Katharine Hepburn [Paperback]

Anne Edwards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

Katharine Hepburn: grande dame of American actresses, fierce individualist, and living legend. Nominated for 12 Academy Awards and winner of four, Hepburn achieved stardom against formidable odds. The woman behind the legend emerges in this sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of her exceptional life and loves--now updated with an epilogue that brings Hepburn's story up to date. Filled with accounts of her relationships with Spencer Tracy, Howard Hughes, and many others, here is the fascinating story of a determined and invincible woman. From her ferociously guarded private life to Broadway's lights and Hollywood's Golden Age, Katharine Hepburn reveals a star whose courage and magnetism knew no bounds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There are women and there are women-and then there is Kate. There are actresses and actresses-then there is Hepburn." --Frank Capra

About the Author

Anne Edwards is the author of biographies of Barbra Streisand, Vivien Leigh, and Margaret Mitchell. She is a past president of the Author's Guild and lives in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312206569
• ISBN-13: 978-0312206567
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,702,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( H ) > Hepburn, Katherine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Grudging Biography, June 15, 2001

By 

Shantanu Rane (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Katharine Hepburn (Paperback)

Upon reading this book, one gets the unmistakable impression that Edwards has gone a lot further than just trying to demystify Hepburn with "objective" opinions. While it never explicitly ridicules Hepburn, I think the tone is subtly anti-Hepburn. Indeed, praise for the great actress comes almost reluctantly, and often after the author has already expressed her own negative opinion, which permanently detracts from the Hepburn persona. (For eg, (1) The author's reasoning for Hepburn's defiance of contemporary fashion, (2) The strange correlation of the presence of (girlish?) stuffed toys in Hepburn's house with the idea that Hepburn might not have thought of herself as a strong woman.

It is quite clear that Hepburn has not been interviewed for this book. The title "A Remarkable Woman" itself seems contrived and shallow, when we read the last paragraph of the book, where the title is (unsatisfactorily) explained. I fear that a reader with no prior information about Hepburn, will come away with an incorrect picture of Hepburn as just another Hollywood actress, (with some redeeming quirks) who had her share of ups and downs. In my opinion, Andrew Britton's work (Katharine Hepburn, Star as Feminist), though not biographical, is the best critical appreciation of Hepburn's film roles and, by extension, of Hepburn, who was often described as transferring her own qualities to her roles, rather than completely adapting herself to them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Read, November 12, 2010

By 

JennyGirl - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Katharine Hepburn (Paperback)

A wonderful light and enjoyable read. The book was in top notch condition. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who shares the same interest in Katherine Hepburn.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the life of a star, March 30, 2000

By 

eeva (manhattan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Katharine Hepburn (Paperback)

I found this book to be quite an in-depth view into the life of Katherine Hepburn, an elusive star. It offers a back-stage view of the life of an icon and the struggles and triumphs that are associated with that responsibility. I would definitly recommend this book to those interested in the genre.