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Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne
by
James Gavin
At long last, the first serious biography of entertainment legend Lena Horne -- the celebrated star of film, stage, and music who became one of the first African-American icons.
At the 74th annual Academy Awards in 2002, Halle Berry thanked Lena Horne for paving the way for her to become the first black recipient of a Best Actress Oscar. Though limited, mostly to guest sin
...moreHardcover, 544 pages
Published
June 23rd 2009
by Atria
(first published May 5th 2009)
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I stumbled across a reference to this book early last year, and since I own the family biography/memoir written by Horne's daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley, I was interested in reading more about this remarkable woman. Incidentally, I finished reading Stormy Weather about a week before Horne's death at the age of 92, which deepened my respect for the legacy of Lena Horne. In Stormy Weather, James Gavin strips away the glamorous image polished and buffed by MGM's beauty machine and sharpened by Lena ...more
I grew up knowing that Lena Horne was one of the biggest brightest smartest star African Americans had ever seen. Reading this book transported me back to her early years in film and music. I was surprised to know that Horne was tormented as a child being called "high yeller" or emotionally abused. Her stardom was an act of love for her mom while her hearted longed to be truly loved unconditionally. It was heartbreaking to know that Horne saw her job as a dancer at the Cotton Club "...more
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Having lived through the Civil Rights movement I was intensely interested in Gavin's interweaving of Lena Horne's story with the state of our nation in regards to race relations throughout her life. He did an amazing job of shining a spotlight on many issues that remain today and used one woman's experiences and choices to show how damaging living under extreme prejudice can be. Horne's story is a fascinating one and Gavin does not attempt to make it a glossy, Hollywood story, but the stark real...more
Robert Starner
added it
A terrific read and exploration of one of the entertainment world's most gifted and complicated women. Author presents extensive research of Lena Hornes full life with interviews from a broad range of collaborators. I had the opportunity to attend any author event a few weeks ago in Washington DC and was grateful for the author's presentation which included several video clips from periods throughout Horne's career which showcase her many moods and true vocal abilities.
I never expected to actually finish it but I did, which is entirely a tribute to the quality of the writing. I'm not a big fan of Lena Horne. She always struck me as an oddly hostile and aloof performer and now I know why: she genuinely loathed most of her audience. After reading this biography, I have a little more sympathy for her, but no more affection. (PS: I don't know how with-it she is at this point but, if she's aware of it, she must HATE this book!)
What a lovely look at the life of a ground-breaking actress. Lena was not only a beautiful woman, she was politically active (to the point of being blacklisted for being too left-leaning), and worked to help bring about equal rights in the 1950's. This book is truly in-depth describing her start in the famous cotton club up to the point of her self-imposed seclusion.
To me Lena Horne was the lady who sang with Grover (my fave) on Sesame Street and with Kermit the Frog on the Muppet Show. I still do not feel that I know her any better after reading this book. The 2 problems I had with it were both the authors fault and not the authors fault. Not the fault was that Horne herself has changed her history and the order of things throughout the years, making it hard to tell what was her imagination and what happened. As for the at fault, well, that maybe partl...more
I am currently reading this book and I find her life very interesting. Partly because of the time period she began her career in. The Harlem Ren. is one of my favorite era's and the struggles of that time, make the successess of Lena and others all the more sweet. They endured so much that we take for granted
I'm one of the biggest Lena Horne fans, and read her daughter's biography of their family in record time. This book, by James Gavin, is even more in depth, with more recent observations and research (up to 2009). Amazing and in-depth overview of Ms. Horne's personal life and obstacles.
James Gavin's great strength as a biographer, I feel, is his ability (and willingness) to look at his subject from a range of different angles, never becoming fully satisfied until he's assessed, then reassessed, and assessed some more. In this fascinating study of the great, complicated Lena Horne, Gavin never goes for the easy solutions. Many biographers would have; Gavin could probably have gotten away with it too, but thankfully he doesn't. It's as if he's constantly holding his subject u...more
Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne is a graet read. It is very detailed in telling the life of the great American entertainer Lena Horne. However, When you get into some parts of the story you tend to feel if what the author is writing is totally true or if he just got that from another magazine article or book on this famous icon of entertainment. Overall, Stormy Weather is a interesting and Captivating story.
Very detailed book about the life of Lena Horne. It brought to light the many difficulties of black entertainers in the 40s, 50s and 60s. She was a very insecure and angry woman.
Lena Horne was a miserable person. James Gavin is a boring biographer.
A wonderfully evenhanded look at the life of Lena Horne. It's dishy and all the loose ends are tied up. I really didn't know anything about Lena Horne. She isn't the nicest person, but Horne is a tragic survivor.
The best bio of 2009...of this I am sure!
Fatima
marked it as to-read
ny times book review
If you want to know about Lena Horne, this is the book.
This is about Lena Horne who was a singer and her life beginning as a young girl growing up as a mixed race girl at a time when many people considered it unacceptable. She was neglected and abandoned over and over in her childhood. Life was difficult but ultimately she became a successful singer. So far, I would definitely recommend this book.
Well-written.
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