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1st out of 252 books
—
97 voters
Me: Stories of My Life
Admired and beloved by movie audiences for more than sixty years, four-time Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn is an American classic, and an extraordinary, enduring presence on the international cultural scene. Yet her private life has been obscured by mystery. Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence in this absorbing and provocative memoir.
Hardcover
Published
by Penguin Books
(first published January 1st 1991)
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I've always admired Katherine Hepburn for being ahead of her time and unconventional in many ways. Thought surely this book would focus on her nearly 30 year love affair with Spencer Tracy. However, I barely managed to get through it. Mostly about mundane things, her growing up years, how much she loved and admired her parents and siblings, etc. Spencer only came in at the very end and there was no new ground covered. Lots of tidbits about making of various movies and the people she worked with...more
This is my favorite actress so I will try not to be too biased lol. One of my favorite autobiographies. It isn't a chapter book. It contains different stories of Kate's life as she remembers them. A must have book if you are a Kate fan.
I loved Katherine Hepburn and have read a lot about her. This is a very interesting account of her life, written with honesty and humility. She was a symbol of the social circle she was brought up in and the times she lived in. Fascinating, sad, triumphant. She lead a life without compromise.
Admired and beloved by movie audiences for over sixty years, four-time Academy Award-winner Katharine Hepburn is an American classic. Now Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence about her private life in this absorbing and provocative memoir.
A NEW YORK TIMES Notable Book of the Year
A Book-of-the-Month-Club Main Selection
From the Paperback edition.
From Publishers WeeklyBeloved actress Hepburn's episodic autobiography spent 24 weeks on PW 's hardcover bestseller list and was a BOMC main
I was initially undecided about reading this autobiography, since I read several reviews that said it was completely jumbled and very difficult to follow since events weren't retold in chronological order. However, I found it was actually very interesting and the writing style came across as more of a casual, conversational tone. I had never really known much about Katharine Hepburn and I only recently became rather interested in her life and work. She doesn't divulge much personal content, but...more
I picked this up for three bucks in an antique shop while on a road trip last weekend. Why? Forty odd years ago Katharine Hepburn was on our tv in The African Queen. I was passing through the family room on my way to do something better than to watch one of mom's favourite actresses kissing on some hunky actor in stupid black and white. I mean, soon they'd be breaking into song, or worse, dance. My mother raved about her, and wanted me to stay and watch I think, but oddly Mom could not whole hea...more
Interesting, if a bit too quirky in its delivery, too uneven in style. Where it is forthcoming, the information is highly engaging. The problem is, the book is overly cagey, with vast gaps, great leaps in time, as though Ms. Hepburn had huge portions of her life which she did not wish to discuss, and so, rather than providing a smooth and fluid connection through these more-relevant stretches of her life with "ordinariness,"she chose to ignore them completely. (For example, virtually nothing is...more
I wanted to love this book, but I liked it instead. It's a good book, not a great book. I so admire Katharine Hepburn, and always will, but I felt that she had difficulty sharing her personal life after a certain point... a certain age. She didn't share much detail, as others have said, about the relationship she had with Spenser Tracy, and frankly, I found that annoying. Here is this remarkable woman who devotes a great portion of her life to one man, and although their relationship was quite t...more
I am forever fascinated by this icon of filmdom, from her personal trials and survival skills, to her trailblazing fashion style, her yankee engenuity,flawless talent, and her ability to just be who she is through it all. I really feel that her words always ring far truer than any bio done on her. She has an uncanny almost dry wit about her, that can be at times self deprecating, and at times an assessment of her opinion of others. Many think her a snob, for her judgements of people and life, bu...more
Ever since I discovered the appeal of classic movies, I have been a fan of Katharine Hepburn. Everything about her was unique and I really enjoyed watching her movies, whether they were full of comedy or bogged down with drama. After visiting a used bookstore, I found this biography and knew I had to read it. I have always wondered about her life and this seemed like the perfect book. To be honest this is the first biography that I chose to read for myself and I completely enjoyed it. Although t...more
I would recommend this book through part 3, but don't bother with the rest. The first 3 parts were pretty good. It was interesting to hear about her life growing up on the East Coast, and how she got into theater and movies. But by part 4 it turned into a random bunch of rambling stories about this person, or that strange conversation. There were two very brief chapters about her relationship with Spencer Tracy. At the end of the first one, she says, "more on Spencer later," but then the second...more
Katharine Hepburn is someone I admire greatly and I fully admit to reading this to figure out a little bit more of just what it was that made her tick. She has a very odd and very unique writing style - it's as if she's in conversation with herself. She occasionally doesn't include all of the details, name-drops without meaning to, and frequently interrupts herself. However, it is very much her. It is absolutely her voice and I could almost hear her talking to me as I read.
The parts that I was m...more
The parts that I was m...more
When I "write" the story of my life, I will also title it ME. This was a gem of a good/bad book.
