Review - Dutch Girl

Dutch Girl:  Audrey Hepburn and World War II

​​by Robert Matzen

​​400 pages

​​Release date 4/15/2019

​​4 out of 5 stars

​​Thank you to Smith Publicity for my copy!  All opinions are my own.

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​​According to the publisher, “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, “Thewar 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.”

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​​When the amazing folks at Smith Publicity reached out and asked me if I’d be interested in reviewing Dutch Girl, I knew instantly that my answer was YES!  I have always been a fan of Audrey Hepburn, and I thought that I was pretty knowledgeable about the real woman behind the glamorous photos; not only was Audrey a movie star, she was a dancer, a humanitarian, and a fellow French speaker!  I found out shortly into Dutch Girl that the facts I thought I know about Audrey Hepburn were all true, but were still surface information that didn’t truly delve into who she was as a person.  

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​​Dutch Girl takes us back before Audrey was even born, by sharing the story of her mother, Ella Von Heemstra, and how growing up as a Dutch noble shaped not only who she was, but how she raised her daughter Audrey.  I did find this section of the book to be a bit cumbersome; at times it felt like I was just reading off lists of various Dutch nobility, but as the information does play an important part in understanding Audrey and her family, it is worth it to read through all of it.

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​​Once we meet Audrey, we are introduced to a shy girl who came out of her shell through ballet.  While I knew she was a dancer, I definitely did not understand the extent to which ballet shaped Audrey as a person.  

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​​For a while, it seems as though this story will be that of a privileged girl who found success as a ballerina.  While that would be interesting, unfortunately the story takes a darker turn once the Nazis enter Holland.  

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​​There are many fascinating and heartbreaking tales about Audrey and her family during World War II.  I don’t want to spoil them, but I will say that the story that stuck with me the most was the connection Audrey felt to another Dutch girl, Anne Frank.  They grew up close, both geographically and in age.  There are some extremely poignant quotes from Audrey, who, after the war, couldn’t help but compare herself to Anne.  It is hard not to wonder what would have become of Anne if she had survived the war.  Would she have become famous like Audrey?  Would the two have crossed paths or ended up in the same social circles?  Of all the roles Audrey ended up playing, perhaps the most important note on her resume was her decision not to play Anne Frank in the 1959 film because she couldn’t bear to relive her own painful wartime experiences.

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​​As much as this book is a biography of Audrey Hepburn, it also an in-depth history into Holland during WWII.  I admit that I did not know much about that particular country’s experience before reading this book, but I learned quite a bit, especially about the Dutch resistance movement.  While the book does concentrate on Audrey Hepburn, I feel that anyone who is more interested in history than movie stars would find it fascinating as well.  

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​​I highly recommend this book, whether you are currently a fan of Audrey Hepburn or not!

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