Knee Deep in Paradise

""You know you've lived a hell of a life when stardom is anticlimactic,"" declares Butler, star of Grace Under Fire, in this candid, bittersweet memoir, which she began writing years before she became famous. Aphoristic, melancholy and ultimately triumphant, it sometimes reads like a great country song. Her father, eccentric and imperious, abandoned the family when Brett was four; only after he died did adult Brett discover they shared a maverick sensibility. Books, comedy and a supportive bohemian (if depressive) mother helped Brett weather a gothic Southern childhood. As a teenager, though, she escaped with drink, drugs and sex; at 20 she married a man who began beating her the day after their wedding. Three years later, she ditched her husband in Georgia and discovered stand-up comedy in Houston, finally channeling her creativity and tendency to excess. Moving to New York City, she advanced her comedy career as she discovered sobriety, a lasting love and a grounded sense of herself. Since this memoir concerns only Butler's pre-Hollywood life, fans may be disappointed that she doesn't discuss her show, dish Tinseltown or confess to her recent plastic surgery. But her book is rich enough without that. Photos not seen by PW. $500,000 ad/promo; first serial to People; author tour. (May)