Chuckle worthy Passages:
Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this.
Everyone came and we made seventy-five dollars to buy a Victrola for the Navajo Indians.
Putnam was a poet. He was sort of medium-sized and had a very handsome head.
Any kind of English or WASP part I had a good chance for in those...more
Chuckle worthy Passages:
Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this.
Everyone came and we made seventy-five dollars to buy a Victrola for the Navajo Indians.
Putnam was a poet. He was sort of medium-sized and had a very handsome head.
Any kind of English or WASP part I had a good chance for in those...more
4 likes · like · see review
Like listening to your grandma (your crazy, crazy grandma) tell you stories. Except that your grandma is Katharine Hepburn. Except that the stories are replete with digressions about that candy shop she used to visit as a child(of course, it's been torn down now), and that time she went to Italy with that writer and drove his Maserati, except she didn't drive and she needs glasses, and anyway, they almost had sex, but didn't, probably because he was eleven years younger, and also, she's decided...more
2 likes · like · see review
Katharine Hepburn on Katharine Hepburn.
In her stream of consciousness style writing you can almost hear her voice saying the words, even if there were a couple of times in the book where I had no idea what she was talking about. Great photos and a wonderful insight into her life from the woman herself. Aptly named, she admits that most of her life she was all about herself. Until, it seems, she fell in love with Spencer Tracy. There is less there about their relationship than people interested i...more
In her stream of consciousness style writing you can almost hear her voice saying the words, even if there were a couple of times in the book where I had no idea what she was talking about. Great photos and a wonderful insight into her life from the woman herself. Aptly named, she admits that most of her life she was all about herself. Until, it seems, she fell in love with Spencer Tracy. There is less there about their relationship than people interested i...more
Sep 19, 2010
Brixton
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Brixton by:
bookswap
4-stars for the delightful good time spent with Ms Hepburn chatting about this, that, and the other thing, an occasional gem of wisdom popping out now and then almost just by accident. The best stories are the little ones, such as the one about the only guy who stopped to help her and a friend change a tire by the side of the road, and was so busy shitting bricks over his dumb luck that he refused to believe she really was who he thought she was, even after she showed him a piece of mail with he...more
Katharine Hepburn: Glamorous? Beautiful? Sophisticated? Great actress? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Writer? NO.
I know one reviewer inserted a bunch of silly quotes from the book. I'm just going to put in one: "Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this." I think she spent too much time standing on her head - it made her a little dizzy, or should I say ditzy.
No, I don't mean that. But that is the t...more
I know one reviewer inserted a bunch of silly quotes from the book. I'm just going to put in one: "Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this." I think she spent too much time standing on her head - it made her a little dizzy, or should I say ditzy.
No, I don't mean that. But that is the t...more
1 like · like · see review
I'll be upfront in saying I never watched many Hepburn movies even though the woman is a legend. Me is a book of stories and I was interested in hearing those stories (read by Kate herself in her unique way). This isn't her biography per se, it's just personal stories from her life. She lived to be 96 so you know she had some stories to tell.
This books covers some of her childhood, Fenwick and growing up in Connecticut. She dearly loved her parents and siblings. In 1921, she found her brother To...more
This books covers some of her childhood, Fenwick and growing up in Connecticut. She dearly loved her parents and siblings. In 1921, she found her brother To...more
Jan 16, 2013
Jacqueline
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Please read it, anyone. Your heart needs these words.
Not sixty seconds ago did I finish reading Katharine's words, all of them, and I am floored with emotions. So many feelings, so many chaotic sensations tumbling through my body that I turn laughably poetic at just trying to express how deeply I am moved.
I've read many novels in my life, many nonfictional works designed to engage me, make me think, entertain me, do something. And, yet, of the no doubt thousand bindings of paper and electronic ink I've perused, never, ever, have I felt as I do now...more
1 like · like · see review
Buku ini aku idam-idamkan sejak aku membaca memoir Barbara Walters yang kumulai tahun lalu dan berakhir tahun ini :D. Untunglah, buku ini tidak bernasib sama walaupun dari segi penulisan, cara menulis Barbara Walters jauh lebih baik menurutku.
Tulisan Katharine tidak terlalu enak dibaca namun semangatnya terasa menyala-nyala di sepanjang buku. Energik, berkemauan keras, berjuang keras, wajar saja jika dia menjadi pemegang rekor Best Actress Oscar dengan memenangkan 4 dari 12 kali nominasi. Walaup...more
Tulisan Katharine tidak terlalu enak dibaca namun semangatnya terasa menyala-nyala di sepanjang buku. Energik, berkemauan keras, berjuang keras, wajar saja jika dia menjadi pemegang rekor Best Actress Oscar dengan memenangkan 4 dari 12 kali nominasi. Walaup...more
I really did enjoy this. Katharine Hepburn's writing style is so..."her." She writes like she speaks and like you imagine she would be like in real life- sort of rambling, random, and start-and-stop (and magnified even more than usual because she was in her 80s when she wrote this).
