Thank you too Netgalley and Vintage Books for the advance copy of this book for an honest review.

As a massive Gilmore Girls fan I was excited to read this title, following this I didn't know much about Kelly Bishop other than having seen her in Gilmore Girls.

I have to say what a fascinating life and a fantastic read.

Kelly has achieved so much and done so much in her time and it was wonderful to read about.

I would recommend this for all Gilmore Girls or Memoir fans.

Wow wow wow!!!

This book is just pact full of humour, positivity, and love Kelly Bishop is the most loveable grandma in Gilmore Girls

If you are a Gilmore Girl fan then you aren’t going to disappointed

As a big Gilmore Girls fan, I was so excited to read this!

Kelly Bishop is an icon and whilst I adored the chapters around Gilmore Girls.
I appreciate and loved reading her experiences and memories throughout her decades of working in show business, with life lessons and heartbreaks smattered throughout.
Her charm, wit and gumption shone through completely.

I’ve even gone back to watch videos of her performing Chorus Line and she is wonderful to watch.

A gem of a memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
4/5 ⭐

An avid Gilmore Girls fan, I've always been fascinated by Kelly Bishop and her life. Her background in dance especially. This is a much deeper insight into that life than I'd ever hoped to get and I enjoyed every page. Fiercly strong, gutsy and intelligent, she's truly paved her own path and lived life on her own terms. I love that about her. A great read for any GG fan but also anyone who's interested in how the entertainment industy has been over the years.

This autobiography is an amazing insight into life as a dancer on Broadway as well as what it was like to play Emily Gilmore and it also has a lot to say about relationships.
I was captivated by the story of the creation of "At the Ballet".
Kelly Bishop is gracious and honest and writes in a way that makes the pages fly by.

**The Third Gilmore Girl** by Kelly Bishop is a delightful and nostalgic novel that offers a fresh take on the beloved world of Stars Hollow. Centered around a new character who finds herself woven into the iconic Gilmore Girls universe, Bishop captures the charm, wit, and fast-paced dialogue that fans of the original series adore. The novel explores themes of family, friendship, and the complexities of small-town life, while introducing new dynamics and heartfelt moments. Filled with humor and emotion, **The Third Gilmore Girl** is a must-read for fans who want to revisit the quirky, endearing world of the Gilmores with a new twist, while embracing the spirit of connection and self-discovery that the series is known for.

As a big Gilmore Girl fan, this book was something I really needed, or more, wanted to read. I always watched this series with my mother and later in life it became my go to series. Regardlessly Kelly Bishop is more than just Emily Gilmore. She had an impressive and various life/ jobs etc., which she gives us a tour through. For those who hoped that most of the book is about the series and what happened behind the scenes, will be disappointed, She of course, talkes about this part and time of her life, but this book gives so much more about her than just Gilmore Girls.

Baby’s mom in Dirty Dancing and Rory’s gran in Gilmore Girls – Kelly Bishop has had two iconic roles in pop culture and her memoir will appeal to fans.
But there’s so much more to the now 80-year-old actress. She’s a classically trained ballerina from Colorado who moved to New York City in the 60s to make her mark as a dancer. She was also one of the original cast members of the 1975 Broadway musical A Chorus Line, with her role of Sheila actually based on her life, and won a Tony for the part.
The actress explains how she decided to pivot to acting, realising a dancer’s career would not last as long, and her love of the theatre. She talks about how her first husband ruined her financially with his gambling addiction and how she met the love of her life, Lee Leonard, a TV talk-show host and journalist. She also shares how she went from Carole Bishop to Kelly Bishop in the middle of her career.
And of course she talks about her famous roles, how she went from a small role to that of Marjorie Houseman in the 80s movie Dirty Dancing and playing Emily, the stern matriarch of the Gilmore family in the much-loved TV series. Fans of the show will love this candid memoir that gives insight into life in showbiz and feel the urge to rewatch both Dirty Dancing and all of Gilmore Girls.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

