While I am familiar with Hitchcock's work, I was not a massive fan. After reading this book I learned a little bit more about the man--a product of his times--and his ouvre.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Long overdue review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc.

*full disclaimer* I am a reader and definitely not a writer. Just managing expectations here.

Non fiction probably makes up about 10% of my reading. I enjoy them for the knowledge they give me, not so much for the entertainment while getting it. But sometimes I get me hands on a NF that is as entertaining as it is educational, this was one of those times.

I loved that the book was broken into 12 sections, or in this case faces or even masks and was able to bring his films into each of the themes. The author didn’t dodge the tough stuff and was able to look at Hitchcock with a critical eye but did it in such an artful and fair way.

The narrator was also excellent. This one is defiantly one that I recommend.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Probably not a book i would have read had it not been on netgalley but not a bad read, didn't really know anything about him so learned a lot

I love Alfred Hitchcock, and grew up watching his films, so i was very excited to read this! It did not disappoint. If you are a fan of his movies, you'll enjoy this~

We all of us wear masks and have different sides of us, and this biography of Hitchcock, who took that theme to heart in many of his films, dives deep into the many different sides of a complex filmmaker and person.

Covering 'The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up,' 'The Murderer,' 'The Auteur,' 'The Womanizer,' 'The Fat Man,' 'The Dandy,' 'The Family Man,' 'The Voyeur,' 'The Entertainer,' 'The Pioneer,' 'The Londoner,' and 'The Man of God,' each chapter dives deep into its theme and examines the myth, the reality, the way reality was affected by myth, and the way current scholars and society are reassessing the myth and legacy.

There was a lot of info an analysis in this book and even for those like me who have only seen a few Hitchcock movies, there was a lot to get out of it. As many of the chapters (but particularly 'The Auteur,' the 'The Entertainer,' and 'The Pioneer') make clear Hitchcock had an outsized influence on Movies, TV, and the way we think of the power of a director to implement a vision in and across a body of work. It's also interesting to reassess Hitchcock through the lens of Me Too - Tippi Hedren's story was really rough to hear.

The book dived deep into Hitchcock's personal life and life behind the camera, which makes sense for a biography, and these sections were very illuminating. And while I wouldn't want any of that cut, I would have loved more in depth discussion of the movies. This book is so good, I wanted it to be twice as long.

This was an intriguing and entertaining look at the famous director's life through his work, as well has his lasting legacy. I enjoyed it and felt I came away from it having learned something of the man and the times he lived in.

I dnfed this around 33%. This should only be picked up by the biggest Hitchcock fans who want to know EVERYTHING they possibly could about him, according to absolutely anyone who knew him. In my opinion, this was way longer than necessary. You could cut out about half of each chapter to make the points the author was trying to make about the different aspects of Hitchcock’s personality. It felt like so much filler saying the same thing over and over again. A small thing that got on my nerves was the fact that his name was repeated constantly with no pronoun usage. It was “Hitchcock did this, then Hitchcock said this, and they called Hitchcock that.” This was absolutely one of the most thoroughly researched books I’ve read, but like I said, if you’re not borderline obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock, I would choose a different biography.

As a wannabe cinema-file I was really hoping to learn something new from this book but it felt far too generous and didn't really dive into the controversy and issues with Hitchcock and instead chose the route of unmitigated praise.

The narrator was ok but lacked passion for the subject.

This was an incredibly interesting look into Hitchcock's life as seen through his movies. Great for fans of older movies and anyone who generally enjoyed Hitchcock's movies. Each chapter covers different movies and what was going on in his life during that time, and draws some parallels to what he put into his movies because of that. Overall would recommend to anybody wishing to have a glimpse into his life with analytical care.

If you read any book about Alfred Hitchcock, "The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock: An Anatomy of the Master of Suspense" is THE book to read!
Edward White has written a fascinating exploration of the many facets of iconic filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Each chapter dissects different aspects of Hitchcock's life and personality.
For example, the chapter titled The Londoner looks at how his filmmaking and public persona was influenced by both where he grew up and lived, as well as what he desired people to know and believe about it.

Each chapter discusses examples from Hitchcock's films and life. They include stories told by Hitchcock himself as well as people who knew him. Many of these anecdotal accounts are recognized to be contradictory. Even stories and events told by Hitchcock himself.

I thought every chapter was fascinating and appreciated White's effortless weaving of facts, rumors, and stories. I particularly loved the efforts to analyze how all of these things influenced his films. I finished the book wanting to immediately re-watch my favorites to look for many of the moments mentioned through this new lense.

Alfred Hitchcock will always be remembered for his creative influence on some of cinema's most influential suspense films. This is a great book for fans of his work, as it is both informative and entertaining.

