Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 06:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Julianna Margulies
- ISBN：0525480250
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Summary
Known for her outstanding performances on the groundbreaking television series The Good Wife and ER， Julianna Margulies chronicles her life and her work in this memoir。
As an apple-cheeked bubbly child， Julianna was bestowed with the family nickname "Sunshine Girl。" Shuttled back and forth between her divorced parents， often on different continents， she quickly learned how to be of value to her eccentric mother and her absent father。
There were complicated relationships， difficult choices， and overwhelming rejections along the way to becoming an award-winning actress。 But there were also the moments where fate， faith， and talent aligned， leading to the unforgettable roles of a lifetime， both professionally and personally--moments when chaos had finally turned to calm。
Filled with intimate stories and revelatory moments， Sunshine Girl is aself-portrait of a woman whose resilience in the face of turmoil will intrigue and inspire。
As an apple-cheeked bubbly child， Julianna was bestowed with the family nickname "Sunshine Girl。" Shuttled back and forth between her divorced parents， often on different continents， she quickly learned how to be of value to her eccentric mother and her absent father。
There were complicated relationships， difficult choices， and overwhelming rejections along the way to becoming an award-winning actress。 But there were also the moments where fate， faith， and talent aligned， leading to the unforgettable roles of a lifetime， both professionally and personally--moments when chaos had finally turned to calm。
Filled with intimate stories and revelatory moments， Sunshine Girl is aself-portrait of a woman whose resilience in the face of turmoil will intrigue and inspire。
Reviews
Cheryl Rowland
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I never got into ER or The Good Wife but I was definitely interested in hearing Julianna's story。 She had a very interesting and yet difficult childhood because her parents separated and divorced when she was very young。 This book covers her childhood and how and why she became an actress。 I never got into ER or The Good Wife but I was definitely interested in hearing Julianna's story。 She had a very interesting and yet difficult childhood because her parents separated and divorced when she was very young。 This book covers her childhood and how and why she became an actress。 。。。more
Aaron Sallan
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Was really good but truly needed more ER/Good Wife Stories。
Jan
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Thoughtful， well-written coming of age story。 Better than average actor-memoir， which I seem to read often！
Tbeman
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Audiobook
Mary Clemons
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Wonderful， interesting。。。I enjoyed Julianna as an actress， who portrayed a strong woman， and was curious to know why she wrote this memoir。 It is a thoughtful， warm hearted， story， and I plan to read it again。
Cathy Klein
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I have always been interested in Julianna Margulies since I first saw her on E。R。 As a character， she always seemed a little stand offish in both of her major roles （E。R。 & The Good Wife）。 On guard， if you will and I think that seems how she is as a person， too。She was moved around a lot as a child of a divorced family and even though she had issues with both of her parents， she loved them fiercely。 Whoever she was involved with or friends with， she would do anything for and had a hard time sayi I have always been interested in Julianna Margulies since I first saw her on E。R。 As a character， she always seemed a little stand offish in both of her major roles （E。R。 & The Good Wife）。 On guard， if you will and I think that seems how she is as a person， too。She was moved around a lot as a child of a divorced family and even though she had issues with both of her parents， she loved them fiercely。 Whoever she was involved with or friends with， she would do anything for and had a hard time saying no even if she had to go out of her way time & again。 I actually see a lot of myself in her and feel that is why I am drawn to her。 However， I wish she wasn't as stand offish in her narration。 Even though it is her story， it almost felt as if it was read impersonally。 。。。more
Mary Sisney
