There are always regrets in life, among them, things we've done that we wish we could take back and erase. I have significant ones that will haunt me forever and which I hope I have been brave enough to confront in this book. So says Jane Fonda in the preface to "My Life So Far", a powerful account of an extraordinary woman.

Oscar winner, controversial political activist, ground breaking fitness guru, wife, mother, lover, philanthropist - just some of the roles Fonda is known for. Born into Hollywood aristocracy in 1937, her childhood was marked with unhappiness and tragedy. Her relationship with her father, Henry Fonda, was never loving even though she followed his profession, studying acting as a teenager with Lee Strasberg in New York, then living in Paris. Her subsequent roles earned her numerous nominations and awards, including two Oscars for "Klute" and "Coming Home". As a film producer her credits include "Nine to Five" and "On Golden Pond", but in the 1980s she revolutionised the fitness industry with a series of workout videos.

Her political protests against the Vietnam War caused much controversy in the States, and she continues to be an active advocate on environmental issues, human rights and the empowerment of women and girls. The flowering of her feminism in the second half of her life, proves that Jane Fonda, perhaps more than any other, is a spokesperson for women of her times. In this candid book, written by Fonda herself, there are messages for women of all ages as she holds a mirror up to her own life, but lets us see ours reflected there.

Now in her 60s, Fonda looks back over her life but also looks forward to the future. With unflinching honesty she addresses, amongst other things, her tragic relationship with her mother; her tortured one with her father; her lovers and husbands, from Roger Vadim to Ted Turner; her passions and political views. The result is rare in its readability and sheer page-turning force. Jane Fonda is an utterly unique woman and this is a once-in-a-lifetime read.