Katharine Hepburn, who reigned as a movie star across seven decades before her death on June 29, was full of opinions and was quick to share 'em, even on something as minor as how grapes should be sliced—vertically, never horizontally—for inclusion in a chicken salad.
Hepburn sounds off plenty in Berg's fond recollection of their close 20-year friendship. The actress comes across as smart, feisty, independent and, near the end, sadly diminished. But other than a disclosure that longtime lover Spencer Tracy once slapped her when drunk, gasp-inducing revelations are few. There are, though, hilarious accounts of a disastrous dinner with Michael Jackson (he claimed to be a fan but knew none of her films) and of a fulsome Warren Beatty's charm assault when wooing Hepburn for his 1994 bomb, Love Affair. Berg, a well-regarded biographer (Lindbergh), proficiently details the mundanities of Hepburn's daily life ("I never saw anybody derive as much pleasure from a good hospital corner," he says of her bed-making prowess) but can't overcome the inescapable fact that, even in her twilight years, she was more interested in getting on with life than examining it. (Putnam, $25.95)
BOTTOM LINE: A worthy look at a candid Kate
By Tim Gautreaux
Critic's Choice
Life isn't pretty in swampy, lawless Poachum Station, La., in the 1920s. Byron Aldridge, a changed man since his return from World War I, helps his brother Randolph manage a sawmill, but their toughest task is controlling the brawls and shootings among mill workers at the local saloon. Randolph envies his blind horse because it "couldn't worry about things it could no longer see, its life simplified by tragedy." And there is tragedy for the brothers too, as bad blood thickens among rival factions: A housekeeper is shot dead and a poisonous snake appears in a baby's crib.
This big, burly novel is both suspenseful and graceful, the plot gathering speed as tiny insults accrue. Gautreaux is a skilled stylist—easily forgiven for occasional overwrought phrases—who calmly unveils the tender loyalties between the brothers. Their troubles coalesce into a sad, satisfying tale. (Knopf, $23)
BOTTOM LINE: Clear-eyed and gripping
By Zoë Heller
If there were a Spinster Schoolteachers Hall of Fame, Barbara Covett would be in it. In this clever novel of social commentary and dangerous obsession, Covett, the narrator, is an unwittingly laughable snob, yet she is as emotionally mature as a schoolgirl. Just when you're ready to dismiss her, though, her sad, lonely side emerges. Readers will debate whether she is evil, pathetic or an unhealthy mix of the two as she becomes a factor in a colleague's love affair with a 15-year-old student.
Heller offers a piercing look at a basic human failing: It's easier to criticize others than to look honestly at ourselves. But Covett's voice grows tiresome; life can be bleak on the crabby side of the street. (Holt, $23)
BOTTOM LINE: Smart but shallow
By Tracy Chevalier
As she did in her 2000 bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, Chevalier brings a distant time and place vividly alive. The Virgin Blue is actually her first novel, but it is being published in America for the first time. It begins in 16th-century France, where peasant girl Isabelle du Moulin's brown hair suddenly turns auburn, believed to be the Virgin Mary's hair color. In the present, American midwife-in-training Ella Turner is having a tough time adjusting to life in France, where she has nightmares involving an intense shade of blue. The two stories overlap and intertwine eerily as Chevalier explores themes of family, religion and cultural dislocation. (Plume, $14)
BOTTOM LINE: Elegantly drawn
Anyone looking to add a little spice to their vacations should pick up one of these sexy new novels:
•A Love Noire by Erica Simone: Turnipseed Grad student Noire falls for an investment banker from Côte d'Ivoire in an intelligent romance that explores issues of black identity. (Amistad, $19.95)
•Some Girls Do by Leanne Banks: Uptight personal assistant Katie Collins is told to find a mate for her boss's daughter, but luckily, macho bodyguard Michael Wingate is there to help her relax. Banks has a nice touch with characters. (Warner Forever, $5.99)
•Coffee & Kung Fu by Karen Brichoux: Hip Jackie Chan fan Nicci puts away her videos and goes on the attack when she spots a cute guy in a coffee shop in this light comedy. (New American Library, $12.95)
•The Heart-breaker by Carly Phillips: She's a senator's daughter. He's a womanizing news-paperman. Will she tame him? Phillips is an expert with soapy situations, even using classic daytime TV names like Sloane and Chase. (Warner, $16.95)
•Hot Pink by Susan Johnson: Why wait for a good thing? Chloe Chisholm and Rocco Vinelli spot each other on the elevator on page 4. From then on, they struggle mightily but without much success to keep their clothes on. This one lives up to its title. (Berkley, $15)
•Say No to Joe? by Lori Foster: While raising her late cousin's two kids, Luna Clark needs a tough guy like Joe Winston in this lustfest with a core of reality. (Zebra, $6.99)
- Contributors:
- Leah Rozen,
- Joyce Cohen,
- Debby Waldman,
- Bella Stander.
CELINE’S INFERTILITY STRUGGLE: MY PRIVATE HEARTBREAK
Daily injections, painful tests and four failed IVF attempts: The singer, 41, reveal her dreams for a second baby. ‘I’ll try until it works’