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Ms。 Margulies had some fascinating family members and interesting experiences before she became a popular television actress。 Her paternal grandmother was a lawyer before RBG， her father wrote popular jingles for commercials， and her mother sounds like a character out of such late sixties and early seventies movies as “Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice” and “Midnight Cowboy。” She joined several spiritual finding yourself movements and had a twenty-one year old boyfriend when her oldest daughter wa Ms。 Margulies had some fascinating family members and interesting experiences before she became a popular television actress。 Her paternal grandmother was a lawyer before RBG， her father wrote popular jingles for commercials， and her mother sounds like a character out of such late sixties and early seventies movies as “Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice” and “Midnight Cowboy。” She joined several spiritual finding yourself movements and had a twenty-one year old boyfriend when her oldest daughter was twenty。 She also had trouble settling in one place， so Margulies lived in England multiple times and spent time in Paris。 But some of her most interesting （and potentially dangerous） experiences happened after she left her mother。 At one point when she was spending a college year abroad in Italy， Margulies allowed a strange woman to cut her hair as part of a （fake） hair modeling show。 When she worked in a fashionable restaurant， she had an ugly moment with Russell Simmons， who apparently is a “dick” when he’s not on reality television。 At another point in her early years， when she was auditioning for a role， she had a potentially dangerous experience with action star Steve Seagal， who is much scarier than Weinstein and Cosby， so why isn’t he in jail？ Perhaps the most interesting information I learned is that the Jewish Margulies， who looks like a typical dark-haired white woman to me， was seen as “ethnic” because of her curly hair。 Even Spike Lee wondered if she might be part black。 If she had been acting in the fifties and early sixties， she could have played a tragic mulatto。 My one problem with the book， which includes some beautiful pictures， is there weren’t enough behind the scenes stories from “ER” and “The Good Wife。” Obviously， George Clooney is a nice guy， but who were the “dicks” and bitches on those sets？ 。。。more
everything is words - Diane
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I really enjoyed this book！ I listened to the audiobook version， which is read by Julianna Margulies and I loved hearing her reasoning for so many of her life choices。 I would have never thought she had the kind of upbringing she did。 Hearing how she navigated life with an eccentric mother， from how she ended up on TV， to the difficulties she encountered when it came to race/her appearance， to walking away from millions of dollars on ER - I found the whole book thought provoking and interesting！ I really enjoyed this book！ I listened to the audiobook version， which is read by Julianna Margulies and I loved hearing her reasoning for so many of her life choices。 I would have never thought she had the kind of upbringing she did。 Hearing how she navigated life with an eccentric mother， from how she ended up on TV， to the difficulties she encountered when it came to race/her appearance， to walking away from millions of dollars on ER - I found the whole book thought provoking and interesting！ I definitely felt the sunshine will reading this one！ Hope you enjoy it！ 。。。more
Marybeth Wright
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Good lite reading。 This encompassed her life from childhood thru her marriage and having a son。Thoroughly enjoyed this memoir。
Anne-Marie
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Audible: I loved this book， we have experienced so many of the same things （minus me being an actor） she even grew up and went to high school two towns away from me
Stephen Rhodes
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This is an utterly delightful book。 I listened to the audio version which Margulis narrates herself。 I didn’t have any expectations before I got into it。 I quickly realized that it was in no way a typical celebrity biography。 Much of the book is devoted to her childhood and youth with two very eclectic parents。 It is a rich and well narrative。 In the last fourth of the book， she does tell about her time on ER and the Good Wife， but it is in no way a gossipy tell all。 It’s about her own growth as This is an utterly delightful book。 I listened to the audio version which Margulis narrates herself。 I didn’t have any expectations before I got into it。 I quickly realized that it was in no way a typical celebrity biography。 Much of the book is devoted to her childhood and youth with two very eclectic parents。 It is a rich and well narrative。 In the last fourth of the book， she does tell about her time on ER and the Good Wife， but it is in no way a gossipy tell all。 It’s about her own growth as a person。 I so enjoyed this book。 I can highly recommend it。 。。。more
Tess
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This was great-enjoyed it from start to finish。 She has led an interesting life and is very insightful。 Says a lot about forgiveness， for yourself as well as others。 A wonderful storyteller。
Ilan Israel
