Barbara M. reviewed on + 147 more book reviews
I finished this book about a month ago and should have written the review then when it was fresh in my mind. I'm not a Kate Hepburn fan. I grew up in the 50s and 60s when KH was a well-established star. I wasn't and still am not someone who goes to movie theaters. But, I have watched movies on TV and often like to watch movies from the 40s and 50s. I have seen a couple of KH's movies on TV but didn't watch them specifically because of her. I know she's considered one of America's great actresses but I (thus far) haven't agreed with that view. The only reason I even read this book is because a friend of mine somehow ended up with two copies so she gave me the extra. I had it for about two years before finally getting around to reading it.
Some of the Amazon reviewers have remarked that they thought this book would be a biography of KH and were disappointed that it wasn't. However, in the "author note" at the beginning, the author makes it clear that he is not writing a biography.
As I started reading, I found that I didn't like KH as a person--she was extremely bossy. Her long relationship with Spencer Tracy was well known. It didn't seem to bother KH in the least (according to author Berg) that she was having a relationship with a married man who would never leave his wife. Tracy was a hard core alcoholic and could be verbally and physically abusive (although per KH he "only" struck her once, I believe). However, my dislike of KH as a person has nothing to do with the 3-star rating.
Berg recalls conversations he's had over the years with KH and often puts them in quotation marks which suggests (at least to this reader) that these are verbatim. Unless he had a tape recorder going while he was talking with KH, he shouldn't be using quotations around what he, KH, or anyone else said.
In the "author note" Berg also brags about his close and special relationship with KH: she "often used our time together to reflect, an exercise in which I don't think she indulged with anybody else." She very well may have reflected with others except they didn't write a book about it.
I was also surprised at how few pics there were for a book like this. The ones there were all seemed to be publicity shots, old family photos, or movie stills.
Even though I didn't have any feelings about KH before reading this book and wasn't particularly impressed by Berg's tome, I may read KH's book and also tune in to some of her movies.
Some of the Amazon reviewers have remarked that they thought this book would be a biography of KH and were disappointed that it wasn't. However, in the "author note" at the beginning, the author makes it clear that he is not writing a biography.
As I started reading, I found that I didn't like KH as a person--she was extremely bossy. Her long relationship with Spencer Tracy was well known. It didn't seem to bother KH in the least (according to author Berg) that she was having a relationship with a married man who would never leave his wife. Tracy was a hard core alcoholic and could be verbally and physically abusive (although per KH he "only" struck her once, I believe). However, my dislike of KH as a person has nothing to do with the 3-star rating.
Berg recalls conversations he's had over the years with KH and often puts them in quotation marks which suggests (at least to this reader) that these are verbatim. Unless he had a tape recorder going while he was talking with KH, he shouldn't be using quotations around what he, KH, or anyone else said.
In the "author note" Berg also brags about his close and special relationship with KH: she "often used our time together to reflect, an exercise in which I don't think she indulged with anybody else." She very well may have reflected with others except they didn't write a book about it.
I was also surprised at how few pics there were for a book like this. The ones there were all seemed to be publicity shots, old family photos, or movie stills.
Even though I didn't have any feelings about KH before reading this book and wasn't particularly impressed by Berg's tome, I may read KH's book and also tune in to some of her movies.
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