- Visit the Photo Place

Reviews

'Fall to Pieces' relays experiences of model and band wife Mary Forsberg Weiland

Date published: 11/13/2009

BY EMILY CHURCHILL

Filled with stunning clarity, heartbreaking stories and a pure and untouched hope, Mary Forsberg Weiland's "Fall to Pieces" is a must-read.

Written as a memoir, "Fall to Pieces" is the story of Weiland's life, from her rough and unconventional childhood to the present day. Her rocky relationship with Scott Weiland (of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver) provides the backdrop for much of it.

From the time they first met as teens, when he drove her to modeling classes for $8 an hour, to his wedding another woman, to their rejoining and marriage, their tale is an extraordinary one.

Throughout the stories of her rickety family life, riddled with divorce, remarriage and unique interactions, Weiland shows how a person can change her situation by being fiercely and unwaveringly determined. But the story also has its dark side.

In the late 1980s Weiland made it onto the international scene as an up-and-coming model. This automatically catapulted her into Hollywood and the spotlight.

Although this is what many teens dreams of, Weiland reveals the true underbelly of the celebrity world.

Tales of wild, drug-crazed parties--and her incredibly fast addiction to drugs and alcohol as a result--are so truthful that they become frightening.

The vivid descriptions take the reader to the room to feel the needle's pinch, taste the smoke in the air and cry along through another hangover or overdose.

Weiland explains her seven trips to rehab with both shame and honesty, warning against substance abuse while also expressing her reasons for her decisions.

As her depression and addiction worsened, Weiland had to hide everything from her best friends, her family and countless well- known celebrities that she met in her Hollywood years.

"Fall to Pieces" is filled with these names, such as Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio, showing the reader just how incredible Weiland's story truly is.

Weiland describes how she and her husband struggled together to fight addiction, social expectations and family grief to mixed degrees of success. But with the birth of their two children, Weiland promises that she will always love her husband, no matter which struggles they fight next.

Beautifully written, in a way that is sure to make the reader laugh, cry, gasp and pray, "Fall to Pieces" gives wisdom and hope to all who read it.

Emily Churchill is a junior at Stafford High School.

Follow us on

Date published: 11/13/2009