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3rd out of 27 books
—
4 voters
Kate Remembered
For seven decades Katharine Hepburn played a leading role in the popular culture of the twentieth century - reigning as an admired actress, a beloved movie star, and a treasured icon of the modern American woman. She also remained one of the most private of all the public figures of her time.
In 1983 - at the age of seventy-five, her career cresting - the four-time Academy...more
In 1983 - at the age of seventy-five, her career cresting - the four-time Academy...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
September 7th 2004
by Berkley Trade
(first published 2003)
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Mar 03, 2008
Sydney
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Katharine Hepburn fans
Recommended to Sydney by:
Pat Gohring (My Mom)
Shelves:
biography-nonfiction-memoir
I don't generally enjoy Biography, but this was different. Katharine Hepburn has always been one of my favorite actresses. She was such a strong, modern woman. She wasn't without flaws, but she was such a presence both on and off screen. Author Berg became part of her inner circle after convincing her to do an interview for Esquire magazine. He painted such an intimate portrait of her life. On the jacket of the book, he says he can't call this a biography, because he got too close to Hepburn to...more
Incredible Quote: "My father said that his children were so shy because they were afraid they were going to a party and they were not going to be either the bride or the corpse. And he may be right. I can't think of a single, logical defense of someone who occupies a position in the industry that they refuse to go to the biggest celebration that the industry has to offer. I think it's unpardonable, but I do it...I have no defense" Katharine Hepburn, pgs. 99-100
I picked the quote that I did to h...more
I picked the quote that I did to h...more
Kate Remembered - A. Scott Berg – 20120804
I have read this biography twice, or actually read it once and listened to it once. It might very well be the best biography I have ever read.
Having first read the book from the library (and then purchasing it) I was to leave on a business trip and saw the audio book at the library. During my long drive I listened to the audio book.
Either version is highly, HIGHLY, recommended by me. The twists and turns, names and dates, understanding of the film indust...more
I have read this biography twice, or actually read it once and listened to it once. It might very well be the best biography I have ever read.
Having first read the book from the library (and then purchasing it) I was to leave on a business trip and saw the audio book at the library. During my long drive I listened to the audio book.
Either version is highly, HIGHLY, recommended by me. The twists and turns, names and dates, understanding of the film indust...more
Not the type of book I would normally read, initially I thought that it was not too bad. It is indeed as the author states a personal biography that is heavily influenced by his personal acquaintance and interactions with Katharine Hepburn. It is very readable but it does not concentrate enough on the subject of the biography. A. Scott Berg tends to weave in his own personal acquaintances with other Hollywood celebrities and indeed devotes a significant number of words to the life and opinions o...more
Based on the style Berg uses, I'm tempted to read his biography on Goldwyn as well (if it's told in any fashion like this). He narrates this biography as a friend, not a biographer, the result being a more gentle tale of the woman. And he captures the spirit of a woman, rather than a legend.
Several times I laughed out loud. In the beginning he describes her impatience with people by simply describing how mad she once got at him because he sucked at being her partner in a game of Parcheesi.
Or her...more
Several times I laughed out loud. In the beginning he describes her impatience with people by simply describing how mad she once got at him because he sucked at being her partner in a game of Parcheesi.
Or her...more
A very unusual biography in that the author became great friends with Katherine Hepburn over the last 20 years of her life. It's strange to realize that someone as famous as Hepburn -- and as much in the public eye as she was -- was relatively alone and isolated in her later years.
Katherine Hepburn seems to have been exactly the person she seemed to be: remarkably little pretense for a person whose stock in trade is role-playing.
Berg's friendship with his subject means that we get to see the rea...more
Katherine Hepburn seems to have been exactly the person she seemed to be: remarkably little pretense for a person whose stock in trade is role-playing.
Berg's friendship with his subject means that we get to see the rea...more
This is not an objective book about Katherine Hepburn and the author makes this clear up front. This is an homage to a friend by a friend who happens to be a writer. In a way, this makes it more enjoyable and fun to read for a Kate Hepburn fan. There are no new revelations, but then Hepburn revealed all while she was alive. So this is just a fun read that feels like you were invited to sit in while friends talked.
