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This Crazy Thing Called Love: The Golden World and Fatal Marriage of Ann and Billy Woodward
An account of the murder that inspired Dominick Dunne's The Two Mrs. Grenvilles describes how the beautiful showgirl who married the reckless scion of a New York banking fortune was accused of his murder. Reprint.
440 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 4, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 5, 2016
This is the most poorly written true crime book I have ever read, which is a huge shame because the story itself is fascinating and has inspired far better fictional works. It's full of bizarre non sequiturs, such as "Sudduth, however, had the impression she was waiting for him to leaver her stateroom so she could continue weeping. It was not only Ann's Balenciaga dresses and her manners." What?
Per the notes at the end, the author did many interviews with a wide variety of people and exhaustively reviewed the grand jury documents. She seems, however, to have just thrown the comments and statements into paragraphs willy nilly with no concern for making actual sense. "Facts" are presented with little to no attempt to put them into context.
This was a very frustrating read.
Per the notes at the end, the author did many interviews with a wide variety of people and exhaustively reviewed the grand jury documents. She seems, however, to have just thrown the comments and statements into paragraphs willy nilly with no concern for making actual sense. "Facts" are presented with little to no attempt to put them into context.
This was a very frustrating read.
February 9, 2008
Remember 'The Two Mrs. Grenvilles' by Dominick Dunne? This book tells the story of the real couple - Ann and Billy Woodward. Fascinating story and quite tragic. When I read 'The Two Mrs. Grenvilles,' I was quite sure that she murdered her husband on purpose. After reading this book about the real people, I have to say I came away feeling quite bad for Ann Woodward and believing that it really was a tragic accident when she shot her husband. I've read this book multiple times and was intrigued and fascinated each time.
April 10, 2016
The weird writing style, with awkward, choppy sentences and whiplash-inducing non-sequiturs, did little to dampen my enthusiasm for this book about scandalous rich people. Was it murder or a tragic accident? Did she truly love him or did she just love the status their relationship gave her? And does having more money than God really make you happy? (Spoiler alert: No.)
October 27, 2020
If you have read the Dominick Dunne book "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" or Truman Capote's "Unanswered Prayers", then you owe it to yourself to read this book. I'm a sucker for well-written books about the rich and famous and this satisfied on every level. Lots of details and lots of photographs and a juicy story. However, in addition to all of that, I finally read the real version of the killing of Billy Woodward by his wife Ann. The reason I can say that is that this book is so well-documented whereas the other two that preceded it are fictionalized accounts. Furthermore, as a divorcee, the wife would have been so much better off financially than she was as a widow. So her motive for murder was missing. This book really held my interest and it's a rare case when the facts are so much more interesting than the fiction.
November 30, 2016
Well-written, sympathetic to Ann. I read this on the heels of Dunne's Two Mrs. Grenvilles and Capote's Answered Prayers. This was probably a good order in which to read the retellings of this very sad story - regardless of what you think really happened that night.
August 16, 2017
I wrote this review in 2017, but forgot to publish it. That is why it refers to Kenneth Jay Lane's death as having happened "last week".
This Crazy Thing Called Love is a 1992 book about Ann Woodward who [accidentally?] shot her husband, Billy Woodward, Jr. in 1955.
It had an In Cold Blood quality, not without some irony since it was Truman Capote who indirectly caused Ann Woodward's suicide in 1975 by having someone alert her that he was publishing in Esquire a thinly veiled "fictional" story that imputed all sorts of things to Mrs. Woodward, that were never true nor would he have been in a position to know.
It was exhaustively researched. Even Kenneth Jay Lane made an appearance, around the same time that I was reading about his untimely death last week at 85 (he was so young).
Reading about a time before the phrase #fakenews had taken hold of our inagination, it was fascinating to observe how the listener''s class, education, and social background determined what he or she was prepared to believe about "the Murderess." Even after the prowler confessed that he had broken into the house. (The noise of him breaking the window had awoken Ann, who, like her husband, had gone to bed with a rifle loaded and ready, as the local residents had been concerned about a thief in the neighborhood. She opened her bedroom door and shot at a shadow in the hallway, thinking it was the burglar, only to find that her husband, awoken by the breaking glass as well, had stepped out of his bedroom across the hall to see what was up.)
I recommend this book, especially if you are into Social Register genealogies: the history of the Woodward family contrasted with Ann's humbler beginnings is expertly done. But it reads like a finely crafted mystery as well.
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This Crazy Thing Called Love is a 1992 book about Ann Woodward who [accidentally?] shot her husband, Billy Woodward, Jr. in 1955.
