Reviews for Dutch girl : Audrey Hepburn and World War II

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A popular biographers intimate portrait of Audrey Hepburns wartime experiences.Before the world knew Audrey as an actress and UNICEF humanitarian, she was born Adriaantje, in 1929. With this scrupulous account of Hepburns upbringing in Belgium, England, and the Netherlandselements that previous biographies have only glanced atMatzen completes his trilogy on Hollywood stars during World War II, following books on Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard. The author delves into the attraction of fascism for Hepburns mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra, and father, Joseph Ruston. He opens the book with a chilling passage about Ellas meeting with Hitler in 1935. He was so pale, so composed as he smiled that enigmatic smile, full of humility, the one seen so often in newsreels flickering on screens around the world, writes Matzen. He reached out his hand and accepted hers lightly. After Joseph left the family, Hepburns life was irreversibly altered, as it would be again when the Germans invaded their town. The author interweaves detailed military and social history with Ella's lineage, quotes from Hepburn, fragments from the diaries of her contemporaries, and interviews with people who knew her. Hepburn seldom spoke of Ellas early Nazi support or her own war efforts, but Matzen resurrects this history, thoroughly contextualizing Ellas dominant personality. In addition to documenting the familys many traumas, the author explores Hepburns love for ballet, and accounts of early film auditions add light to the bleakness. When thoughts and impressions are ascribed to Hepburne.g., her reaction to Anne Franks diary ( There were floods of tears, Audrey said of that first encounter with the writing of Anne Frank. I became hysterical. ) and her 1992 trip to Somaliathe journalistic text is often moving but sometimes slows the narrative flow. Nonetheless, Matzen's labor of love amply shows how war shaped Hepburns worldview. Useful chapter notes blend bibliographic sources with the authors reasoning for engaging with specific topics.An illuminating and devastating examination of an icon and her dramatic experiences. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A popular biographer’s intimate portrait of Audrey Hepburn’s wartime experiences. Before the world knew Audrey as an actress and UNICEF humanitarian, she was born Adriaantje, in 1929. With this scrupulous account of Hepburn’s upbringing in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands—elements that previous biographies have only glanced at—Matzen completes his trilogy on Hollywood stars during World War II, following books on Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard. The author delves into the attraction of fascism for Hepburn’s mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra, and father, Joseph Ruston. He opens the book with a chilling passage about Ella’s meeting with Hitler in 1935. “He was so pale, so composed as he smiled that enigmatic smile, full of humility, the one seen so often in newsreels flickering on screens around the world,” writes Matzen. “He reached out his hand and accepted hers lightly.” After Joseph left the family, Hepburn’s life was irreversibly altered, as it would be again when the Germans invaded their town. The author interweaves detailed military and social history with Ella's lineage, quotes from Hepburn, fragments from the diaries of her contemporaries, and interviews with people who knew her. Hepburn seldom spoke of Ella’s early Nazi support or her own war efforts, but Matzen resurrects this history, thoroughly contextualizing Ella’s dominant personality. In addition to documenting the family’s many traumas, the author explores Hepburn’s love for ballet, and accounts of early film auditions add light to the bleakness. When thoughts and impressions are ascribed to Hepburn—e.g., her reaction to Anne Frank’s diary (“ ‘There were floods of tears,” Audrey said of that first encounter with the writing of Anne Frank. ‘I became hysterical.’ ”) and her 1992 trip to Somalia—the journalistic text is often moving but sometimes slows the narrative flow. Nonetheless, Matzen's labor of love amply shows how war shaped Hepburn’s worldview. Useful chapter notes blend bibliographic sources with the author’s reasoning for engaging with specific topics. An illuminating and devastating examination of an icon and her dramatic experiences. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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