As one of the reviewers said, the book isn't literature but it's certainly an entertaining read. Richard Burton kept a diary and this book contains a few selections of his entries about Elizabeth which made for interesting reading. It's also fun to read about the people they worked and socialized with, the jewels she received, and the studio contracts. Now that I've finished reading about their relationship and their movies, I want to re-watch the Taming of the Shrew and Cleopatra, etc. to see what I can see. Overall though, their lives seemed sad since alcohol and drugs played a large part in their dysfunctional relationship. ( )

A genuinely poorly written book, but an absolutely riveting story. Get past the repetitions and copy-paste errors, and you're in for a ride. ( )

Long before "Bennifer" became "Brangelina", to the dismay of Jennifer Anniston fans and the delight of the tabloids, there was the shock and awe of the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton affair of the early 1960s, which scandalized the world and drew the scolding of everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper to Pope John XXIII.

Those who were around in the 60s and besotted by Hollywood royalty will relish wallowing once again in all the juicy details and the conspicuous consumption that marked an era when people could still be shocked by the marital hijinks of screen idols. Those who have come late to the party will get a peek at a world of self-indulgence and high passion -- all played out on the public stage.

This is a long book, and probably lingers overlong on detail, but under all the gleeful shock and voyeurism, a portrait emerges of two very flawed and needy people who each thought the other would make their life perfect and complete, but who, in the end, were separately unable to make the kinds of sacrifices required by an enduring relationship. ( )

I've never been a particular fan of either Taylor or Burton's careers, nor especially interested in their romance -- but I was unexpectedly caught up in this excellent account of their passionate, enduring, ferocious love for each other. The author, who was given access to Taylor's letters from Burton, walked a nice line between revelation and discretion. We see both Burton and Taylor up close, warts and all, but always with a sense of affection and respect.

Kashner makes a plausible case for the damage their public "Liz-n-Dick" partnership personna had an increasingly damaging effect on the private relationship between Elizabeth and Richard. Their drinking, particularly Burton's became increasingly damaging as well. (Taylor was blessed with a much greater capacity to drink with become drunk, or to suffer as much physically from it.) Unfortunately, when Burton tried to get sober, Taylor didn't quit her own drinking in support, and in fact often chided him for having become boring. Kashner takes pains to remind his readers that all this played out in the sixties and early seventies, before "alcoholism" was recognized as a disease.

What shines through the tragedy, the extravagant lifestyles, the ups-and-downs of their theater and film careers, is their enduring love for each other. They were not always good for each other, but they were passionately in love and remained so all their lives. In the end, I think that was the most compelling aspect of the book: an up-close look at so great and consuming a love, despite its terrible aspects. ( )

I really like these two celebrities for some odd reason. There was one odd typo though. One or both of them exit a limo and hurry through a phalanx of paparazzi. The authors describe it as "running the gamut." ( )