Good Read Review: Dreamlovers

She was the silver screen’s queen of the teens whose sweetness struck a cinematic chord. He was the brash singing sensation who owned every stage he stepped on. Together, they reigned over the movie and music industries.

Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin.

In Dreamlovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee, their son Dodd Darin takes a courageously intimate and unflinchingly honest look at the two larger-than-life luminaries that’s both fascinating and heartbreaking.

Written as a quest to better understand his mother and overcome his psychological need to live up to his father, Dodd crafted a compulsively addictive read that strips away the glitter and glamor. He reveals the real Sandra and Bobby—flaws, attributes and all—destroying the Hollywood facade of perfection in the process.

Dodd tells their individual stories through alternating chapters, devoting equal time to each—an enamoring technique that keeps you invested in their lives.

Their stories alone are interesting enough, but Dodd cleverly couples them with anecdotes and insights from those who knew them best. Most appealing is Sandra Dee’s own commentary throughout the book. She doesn’t hold anything back, including her darkest demons: suffering childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather and battling anorexia and alcoholism most of her life.

One of the last studio-system stars, Dee started out as a childhood model before getting her big break as Gidget (1959) at 14 years old. Millions of fans knew her as the bubbly blonde with the innocent charm. In reality, she was an introvert living under the thumb of her domineering mother, suffering from severe emotional issues. These issues would haunt her all her life, especially after her stardom waned.

Dodd probes deep inside his mother’s psyche, examining Sandra Dee the movie star as well as the woman behind the persona. And at times there’s a brutal honesty that’s both stimulating and sad. Dee didn’t know who to be if she wasn’t in front of the camera, an incapacity that fueled her faults in her later years.

Like Dee, Bobby Darin also came from a broken background. After suffering rheumatic fever as a child, he constantly lived in the shadow of death, which drove his relentless need for success. But he was never satisfied, no matter how many hits he made. Why? Dodd uncovers the insecurities and uncertainties that plagued his father, examining the motivations behind his egomaniac ways. Bobby was arrogant. But he was also charming. And his personality pops off the page chapter after chapter, captivating you like one of his catchy tunes.

Living in a race against time, Bobby set goals for himself. One of which was to marry the perfect, petite blonde wife. Which he did within weeks of meeting Dee on the set of Come September (1960). He was 27. She was 16. He lived off being surrounded by an entourage and excitement. She withdrew from crowds and commotion.

Through all their differences, the love between them shines through even after their divorce in 1965. Dodd Darin takes you on a full-circle journey with each of his parents from childhood, illuminating the big picture of their lives.

With all their fame and fortune, neither were ever truly happy. He was always searching for more success, while she was struggling to find normalcy. Dodd keeps you enthralled as he tries to figure out exactly what each of them was looking for in life.

Dreamlovers is a story of hope, honesty and ultimately, healing. Dodd has composed a cathartic love letter to his parents that unmasks every memory, good and bad, of two legends who left the world too soon.

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