The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins [Paperback]

Dean Jensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

THE LIVES AND LOVES OF DAISY AND VIOLET HILTON follows the poignant life story of twin sisters who were literally joined at the hip, set against the tumultuous backdrop of America during the first half of the 20th century. Daisy and Violet and an unforgettable cast of show-business characters come alive on the pages of this carefully researched and sensitively written biography.Reviews"Jensen'¬?s book is a testament to the fickleness of the entertainment world."-Tampa Bay Tribune"It is an affecting story, gently and honestly told without frills, without sensation. In Jensen'¬?s hands, the twins are always human, individuals, never freaks joined at the hips as the world saw them after their birth in 1908. . . Here, their story is pure."-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

• The true rags-to-riches-to-rags tale of conjoined twins— their journey from freak-show notoriety to vaudeville stardom to movie celebrity, and their heart-wrenching descent back into poverty. • A richly detailed account of the romantic adventures of these attractive and accomplished young women who were at the epicenter of one of the most celebrated sex scandals of 1930. • Chronicles the hurly-burly history of American entertainment from the turn of the 20th century through the 1950s. • Illustrated throughout with rare black-and-white photographs.

About the Author

DEAN JENSEN is a former journalist who owns and manages an art gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087582
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087582
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #677,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Real Carnivàle, November 19, 2006

By 

cochineal (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins (Paperback)

Today, Daisy and Violet Hilton are probably best remembered for their brief appearance in Tod Browning's contentious film, Freaks. But in their heyday, the Hilton twins were household names. Genuine conjoined twins, they were born fused at the lower spine in 1908, and lucky not to be handed off to eager experimental surgeons.

Dean Jensen's book is, thankfully, a traditional biography, with the sister's birth on page one and ending with their funeral on the last. Jensen has not tried to be clever, but rather let this unusual story and the numerous strange characters have all the attention.

Adopted, raised and exploited by a pub owner turned raconteur and, later, a Melbourne-born self-taught showman, Daisy and Violet Hilton remain an island of near-calm in the giddy upheaval of their lives. Dragged from their birthplace in Brighton, England, to Germany, then Australia and finally to the United States, where they tried to simultaneously rise above their affliction and take advantage of it. The girls became talented singers, musicians and dancers, with one of their signature pieces being a pas de quatre at the end of the show.

Their lives touched briefly with others who were, or would go on to be, Hollywood or Broadway stars, something which the twins attempted numerous times. The book is peppered with familiar names and locations, such as a lovely snippet on the opening of Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia. The girls appeared in the park's Egyptian temple, "Pharoah's Daughter", just after their fifth birthday, only a few months after the park was opened. They went on to tour country Australia where they met Myer Myers, a Clifton Hills born circus-runaway who would gradually become the twin's manager and guardian.

The Lives and Loves... allows room to explore the people who surround Violet and Daisy; the characters of the freak shows and fairs and later the vaudeville circuit, their colleagues on stage, in the orchestras they used, and their business associates.

With black and white publicity photos, film stills and postcards every few pages and quotes from contemporary documents and articles, as well as recent interviews, The Lives and Loves... has clearly been thoroughly researched. It is written in a straightforward, engaging manner, which gives the bizarre characters that populate every page of this book space to shine on their own. And it is not the more physically unusual people that are the most oddly behaved.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY recommended read., March 17, 2007

By 

Julie Sobanski (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins (Paperback)

Dean Jensen did a great job unearthing the facts and assembling the intimate life stories of the ORIGINAL Hilton Sisters, in his book, "The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins". His writing style is very easy to read and the story sucks you in early on. Although these sisters are looked upon as "freaks", the more you read about the challenges they faced, the more you see they are just two women searching for happiness and love.

As the mystery is unlocked, and intimate details are exposed something surprising happens, you find yourself rooting for the twins and genuinely caring about them. This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride detailing their lives of coming into this world a little different, entertaining millions internationally and dying virtually unknown. By the time you read about the accounts of their death, you feel like you've lost two good friends.

I was swept away in the descriptive writing of the vaudeville era, the glimpse into the sideshow life and how fickle the entertainment industry really is. It was unbelievable to learn that the twins helped the careers of many 'just starting out stars' like Bob Hope & Burns and Allen and how the great magician Harry Houdini taught them a technique to 'separate themselves'. The more you read about how extraordinary their lives were, the more you change your perception of how you view people who are different from you. Life handed them lemons, so they made lemonade and then some.

I highly recommend this book!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising insights into an era and two unique personalities, December 2, 2006

By 

Joyce K. Pabst - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins (Paperback)

These two women were "freaks" at a time when that made them superstars of Vaudeville, more famous than Bob Hope, Burns and Allen, etc. But the book is more about the two people, Violet and Daisy, and their very human talents, feelings and struggles. Dean Jensen has written a page-turner about human nature, not just that of conjoined sisters but of the people who took advantage of them, the people who went to see them because they were "freaks" and the people who genuinely loved and resapected them. This is a great book as biography and as entertainment.