Reviews

Nancy Sinatra's biography may prove to be her father's best gift on his approaching 70th birthday. Combined with an album of hundreds of photos in color and black-and-white, this is a lavish tribute to Francis Albert Sinatra, by his oldest child. She writes colorfully about him, their family, friends and colleagues, who recall ``The Voice'' before and after he emerged from Hoboken and became a world-class entertainer. The author offers her opinions on accusations that her father has been involved with gangsters, on his changing political loyalties and other news-making stories that have made the star controversial. A musician herself, she makes knowlegeable observations about her father's apparently effortless singing techniques. She also details his bounce back after a stalled career in movies and concerts, several retirements, etc. She reminisces about the sad effects of the first Sinatra divorce on his children and their reactions to his successive marriages. She writes with pride about her father's considerable charitable contributions, known heretofore only to a few. Although the biography is decidedly personal and biased by a loving daughter, it is a welcome change from the memoirs by others who savage their famous parents. Literary Guild special selection. November 8