It had an In Cold Blood quality, not without some irony since it was Truman Capote who indirectly caused Ann Woodward's suicide in 1975 by having someone alert her that he was publishing in Esquire a thinly veiled "fictional" story that imputed all sorts of things to Mrs. Woodward, that were never true nor would he have been in a position to know.
It was exhaustively researched. Even Kenneth Jay Lane made an appearance, around the same time that I was reading about his untimely death last week at 85 (he was so young).
Reading about a time before the phrase #fakenews had taken hold of our inagination, it was fascinating to observe how the listener''s class, education, and social background determined what he or she was prepared to believe about "the Murderess." Even after the prowler confessed that he had broken into the house. (The noise of him breaking the window had awoken Ann, who, like her husband, had gone to bed with a rifle loaded and ready, as the local residents had been concerned about a thief in the neighborhood. She opened her bedroom door and shot at a shadow in the hallway, thinking it was the burglar, only to find that her husband, awoken by the breaking glass as well, had stepped out of his bedroom across the hall to see what was up.)
I recommend this book, especially if you are into Social Register genealogies: the history of the Woodward family contrasted with Ann's humbler beginnings is expertly done. But it reads like a finely crafted mystery as well.
###
September 6, 2020
'Was attracted to this title 25 years ago because of Billy Woodward's great horse Nashua. I fell into again this Derby week, when ironically like Nashua the unbeatable East Coast colt Tiz the Law was upended by a West Coast runner, as Swaps did in 1955. A see saw year for Billy Woodward. His champion colt lost the Kentucky Derby to Swaps, then humbled Swaps in a great match race, and then Billy was shot to death by his glamorous wife in the hallway darkness of their shockingly cluttered Long Island "villa." The couple was made famous already on sports pages and fledgling t.v. by Nashua; the shooting was front page news. It would be revived years later by Truman Capote and Dominick Dunne, the latter novel becoming a t.v. movie. (Ann Margaret and Claudette Colbert) THIS book is about a poor midwestern girl using her looks and smarts and moderate talent to claw her way to the top of Manhattan society in the mid 20th. century. She hobnobbed with the wealthy and horsey Woodwards and to the horror of her inlaws married into them. There followed an odd an often violent pairing, amid names like Whitney and the Windsors. It already was too unbelievable to be fiction, and then that late October night when a prowler fearing Ann Woodward fired that shot into the dark. Front pages, a society family awkwardly presenting a united front, and more tragedy was ahead. Indeed, more tragedy lived out beyond the book's first publication. If you ever wished to be part of the idle rich, read this, and contemplate how some given so much can lead such wasted, empty and unhappy lives.
March 24, 2017
Definitely worth the read
Immediately transported me in time. A factual book based on interviews, articles & facts, unlike other fictional books that painted Ann as a vicious murderer without any facts. While this book allows the reader to judge for themselves, it also gives all sides of each person without placing judgment. As it should have been from the start. The Author honors her craft and respects the reader, trusting them to listen to the story and make the call. Shame on Mr. Capote & Mr. Dunne for their sensationalized books.
Immediately transported me in time. A factual book based on interviews, articles & facts, unlike other fictional books that painted Ann as a vicious murderer without any facts. While this book allows the reader to judge for themselves, it also gives all sides of each person without placing judgment. As it should have been from the start. The Author honors her craft and respects the reader, trusting them to listen to the story and make the call. Shame on Mr. Capote & Mr. Dunne for their sensationalized books.
March 12, 2017
This book gives literal meaning to the term "crazy rich". Although the chapters covering Billy and Ann Woodward's marriage were confusing at times with regard to timelines (particularly if you follow the ages of their boys), it was an enjoyable and interesting read.
August 10, 2016
It was the crime of the century. Ann Woodward shot her husband thinking he was a prowler. Deep dark secrets begin to immerge.
October 16, 2026
Some true stories are difficult to forget because they reveal how little we may know about the lives people present to the world. This Crazy Thing Called Love by Susan Braudy explores the glamorous yet troubling world of Ann and Billy Woodward, offering a portrait of a marriage shaped by wealth, ambition, social expectations, and tragedy.
What makes this story particularly compelling is the contrast between outward appearances and private realities. From the outside, a life of privilege can seem enviable, filled with opportunities and the comforts that money can provide. Yet this story invites readers to look beyond that polished image and consider the complicated relationships, personal insecurities, and social pressures that may exist behind closed doors.
I find the intersection of love, status, and power especially fascinating in stories like this. Marriage is often imagined as a private bond between two people, but it can also become entangled with reputation, wealth, family expectations, and the demands of a particular social world. When these forces begin to influence a relationship, it becomes difficult to separate genuine affection from the circumstances surrounding it.
