The Third Gilmore Girl: Book Review of Kelly Bishop’s Memoir

Read The Third Gilmore Girl book review for behind-the-scenes stories and personal revelations by Kelly Bishop. Her candidness in telling her life story makes this one of the best memoirs for Gilmore Girls fans and beyond. You’ll learn top takeaways, pros, cons, and more. Let’s get literary!

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2 – Amy Sherman-Palladino’s foreward reveals that, after struggling to cast her Emily Gilmore, she immediately knew she was “the one.”

3 – Kelly had dyslexic traits in school, but she believed everyone struggled with words the way she did.

4 – Kelly had a robust love life, particularly in her younger years, and she is candid in sharing the details.

5 – Kelly’s real-life stories partly inspired Broadway’s A Chorus Line, in which she starred and for which she won a Tony award.

6 – Kelly is very vulnerable in sharing her decision to have an abortion, the way it unfolded, and her activism for women’s rights.

7 – Kelly identifies as “a Rory.” She had a friend-like relationship with her mother. Her grandmother was her real-life version of Emily Gilmore.

8 – Kelly was mostly in the dark about Ed Hermann’s (Richard Gilmore’s) terminal brain cancer, but she was honored to be invited by his real-life wife to say goodbye to him in the hospital.

9 – Kelly is “Team Logan” and “Team Luke.”

10 – Kelly’s advice to others is to head in the direction of what you love.

While I lead The Rory Gilmore Book Club, I believe Kelly Bishop perfectly captures Emily’s blend of terrible and vulnerable, which is not easy! A villain you empathize with is a rarity. So, color me excited to devour this celebrity memoir in just a few hours.

Bishop’s status as a Hollywood icon shows in this forthright memoir of a long life in show business. She’s as headstrong as Emily but far more warm-hearted. She’s also more casual and driven by women’s rights and her love of animals.

She openly reveals deep secrets with confidence in her truths and shares all her greatest Gilmore Girls moments, from her favorite episode to her favorite Gilmore “guys.” She even tells the reader her final words to Ed Hermann.

You’ll find new appreciation for her role as Emily and so much more beyond that.

It was also fun to learn about her other career highlights and details of her personal life, most of which I hadn’t known. Bishop’s special love for her mother was a beautiful thread woven throughout, keeping their love alive. Her love for her second husband was also palpable.