I thought this book had some really great moments and was perfect in that it was written by a close friend of kh's(not some random biographer), but also a person renowned for writing biographies. A little too much about the writer at the beginning, but all and all very fun to read about the amazing personality that was katharine hepburn. I made a list of must-see old movies to rent while reading.
This is no hyped fan biography. A. Scott Berg is a cheated Pulitzer Prize winner - cheated in that his awesome and lauded biography of Charles Lindbergh is from the time before we knew Lindbergh had a second family in Germany. Also honored with a National Book Award, Berg became a friend of Katharine Hepburn - a personal friend, often with her alone - through nearly a quarter-century. Hepburn is one of 20th Century America's great stage/film personalities. Perhaps the greatest. Berg brings her p...more
I liked this book. But I went into it knowing very little about Kate. I really liked the beginning and the end, but the middle kind of dragged for me. I thought there was too much spent on, which actors were in every movie she made. I liked the stories about her life, but some of the parts about her career read too much like a resume for my tastes. She was a very interesting woman!
I love bios. I love Hollywood. So, reading a bio about one of Hollywood's greatest actresses wasn't too much a stretch. I really enjoyed this one because the author actually respects the person he is writing about and just doesn't go for the juicy dirt, expose-style bio. You can find out about people without breaking their trust, which is exactly what Berg did here. Excellent bio.
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Katharine Hepburn is one of my all-time favorite actresses. This book provided a fascinating and somewhat unique glimpse into her life. I am a huge movie buff, particularly older movies, so enjoyed very much hearing all her stories about the stars and the system back then. She lived a great, long life and was to the very end, a classy lady. I enjoyed reading about the author's unique and personal friendship with her and how their relationship evolved over the years they knew each other. I think...more
Total guilty pleasure and an easy read while visiting with family. I am fascinated with Hollywood during the studio era when she was beginning her career and she was such an amazing character. This was a relatively schmaltzy but endearing and interesting read. I recommend it for fans of the lady and of pop culture.
Oct 22, 2007
Angie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of old movies
I am a huge fan of Katharine Hepburn and found this book excellent at sharing her compelling life story. She meets and befriends so many odd famous people from the 1930s into the 2000s. I was simply mesmerized. The author's eloquent words appeared truthful and graceful, as Miss Hepburn.
So I finished this book a while ago and have moved on to reading Harry Potter again before summer.
But this book was wonderful and engaging. It is the memoirs of a professional biographer and his long friendship with Katherine Hepburn. He felt he couldn't do a real biography because he loved her so much, he couldn't be objective.
It is incredibly beautiful and incredibly sad as we listen to Katherine reminisce to Scott about her life, her patient, quiet, and giving love of Spencer Tracy, her ups a...more
But this book was wonderful and engaging. It is the memoirs of a professional biographer and his long friendship with Katherine Hepburn. He felt he couldn't do a real biography because he loved her so much, he couldn't be objective.
It is incredibly beautiful and incredibly sad as we listen to Katherine reminisce to Scott about her life, her patient, quiet, and giving love of Spencer Tracy, her ups a...more
I "met" Katharine Hepburn towards the end of her long film career when she & Spencer Tracey appeared in "Guess who's coming to Dinner?". I fell in love with her - the fierce independent, stay outside the Hollywood scene, lady and wanted to know more. Though I saw her in a few more films she was never the subject of any true interviews - or at least none that were published in her lifetime. But Scott Berg was luckier than most; he formed a long, close and caring relationship with 'Kate' and w...more
Such a great book! It's very personal, and not unbiases--which is the main part of the fun. I love Katharine Hepburn anyway, and it's good that I didn't read this with my netflix queue in the same room. If you're at all interested in Hollywood history, this is a must read!
This book is really good and it's got really interesting facts. The relationship b/t Scott and Kate is fun and quirky. And the insight on Kate's life and her relationships was so interesting. You can't help but like her even more.
this is the best biography on katherine hepburn out there. she became friends with the author before he became her biographer so there is a much more personal feel to the book than most biographies. i enjoyed every minute of this book.
Everything I could want to know about Katherine Hepburn.Berg captured the essence of who she was throughout her life on and off the screen. I received the hard over the day after it came out, when she died in 2003.
I have alway love Katharine Hepburn so when this book came out I had to get it. A book about an extraordinary life that is true to her courageous character.
