‘The Third Gilmore Girl’ Review: A Raw and Brilliantly-Crafted Glimpse Into an Extraordinary 80 Years

Dancer and actress Kelly Bishop launches into her 80th year with “The Third Gilmore Girl,” an inspiring memoir detailing her life on and off the stage — and screen. She covers her childhood, her career, and even her romantic endeavors — culminating in a behind-the-scenes look at not only her impressive career but her beautiful love story with her late husband, Lee Leonard. Bishop describes the transitions and highlights in her career, including the conception of “A Chorus Line” and her time working on “Gilmore Girls,” with astute attention to detail and an openness characteristic of a catch-up coffee between old friends. This balance is sure to delight both long-time fans and fresh faces.

The memoir’s raw, familiar tone is one of its highlights. Bishop shares, with utter frankness, her “list of times when I really disappointed myself,” as she calls it, always choosing the truth and leaning head first into the most difficult times in her life. Her writing never distances itself from the reader, entrusting them with her innermost thoughts.

This authenticity renders the book’s most heartwarming moments — like Bishop’s deep admiration and respect for her mother — all the more joyful. At the same time, the memoir manages to wring out a tear or two. Her writing conveys a deep humanity, providing a glimpse into her mind as she deals with grief and loss. These feelings ooze into her prose, concentrated into powerful lines that sit with the reader. One of the most stunning examples is when she describes her refusal to use terms like “gone” or “died” after the loss of her late husband, poignantly stating “It was, and will always be, ‘Lee Left.’”

“The Third Gilmore Girl” is as stunning as it is intimate. Bishop’s informal, colloquial tone does not hinder her exquisite detail work. She recounts her experiences with extraordinary specificity, like her guest appearance on “Hawaii Five-0,” where she was “introduced to and fell in love with papayas.” Paired with the frequent references she makes to global events like the Covid-19 pandemic and 9/11, these details help to develop Bishop’s life as both a personal narrative and a historical account. Her memoir, at times, reads as a period piece, providing a thoughtful and provoking portrait of the many eras that she has lived through.

Structurally, Bishop’s memoir is well-crafted and focused. While she bounces from vignette to vignette, particularly in the first half of the book, several through lines keep the narrative grounded. One such theme is marriage — from her parents’ marriage and her first marriage that ended in divorce to her final, happy marriage to Lee Leonard. Another common through line is the “I wish” motif. At each turn, she notes a pattern of her wishing for an opportunity, or a call, or a change — and it happens every time.

While these vignettes from her life are mostly well-structured and logical, at times the narrative becomes bogged down by its atemporality. Her path to the Screen Actors Guild, for example, doesn’t fit well within the anecdotes in antecedent and subsequent chapters, leaving doubt about its place in the chronology of her storied career. Still, the occasional confusion is easy to ignore against the backdrop of witty prose.

A collection of photos complemented the memoir, showcasing everything from “My [Bishop’s] senior picture, 1962” to “Invitation from Joseph Papp to the final performance of A Chorus Line, 1990.” This was a delightful and personal touch that made readers feel as though they were on a guided tour of Bishop’s personal photo album. Unfortunately, the photos are placed jarringly in the middle of a random chapter, interrupting the flow of the memoir and doing a great disservice to the fascinating images on glossy print.

Bishop’s new memoir is nothing short of extraordinary. “The Third Gilmore Girl” offers an unparalleled intimacy and personal perspective into the life of the multi-talented actress, providing a direct glimpse into her thoughts and feelings. The high-quality and authentic prose is sure to leave the reader, wishing for more.

—Staff writer Aiden J. Bowers can be reached at aiden.bowers@thecrimson.com.