Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-April.

Matzen as unburying deeply hidden records on Hepburn's mother (Ella, as strict, non-coddling mother, a baroness, and the writer of a pro-socialist newspaper), her father, (Joseph, who claims the last name Hepburn after his ancestor, the third husband of Mary Queen of Scots), and her own early life (not a fan of learning, thrives in dance, performs publicly as often as she safely can, self-esteem issues tied to her appearance, air raids in her town of Arnhem as Allied forces and paratroopers begin to threaten the Axis with fires, bombs, and gunfire, low to no sources of heat in the wintertime, her metabolism permanently affected). Ella a stage (barre?) mother, who later withdraws from public life when her name is placed on a list. Audrey later feeling a profound, emotional reaction toward Anne Frank's book in 1950, born just about a month apart, and feeling a deep kinship. Later, she builds selfless, non-complaining, disciplined exterior personality that's marveled at in Hollywood (by low-key funding Dutch Resistance with dance performances, funding war relief in Holland in the 1950s, linking a UNICEF visit to Somalia to her experiences in Arnhem).

This stunning biography details Audrey Hepburn’s years as a teenager during the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II. It is a targeted biography that mentions her life before and after the war, but the main focus was her horrific experiences during the war that shaped her life. One of the biggest influences during this time was the killing of her uncle and cousin by the Nazi’s. Another was her complicated relationship with her mother and father – both early sympathizers of the Nazi regime.  She fell in love with ballet before the occupation – it gave her a freedom of expression and she performed locally in Holland before, during and after the war. She performed for allied soldiers in secret for the Resistance as well as delivering newsletters and food to the soldiers as an assistant to the local physician. The book went into great detail of the battles between Allied and German forces that took place in and around her home in Velp. She and her family took shelter in their cellar where she suffered severe malnutrition as well as enduring the trauma of constant battle. After the war, one of the highlights in the book detailed Audrey Hepburn’s reaction to the Diary of Anne Frank – they were both the same age at the same time in Holland. The book devastated Audrey and when asked to play Anne in a movie, she declined the role as well as other offers due to the extreme pain of that time period. The war experience shaped her life forever and contributed to Audrey’s later work with UNICEF – helping children throughout the world facing hunger and disease. It was interesting that she starting acting in order to finance her ballet lessons after the war ended – she kind of fell into acting and never considered herself to be a great actress. After reading this biography, I have a greater understanding and appreciation for her vulnerability as an artist and activist – a deeper appreciation for the complex person she was. 
I received my digital complimentary copy of Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen courtesy of GoodKnight Books and NetGalley

4 1/2 stars

After about 10% into Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen I was beginning to regret asking to read this novel as the Audrey Hepburn's ancestral background felt as if it might doom me to everlasting sleep. But then things began to pick up and there was war, which sounds horrible, but that's what we're here for, so, oh well.
Matzen does an excellent job of weaving war history with Hepburn's. The reader cares not only about Hepburn but also those civilians around her, just trying to get by. We are devastated when her beloved Uncle Otto, one of the father figures in her life, is slaughtered as an act of German retribution. We enjoy her dance triumphs and then live through the months of starvation, watch as neighbors are killed, allied soldiers who were supposed to be saviors die. We feel the horror of war as experienced by someone most of us have seen in a movie. We try to imagine that woman, the one who strummed the guitar and sang Moon River as this girl who helped doctors who were part of a resistance, and then find, yes, we can believe that she would be that girl.

While I was not always a fan of Matzen's non-linear story-telling, I could appreciate his intentions. I felt that this was more for the Hepburn's fans, those who needed the Hollywood tie-in, those reading just for another glimpse of the actress than for readers interested in the war and how it affected her. However, her comments on her preceding years were interesting. I could also completely understand her shutting down interviews when they wanted to delve into her personal life. 

What I came away with was not only how Hepburn was affected, it's life-long toll on her, but how completely devastating war is to all of its participants. Matzen vividly portrayed the months of starvation, the cold, the desperation, the feeling of sadness that the original liberators did not liberate. The terror of the allied bombs that would unintentionally kill civilians. The daily fear that the Germans' last line of defense, the V1 rockets would ultimately rain down upon the town because of their defects.

