For fans of movie nostalgia or memoirs of true romance, Head over Heels: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman: A Love Affair in Words and Pictures is a satisfying coffee-table book that, in roughly 200 photos, honors years of cinema magic and an inspiring and abiding love. Melissa Newman, the middle daughter of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, writes that this oversize collection of almost entirely black-and-white photos, with quotes from the couple, is "my gift to them, to myself, and to you." The book captures Woodward and Newman's inarguable beauty throughout the decades, chronicling their prolific movie careers. Images include those taken by such iconic photographers as Richard Avedon and Gordon Parks; a few playful pictures show Newman and Woodward photographing each other, emphasizing the couple's deep love and respect.
"Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, now that's a real treat," Woodward observed. Newman's passionate devotion to Woodward is on display, with a quote from him noting that "Joanne has always given me unconditional support in all my choices and endeavors, and that includes my race car driving, which she deplores. To me, that's love." A deeply poignant closing photo shows Woodward's elderly hand extending from a moth-eaten sweater toward a collage of love letters and telegrams, a 2023 re-creation of an earlier picture snapped in the '50s. --Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y.