‘Tis the season: if the advent of autumn means you’re already in the midst of an annual Gilmore Girls rewatch, then you need this book in your life quicker than a pop-culture back-and-forth between Lorelai and Rory. And if that makes no sense to you at all, then head to Netflix and start watching: you won’t regret it! This is the hugely-anticipated memoir of Kelly Bishop, who famously played the elder matriarch in the Gilmore Girls, a much-loved American series about a mother and her daughter living in a sleepy New England town. Kelly Bishop played Emily Gilmore – main character Lorelai’s mother – who was a cutting, glamorous, ice cold snob, yet secretly proud of her daughter’s fearlessness and always striving to protect her family. Mother and daughter clashed relentlessly yet as the memes say: maturity is coming to realise that Emily was right. Despite becoming most famous for her role on this beloved series, there’s so much more to Bishop’s career, as this brilliant book clearly demonstrates: it shares stories of her early years as a classically-trained ballerina, her award-winning role in A Chorus Line on Broadway, and her personal struggles with her first husband’s gambling addiction and second husband’s cancer diagnosis. She continually reinvents herself, adjusting to the challenges life throws her way, revelling in her later-life success and stardom. Warm, revealing and captivating throughout, this story of a life well lived is the perfect accompaniment to cosy season.

‘The Third Gilmore Girl’ by Kelly Bishop wonderfully captures the life and career of a wonderful, strong and unique woman whose experiences span six decades in showbiz. This memoir is full of wisdom about the entertainment business - from screen to stage - and about life, and captures so much emotion.

As a huge Gilmore Girls fan, I was hoping for lots of anecdotes about filming the beloved series, and about her relationship with her co-stars Lauren and Alexis. While I loved those chapters - and the forward by the incredible Amy Sherman-Palladino - I have to admit they were a smaller part of the book than I wanted (and than I expected, given the title). Significantly more time was dedicated to ‘A Chorus Line’ for which Kelly won her Tony award in 1976 than to our favourite small-town TV show…

However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I connected with so many events and thoughts from the non-Gilmore Girls phases of her life. Her love of animals, loyalty to her husband Lee, and her decision not to have children were all important parts of her character, and ones I wasn’t familiar with. The last chapter, where she imparted important lessons about following your dreams at every stage of life, will stay with me a long time.

Overall, this gets four stars from me… Ms. Bishop is absolutely a five star gem, but I wanted to spend longer in and around Stars Hollow with her.

(I was also fortunate enough to receive an advance digital review copy of this book for my kindle via NetGalley, though I bought the audiobook as I was eager to hear “Emily Gilmore” again!)

Giving a 4 stars because it's Kelly, of course! Her memoir retraces growing up and falling in love with ballet, dancing and performance, how she moved to New York and shaped a name for herself. Of course Gilmore Girls fans like me will be keen to hear about her life and especially her experience on Gilmore Girls. And it does not disappoint!

It's fantastic to hear the route that her career as a performer took, and the way she took on opportunities. And I especially enjoyed hearing about the more recent times, with her husband passing away and continuing her career into now her 80s.

It was a great strategy to rename the book The Third Gilmore Girl, 💯 ! "At the ballet" makes sense and the story very much follows that line, but it would potentially have garnered less interest.

I ended up listening to the audiobook narrated by Bishop herself and it was fantastic!

A sweet and hopeful biog of an international treasure

Well-known beloved matriarch of the Gilmore clan, Kelly Bishop is so much more: ballet dancer, chorus girl, soap mom, devoted daughter, patient wife. She's lived so many lives in her long and fruitful life and, as private as she is, this only scratches the surface. And what a surface! Forget Emily Gilmore, this is a much more interesting woman than even that formidable and wounded tiger mom. You'll fall in love with Kelly Bishop all over again over again.

Three and a half stars, rounded up to four.

This book just made me adore and respect Kelly Bishop even more! I do not usually pick up non-fiction but I could not resist this one. I will be reading this again and I am so glad I picked it up. Bishop is a woman of many talents and it seems she is only really known for GG.