I also came away with the knowledge that there have always been judgy individuals trying to find fault with others, even ones like Hepburn, who exuded goodness and fairness and always tried to do the right thing. Hepburn was and always will be a role model for the best of humanity.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you love reading about WWII and Hollywood? If so, then Dutch Girl is the book for you. I didn’t know anything about Audrey Hepburn prior to this, but this book gives a great overview of her life during WWII. I have loved reading memoirs and biographies about World War II since grade school so, I was interested to hear about her part during the war.

Audrey grew up in the Netherlands where she lived with her mother and father. After her father left, she was sent to a boarding school in England. Her mother was very strict and not one who showed affection. Audrey started taking ballet which she loved. Even though she was considered tall for a ballerina, she was graceful.

Audrey moved back to live with her mom and a few other relatives. During the war she kept dancing as long as she could. She assisted the war effort by helping with the resistance.

This biography goes back and forth between Audrey as an adult and Audrey during the war. She was ten when it started and fifteen when it ended. The descriptions in this book are superb. I’ve read a lot of books on this subject and this one has to be one of the most vividly expressed biographies. Reading this book you feel as thought you are there with Audrey experiencing every moment of the war.

I received my digital complimentary copy of Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen courtesy of Smith Publicity and NetGalley. The views expressed are mine and of my own free will. I highly recommend this book. I will definitely be looking out for other biographies by Mr. Matzen.

I have always loved Audrey Hepburn's films. She just shines on the screen...so beautiful, so poised and talented. I learned years ago about her charitable work through UNICEF. She was a kind and giving person, as well as intelligent and talented. This book talks about Audrey's life before Hollywood...the years she lived under the Nazi occupation of Holland. 

I never realized how much she went through during World War II in the Netherlands. My respect for her has increased so much since I finished reading this book. She worked as a doctor's assistant, witnessed brutality, hunger and death, and survived it all. This book is not about Audrey as an actress....it is about her life prior to all of that. Her film career is mentioned only in passing. This book is about Audrey's years growing up during the war and how those experiences shaped who she became as an adult. Her life is so much more than her Hollywood career!! 

This is the first book by Robert Matzen that I've read. He has also written books about Carole Lombard, Jimmy Stewart and Mulholland Farm...an infamous house owned by Errol Flynn. I'm definitely going to read his other books, starting with the one about Jimmy Stewart's war service: Mission (on my TBR shelf already). 

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from GoodKnight Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Dutch Girl Audrey Hepburn And World War II by Robert Matzen is a comprehensive account of Audrey Hepburn’s teenage years in the Netherlands during WWII. It also touches on her life up until her death in 1993 aged just 63 years from abdominal cancer – a cruel end for a beautiful lady who gave so much.
Audrey Hepburn was ‘emotionally wounded’ by WWII saying, “It was worse than you could ever imagine.” Consequently her whole life was lived in its shadow. She involved herself in UNICEF and the plight of suffering children due to her experiences in the war.
Not only did the war years shape Audrey Hepburn but her love of dancing did. “I wanted to be Margot Fonteyn.” Audrey Hepburn gave concerts to raise money for the resistance. Following the war she ‘stumbled into acting.’
The war made the teenager into the woman we see on screen. She was incredibly brave and saw things no one should have to see. The faces of the Jewish men, women and children as they were herded into cattle cars would haunt her forever.
We see the elegant, beautiful woman on screen but Audrey Hepburn thought she was ugly and ungainly with large hands and feet as a teen. Her poise and beauty are what I remember Audrey Hepburn for – and none more so than her transformation in My Fair Lady.
Robert Matzen has produced an excellent account of both WWII in the Netherlands and Audrey Hepburn’s part in it. As a historian it was both fascinating and horrifying. As a fan of Audrey Hepburn I admire her even more after reading this book. Audrey Hepburn was so much more than just a beautiful face – she was incredibly brave and full of compassion. Thank you Robert Matzen for opening my eyes to the brave and very beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Thank you also for showing the true picture of WWII. We owe it to the six million innocents to keep their memory alive.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II is a fascinating read. The author obviously did extensive research for this book. It was interesting to read Audrey's early years growing up during the Nazi occupation. Especially, reading about her parents. Which I found to be unexpected and surprising. I believe many readers who like to read history would enjoy this book and want to learn more about Audrey Hepburn's life. I give it five stars. Most definitely worth a read. 
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Icon. Muse. Activist. We all think we know the story of Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn. But this book, released on April 15th, just weeks before what would have been her 90th birthday, adds fighter, survivor and heroine to that list of superlatives, in this fascinating never before told story of her life during WW2. 