Braudy's account also raises questions about how society judges women, particularly those whose lives become the subject of public fascination or scandal. The way a person is remembered can be shaped as much by gossip, social attitudes, and public perception as by the facts of their life. This makes the story interesting not only as an account of a troubled marriage but also as a reflection on reputation and the narratives people construct around others.
What I appreciate about true-crime narratives at their best is their ability to move beyond the sensational aspects of a case and examine the human circumstances behind it. The most compelling questions are often not simply what happened, but how people arrived at the choices and situations that changed their lives forever.
Final thoughts
I gave this book five stars for its intriguing exploration of marriage, privilege, ambition, and tragedy. It offers a fascinating look at the distance that can exist between a glamorous public image and a much more complicated private life.
This Crazy Thing Called Love is worth considering for readers interested in true crime, social history, and the darker complexities of relationships among the wealthy and influential.
My greatest takeaway is that appearances rarely tell the whole story. Behind even the most enviable lives are human beings with vulnerabilities, conflicts, and private struggles that the outside world may never fully understand.
A compelling reminder that wealth can create an impressive world around a relationship, but it cannot guarantee the trust, understanding, or happiness that make a marriage endure. 📚
What makes this story particularly compelling is the contrast between outward appearances and private realities. From the outside, a life of privilege can seem enviable, filled with opportunities and the comforts that money can provide. Yet this story invites readers to look beyond that polished image and consider the complicated relationships, personal insecurities, and social pressures that may exist behind closed doors.
I find the intersection of love, status, and power especially fascinating in stories like this. Marriage is often imagined as a private bond between two people, but it can also become entangled with reputation, wealth, family expectations, and the demands of a particular social world. When these forces begin to influence a relationship, it becomes difficult to separate genuine affection from the circumstances surrounding it.
Braudy's account also raises questions about how society judges women, particularly those whose lives become the subject of public fascination or scandal. The way a person is remembered can be shaped as much by gossip, social attitudes, and public perception as by the facts of their life. This makes the story interesting not only as an account of a troubled marriage but also as a reflection on reputation and the narratives people construct around others.
What I appreciate about true-crime narratives at their best is their ability to move beyond the sensational aspects of a case and examine the human circumstances behind it. The most compelling questions are often not simply what happened, but how people arrived at the choices and situations that changed their lives forever.
Final thoughts
I gave this book five stars for its intriguing exploration of marriage, privilege, ambition, and tragedy. It offers a fascinating look at the distance that can exist between a glamorous public image and a much more complicated private life.
This Crazy Thing Called Love is worth considering for readers interested in true crime, social history, and the darker complexities of relationships among the wealthy and influential.
My greatest takeaway is that appearances rarely tell the whole story. Behind even the most enviable lives are human beings with vulnerabilities, conflicts, and private struggles that the outside world may never fully understand.
A compelling reminder that wealth can create an impressive world around a relationship, but it cannot guarantee the trust, understanding, or happiness that make a marriage endure. 📚
February 24, 2024
Interesting as a retrospective of the society and waspish social norms of the time - WWII through the Sixties. The writing style was jarring - vignettes haphazardly thrown together. Braudy appeared to have access to a great deal of material, perhaps through her relationship with Woody Woodward (the son of the murdered Woodward Scion, Billy Woodward) plus first-hand accounts of knowledgeable persons. As such, she covers a lot of ground in a rather lengthy tome that read at times like an issue of the Daily Mail. Gossipy. A fabulously wealthy family built on the twin false gods of money and societal regard masking an huge, vast empty loveless void. An ambitious, striving actress determined to erase her impoverished ‘other side of the tracks’ family of origin and leverage her ‘talents’ to scale the heights of New York High Society. A highly volatile marriage - jealousies, infidelities, private investigators, demeaning public ‘scenes.’ The murder of a spouse, accidental or an otherwise crime of passion (Braudy suggests Ann Woodward was a battered wife), questions around which would dog the family name and continues to this day as immortalized by Truman Capote and Dominick Dunne. Money, sex, drugs, child neglect, guns, mental health challenges and lots of each on the long road to nowhere. Heard the phrase ‘money can’t buy happiness’? This book holds the kernel of that truth.
October 2, 2017
This sordid tale of the potentially devastating, self destructive effects when people lack self confidence amazed this reader with its apparent basis in meticulous, thorough research. The story itself is the hideous tale of how married people who only share the pathology of mental illness and sexual attraction can ruin each others' and their families' lives. The glamorous surroundings and rarefied social status of the protagonists makes it somewhat easier to digest the horror for a while, but in the end it is a macabre and cautionary tale. And the specter of Truman Capote dining out on lies about the situation makes his untimely, gruesome ending as a disrespected social pariah seem like there is a God.
