Overview

What if the only life a young girl ever knew was growing up in a famous hotel? And what if that young girl was your mother, and her magical life went from extraordinary to ordinary overnight? This is just part of Carlyn Frank Benjamin's story, growing up at the legendary Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles from 1921 to 1938-the year everything changed. Join Carlyn on a marvelous journey through every corner of the hotel where she and her family lived during the glamour and growth of Los Angeles and Hollywood's golden years. She shares stories that only someone with a front row seat to it all could tell. No other account of the Ambassador has been offered with such historical perspective and personal insight. Carlyn's daughter and co-author, Lisa, completed Life Without Reservations after losing her mother. She reflects on the remarkable life Carlyn created after leaving the hotel and includes a personal introduction, confiding that she never paid much attention to her mother's stories-until it was too late. Each chapter closes with a Dear Mom letter, where Lisa reminisces on all that was never asked and shares the heartache of an opportunity long gone. Both authors in this mother-daughter memoir write with poignancy and humor, painting a picture of a life shaped first by privilege, then by loss, rebuilt with grace, and eventually lived with determined purpose. If you're lucky enough to have the chance to ask the questions you always meant to, Life Without Reservations will inspire you to do so before it is too late.

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9781960865410

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Carlyn Frank Benjamin (1921-2017) was a rare Los Angeles native and natural storyteller who, though never published, filled notebooks and hard drives with poetry and personal reflections. Her life was dedicated to advocacy, philanthropy, and service to underserved communities.Growing up at the iconic Ambassador Hotel from 1921 to 1938, Carlyn developed a unique insider's perspective, sharing her firsthand knowledge with historians and journalists writing about the Ambassador and Old Hollywood. She was a staunch supporter of the preservationists who fought relentlessly to save the hotel from the wrecking ball, raising her voice alongside them.In 1944, Carlyn married Ben Benjamin, a legendary and highly respected ICM agent. Their home was filled with actors, writers, producers, and directors, and she channeled those relationships into her greatest passion-the Children's Booklift Fund, a social initiative she founded in the mid-1960s. An avid reader, Carlyn believed that children who embraced reading would be inspired to pursue their dreams. Her charity donated tens of thousands of books to elementary schools in the city's most underserved districts.Carlyn and Ben were married for 47 years and raised two children who became smart, funny and creative adults. Both Carlyn and Ben were devoted to doing the right thing and paying it forward. Carlyn and her daughter Lisa, who co-wrote Life Without Reservations, shared an exceptionally close bond, and in her later years, Carlyn cherished time with family, especially her three grandchildren.Lisa Benjamin Gilmour is a second-generation Los Angeleno who comes from a family of writers and poets. When her brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she drew on her skills as a brand and marketing executive to channel her grief into action-devoting over a decade to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in the fight for greater awareness and funding for the disease. The spirit of paying it forward, instilled by her parents, has always guided her.Lisa's interests are an eclectic mix: mid-century architecture and design, the moods of weather, listening to jazz, fussing over a well-tended rose garden, game night with old pals, and spending long stretches of time along the coastlines of central and northern California with family and friends.She has been happily married since 1981 and is the proud mother of a son who is himself a writer and a poet-carrying the family tradition forward. As a devoted golden retriever dog mom, Lisa hopes to welcome a new rescue pup in the near future. Life Without Reservations is her debut book, and she already has three children's books taking shape in her imagination for future writing endeavors. Lisa Benjamin Gilmour is a second-generation Los Angeleno who comes from a family of writers and poets. When her brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she drew on her skills as a brand and marketing executive to channel her grief into action-devoting over a decade to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, fighting for greater awareness and funding for the disease.Lisa loves making hearty homemade soups for her family, tending to her rose garden, and spending time along the stunning coastlines of central and northern California. She has been happily married since 1981 and has a wonderful son who is a writer and a poet-continuing the family tradition. A devoted lover of golden retrievers, Lisa and her family look forward to welcoming their next golden rescue dog. Life Without Reservations is her first book.

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