Bestselling biographer Robert Matzen goes into great detail in this meticulously researched book. Even Audrey's son, Luca Dotti says the book is a "true gift".

Audrey was a shy and awkward ten year old when the war broke out. She lived her teenage years throughout the war which affected her greatly. But it also gave her empathy and a great understanding to protect children in one of her most satisfying roles, that of a UNICEF ambassador in later life. 

During the war in the Dutch town of Velp, she witnessed unbelievable horrors that no young girl should see. Her and her family suffered great malnutrition and risked their lives helping a soldier hide in their home.  

This aspiring ballerina who would go on to be an Academy Award winner ate tulip bulbs to survive and helped her local doctor tend to the wounded as bombs flew over head. 

105,000 Dutch Jews died at the hands of the Nazi's. One of the most interesting chapters for me was Death Candidate where we are told the story of Audrey's beloved Uncle Otto, who would not survive the war.  This is a story of war in all its brutal truth. It just so happens our heroine turns into one of the greatest leading ladies on and off screen we have ever seen. Making her triumphs even more extraordinary. 
Thank you Netgalley and Smith Publicity for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Audrey Hepburn has always been one of my favorite actress of all time, so  I was very eager to read this biographical account of her life after the German invasion and the subsequent course of  Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WWll. She was ten when the war began and 15 when it ended. Her son Luca Dotti wrote the Foreword to this book thanking the author for writing the book.  The book is well researched and gives a vivid insight into the personal tragic experiences, near starvation and other horrors  she and her family went through during the war.  Yet, they were resilient and courageous and were involved with the Dutch Resistance. Audrey became very involved  in dance and  ballet. She participated in ballet  performances in order to help raise money for the Dutch  resistance.  I highly recommend this book.

I've been a fan of Audrey Hepburn's work since I was very young. I remember growing up with her movies and loving her style. This book isn't the first I've read about her life, not even the first that's touched on her childhood. However, this book provides such a unique perspective.

Before reading this book, I was unaware of the experiences that she'd had during the war. Which made this book incredibly appealing to me.

The depth that this book goes into was incredible. It provides an interesting and honest look into the early life of one of the worlds most loved stars, and the inclusion of photographs adds a whole extra layer.

I found myself falling into this book, wanting to know more and more. 

I've always had an interest in wartime experiences, which made this book even more compelling to me, and I was interested in the parallels between Audrey and Anne Frank.

This book gave a lot of information and was written in an interesting way, that kept me turning the pages.

I'd say, even if you've read other books about Audrey's life. This one is definitely worth a read as it goes into areas that a lot of other books hadn't touched.

Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen tells the story of a young Audrey Hepburn, more specifally 1940-1945. She lived in the Netherlands during World War 2 and all the struggles that come with it. This book is extremely well researched and in my opinion Matzen has a very good grip of this time period and the Dutch people, it is very accurate (as far as I know, but I do know a lot). This story reminded me a lot of how my grandparents experienced the war, though Audrey has her own very specific challenges. However, this book can be a bit dry because it definitely is non fiction and a lot of facts and names are dropped. But if you are a fan of Audrey or if you are interested in this time period it is definitely worth the read, it is very interesting.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Netgalley.com and GoodKnight Books. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review.

In the only biography approved by her son, Mr. Matzen has carefully retold the story of Audrey Hepburn's past that she kept very closely hidden. Well written and thoughtful, we met Ms. Hepburn before she met the cameras. 

