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qkat's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time at the beginning of this book because I spent too much time trying to read the Dutch names and cities. It didn't help my reading flow. To get through the book, I basically skimmed over all the Dutch names and just went into the nitty gritty part of the story. Once I did that, the book was fascinating! I love Audrey Hepburn. She was always my favorite actress. Learning about her life and her struggles during WWII was so sad and moving. I have read many Audrey Hepburn biographies. This one helped fill the gaps during the time in her life that she never really discussed. It was a very lovely book.
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
2.0
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The title of the book should be something like The Netherlands during WWII, and Audrey Hepburn Was There, Too. I get putting a story in historical context, but there were chapters where Audrey wasn't even mentioned. Most chapters started out with a quote from Audrey about the war, then details about what was going on with the German occupation of the Netherlands. It's all very interesting, but not a lot of Audrey in here.
One other beef I have is the style of writing. When Audrey's Uncle Otto is hauled off to be executed, the author interjects stuff like "They picked their way through the woodland bottom over sandy ground spritzed with morning dew." A couple of paragraphs later, "Above, the birds of morning sang on, songs about summer and sun and bugs to be eaten." Sounds more like historical fiction than real history.
I'm glad that an attempt was made to tell Audrey's story and her children allowed the use of personal photos, both black and white and in color, never seen by the public before, but this book falls short.
The title of the book should be something like The Netherlands during WWII, and Audrey Hepburn Was There, Too. I get putting a story in historical context, but there were chapters where Audrey wasn't even mentioned. Most chapters started out with a quote from Audrey about the war, then details about what was going on with the German occupation of the Netherlands. It's all very interesting, but not a lot of Audrey in here.
One other beef I have is the style of writing. When Audrey's Uncle Otto is hauled off to be executed, the author interjects stuff like "They picked their way through the woodland bottom over sandy ground spritzed with morning dew." A couple of paragraphs later, "Above, the birds of morning sang on, songs about summer and sun and bugs to be eaten." Sounds more like historical fiction than real history.
I'm glad that an attempt was made to tell Audrey's story and her children allowed the use of personal photos, both black and white and in color, never seen by the public before, but this book falls short.
kiperoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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5.0
Fabulous book based on meticulous research (the chapter notes at the end are an additional gift!) about Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn's teen years in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.
angmander's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve read a few books about Audrey Hepburn, but this was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Learning about the war-time period of her life gave me a much deeper appreciation for this actress that I love. There were more war details than I’d anticipated, but it added to the context. (It did mean that I had to take the book a little slower, though.)
cemoses's review against another edition
4.0
People probably like this book will probably be more interested in World War II than Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn lived through and experienced major episodes of World War II which ended when she was fifteen. However, the book needed to make a better connection Audrey Hepburn's childhood and her adult. Also, the book has a more information about Holland and World War II than is strictly needed for a book that is mainly about Audrey Hepburn.
Audrey Hepburn lived through some of the major incidents of World War II. Both her parents were early supporters of Hitler and Fascism (her mother continue to support the Germans two years into Germany's occupation of Holland). Her father left her when she was a small child. Audrey Hepburn's mother brought Audrey Hepburn back to Holland at the beginning of World War II believing that Holland would be safe from the Germans. Some of Audrey Hepburn's early education in ballet and theatre was helped because her mother was friendly with the Germans.
In about 1942, two years into the German Occupation of Holland, Audrey Hepburn's mother seems to have changed and at least not actively helped the Germans. Audrey Hepburn had an uncle that was shot by the Germans. Her family lived in Velp which saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The area also experienced severe hunger. Audrey Hepburn and her family helped both the British and the Dutch resistance. The area also had many hidden Jews.
The book barely touches on Audrey Hepburn's later life. One would be interested to find a more direct connection between Audrey Hepburn's later life and her war experiences.
The more interesting parts of the book are about Audrey Hepburn's mother worked with the Nazi’s until 1942. Her mother was on some Dutch watch lists for being pro-Nazi. My mother fled Nazi Germany so I know that anyone who had what appeared to be voluntary Nazi sympathies could be intensely hated by victims of the Nazis. Audrey Hepburn's mother seem to have a talent for being able to reinvent herself and could hide her Nazi past.
Audrey Hepburn seems to have taken some care to hide her mother's Nazi sympathies. Also, Audrey Hepburn herself had to keep quiet that some of her performances that she when she was ten to twelve were done with German sponsorship when she gave talked about her childhood in Holland.
It would have been helpful to know how Audrey Hepburn's war experiences affected her adult life. The author seems to assume that people have in depth knowledge about Audrey Hepburn’s later acting career and about her humanitarian activities which many people nowadays don’t have/
Again, this book more a book about people interested in World War II than Audrey Hepburn the movie star.
I received a free copy of this book from Negalley in exchange for an honest review.
Audrey Hepburn lived through some of the major incidents of World War II. Both her parents were early supporters of Hitler and Fascism (her mother continue to support the Germans two years into Germany's occupation of Holland). Her father left her when she was a small child. Audrey Hepburn's mother brought Audrey Hepburn back to Holland at the beginning of World War II believing that Holland would be safe from the Germans. Some of Audrey Hepburn's early education in ballet and theatre was helped because her mother was friendly with the Germans.
In about 1942, two years into the German Occupation of Holland, Audrey Hepburn's mother seems to have changed and at least not actively helped the Germans. Audrey Hepburn had an uncle that was shot by the Germans. Her family lived in Velp which saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The area also experienced severe hunger. Audrey Hepburn and her family helped both the British and the Dutch resistance. The area also had many hidden Jews.
The book barely touches on Audrey Hepburn's later life. One would be interested to find a more direct connection between Audrey Hepburn's later life and her war experiences.
The more interesting parts of the book are about Audrey Hepburn's mother worked with the Nazi’s until 1942. Her mother was on some Dutch watch lists for being pro-Nazi. My mother fled Nazi Germany so I know that anyone who had what appeared to be voluntary Nazi sympathies could be intensely hated by victims of the Nazis. Audrey Hepburn's mother seem to have a talent for being able to reinvent herself and could hide her Nazi past.
Audrey Hepburn seems to have taken some care to hide her mother's Nazi sympathies. Also, Audrey Hepburn herself had to keep quiet that some of her performances that she when she was ten to twelve were done with German sponsorship when she gave talked about her childhood in Holland.
It would have been helpful to know how Audrey Hepburn's war experiences affected her adult life. The author seems to assume that people have in depth knowledge about Audrey Hepburn’s later acting career and about her humanitarian activities which many people nowadays don’t have/
Again, this book more a book about people interested in World War II than Audrey Hepburn the movie star.
I received a free copy of this book from Negalley in exchange for an honest review.
amymarchlawrence's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
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5.0
goodfriendsgoodbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
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medium-paced
4.5
chrissie_jo's review against another edition
challenging
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fast-paced
3.5
c_temple's review against another edition
challenging
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sad
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5.0