As a long time fan of Gilmore Girls and all round lover of autobiographies it was a no brainer to pick up this one! I will admit from the off that I was genuinely totally unaware of Kelly Bishop’s incredible career beyond her iconic role as Emily Gilmore so this book was an absolute eye opener to her successes elsewhere. I had no idea of her huge background in dance and theatre, not to mention being a Tony Award winner for her role as Sheila in A Chorus Line.

Her life story is absolutely fascinating from her early days in dance, moving into musical theatre to her experiences in America during such transformative times. As a 35 year old English woman I especially enjoyed getting a glimpse into American history in her lifetime, as well as learning more about the behind-the-scenes world of theatre. It added so much depth to her already impressive career!

One aspect I connected with deeply was her unapologetic belief in not wanting children from a young age, and sticking to that decision despite societal and familial pressures. Throughout the book Kelly’s honesty about both the highs and lows of her life and her willingness to share her missteps (especially in romance) made her story feel all the more authentic and relatable. Her warmth and natural storytelling made it an incredibly engaging and enjoyable read. She’s led an exciting life full of remarkable experiences and I really devoured every bit of it!

If you are a fan of the Gilmore Girls, musical theatre, dance or just enjoy a well told autobiography then I highly recommend this book.

Like many I know Kelly Bishop from The Gilmore Girls. I did not know a lot of her career and was fascinated to read about her involvement in Chorus Line and her memories of filming Dirty Dancing.

Some great show biz stories and a great read in what is for me Gilmore Girls rewatch season.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

As a huge fam of Gilmore Girls I just had to read this!
Apart from knowing Kelly was in Dirty Dancing and Gilmore Girls I really didn’t know anything else about her, which made this book really interesting. I really enjoyed finding out more about her and her background in dance and on stage.
Kelly comes across as a really passionate and honest person and I really warmed to her.
I already had a soft spot for Emily Gilmore and now o have one for Kelly Bishop as well!

This was a very good read but I was hoping for more Gilmore Girls content, I feel like the title is very misleading. There was only Gilmore Girls content towards the end. Don’t get me wrong I still had a good time reading it and Kelly is an absolute icon.

I'm not normally a reader of memoir's as I struggle to connect with them but this memoir from Kelly Bishop was outstanding. I felt so connected to her life story all throughout the book and I did not want it to end.

Her raw honesty and openness is the real seller of this book, she left nothing out and really let us in to her world.

Some of my favourite things I highlighted throughout this book are things I will carry with me for a long time, I feel as though I've learnt so much from reading this book.

She has a way of perfectly describing grief and love and togetherness. This was truly spectacular and I loved it.

I rated this 5 stars.

🤍Book review 🤍
Kelly Bishop’s memoir The Third Gilmore Girl is a fascinating and heartfelt journey through her life and six decades in show business. As a huge Gilmore Girls fan, I was initially drawn to the book for insights into her role as Emily Gilmore, but I ended up loving the entire story of her career. While Gilmore Girls is only a small part of the book, Bishop's rich experiences on Broadway and in films like Dirty Dancing are just as captivating. She’s open about her personal life too, including her marriages and the challenges she faced. Bishop’s wit and warmth come through in every chapter, making this memoir a must read one.
Whether you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls or just interested in the life of a talented actress, this book is a must-read. It’s inspiring, entertaining, and beautifully written.
I’m so grateful to be able to read this copy, opinions are my own.

In this delightful memoir, Kelly Bishop retraces her career, from her debut on Broadway to her role in Dirty Dancing, followed by her iconic role in Gilmore Girls, and the Covid years. We also learn about her personal life: her first marriage to an addicted gambler and her second marriage to the love of her life and his recurrent battles with cancer.

I'm a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, which is why I initially picked this book up, but I really enjoyed reading about the other parts of her life, all related with her iconic wit. It's worth pointing out though that the Gilmore Girls reminiscing is only in the latter half of the book and probably only takes up 10 to 15% of the book. So if you're looking for Gilmore Girl gossip, I'd say this isn't really the book for you, but if you're looking to hear about the career of a dancer and actress spanning 60 odd years, then read on!

A recommended read for fans of Gilmore Girls and artists' autobiographies.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.