Life Is Not a Stage

From Broadway Baby to a Lovely Lady and Beyond

By: Florence Henderson, Joel Brokaw

Narrated by: Florence Henderson

For millions of people around the world, Carol Brady is synonymous with motherhood, but growing up as the youngest of ten children in rural Indiana in the aftermath of the Great Depression, Florence Henderson lived a life quite different from that of the quintessential TV mom she later played on television.
Florence's father was a dirt-poor tobacco tenant farmer who was nearly fifty years old when he married Florence's twenty-five-year-old mother, and was nearly seventy when Florence was born. Florence's childhood was full of deprivation and abandonment. Her father was an alcoholic at a time when there was no rehab or help for the disease. Their home rarely had electricity or running water. When she was twelve, Florence's mother left the family to work in Cleveland and never returned.
Florence opens up about her childhood, as well as the challenges she's faced as an adult, including stage fright, postpartum depression, her extramarital affairs, divorce, her hearing loss, and heart problems. She writes with honesty and wisdom of how her faith and ability to survive has brought her through rough times to a life of profound joy and purpose.

A Lovely Lady indeed.

Where does Life Is Not a Stage rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

out of the 20 or so audio books I've bought, Florence's story is one of the top 10.

What did you like best about this story?

Grew up with her on the Brady Bunch I was fascinated by her story. I never really knew ANYTHING about Florence Henderson. I just found her so likeable. Her childhood surprised me.

What does Florence Henderson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I only like books read by the authors. I don't think I could ever sit and read a "regular" book again.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Listening about her childhood. It was not a good childhood. Yet, she worked hard in the theater. a true PROFESSIONAL. I was very moved learning about her life.

Any additional comments?

I listed to this a few weeks after her passing. Which made it all the more engaging to me. I've always liked Florence Henderson. We all are going to die. It's just extra sad for me losing Carol Brady. She was a lovely lady indeed.

Good celeb memoir

I enjoy enjoyed this book having tracked Florence's career since loving
The Brady Bunch. Not as well-written or delivered as some others (Julie Andrews, and the first 3/4ths of Sally Field's In Pieces), I was certainly entertained.

Florence Reveals all

Florence reveals all in her book...good and bad. It's too bad we didn't see more of her ideas in The Brady Bunch. She is truly a gem of a human.

Fabulous!!!

I knew a little about Florence Henderson, yet what I didn't know made my heart swell! Florence is a testament in positivity in all its glory!!

a great read by a great lady

I loved listening to her. she is an inspiration to many. she has a gift for public speaking