I'm old, so I grew up in the golden age of Elizabeth Taylor. I knew about the movies, romances, and scandals of Elizabeth Taylor and honestly Ms.
Brower doesn't sugarcoat Ms. Taylor's shortcomings (the reader is constantly reminded of her lateness)--she is presented as a real person "warts" and all. But what I didn't know was how she took care of her friends, her commitment to the AIDS fight, and her great love of her husbands and how she was willing to sometimes give up her career for some of them. But in the end, it was her performances that always came through in the book--that yes, she was Hollywood, but she was also an actress.-- a really good actress. The book captured the fact that when Liz Taylor died after a very public life, starlight really left Hollywood.

Thank you to Harper and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I have read several biographies of Elizabeth Taylor in the past, but I really enjoyed this one. I thought the author did a fantastic job of giving details for her life that just make you fall in love with Elizabeth Taylor.

This book was really well written, and I definitely recommend it for fans of old Hollywood, or people that are interested in Elizabeth Taylors career or AIDS work.

A full and descriptive biography of Elizabeth Taylor. I continue to enjoy how the author pulls together a non-fiction book - she balances the small details with the overall story so well and in an entertaining manner. A great read fro anyone interested in old Hollywood, or Elizabeth Taylor specifically. Despite many other books on the actress, and cultural icon, this book is a breath of fresh air - maybe because it is authorized by Taylor herself it feels more intimate than previous takes.

Thank you for the advanced readers copy Netgalley, but this one ultimately was not a book I was able to complete, though I've reccomended it successfully to readers of old Hollywood and nostalgic culture.

As a child and teenager in the 1980s/1990s, I was aware of Elizabeth Taylor as tabloid/gossip fodder. Later on, I was aware of her movie star status, her perfumes, and her AIDS activism. I'm a fan of Kate Anderson Brower's previous books, so I was intrigued to read her take on Taylor.

If you're into "Old Hollywood" history, definitely read this. Even if you're not (I'm really not), read this to understand what a force Taylor was, even late in life. Yes, the many marriages, health crises, alcohol and prescription abuse, friendship with Michael Jackson...all that is covered in (very!) entertaining detail. But her toughness in dealing with studio executives who underestimated her, the ever changing public opinion, and most movingly, her public and (very) private work with people with AIDS, when details were scarce about its transmission but scorn, fear, and hatred were high are the highlights of the biography. (Read this if you have ever had fleeting thoughts about what it must be like to be famous).

Many thanks to Harper and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to read this authorized biography of Elizabeth Taylor. The last bio I read of her was How To Be A Movie Star by William Mann, and he was not generous or forgiving in his treatment of the star. This book is the one fans of Elizabeth Taylor have been waiting for. Thank you for the ARC.