I first stumbled across this book at my grandfather's place back when I was nine years old. Of all the role models I could have picked up, this was probably the worst one yet. Monti spins the story of her fourteen years with Fields pretty much as if it were right out of one of his movies. Her depiction of Fields is a mishmash of Souse and Cuthbert J. Twillie, and her recounting of certain scenes (either in his presence or told to her secondhand) is absolutely hysterical. Once I stumbled, once again, across Ronald Fields' "W.C. Fields By Himself" and "The Man on the Flying Trapeeze," I got the feeling that Miss Monti may have been taking pains to rewrite history to conform both to the public image Fields so desperately kept up *and* her own involvement in it. Read it the way you would watch a Fields movie, but don't expect any in-depth look at his personality or mystique; after reading other biographical works, it's hard to doubt that Fields was doing more than using her for sex and as a sounding board for his gags and routines.

Carlotta Monti was WC Fields's mistress for a number of years. Her book is not a great book. 'Fortunes and Follies' is more entertaining if sometimes lacking in accuracy. 'Fields by Himself' is fascinating. This book treats only portions of the artist's life and career. Still I recommend Monti's book because it gives a fresh woman's perspective and helps humanise Fields. This should not be the first or only book on Mr Fields one reads. Those who are seriously interested in the great comedian should, however, find time for this memoir.