Sean Hepburn Ferrer Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers

Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers

Sean Hepburn Ferrer

The approach to this biography from Audrey Hepburn's' obviously adulating son Sean Hepburn Ferrer is to tell about his famous mother through the perspective of those who knew her rather than the usual crash and burn titillating Hollywood bedtime tales. Instead, Mr. Ferrer displays respect for his mom and indirectly her husbands. Other contributors like Henry Mancini provide insight, but once again offer respect. The interesting aspects of the bio is when Mr. Ferrer takes his audience outside of Hollywood to his mother's childhood in war ravaged Belgium that shaped her adulthood morality and the importance of family values in a meaningful way not some politician's sound bite. This belief led Ms. Hepburn to volunteer at UNICEF. There will not be a dry eyed reader when they "hear" Sabrina give a speech at the UN in 1989 pleading for the millions of children dying from malnutrition, lack or bad water, and diseases that the western world eradicated. When people scoff at Hollywood morality, they need to remember real heroines like Ms. Hepburn. Three hundred plus photographs augment a wonderfully upbeat look at "an elegant spirit" whose author pays the ultimate homage to his mother as the Audrey Hepburn Children's receives the proceeds from the sales.

Harriet Klausner