(The song in this video is a great one about moving on.)
Book Review:
Her late father described her as a young woman who was fiercely determined. She was determined to find her place in the world, after being cheated from the opportunity of knowing her own mother (who died at a young age; falling from a horse in a riding accident) and later running away with a man her family didn’t approve of. Harriet Bronson was determined to live her life on her own terms.
Theirs was a true love story. With only four pennies in his pocket and chasing a dream to become a movie star; Charles Bronson courted and later married Harriet Bronson, a woman who followed her heart. Charles Bronson would later become the father of her two children and a man who in later years would cause her great pain and disappointment. Despite the heartbreak that followed his adulterous affair and their divorce, Harriet Bronson shares her story as a love story, never once indicating to the reader that she was made cynical or bitter by her husband’s betrayal. Written in first person, her story is told with honesty, respect and heartfelt emotion.
The story is fast paced and details the couples early years, her husband’s rise to stardom and mistakes that ended their marriage. Harriet Bronson doesn’t play “victim” and is brutally real with herself admitting that early on she was too emotionally dependent on him, having “fused” with the man she loved and this caused her to suffer a “death” in her own soul after losing him. But determination was one saving trait, which transformed her anger, confusion and heartbreak into understanding, acceptance and inner peace.
In her new book, “Charlie & Me”, published by Timberlake Press, Harriet Bronson shares her personal memoir but it’s more than a love story. It’s a story about letting go in order to find oneself and begin again. A woman of strength and strong character, she’s beaten breast cancer, a bout with lung cancer, and had to rediscover who the “true Harriet” was after giving up too much of herself to the man she called “Charlie”.
“Starting over” is never easy but when you retire from the title of “Mrs. Famous” the task to discover where your place is in a new world can be frightening and even daunting. Despite loss and obstacles, she persevered and created her own success as a talk show radio personality and successful author. She never remarried and by creating a new life for herself and by refusing to give in to depression, she teaches an important life lesson; anything is possible.
She followed her doctor’s advice and allowed herself to grieve because “You have to feel what hurts before it will go away. The only way out is through.” Even when Charles Bronson’s third wife refused her the opportunity to say a final goodbye to a dying “Charlie” at the hospital, Harriet was determined to have done what was needed to be done. After the funeral service and everyone had left, her son Tony went back to Charlie’s casket and said:
“Every night before you and my mom went to sleep, you said this to her—and now she has asked me to say it to you through me: “Sleep pretty; have pretty dreams, and remember I loved you very, very much.”
Her story is pure and resonates with anyone who admires strong women who live with integrity. Harriet Bronson’s story will tug on your heart; cause you to reflect on the meaning of forgiveness, what it takes to start over and why fierce determination separates greatness from only the average. Harriet Bronson is one great lady and this is one great story.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs the reminder that divorce is only one ending, not the end.
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