Fresh from the Second City troupe in Toronto, Gilda Radner created such memorable characters as Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna as a member of the original cast of Saturday Night Live. The wife of Gene Wilder, Gilda was plagued by persistent health problems and two miscarriages, and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1986.

Brave, funny, and painfully honest, the twentieth-anniversary edition of It's Always Something is the story of Gilda's journey while living with cancer and her determination to continue laughing. "Cancer," she said, "is about the most unfunny thing in the world." But Gilda's gutsy and unique sense of humor never left her as she describes two years of cancer treatment — surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, as well as the high and low points of her own career.

Told as only Gilda could tell it, and newly revised to include a resource guide for those living with cancer, It's Always Something is the inspiring story of a courageous, funny woman determined to enjoy life no matter the circumstances.

Completed before Radner's death last month, this is her personal account of her struggle with ovarian cancer and her inspiring attempt to keep an upbeat attitude during her illnes. Her discussion of a Santa Monica patient support group called the Wellness Community is the best part of the book and may be of interest to cancer patients and their families. However, readers expecting the show business history that the promotional material to this book promises will be disappointed; Radner's work with Saturday Night Live, her creation of such memorable characters like Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna, and her film work with husband Gene Wilder get scant attention here. Radner certainly deserves a biography that would record those achievements. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.-- Judy Quinn, ``Library Journal''

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