Kim Novak: Reluctant Goddess (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brown's compilation of facts, gossip and remarks on Novak's professionalism is so superficial that it can't really be called a biography. Though it includes comments by the actress on her career and personal life, they're not particularly enlightening; nor are quotes from people involved with herdirectors, family and co-stars. Marilyn Novak was, according to Brown, a "bland girl from a Chicago suburb," transformed into Kim Novak by the legendary Harry Cohn to be Columbia Pictures' top box-office draw. And, as the "lavender blonde," so she was, from the mid-1950s until the 1960s, in spite of embarrassing failures in films like Jeanne Eagels and Of Human Bondage. Brown discusses Cohn's cruel domination of the actress, her relations with lovers and husbands, a series of disappointments that made Novak flee Hollywood and thereby survive, unlike less fortunate studio "creations." One flaw of the book is Brown's occasional lapses of tastefor example, referring to Novak's alleged affair with Sammy Davis Jr. as "the most luscious bit of gossip since Jean Harlow's death." Photos not seen by PW. Nostalgia Book Club and Movie/Entertainment Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (March 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312453922
• ISBN-13: 978-0312453923
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,668,581 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay Biography, December 18, 2003

By	C. Cook (Ladera Ranch, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unfortunately, this is the only actual "biography" of Kim Novak available. Larry Kleno's book "Kim Novak on Camera" which is technically a critical filmography, is actually much more enlightening in portraying its subject. Kleno uses multiple sources and first hand accounts to flesh out his story, while Brown's book seems hastily written and researched. It is only saved by Novak's own written statements which appear at the end of chapters and often refute the information previously relayed in the chapter! All in all, it comes across as a rather slick and superficial look at this dignified and gracious woman's life. Likewise, it never really begins to relate the impact that films like "Vertigo" have had on the public, and Novak's extraordinary contribution to them. All in all, Novak deserves better, but at least we have a few first hand accounts from her in the book to begin setting the record straight.