March 2010 Good Housekeeping selection.

Beauty guru Leslie Kenton is also hitting the headlines with Love Affair, a brave and reflective account of her disturbing relationship with her father, jazz great Stan Kenton.

Synopsis

Leslie Kenton was the only child of Violet, a stunning Hitchcock blonde, and Stanley - the legendary jazz giant Stan Kenton. Their story takes place on the road in 1950s America and in the mania of Hollywood – a world of jazz clubs, dance halls and one-nighters, where lives were lived on a razor’s edge.

Love Affair takes us beyond the bright lights and glamour into an intense, claustrophobic world of a father and his child. Too closely matched, their shared DNA traps them in a double helix - one strand forged in terror, the other luminous with a shared passion for music, joy and laughter. As the strands become entwined, blood on white tiles obliterates innocence and a forbidden honeymoon brings a terrifying, unbounded freedom. Gradually, as Stanley grapples with alcohol and his personal demons, his actions threaten to destroy the only real, untainted thing in his life: Leslie.

A true story of obsession, tragedy and grace, Love Affair is Leslie Kenton’s powerful memoir. At its heart is the complex relationship with her father – a union so powerful it defines all that comes after. As their lives become increasingly entangled, so do the forces of darkness and light that exist within us all, leading to destruction for him and heartbreaking redemption for her.

About the Author

Award winning writer, broadcaster, and filmmaker, Leslie Kenton has written more than thirty bestselling books on health, beauty and spirituality. She conceived the Origins product range for cosmetic giant Estée Lauder, has been consultant to the European Parliament for the Green Party, and was the first chairperson of The Natural Medicine Society in Britain. Passionate about expanding consciousness, creativity and personal freedom, Leslie believes that real health comes from within and the only ‘guru’ is the individual human soul. She lives in Primrose Hill, London and in South Island, New Zealand. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation