An account of the murder that inspired Dominick Dunne's The Two Mrs. Grenvilles describes how the beautiful showgirl who married the reckless scion of a New York banking fortune was accused of his murder. Reprint. K. NYT.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
In 1955, Ann Woodward shot her husband, Billy, in their Oyster Bay, Long Island, home. While she was cleared by a grand jury, which believed her story that she had mistaken Billy for a prowler who had been recently breaking into neighboring houses, New York society was convinced that she had deliberately murdered Billy and that her formidable mother-in-law, Elsie Woodward, had covered up the crime to prevent further scandal to the socially prominent family. The incident became fiction in Truman Capote's malicious 1975 Esquire story, leading to Ann's suicide, and later was the subject of Dominick Dunne's The Two Mrs. Grenvilles ( LJ 7/85). Now, after years of research, Braudy reveals the truth behind the legend. Tracing Ann's life from her difficult Kansas childhood through her early years as a model and aspiring actress to her stormy marriage to Billy Woodward and the sad years of her social exile after his death, Braudy shows how Ann, a victim of cruel gossip and class snobbery, could not have deliberately killed Billy. Fans of Dunne's book will enjoy this sympathetic chronicle. Recommended. Excerpted in the July 27, 1992 issue of New York magazine.--Ed.
- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Braudy (What the Movies Made Me Do, 1985, etc.) sets out to do a background book on a high-society ``murder'' already addressed fictionally by Dominick Dunne in The Two Mrs. Grenvilles and Truman Capote in Answered Prayers--and finds herself defending the so- called murderess. Although Ann Woodward was never indicted for murdering her husband, William Woodward, Jr., his mother, Elsie, spread the rumor that Ann had deliberately killed Billy--and spread it first by insinuating that she herself had had the killing covered up for the sake of her grandsons. In Capote's vile version, Ann shot Billy in the shower, then dragged his body (with the butler's help) down the hall to the doorway of his bedroom. By the time Braudy finishes with the facts, there's no doubt that both Capote and Dunne were swimming in fantasy, that the death was an accident (Ann apparently thought that Billy was an intruder), and that Ann was victimized by the snobbery of the ultrarich, who exiled her after Billy's death. Braudy sticks to a weave of impressively fine detail taken from over a thousand interviews, though occasionally one wonders about her recording the inner thoughts of her fatal pair. But her cool drawing of the Woodwards' social background, their casual spending of immense sums, and their hobnobbing with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is jaw-dropping. Ann, born to poor country folk in Kansas, chose early to better herself as a Powers model. She danced nights in an upscale Manhattan chorus line and was a respected radio actress by day when she met shy, virginal, playboy Billy. When married, their greatest claim to fame was their racing stable and fantastically fast horse, Nashua. Both were adulterers and engaged in rages before sex: What happened to them can be seen as the result of unrestrained immaturity. Hypnotic, though Braudy keeps a cool mask on her prose. (One hundred photographs.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The never-ending Woodward Saga,
By blair schulman (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This Crazy Thing Called Love: The Golden World and Fatal Marriage of Ann and Billy Woodward (Hardcover)
Susan Braudy's lucidly-written book does justice to the fearless, insular Woodward clan of mid-Century New York society. Poor Ann Woodward, who wanted nothing more than everything the Woodwards had, claws her way to the upper social strata using her good looks and sexual wiles to capture the heart of William Woodward, Jr., a handsome, rich and directionless young man. Their relationship desinergrates early, held together only by the birth of their two sons, but Ann Woodward fiercely clings to the power of her status and in the process, shoots the very man whose existence gives her validation in that tenuous world. Shunned from society after that, Ann travels the globe restlessly while the Woodward family falls apart, a glory of worlds past. After her suicide in 1975, her youngest son, Jimmy commits suicide by jumping out of a tall window. Ironically, in 1999, the oldest son, William Woodward III, does the same. This brief shining world of the Woodwards is factualy accounted for here and should not be missed by any lover of the rich and infamous.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dramatic Showdown,
By Heather Marshall Negahdar "Haze" (Bridgetown, Barbados) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This Crazy Thing Called Love: The Golden World and Fatal Marriage of Ann and Billy Woodward (Hardcover)
I must say that I enjoyed this book tremendously and could not wait to get back to it on evenings.For those of you who love to read about the golden world of the ultra rich traveling from pillar to post, having champagne and caviar at every corner of the globe, this book is for you. Ann Crowell was a dirt poor kid from Kansas, but when she married Billy Wood ward, the heir of a banking fortune her world changed instantly. Though not accepted by the rich society whom Bill wined and dined with, and just barely appreciated by her mother in law Ellen, it wasn't an easy life for Ann. She was more obsessed with Bill than he was with her but there was this certain magic surrounding her which kept him returning to her every time he went astray "Money makes the mare fly" and Ann Crawford had no urgent desire to divorce him or leave him. She knew where her bread was buttered and she wanted every slice. Ms, Braudy takes us through their torrid life together, as they travel to the various polo matches all spanning various continents.....until things start going wrong, Very wrong. I encourage those lovers of true crime situations, to get their hands on this book ....soonest possible.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating AND Truthful: The Woodward Case,
By Dave "Davelandweb" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: This Crazy Thing Called Love: The Golden World and Fatal Marriage of Ann and Billy Woodward (Mass Market Paperback)
Author Susan Braudy admits that she began writing this book to prove that Dominick Dunne's book The Two Mrs. Grenvilles and Truman Capote's unfinished novel Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel contained the REAL story about the tragic 1955 Woodward murder. While doing a thorough job of research, Susan found herself swayed.
Ann Crowell was a beautiful young girl from Kansas who wanted to be famous; she downplayed and changed her humble beginnings and enjoyed modest success as a New York City radio actress. She met wealthy Billy Woodward, Jr. and a tempestous love affair began for the two of them. Woodward's snobby family thought Crowell beneath them, and never accepted her into the fold. Ann fought for acceptance until the day she died, attempting to better herself and mimic the gestures, vocal inflections, and sense of style that were part of the upper crust. Billy Woodward preferred her as she was, and her social climbing caused many a problem for the marriage. Ann constantly sought Billy's approval in everything that she did; Woodward's affairs and bisexual leanings did nothing to help allay her insecurities. Tragedy came in the form of Ann accidentally shooting her husband, thinking he was the prowler that had been terrorizing the neighborhood. Although found innocent in a court of law, Ann was privately found guilty by society, and lived the rest of her days floating from one city to the other, looking for love and acceptance. It is truly a sad tale, and much more fascinating that Capote's acidic bitter grapes story that was founded on hateful gossip. Braudy has used Ann's journals as well as firsthand witnesses to recreate her in the flesh; Ann becomes a living breathing human being again through Braudy's account. What a heartwrenching tale, especially for Ann & Billy's children . I HIGHLY recommend this book! Plenty of great photos as well.
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