Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II

I didn't know much about Audrey Hepburn other than she was an actress. This book focuses on her years during WWII. A really great read in line with Anne Frank Diary.

Very well researched and very interesting if you are interested in WW11. I found the description of the Netherlands during the war enlightening. It is not a country you read much about during the war. Anyone who is hoping for a full biography on Audrey Hepburn will be disappointed but reading about her family was fascinating. The writing could use some editing as it seemed at times a bit amateurish. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the war years.

My mother grew up in the Netherlands during WWII and I grew up surrounded by Dutch language and culture. The author does a terrific job capturing the history as well as the culture and language. I had to chuckle at times (like the scene where Dutch women went outside to clean their windows in the midst of a raging battle on their streets—because the Dutch love their disciplined cleaning schedules (or to sneak a peek)! And how they would rather eat no bread than bad bread!)I loved how this book truly puts you in the midst of the stories, almost like creative nonfiction through much of it.I found the audiobook to be a wonderful, deeply moving experience. The narrator is a pro and I could find no fault in it. Truly an expert job and admirable pronunciations of Dutch words for a non-native.The story itself couldn’t be more interesting. What a family and what drama they experienced. Holy moly. I couldn’t wait to keep listening.I’m a relatively new author myself so I deeply appreciate the challenge of pulling off a well-crafted book. My hats off to the team who wrote and produced this great experience.I listened as Thanksgiving approached and it couldn’t have been better timing. Everyone should read these stories of fear and deprivation to remember how good most of us have it today and how desperately we must all strive to avoid the horrors of war.

This is a wonderful book and I loved it.It adds a broad dimensionality to the life of super-star Audrey Hepburn -- that mysterious glamorous screen presence and warm, cheerful, generous humanitarian. Her early years prior to her entrance into film are usually glossed over, because information has been absent and Audrey never spoke about it. Robert Matzen went to great lengths to research and flesh out what could be found, and put it together in an engaging and captivating way. I really enjoyed "curling up" with this book.The book also adds a broad dimensionality to the Netherlands during World War II. I really had no idea of all that occurred, and this book was a tremendous eye-opener. I think my sole point of reference was The Diary of Anne Frank. I had no idea of the daily privations, bombing, and suffering that went on in much of the country -- for days, weeks, months, and in some cases years on end. Great stuff! I would recommend this book to any historian!I recommend the book to anyone interested in Classic Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn, World War II, and/or the Netherlands.

The book was much more detailed about World War II and the Dutch people than about Audrey Hepburn. It was interesting but it seemed that the information about Audrey Hepburn was almost an afterthought.

In my younger years, Audrey Hepburn was the movie start most likely to gain my admiration. Her gamine image, playful and likely to cause trouble, along with her waifish little size and pixyish face that suggested a companion of much fun and devilish twinges of misbehavior were ideal images for a devil-may-care soul such as I pictured myself were false images that didn’t exist with Hepburn. She was, instead, a somewhat tortured woman, tall and slender, with much on her mind and in her past.Born of noble stock in the Netherlands, Audrey experienced many episodes of lost relatives as she grew up in a Nazi-inspired atmosphere of fear and unsettling existence that left her somewhat introverted and reluctant to talk about her past. Fun loving was a stretch for her personality, although she relished her friends and acquaintances and was generally adored in return. She was unrelenting in her quest to become a famous ballerina and was, indeed, a fine dancer, a talent that helped her in her film career.She was involved in numerous romances and affairs that cropped up frequently in her story, generally with co-stars such as Mel Ferrer and William Holden. She was never apologetic about her dalliances, carrying on in the tradition of most of the stars of the day. Robert Matzen’s autobiography, “Dutch Girl,” takes the reader on a dazzling and often confusing voyage through a confusing array of relatives and residences, coupled with equally disturbing times of Nazi entanglement in her life. Her mother was a dyed in the wool Nazi sympathizer, her father a troublesome rabble-rouser who went in the wind to avoid capture. She wasn’t abandoned completely, having frequent visits with her dad, but he wasn’t around for the bulk of her growing up. Because of her dedication and a determined mother, Audrey never wavered in her pursuit of a dancing career, undergoing many hardships as she continued to rise through the ranks of dedicated dancers to eventually become famous and one of the best of the times.Matzen relies on meticulous research and careful writing skills in recounting the life of Audrey Hepburn. Although Hepburn never related most of these encounters in her public life, but Matzen has managed to scope them out and relate them in vivid detail and produces revealing details the provide for riveting reading. I recommend this book as a joyful look at life for one of the most glamorous stars of our times.Schuyler T WallaceAuthor of TIN LIZARD TALES

Not enough has been written regarding the plight of the Dutch during WWII. Audrey Hepburn's experience is book worthy due to her celebrity. However, the ordeals of the other residents are just or more so heartbreaking. I had the pleasure of living in Holland for 3 years and absolutely love the wonderful optimistic outlooks of the folks I met there. Knowing what their predecessors endured makes me appreciate them more.

I'm about a third of the way through the book as I write this... just beginning to read about the rise of the resistance movement... and have found it quite interesting and informative. I would like to comment on one thing. I read a couple of reviews in wihch the people called the book a 'bait and switch'... which I take to mean the author got off topic and didn't actually focus on Audrey Hepburn and her family's involvement in the occupation. Up to this point, I certainly haven't seen it that way. I think it's an excellent book, very well researched by the author.

Bought for parents

Das Buch kam schnell an, entspricht vollkommen der Beschreibung. Unbenutzt, neu.Bin mit der Abwicklung total zufrieden.

Es un buen libro que relata fielmente la ocupación en Holanda en la segunda guerra mundial, sin embargo muestra pocos "Insides" respecto a la vida de la actriz y se enfoca un poco más en unir los puntos sobre su madre. Me parece más un libro de colección para los fans.

La ragazzina partigiana nell'Olanda invasa dai Nazisti. Cioè non l'attrice dei giornali patinati dei giorni a venire, ma un capitolo ignorato nella vita della star del cinema e dell'Olanda. Dettagliatissimo e interessante. Consegna nei tempi concordati. Tutto ok