I enjoy a good biography and this was a great read. I enjoy learning how different people live their lives and the types of people they surround themselves with. Also when reading a biography about a famous actress, it lets you see the difference between society's outward perception of the said person and the actual person as percieved by those close to her and from personal documents and interviews. I find people to be very fascinating, and this is just a great entertaining read that allows the...more
Another "rescued" book. Reasonably entertaining hybrid of biography and
memoir. The author became a pretty good friend of KH after approaching her for an interview about Sam Goldwyn. KH and my father were both kids growing up in Hartford, she about 5 years older, and their paths crossed some(according to him). She outlived him by about 25 years though. That's what smoking and too much booze will do. KH an example of a person whose life is fascinating and full of achievement but who's not that in...more
memoir. The author became a pretty good friend of KH after approaching her for an interview about Sam Goldwyn. KH and my father were both kids growing up in Hartford, she about 5 years older, and their paths crossed some(according to him). She outlived him by about 25 years though. That's what smoking and too much booze will do. KH an example of a person whose life is fascinating and full of achievement but who's not that in...more
I read this book mostly on my lunch breaks at work and it took me forever to finish. I never knew or cared much about Katharine Hepburn, so I’m not exactly sure why I wanted to read it. It was mostly the story of a biographer’s friendship with Kate and some obligatory biography nonsense thrown (and I do mean THROWN) in. The only entertaining parts were those dealing with the present and Berg’s relationship with Kate. I think the book would have been less of a dry read if it didn’t try to retell...more
Certain words come to mind when I think of Katherine Hepburn, two of which are "whippersnapper" and "cantankerous." She was an odd bird but delightfully unique. I've read Kate's own autobiography, which is good, but I actually liked this better. Since KH spent over 10 years with this author, as his friend, there is a unique kind of intimacy to this version of her story. She selected him as her biographer with the intention of the book being published after her death, so she opened up to him in a...more
I didn't know much of anything about Katarine Hepburn before reading this book and after reading it I don't care to know anything about her. I think she had some great qualities, as evidenced by her long time staff and hiring nurses to care for Phyllis, but wow. The way the author portrayed her rubbed me the wrong way. Also, the incessant name dropping got to be a bit much. This was a book club solution and the refrain from all seemed to be "I like her less now that I've read the book." My entir...more
This is not your average biography, where the whole thing is a narrative of the person's life. Rather, this is the story of the friendship between the author (a noted biographer) and the subject, with the life story of the subject woven in.
Scott Berg and Katharine Hepburn became friends in 1983, and while it was never explicit that he would write this biography, she shared stories of her life with him in such a way that it was clear she expected them to be recorded in some fashion. Berg uses the...more
Scott Berg and Katharine Hepburn became friends in 1983, and while it was never explicit that he would write this biography, she shared stories of her life with him in such a way that it was clear she expected them to be recorded in some fashion. Berg uses the...more
I knew literally NOTHING about Katharine Hepburn, and have seen MAYBE 2 of her movies (parts of On Golden Pond and Rooster Cogburn). I don't think I ever saw any of her classic films, or saw her in any of her younger roles.
Another one I picked up at the book swap because it was fifty cents, and worth a quick read.
This is actually a pretty substantial 'biography' - written by a biographer who met Hepburn in the 1980s, as she was already getting older. The author readily admits that it is not a pa...more
Another one I picked up at the book swap because it was fifty cents, and worth a quick read.
This is actually a pretty substantial 'biography' - written by a biographer who met Hepburn in the 1980s, as she was already getting older. The author readily admits that it is not a pa...more
As a casual but authoritative survey of Hepburn's career, Berg's book offers little new information to anyone who's read previous Hepburn biographies or Me: Stories of My Life, Hepburn's bestselling 1991 memoir. But the duality of Berg's title reinforces his purpose: "More than my remembrances," writes Berg in his author's note, "this book intends to convey hers." As such, Kate Remembered offers a rare, unvarnished portrait of one of the 20th century's most influential women, achieving a person...more
This book offers a very unique approach to telling the story of an amazing woman. Unlike most biographies, which purport to provide an objective account of the subject's life, Kate Remembered interweaves biographical information with the author's own personal memories of the subject, Katharine Hepburn. The result is a biography that is much more poignant and personal than most. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it to provide a unique, refreshing twist on the genre of biography.
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Sep 09, 2011 07:00pm