Bo Derek Book:

		List Price: $25.95		Publisher: HarperEntertainment Salesrank: 310317 Released: February 5, 2002
		Our Price: $6.34
		Used Price: $0.01
		Media: Hardcover

Editorial Review:

Bo Derek vaulted into the national spotlight in 1979 as the perfect fantasy woman in 10, Blake Edwards's sophisticated film comedy. Her otherworldly beauty and voluptuous figure captivated men everywhere, while her cornrow hairstyle launched a fashion trend among women. Bo has always remained intensely private about her personal life, especially with regards to her May-December marriage to director John Derek, creating an intriguing sense of mystery that has led to much speculation. Here, for the first time, she reveals the truth about the woman behind the glossy image.

Born Mary Cathleen Collins and known as Cathy, she grew up in southern California, the horse-crazy oldest daughter of four. Her father, a public relations executive for the boat manufacturer Hobie Cat, and her mother, a hairstylist and makeup artist for a number of Hollywood figures, separated permanently while Bo was in her teens. During this time her mother was working for Ann-Margret, and it was backstage at one of the entertainer's Las Vegas shows that a theatrical agent approached Bo about pursuing a movie career. At one of her very first auditions the sixteen-year-old Bo met John Derek, a man thirty years her senior, with whom she would spend the next twenty-five years of her life.

Theirs was a love affair of epic proportions, but it was one that was widely misunderstood by the press and public alike. John was dubbed a Svengali, and his influence over the young Bo was thought to be limitless. With great candor and an endearing humor, Bo comes clean on a relationship that has long intrigued provided fodder for American gossip mills, and the result is an account that is far from what we may haveimagined. Bo lays bare the intimate moments and madcap adventures that she and John shared, revealing in the process that she has never, even for a moment, relinquished control of her own destiny.

Given her unusual story, her only-in-Hollywood childhood, her friendships with Ursula Andress and Linda Evans (both of John's ex-wives), her time spent living in a trailer home, her rumored relationship with Ted Turner, and her exhaustive work for the Republican Party, it often seems as if Bo has lived nine lives rather than just one. Whether spurning Life magazine or passing on the opportunity to work with legendary filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis, Bo has gone with her gut regardless of the consequences. And that's only fitting for the woman who has chosen to live life with no safety nets--and no regrets.

But as Bo makes clear in Riding Lessons, it is her passion for John and her love of all things equine that have been the constants in her life. Sharing her hard-won lessons on life and love, she draws on her intuitive understanding of horses to offer surprising insights into the dynamics of intimate relationships.

In this compelling memoir, Bo Derek writes openly of her growing self-awareness and of the coping strategies she has learned, whether faced with sudden stardom, the crazy and competitive world of moviemaking, or the death of her beloved husband. With Riding Lessons, she transcends her legendary physical beauty to reveal an inner wisdom certain to enlighten and enthrall readers of all ages.

Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses Reviews:
Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses
2009-03-17 - It was in very good condition and arrrived quickly. I love the book, a great story of her life,

Angie

Laudable
2009-03-02 - This book is not what you would expect. There is substance to her life. Quite the journey.

Enjoyable but not enough about horses!!!
2008-06-02 - This book is a fun, quick read. The quotes at the start of each chapter are very good. I had hoped for more from Bo on her insights re: horses.

Piece of celebrity fluff
2008-03-16 - "Riding Lessons" is not worth the time to read. Look at the pictures, if you wish, but read something else. Ms. Derek certainly looks good on a horse, but her writing skills wouldn't earn her a passing grade in high school. Disjointed, self-centered and immature, "Riding Lessons" appears to have been written by a giddy, clueless teenager. I gave it two stars because it does have a section of color photographs, otherwise, it would be a "one".

Not Bad
2002-07-15 - This wasn't a bad book at all, and I admit to having been conditioned by my society to believe that Ms. Derek wasn't the smartest fish in the school. This, believe it or not, is a simple story, told simply. Although she has had fantastic encounters with the rich and famous and travelled widely the world over, Ms. Derek writes a story of a life spent just as enjoyably in a quiet world as in the fast lane variety. Her story is told honestly, with no baloney thrown in, and I was very impressed at how honestly she dealt with herself. She pulled no punches (which I liked) but didn't make herself out to be a saint either. John Derek comes across as an honest and complicated human being and not the glorified star that some people believed. All told, this was an enjoyable read.