An unexpected life
How would you describe Julianna? If you asked anyone about the roles in life she has had, people will tell you ‘The Good Wife’; ER; Ghost ship; Snakes on a Plane and more. But it is the other roles she has had in life that are much more important. It’s the other roles that have much more prominence in this book. Daughter, sister, granddaughter, stepdaughter, wife, mum, and friend. Those are the roles that made Julianna who she is, not the TV roles. Sunshine girl takes you on a ride and it is a ride worth taking.
If you are looking for a memoir that gives you inside gossip on TV shows that Julianna has worked on, or how it really feels to work with George Clooney, then you need to put this book aside. It really isn’t for you. We have no right to know that stuff anyway. A memoir is about a person. That’s exactly what Sunshine girl gives you. It gives you the Julianna behind those TV characters, that is the person I want to know. The real person. What makes her tick.
This book is a beautiful introspective of her life. It details her life with a mother who is described as free spirited and her father who is more conventional. The book is framed by an erratic lifestyle where she moves from country to country and home to home. Julianna shares stories of the friends she has and childhood accidents. She shares of things she loved and how preparation has been key to her life.
There were complicated relationships through life that make for some difficult choices and rejections along the way. Those relationships were, at times, the ones with her parents. Julianna describes a tense time in her book where a father/daughter conversation ended up on heightened emotional levels. The fact that Julianna not only addressed this with her father, but also shared it with the world, is a demonstration of the person she is.
The intricacies of Julianna’s childhood coupled with her tenacity and integrity that she has, demonstrates not only the person she started life as, but the person that she has since become. Sunshine girl is a self-portrait from someone who will intrigue and inspire you. ‘Sunshine’ also shows how Julianna has matured as she has grown into someone who not only wants to be accomplished, but to try to be the best at what she does, in all walks of her life.
Her writing style in this book moves at a phrenetic pace which when you sit back and think about it, clearly reflects the lifestyle that she led as a child. Her life now, has settled into a calmness, something that she is incredibly proud of. She is clearly confident as not only a wife and mother, but as a friend, daughter, and sister. As an actor, she is sublime.
Thank you Julianna for such a delightful read. A memoir that reflected a person, as opposed to LA gossip from movies and TV shows.
