Eccentric Obstinate and Fabulous! Paperback – Illustrated, November 9, 2008

Fascinating!

I've enjoyed the Vanderlip area of PV for decades, and it was fun to read about the matriarch of the house on the hill.

This book is the memoir of an amazing woman in perilous and exciting times; times which she made her own, by design or by chance. It is a book of surprises, some funny, mostly entertaining, some sad, ranging from at the age of three in Norway, where she sang Salvation Army hymns resulting in the discharge of her nanny, to when if as a quest on her spacious California estate overlooking the Pacific, you had to sing with her "Waltzing Across Texas with You in my Arms," or not be fed the delights of her kitchen.I've had the pleasure of hearing some of these tales from her vivid memory on my visits with Elin over the past few years that I have known this fascinating woman, but there are many more tales in this book. Of particular interest are her escapades during WW II. Her early life as daughter of a Norwegian diplomat placed her in the centers of intrigue and opportunity for adventure, not to mention romance. In Washington, D.C., London, Calcutta, and elsewhere she served nobly in the war effort. At the same time those unsettled times were a welcome setting for a beautiful young Norwegian woman with a jest for excitement.The book's title Eccentric Obstinate and Fabulous is a title which she proudly accepts for herself. Her stories to a degree justify that label. But, the stories tell much more. There is also an adventurous spirit, a loving generosity, and a curiosity that sometimes gets her in trouble. But, there is additionally some sort of guardian angel that seems to turn her back from a disastrous brink just in time. One of these is the time she was ready for her marriage ceremony to an Australian army colonel who excused himself to the men's room and shot himself. That saved her from a man of lies and a pre-existent wife. But, other unforeseen coincidences led her to happier times, such as the marriage to a loving and kind man and into the prominent American Vanderlip family who at one time owned the entire 19,000 acres which is Palos Verde, California.While, in this book, she dreams of what all could have been, she is grateful for her present comfortable situation in the Tuscan Villa Narcissa with its expansive views of the Pacific and Catalina Island. In her ninety years she lived in her memories of a wonderful life. Her happy account of married life with Kelvin Vanderlip and the love and comfort of four wonderful and talented children is one we can all enjoy. After Kelvin's early death, then her following relationship with Hollywood producer Lee Katz creates another colorful global experience That's what it's all about.Through it all, Elin Vanderlip's life was a series of private recollections of memorable places and people she had known including royalty, statesmen, film celebrities, financiers, and famous others. Eccentric Obstinate and Fabulous is not only the name of this fascinating memoir, but a glimpse of a remarkable woman in interesting times.Frederick R. AndresenAuthor of Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia

I loved this book! Mrs. Vanderlip entertained everyone from Rose Kennedy to Barack Obama and tells it like she sees it. While I was reading this book, I felt like I was traveling the world with the elite of Hollywood's golden age. Fascinating WW11 tidbits too.