When I think back on my life, sometimes I’m surprised that it’s actually all true. I say to myself, one morning, I’ll wake up and find out that it’s all just a dream.”

With these words, Italian superstar Sophia Loren, the bombshell of classic films including Two Women and Marriage, Italian Style, sets the tone of her delightful 2014 memoir, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life. Using the charming conceit of going through a box of keepsakes during the Christmas season, she constantly refers to her life as a fairy tale, with the words “joy” and “fun” scattered throughout.