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

This one was just ok for me. I picked it up on a whim and it was a pretty good read. The author did do a good job of tying everything together.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2787491253

 CEELEE'S REVIEW OF DUTCH GIRL: AUDREY HEPBURN AND WORLD WAR II by Robert Matzen

When I was 10 years old my parents were watching "Breakfast St Tiffany's" while i sat in another part of the room reading a book. I started paying more attention to the movie than my book especially at the end when she and George Peppard were out in the rain on the streets of New York looking for Cat. (I love kitties!). I thought she was amazing and I immediately had a tween girl crush on her! I read all the articles I could find about her in the movie magazines and I know when i got older I read a couple of biographies about her but most of them glossed over her life in general and her childhood in particular. That is why I was so intrigued when I saw the ARC available on NetGaley and I was thrilled when I was picked to read it! 

Let me first say this book is not for a casual fan or one who only wants to know about her career in the movies. This is a serious work covering not only her life but also the history that she lived through before and during World War II and how it affected her all her life. If you aren't interested in discussions of the history of the times skip it. If yew want to learn the history that helped shape the lives of people who lived through WWII including Audrey Hepburn then you might find the book both interesting and enlightening. I think learning about the history that a person experienced helps to understand the persons because it contributes to making them who they are. 

Audrey's parents were pro-Nazi. Her father was a British agent who betrayed his country and her mother, Ella van Heemstra, who was a social climber, became friends with the Mitford sisters from a British aristocratic family, who influenced her fascism particularly Unity who had become a friend of Adolf Hitler and Ella met him a few times when Audrey was a toddler. In 1937 Ella moved herself and her children to Arnhem in the Netherlands and lived on the family estate there. Audrey was a quiet introverted child who discovered dancing and it became her first love next to her family. She loved reading and animals and the family felt safe in The Netherlands and even after the Nazis came and occupied the town no one believed they would do any harm until things slowly started to change with essential food items becoming unavailable and they faced harsh winters with no heat when coal; was not available to properly heat their homes. . The turning point was when Audrey's uncle Otto was murdered along with four other innocent men, executed as an "example" to the Dutch people. Ann Frank even mentions the murders in her diary. She and Audrey were the same age and lived in different towns not far from each other. After the war she met Ann's father (the only survivor in the family) but she wold never consent to play his daughter in a movie. There is a picture of them together in the book as well as photos of Audrey's family and pl;aces important to her life. Her mother soon changed her mind about Hitler but it was to late and they suffered war on their own doorstep and over their heads. Throughout this Audrey had her dancing and became Arnhem's most famous ballerina. She also worked in the Resistance as an assistant to a doctor. 

Audrey never talked about her life at that time much and I can understand why. My father was an ex-POW who was held in a German prison camp for 21 months 1943-45 and he didn't talk much about his experiences either but internalized it like Audrey did and 50 years later he would still wake up screaming. I can only imagine what kind of dreams he had or that Audrey must have had because of her own tragic war experiences. 

Author Robert Matzen does talk a lot about the history of WWII in the book which some people might not like for whatever reason but to understand Audrey, or anyone really, as a person there is no way he couldn't talk about it. She was there. She lived it. She was fortunate to have survived and made a success of her life despite it but always had that shadow of the war hanging over her. I find her an extraordinary woman and I am so glad we were able to learn something about her history and it makes me love her even more! I also give tremendous respect to the author for bringing her story to us. Well done! 

Many thanks to NetGalley, author Robert Matzen and Paladin Communications publisher for giving me the opportunity to read the fantastic book!

An intriguing biography of Audrey Hepburn's formative years during WWII. I had absolutely no idea about her family and her work for a member of the Dutch Resistance. The amount of research that must have been carried out is phenomenal, yet the author writes in an accessible manner. If you are expecting lots of detail about her film career, then this is not the book for you, but if you want to learn what made Hepburn such an extraordinary person, then you will find this book fascinating. 

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, GoodKnight Books, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

A very interesting read.  I didn't know anything about Audrey Hepburn's past.  It's nice to know the story behind the talented actress.