April 8, 2018
What a great story
I knew relatively nothing about this story. I did see a movie or something a long time ago about the "Two Mrs. Grenvilles" but did not realize that it was loosely based on this tragic family. I did not want to put the book down, it was that good. A great deal of research was done and I am glad there were pictures and footnotes. It would highly recommend this book.
I knew relatively nothing about this story. I did see a movie or something a long time ago about the "Two Mrs. Grenvilles" but did not realize that it was loosely based on this tragic family. I did not want to put the book down, it was that good. A great deal of research was done and I am glad there were pictures and footnotes. It would highly recommend this book.
March 8, 2021
I was expecting this book to focus on the crime but instead it focuses on the life of poor sad Ann Woodward. Fortunately for me, I enjoy bios.
Descriptions of Ann later in life remind me of Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. I don’t think Ann killed Billy on purpose and her life after his death seems to demonstrate that- it keeps spiraling downhill. In my humble opinion, Truman Capote tipped her over the edge, knew he did, and didn’t feel the slightest bit bad about it.
Descriptions of Ann later in life remind me of Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. I don’t think Ann killed Billy on purpose and her life after his death seems to demonstrate that- it keeps spiraling downhill. In my humble opinion, Truman Capote tipped her over the edge, knew he did, and didn’t feel the slightest bit bad about it.
November 9, 2018
Very interesting book and would recommend it to others. It just goes to show that you can be born with tons of money but you can not buy Happiness. Like the way the author wrote the store. Very fast moving and interesting.
July 10, 2026
Well-researched, balanced retelling fo the Woodward saga. It's hard not to feel sorry for these people until you remember how rich they are, and then something else takes over - a tremendous sense of waste.
December 8, 2020
Beautifully researched and written. Far, far, far too much about horse-racing, however, which repeatedly diverted me from the subject at hand.
February 10, 2022
I got this book mostly because decades ago I read the 2 Mrs Greville, by Dominick Dunne, thought it would be interesting to compare the fictionalized account to the true facts.
As far as these kind of books go, it is well written and easy to read. But one has to remember this book is about people who just threw their lives away. Empty lives, empty feelings and empty heads - apart from the self importance given to their own status. It is very sad that there are people around whose life is a constant emptiness apart from their “position in life” , but I sure am not wasting much time being sorry for them
As far as these kind of books go, it is well written and easy to read. But one has to remember this book is about people who just threw their lives away. Empty lives, empty feelings and empty heads - apart from the self importance given to their own status. It is very sad that there are people around whose life is a constant emptiness apart from their “position in life” , but I sure am not wasting much time being sorry for them
July 31, 2016
The story behind the stories
So Ann Woodward wasn't married before, or a prostitute or the other awful things mentioned in Truman Capote's story. I think he was a wonderful writer and a jerk. She was alive, he made stuff up, people wanted to believe it. So she committed suicide. Though all of that is complicated by the fact that she sure comes across as a classic case of bipolar.
The family, both sides, had major fault lines. The two kids killed themselves too. Billy, the one Ann shot, was way high strung. Difficult people. Her mom sounds the same, manic depressive.
I really admired Ann's mom for getting an advanced education despite terrible odds. It's sad that her own emotional/mental problems and the Depression stood in the way of her career goals.
Also wanted to say Dominick Dunne knew the truth, but wrote his own fictional account of the shooting, which just made the myth take root all the more. Not right at all. Though it's well written--I've read it.
So many sad, rich people.
So Ann Woodward wasn't married before, or a prostitute or the other awful things mentioned in Truman Capote's story. I think he was a wonderful writer and a jerk. She was alive, he made stuff up, people wanted to believe it. So she committed suicide. Though all of that is complicated by the fact that she sure comes across as a classic case of bipolar.
The family, both sides, had major fault lines. The two kids killed themselves too. Billy, the one Ann shot, was way high strung. Difficult people. Her mom sounds the same, manic depressive.
I really admired Ann's mom for getting an advanced education despite terrible odds. It's sad that her own emotional/mental problems and the Depression stood in the way of her career goals.
Also wanted to say Dominick Dunne knew the truth, but wrote his own fictional account of the shooting, which just made the myth take root all the more. Not right at all. Though it's well written--I've read it.
So many sad, rich people.
April 29, 2008
Fascinating account of greed, hypocrisy, guilt and murder amongst the American aristocracy and international jet set of the 40's and 50's. You're not really dead until the Dutchess of Windsor snubs you...
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March 7, 2016paperback
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