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A very honest ， interesting memoirI appreciate Julianna Margulies as an actress and I saw her on the TV show “Finding your Roots”， so I picked up her memoir out of interest 。 It may not be the most polished literary work， though for a first book I thought it was well- written and held my attention。The writer’s honesty shines through， as she paints a picture of a very problematic childhood and adolescence， trying to lay down roots where hardly any stability existed。 Her mother’s eccentricity and A very honest ， interesting memoirI appreciate Julianna Margulies as an actress and I saw her on the TV show “Finding your Roots”， so I picked up her memoir out of interest 。 It may not be the most polished literary work， though for a first book I thought it was well- written and held my attention。The writer’s honesty shines through， as she paints a picture of a very problematic childhood and adolescence， trying to lay down roots where hardly any stability existed。 Her mother’s eccentricity and self- centered ness was offset by her obvious love for her children and her father’s semi absence from her life was also balanced with love and financial support。Julianna writes of her finding direction in acting， and writes of her adult relationships with self- criticism。 She somehow seemed to meet the people she needed for support in a serendipitous pattern， and many of her friends stayed with her throughout the years。 She found mentors to give her advice， when needed， and for the most part， listened and learnt。Those who are looking for inside gossip about her TV roles will be disappointed by this memoir， but those who are interested in hearing what it takes to succeed in a very cut-throat entertainment industry will be rewarded by reading this interesting， honest view from one who has left a fine mark on our screens。 。。。more
Leslie
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I liked it - learned more about her life and her family dynamic and her growth to stardom。
Brittany Hinkle
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I just loved this book！ Most celebrities complain and blame their parents for everything wrong in their life 。 So many memoirs are filled with the successful Rich celebrity spending their life in therapy blaming everyone around them for their own poor choices and never appreciating their success， example Sally Field， Demi Moore I could go on and on I have read them all。 This girl is awesome she goes to therapy and learns about how her childhood has effected her choices and moves on。 What a crazy I just loved this book！ Most celebrities complain and blame their parents for everything wrong in their life 。 So many memoirs are filled with the successful Rich celebrity spending their life in therapy blaming everyone around them for their own poor choices and never appreciating their success， example Sally Field， Demi Moore I could go on and on I have read them all。 This girl is awesome she goes to therapy and learns about how her childhood has effected her choices and moves on。 What a crazy childhood she had with crazy parents。 A great summer beach read！ This is definitely on my top 10 celebrity memoirs！！！ 。。。more
Yael Tsairi
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I really enjoyed reading this book and it made me love and appreciate Julianna even more now。 ❤️
Cindy Wyatt
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This memoir started strong but wrapped up oddly quickly。
Vera Cai
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Great read！ Very interesting life and her experiences are truly relatable。
Jennifer
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4。5 stars。 I thought this was very well done。 I enjoyed getting to know the woman behind the famous TV show characters， and learning her lessons and wisdom with her。
Maureen Neylon
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Her life is a lot more interesting than you’d expect！
Priyanka
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I really enjoyed reading "Sunshine Girl，" and learning about Julianna's life， especially her childhood， her family， the way she perceived the world。 I love that we got to hear about the moments and people that shaped her， the unexpected encounters and experiences she had， and the lessons she took from each。 I've only known Julianna as Alicia from "The Good Wife" and it was powerful to get to see the real her， in all her stages。 The memoir is beautifully written and has an easy flow。Julianna expe I really enjoyed reading "Sunshine Girl，" and learning about Julianna's life， especially her childhood， her family， the way she perceived the world。 I love that we got to hear about the moments and people that shaped her， the unexpected encounters and experiences she had， and the lessons she took from each。 I've only known Julianna as Alicia from "The Good Wife" and it was powerful to get to see the real her， in all her stages。 The memoir is beautifully written and has an easy flow。Julianna experienced a very unpredictable childhood， where her mom - loving but self-absorbed - would just change plans last-minute and move to a new place on a whim。 