I appreciate reviews, even this one by Rebelmomi posted at Amazon on April 8th.
I have been a lover of Natalie Woods since I saw Rebel in 1970, when I was 10 years old. I remember when Sal was murdered, and then the curse of Rebel continued with the drowning of Nat in 81. What made me mad about this book was that it was one long tease. What did the skipper witnessed that night took 40 chapters to reveal. It could have been said in 5. The bottom line is they did a crappy job with the investigation, and nobody seems to care. Its 30 years later, and I doubt that Natalie will ever get justice.
The above review is obviously from someone who appreciates Natalie Wood and her work, and the reviewer realizes the injustice surrounding Natalie's mysterious drowning. I do take slight issue with the opinion the book is a tease because that was certainly not my intention, but I realize how some people may view it that way. I wrote the story the way I experienced the story.
Most readers can finish a book (and GNGS is standard length) in a few days or less. I wrote the book so that readers might feel the frustration I experienced for decades. Not being able to pull the entire truth from Dennis for close to a decade was excruciating. I knew from his comments something terrible had happened but I wasn't privy to details for many years. Talk about experiencing a tease! A reader can have the facts within a day from GNGS, but it took decades for me. I apologize if the frustration is actually experienced while reading, but it's also indicative that I conveyed the frustration actually experienced for years.
I did my best to understand why Dennis just couldn't spit it out, but it was hell knowing he had such a tragic story so consciously buried but would trust no one with it. The frustration a GNGS reader might feel is exactly the frustration I wanted them to feel so that they might fully understand what a true chore it was to stick with a mission for facts to bring Natalie some degree of justice. It was also an effort to reveal the injustice bestowed upon Natalie in so many ways, from so many directions. She didn't deserve the mere theory, gossip, and rumor surrounding her death, but that was all she ever got based upon the prevailing lies of those present on the fateful cruise. Natalie's case was not investigated until now, and unlike this reviewer, I have faith Natalie will receive more justice at the end of the day.
My initial intention had been to expose and correct as much as I possibly could while going about my everyday common life. I pushed and pulled until I learned the details of the covered-up truth, and then I did my best to substantiate what I had learned. I appreciate every opinion, every review, but to have experienced the past thirty years has really been something indescribable. I am proud of my genuine efforts for justice for Natalie, and will always remain so.
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Hi Marti, I think you did a outstanding job on GNGS, if you would have just told what Dennis witness in a few chapters it would have not come to life and it may have not been believable, you have to know all of it to understand what happen that night and to understand why Dennis waited. I thank you. Pam
ReplyDeleteThank you Pam, as that's exactly how I felt about it as well. There is a lot of back-story to the tragedy on so many aspects of it, and with the new investigation, there is also information accumulating, and I'm keeping the faith that it will all come out at the end of the day. We waited 30 years, and I truly believe it will be worth it for Natalie in the long, long run. She will not be known as the woman who got too drunk to remain on a boat.
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