emily gilmore supremacy

I'm so glad I decided to listen to this as an audiobook because the fabulous Kelly Bishop herself narrates it in her unmistakable, iconic tone and flair! I absolutely adored getting to hear the life story of a woman who I can claim to "know" through her role as Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls. But the amount of life Kelly lived before and after this seven season stint really astounded me and made me think about how, regardless of her fabulous representation of a lovingly complex matriarchal character, Kelly is her own separate person with such an intriguing story to tell. And what a story it was! I had no idea she started her professional career on the stage, and still seems to consider her time dancing and acting in live performances peak parts of her career and fond memories. What do you mean the A Chorus Line song "At the Ballet" is about her and her life?? That's so insanely cool. I also appreciated how she decided to take us through her life story, which is no small feat. Beginning with the onset of her career really taking off with A Chorus Line and then working backwards to explain her passion for dancing, her relationship with her mother and father, and how she came to move to New York and have a few romantic flings, functioned as a storyline that I thought worked really well to eventually bring us up to speed with "the present" and the rest of her major life events, including Gilmore Girls, eventual marriages, and various health issues. I also appreciated how Kelly wrapped up the memoir with an attitude I aspire to wear as comfortably as she does if I'm blessed with as many years. It's an attitude that all but screams "this is the end of this book, but certainly not the end of my story." 

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Some of my favorite quotes from The Third Gilmore Girl:

"Don’t cry because you think your best days are gone. Smile because you had them in the first place."

"If it’s meant to work out, it will. If it isn’t, it will just make me available for what I’m supposed to be doing instead.” (Sometimes it was reassuring; sometimes it wasn’t.)"

"What on earth would we all do without one another?"

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