From Publishers Weekly In the late 1980s, screenwriter and admitted Lucille Ball "freak" Brochu wrote a play he had envisioned as a vehicle for his idol. Though she turned down the part, he found himself drawn into the commedienne's inner circle. Ball's last months serve as a backdrop for this abbreviated, unrevealing biography, which retraces familiar ground with an emphasis on the star's wisecracks. Brochu chronicles his infatuation with Ball; after meeting her, he virtually rearranged his life to accommodate a daily rendezvous. Brochu succeeds in capturing the star's high spirits, yet, disappointingly, the book is little more than a collection of remembrances of days passed pleasantly, with backgammon and easy banter, in each other's company. Photos not seen by PW. Literary Guild selection; author tour. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Diehard Lucille Ball nuts are the likely readers of this corny star biography. Brochu, an admitted I Love Lucy freak, was 14 when he saw his heroine in a Broadway play and apparently never got over it. Years later, near the end of her life, he became a daily afternoon fixture for backgammon and conversation. Readers who can stomach Brochu's constant self-aggrandizement--the book actually opens and closes with his dreams about Lucy--will come away with some interesting stories about her phenomenal rise on TV, marriage to and breakup from Desi Arnaz, and relationships with co-stars ranging from Bob Hope to Richard Burton. There's no denying that Ball was a pioneering force in TV comedy; it's too bad that this "special friend's loving tribute" is so fawning.