Most of the time， because her parents were divorced， she was away from her dad， missing him， wondering why he didn't try harder to keep them nearby。 She had two older sisters， who loved and cared for her。 I liked how as Julianna grew older， she learned to accept that life wasn't perfect， that her parents weren't perfect。 They did the best they could， and it was time to take responsibility for her own life， her own choices。 "The biggest message I took from both my parents is that I am responsible for my own life。” She learned from her dad to always try to see the good in a bad situation。 He said to her once: "I know you’re hurting， honey， and you’ve been through a lot， but I want you to start thinking about all the good things that have come out of this accident。 I’m going to leave this notepad here for you， and you may not think of one good thing yet， but in time， you will。 You will be amazed at the list of good you will discover。" When she began writing， she realized， "the amount of love I felt from all the people in my life was immeasurable。"Julianna had been so determined to not make the same mistakes as her parents， that she had trapped herself in a relationship that made her miserable， telling herself she had to make it work。 For ten years， she stayed until she accepted the role she was playing in it。 “After years of trying to make it work， I began to recognize my own thoughts apart from his。 I began to listen to myself， letting him know what worked for me， what was not acceptable。 I didn’t care if this caused an argument or displeased him。 I was learning to respect my own needs for the first time。 I was finally drawing my own boundaries。” When she was 35， she learned to let him go - to recognize that it was better to be alone than with someone who brought more misery than happiness to her life。 “When you’re happy twenty-five percent of the time and miserable seventy-five percent of the time， it’s time to go。 If it were the other way around it would be worth fighting for，” her friend tells her。 Years later， she meets the right person for her， marries him， and has a child with him， the life she had always wanted。 We may take a lot of detours on the way， but we always end up where we are meant to be。Other quotes that stood out to me:When she read "Zen Shorts，" she says: “This story reminds me to stop carrying all the baggage from my past， to stop blaming my mother for every choice I make， and every choice she made， to know I can make my own decisions without the judgment of others。 I wish I had read that story a long time ago， but then I probably wouldn’t have learned from it; I wasn’t there yet。” “I wanted to impress upon the students that life decisions should be made for only yourself。 I wanted them to understand how important it is to make choices based on your own needs and beliefs， not someone else’s。”“With age comes the realization that we have the freedom to change。”"'Maybe that’s as far as you can go， ' he said。 'And that’s okay。 I had never thought that way。 I always thought I had to be able to do what everyone else was doing， otherwise， I was failing。 The time I finally managed to put my heavy load down， and ultimately to rest is the time when I finally felt comfortable in my own shoes。”“When is enough， enough？ Don’t you have money in the bank？ The question you need to ask yourself is this: Do you want to spend two years of your life wishing for it to be over so you can live the life you really want？” 。。。more
Kathy
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Listened to audiobook。
Stephanie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In September 1994， when I was 16 years old， I fell in love with the new hit show， ER。 I looked forward to watching it with my parents every Thursday night。 I remember hating one season， maybe season 8， and I considered whether or not it was time to make other plans for my Thursdays。 I ended up sticking it out， and watched until the show ended in 2009。 Just a few years ago， I rewatched all 15 seasons， and it reminded me how much I loved that show， and how invested I was in all of those fabulous c In September 1994， when I was 16 years old， I fell in love with the new hit show， ER。 I looked forward to watching it with my parents every Thursday night。 I remember hating one season， maybe season 8， and I considered whether or not it was time to make other plans for my Thursdays。 I ended up sticking it out， and watched until the show ended in 2009。 Just a few years ago， I rewatched all 15 seasons， and it reminded me how much I loved that show， and how invested I was in all of those fabulous characters。 One character I loved was Carol Hathaway。 I was so sad when she left the show， but so glad she was able to get the happy ending fans wanted。 So when I read that the actress， Julianna Margulies， was writing a book， I couldn’t wait to listen to it！ How delightfully ironic that a girl who wasn’t allowed to watch TV as a kid landed a television role that changed her life。 I found it so fascinating how easy acting came to her。 