loss even as he faced the end of his life. That is more powerful than you might imagine for your reader. You are much more courageous than it seems you ever knew! I hope things just keep getting better and better for you!

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72 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A Good Memoir

One aspect of this memoir kept bothering me throughout the book. It was the sexual abuse. She relates it as if it was just something that happened, obviously not good, but evidently tolerable because of her continued relationship with her abuser. I understand the complicated dynamics between the victim and the abuser, but Sally Field had insight into her trauma with therapy and with her acting.
For the most of the book, the horrific abuse is almost taken for granted without any of the underlying feelings except until the end where she confronts her mother. Which, by the way, was a very unsatisfying ending because then most of the focus of her memoir becomes about the mother.
The ending was passed over quickly instead of the more detailed pace of the first part. I really wanted to hear more about her career and her acting roles and even her famous Academy Award you like me speech.
I think part of the problem I had was the manner and tone in which she narrated this book. Everything, including happy moments, sounded morose, depressing and bleak. Even the photo on the cover looks sad.
Overall, a good memoir of a very fine actress, but not an insightful journey.



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56 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

growing up with Sally

Amazing. Sally has been one of my favorite actors. Her book is amazing. So close to what I always felt as a child. Sally is so brave.
I would love to thank her via a personal email, but alas... Thank you Sally Field for your breath of work. I can truthfully say there has never been a movie that you were in that I didn't absolutely love.
Carolyn

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31 people found this helpful

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Need more

This was an amazing listen. Having family issues, as everyone does, I could totally relate. At some points I forgot it was Sally Field, actress,and she was just another woman coming to terms with her life. I wanted more though. Like what all the movies were like and all the actors were like to work with. Feel like she skipped 2 decades in the middle. She'll have to write another one!

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Caution: Extreme introspection

It feels more like an extended therapy session than a life story. It has its high points, but several times I grew impatient with what seems to be whining and self-pity, and I wanted her to get over it and move on. It left me feeling grimy, depressed. Ugh. Can't help but wonder why she decided to publish it.

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18 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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I Really Wanted to Like It

It seemed like a VERY LONG therapy session. Everything in her life has apparently been horrible. She has had hit TV shows and movies and three wonderful kids. Yet her book is so negative. Listen to the Sample before purchasing. If you enjoy hours of "poor me" narration, this is the book for you.

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15 people found this helpful