Reviews
"William J. Mann's biography of Katharine Hepburn deepens the focus on the singular life of this spectacular 20th century personality. An extraordinary job of research, and a tremendously satisfying presentation. This is solid craftsmanship, entertaining, well presented and completely satisfying."--Marc Eliot, author of "Cary Grant" "Katharine Hepburn is a 10,000 piece jigsaw. I would have defied anyone to have assembled the puzzle as beautifully as William Mann has done. What a job! This is one of the best books ever written about a movie star and the complexities and compromises involved with fame and celebrity. It delves intimately, candidly, mesmerizingly, into Hepburn's 'dual' sexuality as a key to her persona. The reporting is fresh and persuasive, the tone intelligent and compassionate. This is the book that finally pierces the mystery of the human being behind the legend. I couldn't stop reading--or thinking--about it."--Patrick McGilligan, author of "George"" ""Cukor": "A Double Life" and "Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light", "She wrote memoirs, she gave interviews, and she talked, talked, talked. We thought we knew everything about Katharine Hepburn, but we actually knew only what she wanted us to know. Kate, William J. Mann's exciting new biography, pulls back those carefully drawn curtains to reveal the real Hepburn-a different but far more interesting woman than the one we thought we knew."-Gerald Clarke, author of Capote "William J. Mann's biography of Katharine Hepburn deepens the focus on the singular life of this spectacular 20th century personality. An extraordinary job of research, and a tremendously satisfying presentation. This is solid craftsmanship, entertaining, well presented and completely satisfying."-Marc Eliot, author of Cary Grant "Katharine Hepburn is a 10,000 piece jigsaw. I would have defied anyone to have assembled the puzzle as beautifully as William Mann has done. What a job! This is one of the best books ever written about a movie star and the complexities and compromises involved with fame and celebrity. It delves intimately, candidly, mesmerizingly, into Hepburn's 'dual' sexuality as a key to her persona. The reporting is fresh and persuasive, the tone intelligent and compassionate. This is the book that finally pierces the mystery of the human being behind the legend. I couldn't stop reading-or thinking-about it."-Patrick McGilligan, author of GeorgeCukor: A Double Lifeand Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light, "She wrote memoirs, she gave interviews, and she talked, talked, talked. We thought we knew everything about Katharine Hepburn, but we actually knew only what she wanted us to know.Kate, William J. Mann's exciting new biography, pulls back those carefully drawn curtains to reveal the real HepburnÂ--a different but far more interesting woman than the one we thought we knew."Â--Gerald Clarke, author ofCapote Â"William J. Mann's biography of Katharine Hepburn deepens the focus on the singular life of this spectacular 20th century personality. An extraordinary job of research, and a tremendously satisfying presentation. This is solid craftsmanship, entertaining, well presented and completely satisfying.Â"Â--Marc Eliot, author ofCary Grant Â"Katharine Hepburn is a 10,000 piece jigsaw. I would have defied anyone to have assembled the puzzle as beautifully as William Mann has done. What a job! This is one of the best books ever written about a movie star and the complexities and compromises involved with fame and celebrity. It delves intimately, candidly, mesmerizingly, into Hepburn's Â'dual' sexuality as a key to her persona. The reporting is fresh and persuasive, the tone intelligent and compassionate. This is the book that finally pierces the mystery of the human being behind the legend. I couldn't stop readingÂ--or thinkingÂ--about it.Â"Â--Patrick McGilligan, author of GeorgeCukor:A Double LifeandAlfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light Â"The time is ripe, the author is right, for this eye-opening biography. With humor and a sympathy unclouded by awe, Mann dismantles the elaborate charade that went into the Katharine Hepburn mystique. Not least fascinating is the ambiguous sexuality that lay behind the deceptively straightforward image, carefully crafted by Hepburn herself with the eager compliance of reporters and fans.Â"Â--Molly Haskell, author ofFrom Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies Â"Kateis a fascinating exploration into the secret life of one of Hollywood's greatest icons. I thought I knew a lot about Katharine Hepburn until I read William J. Mann's stunning biography. He has explored and explained her vulnerabilities, her fears, and most of all her intense, passionate friendships with other women. The story turns out to be richer and more amazing than I could have imagined. Mann's account is mesmerizing and well researched; he is psychologically acute without ever being clinical, deeply respectful without being reverential. Plus,Kateis a wonderful readÂ--I could not put it down.Â"Â--Patricia Bosworth, author ofDiane Arbus: A Biography Â"William Mann has produced a significant biography of a woman whose complicated personality ahs never been fully captured. He has presented not only an intriguing portrait of Katharine Hepburn but also an accurate picture of her Hollywood and the difficult business of stardom.Â"Â--Gore Vidal William Mann'sKatepromises and delivers "the woman who was Hepburn" as no previous book has done. Mann's research is awe-inspiring, but his wonderfully readable account of Hepburn's ambitions, personality, and needs adds up to much more than that. It makes vivid a life that is -- on the page -- like its subject: unflinching, clear-eyed, and compassionate. I doubt very much we will have a more authoritative or fascinatingKate.Â--Steven Bach, author ofFinal CutandLeni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl "Biography is often the greatest form of fiction, pretending to do what only novels really can---present people all-of-a-piece. In
