Untied by Meredith Baxter

To those of you old enough to remember Meredith was Bridget in Bridget loves Bernie, Nancy Lawrence on Family and as Elyse Keaton on Family Ties, a well respected and seemingly very happily married, wife, mother and actor.
The back story starting with her childhood is one of abandonment, rejection, dislocation and great unhappiness despite the patina of a happy Hollywood family. Her whole life runs to this pattern no matter the fame, fortune, awards, children or professional success.
The whole crux of this book his her rather narrow focus on herself, how hard done by she was, David Birney allegedly beat her, intimidated her, made her life a misery (he has issued a statement of refutment) nothing really seems to give her happiness and it would rate as one of the most joyless books I`ve ever read but equally I couldn't put it down.
She became a late life lesbian so at the end of the book there appears to be a ray of contentment but really one does have to ask...How could anyone go through life with so many blessings (and this doesn`t negate her difficult childhood) and yet not really have the ability to celebrate those things that must have been joyous for so much of your life.