Audrey Hepburn, Elegant Spirit [Hardcover]

Sean Hepburn Ferrer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2003

A tribute to Audrey Hepburn on the 10 year anniversary of her death, written by her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Audrey Hepburn was more than a movie star, more than a style icon. She considered her most important role to be wife and mother. In this memoir Sean Ferrer remembers their life together. This is the story of her life from her chilhood during World War II, to Hollywood, to her work for the United Nations. Intimate and inspiring, this is an illustrated memoir of the woman the world adored, by the son who adored her and was adored by her.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'God kissed the face of Audrey Hepburn, and there she was' Billy Wilder" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Sean Hepburn Ferrer will contribute proceeds from the book to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson; First Edition edition (November 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0283073853
• ISBN-13: 978-0283073854
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,458,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( H ) > Hepburn, Audrey

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Son Loves His Mother...Who Happens to Be Audrey Hepburn, April 14, 2008

By 

Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Audrey Hepburn, Elegant Spirit (Paperback)

If there is a polar opposite to Christina Crawford's scathing poor-me memoir, Mommie Dearest, it has to be this loving tribute to Audrey Hepburn from her eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Rather than being an exhaustive biography on the legendary film star (and enough of those exist anyway), it is more a very attractive coffee table book with remembrances from her colleagues, family friends and most importantly, Ferrer himself. It is a testament to Hepburn that all these books, especially this one, have been nothing less than respectful and at times downright reverential. There is no getting around the fact that she was well loved by those closest around her and certainly by her fans, me included. That she comes across as such a giving person merely validates what we all want to believe about her, and this becomes especially clear in Ferrer's account of her later years making goodwill trips to Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Somalia on behalf of UNICEF.

While as a fan, I was disappointed about her long absences from films from the late sixties until her death in 1993, Ferrer makes it clear how important motherhood was to her and how imperative it was for her to stay at home with her sons during those years. Just from the treasure trove of family photos, this book clearly shows that her dedication to them was and continues to be reciprocated. The perspective of this book is understandably biased but fresh, and obviously Ferrer's access to his mother's personal belongings - family snapshots, paintings and drawings done by her, even her passports - builds an intimate story. I have to admit I was taken aback by the more familiar photos of Hepburn during her Hollywood glory years (especially the glamorous Cecil Beaton pictures) and amazed at how lovely she continued to look in the professional photos taken a year or so before her death. Not surprisingly, the most moving part is Ferrer's account of her final weeks when she took one last flight from California to what looks to be a most idyllic place, her home La Paisible in Switzerland. This should be the final word about her, but that is unlikely as she continues to fascinate. Somewhere Joan Crawford must be eating her heart out.