I started out wanting to read this book because an interest in Audrey Hepburn and her connection to The Netherlands, where I was born and now live again, but this book was so much more than a biography.

Besides finding out more about an icon, this book tells the story of a war, of a small area, in a country I grew up in. Of course much time was spent on WWII in school. I remember being moved and touched by documentaries about the war shown during history lessons, the images of stacks of dead people, the horrors of concentration camps are still burnt into my heart, as they should be. In a way, this was a different kind of WWII story. It still brought the horrors of war home, but from the perspective of a small area and the people that lived there.

Through Audrey’s story and the story of her family, we find out what life was life for everyone living through the war; the suffering, the uncertainty, the fear, the hunger.

It all paints a picture of the girl Audrey was and the woman she was to become. Robert Matzen did a great job piecing the facts together with a bit of artistic licence here and there. I think this book is very well written and very coherently tells of a complicated time in history and the effects it had on people. I particularly found Audrey’s mother Ella fascinating character.

This book reiterates the fact that although I do not like reading WWII based fiction, I do really appreciate a well written non-fiction book on the subject and this one showed a different perspective from any other book I have read on WWII. This is not so much a biography as a historical portrait of Arnhem and Velp during the war.

Highly recommended if you are interested in either Audrey Hepburn or WWII.

Audrey Hepburn captivates audiences whether she appears on the silver screen or on the written page.  Robert Matzen’s book about Hepburn’s survival during the Nazi’s occupation of the Netherlands is no exception.  Although some chapters have minor defects in the writing style, e.g. use of the word “which” when “that” would have been better, and the occasional use of vague descriptors such as “mercurial” or “boom” when examples would have provided a clearer picture of the person or the scene, the writing somehow works. The book is entirely well-researched.  Matzen walked where Hepburn walked, read diaries of those sharing Hepburn’s experiences, and combed through archives, interviews, and news articles. Reading even the list of source materials at the end of the book was interesting.  Hepburn’s resilience, poise, and advocacy for a world where children do not face the horrors of war that she faced ended far too soon.

Thank you to Hepburn’s sons for sharing their amazing mother with us, and thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for sharing an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

You may think you know Hollywood superstar Audrey Hepburn, but this biography is of her early life, about growing up during World War II and the role that living through World War II had over the entire rest of her life. 
Ms. Hepburn didn’t like talking about that time, and frankly, who can blame her. She lived through a horrific time in our history. Her father was accused of being a spy and arrested, her mother loved Hitler, meeting him numerous times and also writing about him for a fascist magazine, and her beloved uncle was killed by the Germans. Living under German occupation, she was subjected to bombings by Allied Forces and starvation. She and her family camped out in the cellar, hoping for survival. To go from that type of situation to reigning Hollywood royalty a few years later took a lot of determination and courage. This book is in-depth and detailed, definitely worth the read if you like biographies. You’ll learn a lot of information about Ms. Hepburn and become even more of a fan than you already are. At least I did. A very thought provoking and moving account of a young lady who would become a goddess of the silver screen.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Dutch Girl” “Audrey Hepburn and World War 11” by Robert Matzen, April 15, 2019

Robert Matzen , Author of “Dutch Girl”; Audrey Hepburn and World War 11″ has written an intriguing and intense biography with tremendous historical background on the life and times of  Audrey Hepburn. Most of this centers around the 5 year period that the Nazis  occupied The Netherlands. At that time Audrey lived with her mother and family in the Netherlands.

When I decided to read this book, I thought I would be reading more of Audrey Hepburn’s life , and it turns out I read about her Mother’s life. some of her father’s life and  her family life, and much information about Germany and World War Two. I would have preferred to read more about Audrey Hepburn’s life.

The information provided by the author was interesting.  Audrey had gone to school in England, and did speak English. She treasured dancing, and always wanted to be a ballerina.  The five years of German occupation was traumatic and deadly for the Dutch people.  Audrey did help as much as she could, and emotionally had the scars from this tragic timeline.

I appreciate that the author describes Audrey as a sympathetic and empathetic person who wants to do good in this world. I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy reading about World War 11 and German History.