I loved the parts about her growing up and working with certain directors, etc. in her films. {I have quite a few films to add to my "to see" list now.} I learned a lot about her- I had no idea she was so involved in...more
I loved the parts about her growing up and working with certain directors, etc. in her films. {I have quite a few films to add to my "to see" list now.} I learned a lot about her- I had no idea she was so involved in...more
This is Katharine Hepburn's autobiography, and it left me thinking she had a rather dull life or she just isn't a very good writer. I think it is the latter--she skims over her brother's death very quickly (which I guess is understandable) and devotes a very slim part of the book to her thirty year affair with the married Spencer Tracy. (And this slim part also left me feeling like I would NOT like her! She doesn't come across as a girl's best friend kind of person.)
Editted to add: Katharine Hep...more
Editted to add: Katharine Hep...more
So very Katherine Hepburn. It's a conversational book, almost as if she's gossiping with you. Throughout my reading of the book I had her distinctive voice in my head. What a voice! What a character! My favorite part of the book was her recollection of her movies and plays. Because that's who she was, and that is why I like her. She doesn't dwell too much on her Tracy years. Private to the end. But she does give a glowing review of Tracy's work. Makes me want to check out his solo movies (I've o...more
I love Katherine Hepburn. Grew up watching her films, and hearing wonderfully audacious quotes that always had an air of independence and empowerment. I expected to love this from the first page, and I did. The overriding thing that I took away was just how wonderful Her family was and how much they played a role in her life. If I ever have children I want to reread this frequently as a parent to remember how a positive parent can spur a child on to great things. The one thing I hoped to get tha...more
Terrfic autobiography of one of my favorite actresses ever. Katharine tells the story of her life beginning in childhood- the daughter of politically active and very intelligent parents to her early days in summer stock to her very successful and lengthy Hollywood career. Interspersed throughout details her love stories of Spencer Tracy, Howard Hughes, and her first husband Luddy. She writes likes she speaks and for me, a true fan, I miss her more. The multi-Academy Award winner will always hold...more
Jul 27, 2009
Allyson
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who really enjoy Katharine Hepburn and her work (not casual fans)
Shelves:
subc
I enjoyed reading about Katharine Hepburn's experiences, but I struggled with her writing style. Overall, the book was worth reading because I gleaned some new insights into Katharine Hepburn's life and especially her outlook on life. However, if I didn't find her very interesting to begin with, I doubt I would've made it past the first few chapters.
You're probably familiar with Hepburn's distinctive speech pattern. The book is written the same way, as if she dictated her memories to someone who...more
You're probably familiar with Hepburn's distinctive speech pattern. The book is written the same way, as if she dictated her memories to someone who...more
Inspiriert von Kate Mulgrews Audiobook "Tea at five" habe ich Kathrin Hepburns 500 Seiten starke Autobiografie "Ich" gelesen. Mit ihrem einzigartigen Humor schildert die zum Zeitpunkt des Erscheinens schon betagte Hepburn (merkt man ein wenig an den Gedankensprüngen im Text) nicht nur von den Stationen ihres Lebens sondern man erfährt auf Grund zahlreicher Anekdoten wie es sich damals "hinter den Kulissen" abgespielt hat. Auch, dass es damals offensichtlich möglich war Freundschaften mit Kollege...more
I love old Hollywood so I picked this book up when I found it on sale in a store. I wasn't a big fan of Katharine Hepburn before I read this book, and I most certainly am not a fan now. The writing style was rather awful and appeared completely unedited. It could have used a lot of help to make it cohesive and flow rather than being very choppy. I was also disappointed by the person I saw Katharine Hepburn to be. This book is appropriately titled "Me" because that's just about all she cared abou...more
Only Katharine Hepburn could deliver such a delicious, in-your-face biography. There was so much about her to love and so much of her to question. She delivered the goods here, taking you along in a wonderful way as she candidly tells of her life beginning to end. Like it or not, she wouldn't care...she just was who she was and lived a long, full life in just THAT way. What can you say about a woman who lived into her 90's, swimming in the ocean in the winter EVERY day, wearing clothes and shoes...more
This book has become one of my fav reads. Katharine Hepburn in life appeared to be direct, well put together, and always interesting,her autobiography is the same. From her very beginning growing up in Hartford, to her early days in Hollywood then back to New York, its all here. The story are often humourous, very enjoyable and filled with a Hollywood who's who. Lots of surprises along thwe way. The book is smart, easy reading, direct, and at times a wild ride. Reading this book has sparked my l...more
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Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. Known for her headstrong independence and spirited personality, Hepburn's career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned more than 60 years. She cultivated a screen persona that matched this public image, and regularly played strong-willed, sophisticated women. Her work came in a range of genres, from screwball comedy t...more
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“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything”
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“We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.”
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Apr 16, 2010 05:47pm