I loved the audio version of this book, narrated by the fantastic Qarie Marshall. His narration was clear, warm and full of humor. It made for a truly enjoyable reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance copy of the audiobook to review honestly.

What a complex interesting book on Alfred Hitchcock!

There is a peak behind the curtain of all the different facets of Hitchcock.
I love the way it is filtered by his movies and the weaving of details.

Thank you to Net Galley and Edward White for the Opportunity to Review this book.

The following review is found at the Amazon site, https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Lives-Alfred-Hitchcock-Suspense/dp/B08RGNB6HG?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_dp#customerReviews

I had the pleasure of listening to this book the last few days and concluded it the weekend that TCM was holding a Hitchcock marathon so I got to view the movies from the perspective of this author’s work. First of all, the audio read was exceptional. I was engaged with the book throughout and I never had trouble listening to the narrator.
The author goes through nearly every Hitchcock film and provides his biography through the dynamics of his filmmaking. As with other Hitchcock bios, there is a fair amount of psychoanalyzing which I generally dislike. However, the author often made valid and logically defensible assertions that I did not find outlandish. He provided enough historical information about Hitchcock’s background and movie criticism that made me rewatch certain movies with a closer eye to detail such as when Cary Grant delivers the illuminated milk to his wife in Suspicion. Here the author notes the ritual-like quality of the scene to Catholic services. This was an important detail as Hitchcock was raised Catholic and invited a priest to his home for personal services at the end of his life. More to the point, there are various scenes in his movies with a ritualistic quality to them.
What concerned me was whether the author would deal with the issues I’ve only heard about in recent years of the director’s treatment of the women in his movies. I believe it was in chapter four that this was given the most discussion. I’ll leave it for others to consider the information provided in the book on this topic, but I didn’t feel that the matter was whitewashed nor did the author use it to necessarily attack Hitchcock’s legacy. In all, the book should satisfy Hitchcock fans or movie enthusiasts of all types.

<i>The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock</i> was a unique biography because rather than discussing his life chronologically, it looks at different aspects of his life across time. I knew very little about Hitchcock going into the book – not even the fact that he was English! - and wanted to learn about the man who has had such a major impact on pop culture. It was interesting to learn about how different aspects of his life affected the movies he made. Qarie Marshall did a good job as the narrator of the audiobook. Overall, I enjoyed it!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This was a really fascinating read! I've always been a huge Hitchcock fan and really enjoyed learning about the different facets of his life. I think cinema and history buffs will really enjoy this one.

The 12 lives of Alfred Hitchcock is well written with some new insights into Hitchcock's life and legacy. I listened to the audiobook and it was well narrated. It kept me fully engaged and I enjoyed listening to this biography. The only part I thought wasn't clear was the accusations of impropriety with some of the females he directed. It made it clear that there was no evidence and that several of the females had reasons to react the way they did to get back at Hitchcock for ruining there careers.

Edward White dissects Alred Hitchcock's film legacy into twelve lives and twelve chapters. Each chapter highlights a unique aspect of the filmmaker's life and brilliance in cinematography.

It was very interesting to me to see the parallels in his filmmaking to the various aspects of his life. I was also intrigued by the symbolism and meticulous details Hitchcock added to his films. It was stated that one might watch one of his films twenty times and still not see all of the small foreshadowings.

Qarie Marshall, the narrator for this audiobook, presents a nice overall tone while reading the text.

I was once a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock's work and consumed everything I could get my hands on. With that being said, and it has been awhile since I have looked into any behind the scenes regarding his films, there was a lot of new and interesting information presented in this book. While a part of me will always be a fan of classics like Psycho, Strangers on a Train, and Rope, I have grown out of looking at filmmakers through rose colored glasses. No words from me can take away his legacy. With that being said, Hitchcock was not a good man and it's unfortunate that his abusive work tactics have carried on through other Hitchcock hopefuls in believing suffering for the Art is important. It is dated, cheap, and yet another lower form of misogyny in the name of creativity.
Hitchcock should very well be studied, and that should count for all of his professional behavior, not just behind the camera. We can support auteurs who can create their own visions of suspense and move the genre forward rather than keep up with the same tactics. The film industry of today can learn a lot from how this behavior ends up being more harmful than helpful, regardless of the legacy of films an auteur leaves.

I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock and this biography covers a lot of aspects of his life and I felt that I knew him at the end of this book. But it was really hard listening to this book because it was too long.

I really enjoyed this look into Alfred Hitchcock's life. The author kinds of leads us through his life by looking at some of his greatest movies. We get some insights into his childhood, his marriage, his personality both on and off the set, and some of his greatest moments. I had a good time listening to this audiobook.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

You can find a link to my Goodreads Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3971006566