I was surprised she hadn’t wanted to do it her whole life！ I couldn’t believe her childhood。 I thought it was so awesome that she grew up in so many different places in the U。S。 and abroad， but I understood that the circumstances of those moves were sad and unfair for a kid。 I was amazed at the positive attitude she developed， and I appreciated that， in hindsight， she recognizes that those experiences have really helped her in her life。 She developed such a will to persevere， and it doesn’t seem like she’s let fame get to her。 After all， she did turn down a $27 million dollar contract for a 2-year extension on ER！ （I certainly hope I wasn’t one of those fans asking， “What was she thinking？” I just can’t remember。）I loved listening to her tell about the things she had become passionate about: horseback riding， cooking and baking when she was single in New York （apparently I am never trying paella because I refuse to spend $300 on a pan！）， her relationships， particularly with Alec and Rowena， her love of the stage。 I loved the story about how the ER job came to be。 Her voice was powerful， and her story well written。 It was hard to take breaks from listening！ I couldn’t believe some of the stories she shared about her mother， like the boyfriends she had and the houses they loved in， as well as the story of her surprise hair cut。 Awful！ Her bike accident story brought back memories of my own bike accident。 I ended up with a partially fake tooth and plastic surgery to repair the bump on my lip。 She ended up with a porcelain implant and later， gum grafts。 I smiled at the amazing relationship she forged with the dentist who fixed her tooth。 I could see that man being my dad， who was my dentist-to-the-rescue when I needed help。 I didn’t watch The Good Wife， but I am curious to now。 She’s made quite a life for herself！ It was a joy to hear her story。 。。。more
MARY L
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Julianna Margulies' autobiography focuses on her early life as a child of divorced parents living in the US and Europe。 It's an honest portrayal of a mother moving from one man to another with little care for the disruptions in her 3 daughters lives。 Julianna longed for stability and remained with a partner for ten years in an unhappy relationship。 It skims over her ER and Good Wife years。 She finds stability with a husband and son in the end。 Julianna Margulies' autobiography focuses on her early life as a child of divorced parents living in the US and Europe。 It's an honest portrayal of a mother moving from one man to another with little care for the disruptions in her 3 daughters lives。 Julianna longed for stability and remained with a partner for ten years in an unhappy relationship。 It skims over her ER and Good Wife years。 She finds stability with a husband and son in the end。 。。。more
Stephanie
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An actor I have always loved watching。 A keen insight into what her life was like before acting。 Fascinating！
Diane
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Being a faithful fan of ER and THE GOOD WIFE， I was eager to read this， and it did not disappoint。
Cami
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I appreciated learning more of her story。 She's a charming soul。 I appreciated learning more of her story。 She's a charming soul。 。。。more
Abby
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Julianna Margulies is a much more talented actress than writer （this did not hold a candle to Mary Louise Parker's Dear Mr。 You！）。 I loved her on ER and The Good Wife， and I enjoyed hearing about her unconventional childhood and appreciated her willingness to share some difficult experiences she had to navigate。 I began to skim about half way through because sometimes the prose was a bit plodding， but I stayed up last night to read it to the end。 Would really love to read a book where she goes i Julianna Margulies is a much more talented actress than writer （this did not hold a candle to Mary Louise Parker's Dear Mr。 You！）。 I loved her on ER and The Good Wife， and I enjoyed hearing about her unconventional childhood and appreciated her willingness to share some difficult experiences she had to navigate。 I began to skim about half way through because sometimes the prose was a bit plodding， but I stayed up last night to read it to the end。 Would really love to read a book where she goes into her time on ER and The Good Wife， but I'm glad to have read more about how she started and appreciate where the origin of the experiences she must tap into to make her characters come alive。 。。。more
Missy
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I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author。 I needed something light， hopeful， and soothing， and her voice and words provided that。 She attended Waldorf schools growing up which my son also attended for three years of preschool and kindergarten so her talk of Waldorf， Steiner， eurythmy， and anthroposophy was interesting for me。
Archd
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