The Original
The stunning novel that takes us behind the scenes in the life of Katharine Hepburn
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- Pedido anticipado
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- Se espera: 18 jun 2026
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- USD 11.99
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- Pedido anticipado
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- USD 11.99
Descripción editorial
'The writing is delicate and potent . appeals to both the heart and the intellect' The Independent
'.Dreamlike. a glimpse into the petri dish of 1930s Hollywood. an immersive portrayal' The Times
Katharine Hepburn was a legend. This is the novel of how she became one.
After the devastating loss of her beloved brother, young Katharine Hepburn determines that she will be famous and never let anyone hurt her again. Leaving behind her East Coast marriage and patrician family, she arrives in 1930s Hollywood determined to live on her own terms.
But the studio system has rules, and Kate - brilliant, bisexual and fiercely independent - refuses to follow them.
Moving through a glittering world of power and ambition alongside figures like David and Irene Selznick, Cary Grant, John Ford and Howard Hughes, she forges her own path. Kate faces an impossible choice: become the star Hollywood demands, or risk everything to be the woman she always was.
Blending meticulous research with incandescent imagination, Priya Parmar delivers an emotionally charged portrait of an icon who refused to be anything but original.
'Anyone interested in Hepburn's early career will have a hard time resisting this stylish, insightful deconstruction of her carefully crafted public persona' New York Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Parmar (Vanessa and Her Sister) brings to life 1930s Hollywood with this revealing biographical novel about Katharine Hepburn. Daughter of a prominent Connecticut suffragist and a physician, Kate is devastated at 13 by her older brother Tom's death by suicide. Eventually, she manages to move forward, graduating from Bryn Mawr, marrying her college sweetheart, and embarking on a theater career in New York. A screen test for RKO Pictures leads to an offer for a part in the film A Bill of Divorcement, and Kate accepts, leaving for Los Angeles with her friend Laura Harding. As she and Laura try to hide their romantic relationship from the press, Kate embarks on an affair with her agent, Leland Hayward, while maintaining a friendship with producer David Selznick's wife, Irene, and megastar Cary Grant, who dispels rumors about his romantic relationship with Randolph Scott by marrying a starlet. Parmar sensitively explores Kate's sexuality, which she keeps hidden throughout her career, as well as her vulnerability following Tom's death and her quest to remain true to her artistic vision despite pressure to adhere to the Hollywood image of a female star. Historical fiction fans will be drawn to this immersive portrait of the legendary actor.
