The Huffington Post reviews Jeanie Clarke’s book
Jeanie Clarke has a remarkable story to tell and in her new book “Through the Shattered Glass” she has told it. Heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure this is a must read tale which we at Royal Ramblings have been given the privilege of reviewing for you.
If you are lucky enough to meet Jeanie Clarke, you will likely find yourself instinctively drawn to her. Warm and kind, she has a disarming smile, is down to earth and continues to cut a striking figure. It is little surprise that she reached infamy in the wrestling world as ‘Lady Blossom’ the valet to ‘Stunning’ (and inspiration behind the subsequent moniker for ‘Stone Cold’) Steve Austin.
And yet, in spite of her many wonderful qualities, Jeanie Clark was not born of happy circumstances. The introductory chapters of her book are marked by a terrible sadness. From alcoholism to attempted molestation, loneliness to abandonment her childhood years were incredibly challenging. Despite the melancholy, the story of her early life is both incredibly well written and readable. Each chapter paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up without wealth in a British seaside town.
Arguably the most likely audience for “Through the Shattered Glass” is the wrestling fraternity and fear not, sports entertainment fans will not be disappointed. We learn of Jeanie’s introduction to wrestling by a friend’s father, her chance encounter with Chris (later ‘Gentleman’ Chris) Adams and get to experience the excitement of her romance with Adams whilst simultaneously and vicariously living out the backstory of British wrestling at its previous height, through her words. We follow the entrepreneurial Clarke as she establishes Adams fan club. We see her achieve moderate fame before she hits 20, learn about her work with the UK’s ‘Joint Promotions’ and we follow her journey with Adams to the US to work for the NWA. We learn of the lows in struggling to find work and the highs of tag-team success. There is even an encounter with Hulk Hogan and Sylvester Stallone! From Perro Aguayo to Jerry Jarrett, all the forerunners of the American, Mexican and Japanese wrestling worlds make an appearance in the book.
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