I'm hoping to finish reading this book in the next day or so, but felt the itch to sing its praises early. I grew up watching the classic films of my parents' era. Katherine Hepburn was revered in our house as one of the greats; so I was surprised to discover that early in her career she was considered box office poison. Philadelphia Story is one of my all time favorite films; I'd never heard of Holiday until just a few weeks ago. Pity that Hepburn and Grant didn't make more pictures together, they are a terrific duo. Karbo's book, How To Hepburn puts the spotlight on how truly unconventional Hepburn was by talking not just about her but the culture in Hollywood and the U.S. in her era. A time when women were to be ultra feminine, demure, domesticated --educated was fine as long as it was to support the man's career and goals. And here came a brash, pants-wearing intelligent woman who refused to be molded into a June Cleaver.

My favorite section from the book so far: "Hepburn loved nothing more than pulling the pin out of the grenade with her teeth and hurling it unto the accepted mores of the time. Her attitude toward marriage was complicated, which in those times was tantamount to saying antimarriage. In the middle of the last century, when every girl was supposed to regard marriage as her highest achievement--… Hepburn said that if it wasn't bloody impractical to love, honor, and obey, you wouldn't have to sign a contract." Quoting Hepburn, "If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married!"

This is a quick yet insightful read--short but meaty. While I got this from the library, I'm sorely tempted to buy a copy to keep on hand as reference. ( )

A compact biography of Katharine Hepburn that is interesting enough, but the problem is how much the author gets in the way of her own points. She uses Hepburn's life and example to bitterly comment on her own veiled personal experiences in a way that makes the reader uncomfortable. A jaded biographer's personal regret is hardly what you sign up for when you pick up a biography of a fascinating woman. The most interesting section is the final chapter, a summary in detailed list form of twenty-two ways to embody Hepburn's ideology. ( )

Arch, chatty, and just plain fun, this is not exactly a biography, nor is it a how-to book. Instead, it's a romp through Hepburn's life and legend. ( )

A fun little book - you'll love it if you love Hepburn. I thought, however, that it really would be more of a "how to" book. It was sort of a mini-biography; more of a synopsis of her life for those too young to have known her and the things she did. If you've read other things about Kate the Great there's really nothing new here in this quick little read; still - I enjoyed it, as I enjoy everything about Katharine Hepburn. ( )