Audrey Hepburn

What is the true test of a biographer's skill? Creating a riviting, insightful book about a subject who had no scandal in her life and who seems to have be beloved by everyone. Material that, in lesser hands, could have been saccherine or written with the usual "movie star bio" template is instead moving, wise, very informative, and beautifully written. Check out Mr. Paris' other biographies of Garbo and especially Louise Brooks for more great writing.

A biographer shouldn't lower your opinion of the person they're writing about (as if you could ever have a low opinion of Audrey Hepburn!) and Barry Paris certainly does a brilliant job of depicting Audrey's life from age 15 until her death (age 64). The author blends his words so you don't loose interest even once. The book has lots of quotes, from and about Audrey, and several pictures of her throughout her life. There isn't a down side to this book, except for a few subjects where the author should have elaborated on a bit more than he did. You can clearly see that Audrey was a truly wonderful person, a real lady. After you read about what a hard childhood she had, in the middle of WW2 and the miscarriages she suffered and basically being deprived of love from her parents, it is amazing that she was still such a beautiful person, a beautiful soul. She traveled to countries to help dying people and did things that few other people would do...she seems to have been an angel, and certainly was to several people. This is a book that you don't need to read before buying, it's wonderful.

I congratulate Barry Paris on a great biography of Audrey Hepburn.This book deserves at least 6 stars!Before I read the book,I had a lot of respect for Audrey Hepburn-but after reading this book,I have the utmost respect for her and admire her greatly.She was a saint and certainly was an attractive lady.You really have to feel sympathetic and empathetic for her with all the disappointments and hardships she had to confront throughout her life.A lot of people think that movie stars come from well-to-do families and lead charmed lives-not Audrey Hepburn.Her life is of horror,loss of love, and tradegy:(at six years of age, her father left the family leaving her forever heartbroken;she would witness the execution of an uncle and cousin during nazi occupied Holland;later in life,suffer 5 miscarraiges and 2 devastating divorces).There were happy moments of her life, too;film stardom, 2 marriages and two sons.These accounts of her life forged the true and genuine heart that she had. All through her life,Audrey Hepburn was a woman of love, and cared very much for the well being of others-she was not a selfish person.All her life, she helped others before helping herself.These acts of kindness, compassion, and caring was certainly genuine,and Audrey certainly was giving from her heart and soul.In her last years of her life ,she would be an ambassador of UNICEF, helping the children of impoverished nations. This book tells never known things about this selfless lady that thought of others more than herself.Mr.Paris certainly has done a great deal of research(looking at all the acknowlegements and bibliographies in the back of the book should tell you this man went through great lengths).This is a great book written about a real lady with a heart of gold.

If you love to read those books on stars who looked beautiful and charming on the outside and brutal alcoholics behind closed doors, you will be sorely disappointed by Audrey Hepburn. Barry Paris's book on the Imph is just astonishing. It begins with her troubled childhood, a father who abandoned her and the World War II stories of her and her home country are tear-jerking. Then her sudden rise to success was only off-set by a set of miscarriages and missed-marriages. Yet her charm and elegance shown through it all. The part that really makes an impact is that last chapters of Hepburns life. Paris's coverage of Hepburn's travels with UNICEF. It was riveting to find out how committed she was to her cause, the extents she would go to help the children, even to her dying days. Barry Paris did an excellent job in collecting facts, interviews, and side stories to make this the best Hepburn book yet.

This is such a tremendous book. Packed with substantial detail...Barry Paris has done his homework. This is the only biography of Audrey Hepburn I've read that feels complete, that has not trivialized or sanitized her life. I left the book feeling as if I'd known her as a person rather than a movie star.