Dutch Girl, Robert Matzen
Dutch Girl, Robert Matzen
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Dutch Girl
Audrey Hepburn and World War II

Author: Robert Matzen, Luca Dotti, Stephen Graybill

Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Unabridged: 10 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/15/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

Twenty-five years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has covered her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. According to her son, Luca Dotti, “The war made my mother who she was.”Audrey Hepburn’s war included participation in the Dutch Resistance, working as a doctor’s assistant during the “Bridge Too Far” battle of Arnhem, the brutal execution of her uncle, and the ordeal of the Hunger Winter of 1944. She also had to contend with the fact that her father was a Nazi agent and her mother was pro-Nazi for the first two years of the occupation. But the war years also brought triumphs as Audrey became Arnhem’s most famous young ballerina.Audrey’s own reminiscences, new interviews with people who knew her in the war, wartime diaries, and research in classified Dutch archives shed light on the riveting, untold story of Audrey Hepburn under fire in World War II.Also included is a section of color and black-and-white photos. Many of these images are from Audrey’s personal collection and are published here for the first time.

About Robert Matzen

Robert Matzen has gained a reputation as one of today’s leading biographers for combining airtight research with spellbinding narrative. He has appeared frequently on radio and television discussing his books and other topics related to Hollywood history. He is a former NASA communications contractor and documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on PBS. He writes a popular blog at RobertMatzen.com. This is his eighth book.

About Luca Dotti

Luca Dotti is the younger son of Audrey Hepburn and New York Times bestselling author of Audrey at Home. He is a former graphic designer and now chairs the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund. Created by Audrey’s family in 1994, the Fund helps children in need around the world.

About Tavia Gilbert

Tavia Gilbert has recorded hundreds of titles across a wide span of genres, including Erica Spindler romantic thrillers, John Scalzi science fiction, Jeaniene Frost fantasy.  She received four Audies nominations and won three Audiofile Earphones Awards for titles The Obituary Writer, Sing Them Home and The Day of the Pelican.  In addition to voice acting, Gilbert is an accomplished producer, singer and theater actor.

About Stephen Graybill

Stephen Graybill was recently in HBO's Big Little Lies, opposite Shailene Woodley, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman; in Framed, opposite Jordi Vilasuso; in the second season of Game Shakers; and opposite Denise Richards in the feature film Altitude. He has been seen in HBO's The Wire, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, Six Degrees, All My Children, As The World Turns, and The Girl's Guide to Depravity. On stage he's appeared with Primary Stages, Drama Dept, NY Theater Workshop, F*It Club (world premieres by Kate Gersten, Mark Schultz, Lucy Boyle, and Nick Jones), Studio 42, Shakespeare Theatre DC, and Woodshed Collective in their acclaimed immersive theater production of The Tenant. He has worked on over fifty audiobooks, was awarded the Readers Choice Award of "Narrator of the Year," and his narrations have fans saying he's "even better than reading the story." He won a Gold Clio Award and a Silver Effie for his work in the award-winning commercial in Vaseline lotion's "Sea of Skin" Campaign (BBH), and his work in promos has included Brian Williams's NBC Nightly News with Edward Snowden. Stephen has produced and written a number of films independently: LA Awake directed by Spencer Grammer and starring Natalie Dreyfuss, On The Hook, Spring Training, and Easter Island. He's written a number of biopics, on topics ranging from Edgar Allan Poe to World War II. He has founded, developed, and financed the producer of a number of other projects as well.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M is taking a break.

When I think of Audrey Hepburn I picture the beautiful, iconic movie star who always appeared so regal, no matter what role she played. I love many of her movies - Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, My Fair Lady, to name a few. I also knew about her work with UNICEF later in her life, but I didn’t kno......more

Goodreads review by JanB

I made it over halfway, but DNF'd this one when it was clear this was a bait and switch. Audrey Hepburn's name and image was put on the cover to sell copies. This was a very dry, repetitive narrative with a lot of filler about the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. It's not that these stories aren't......more

Quotes

“A vivid, moving, and persuasive account of a harrowing time that the actress seldom discussed in detail and which has been glossed over or sensationalized by frustrated biographers.” Wall Street Journal

“A wonderfully complete and revealing character sketch.” Christian Science Monitor

“Tavia Gilbert provides a sensitive and appropriately paced narration…precise, and appealing. Listeners will learn much that is new about the silver screen icon…Riveting, powerful, and memorable listening await the listener.” AudioFile

"[A] scrupulous account of Hepburn’s upbringing in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands—elements that previous biographies have only glanced at…The author interweaves detailed military and social history…Matzen’s labor of love amply shows how war shaped Hepburn’s world view.” Kirkus Reviews

“A master storyteller, Matzen has given us a great story—intimate, intense, and unforgettable.” Foreword Reviews

“Matzen has created a vivid portrait of a civilian population under siege–one of who just happened to become a Hollywood star.” Publishers Weekly

“A meticulously detailed and researched look at the formative years of an iconic performer.” Library Journal

"Dutch Girl may be one of the best books about Audrey Hepburn ever written. It offers the reader, the historian, the film buff an insight and understanding as to what made Hepburn the star, the actress, the humanitarian—the very woman whom the world to this day warmly remembers with love and admiration. Dutch Girl is a must read.” Stephen Michael Shearer, author of Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr

Awards

  • Fortune Magazine Pick
  • GoodReads Readers’ Choice
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