Streisand: Her Life

Seasoned celebrity biographer Spada (Grace: The Secret Life of a Princess) here provides an evenhanded and highly detailed look at the life of Barbra Streisand. Beginning with his subject's childhood as a skinny Brooklynite from a broken home, Spada charts Streisand's meteoric rise to celebrity as a Broadway star by the age of 20, her tremendous popularity as a singer, her various love affairs with the likes of Elliot Gould and Warren Beatty and her ongoing battles--as actress, producer and director--with the Hollywood establishment. Streisand, who emerges as a complicated, highly talented figure, at once brash and insecure, overweening and generous, is a fascinating subject, although Spada's careful objectivity does not allow for the really intimate portrait the diva's fans might desire. But while Spada sometimes soft-pedals the more sensational details of Streisand's life--particularly the rockier points in her personal relationships--he compensates by offering lucid and insightful analyses of her artistic output on stage, in song and on film. And the sheer comprehensiveness of this bio will make it a satisfying read for Streisand devotees. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)