Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows: The Unsuspected Life of Sonja Henie

by Raymond Strait, Leif Henie

Reveals the hard edge of this skating star.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Figure Skating

364 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 1988

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author tries so hard to make Sonja Henie seem like a monster (the Mommie Dearest blurb on the cover is big giveaway), but the effort is too apparent. Example which was brought up almost every chapter: she swore a lot (her favorite word apparently started with an "m", but almost all her quotes have "sonofabitch" sprinkled throughout). Vapors! Seems like everyone interviewed found it endearing. Almost all of his arguments that Sonja = evil were equally ludicrous.

In almost every situtation, Sonja Henie behaved better than I would have in the same circumstances (except for what she did when her mother died--that was pretty bad). So even though I was expecting lurid revelations and infamy, I found myself really liking and respecting Henie and between the pointless accusations, the book is REALLY informative about the origins of ice skating (pretty much all figure skating today can be credited to Ms. Henie) something I knew nothing about and didn't think I even cared to know.

At the end of the book, 300 of Sonja's former coworkers and friends gathered to celebrate her after her passing (husband could have cared less to organize it and was in Norway anyways). They spent the whole day watching her movies, swapping Sonja stories, and sobbing. So even though the author and her brother weren't too fond of her, seems like lots of others really were.

[Ryan Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot has been said about this book and the motivations behind it. I write about figure skating history and if there's one thing I've learned, it is that people and situations are nuanced and that the truth about just about anything doesn't always fit an all good/all bad narrative. Sonja was a brilliant skater and business person, but she also had her flaws. Over the years, over half a dozen of her contemporaries were very vocal about their contempt for her. She also developed friendships with several of her other competitors, which is something that is rarely (if at all) talked about. If you dive into this book accepting that it's written from a sensational perspective to sell copies, you'll probably quite enjoy it. If you have it in your head Sonja that was all good or all bad, you probably won't.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

She was definitely an extraordinary skater and businesswoman. She was spoiled by her family. She became used to being deferred to. She was incredibly disciplined and hardworking. She gave everything in her performances regardless of the conditions.

She was not a good friend in that she expected total commitments, but rarely reciprocated. She was inexplicably selfish and cruel toward her brother in later years. It's sad.

Her determination to be the best resulted in achievements that will always stand as unique.

The book veered from praising her to showing her dark side. She wasn't perfect. Who is? I found the book fascinating as far as her work ethic, talent, and creativity. Her personal relationships were definitely a mixed bag and revealed her lack of empathy for most people.

She was one of a kind.

I had a friend who was recruited by Sonja to be in her show--she saw him practicing. He was 19. It was in her early years of alternating between movies and ice skating shows. He said she was incredibly talented. No one worked harder than her. She oversaw everything. Was she warm and fuzzy with the cast? No and no one expected her to be.

She rarely had anyone stand up to her so she had no reason to become less self centered. I feel some of the reviews are too harsh re her greed and private life. She was a product of her upbringing.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dedicated to her skating, spoiled by her family,and a real bitch behind the scenes of the skating rink. Don't know if you admired her or would rather hate her for how she treated people. It was always Sonja first, last and always.

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

If we could do half star ratings, I'd have given it a 2.5. Really just 'okay'. Not as interesting as I was expecting and honestly, the writing could have been better too. Oh well.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1992:]. "Could be called Sonja Dearest," blares the front cover, but tho' the tone of this book is clearly set by the resentments and disappointments of Sonja's brother Leif, the all-out attack on her character does not surface until the later part of the book. That appears to have been the part of her life, not at all coincidentally, when she incurred the hostility of her brother Leif in a series of financially mean-spirited and (if he is to be believed) even fraudulent transactions. The earlier account of her career, if a little dry, is by and large admiring. Very little is said on the subject of actual technique, although one or two of the press quotes contain the occasional enlightening phrase - "too much toe work at the beginning" of her "Dying Swan" number, for instance. It seems that Sonja was consciously forcing parallels with ballet, and particularly with Pavlova. I have little difficulty believing the accounts given of her bad temper, financial acumen, love of luxury and frequent affairs. It is clear that she was the child of privilege, and continued that way to the end of her life. I had no idea that her professional touring career (with the original Stars on Ice show, and others) was so extensive. There is a helpful filmography at the rear of the book. Sharp as she was, one does not get the impression that Henie was a very political animal, except insofar as any particular political attitude helped her get ahead personally. Hence the much ballyhooed picture of her shaking Hitler's hand. It would be nice to put this up against a more objective biography, but the element of personal animus also makes it very interesting. One thing's for sure - a cute little kewpie doll Sonja Henie was not!

[Laini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. What an eye-opener. Sonja was born a spoiled little rich girl, and stayed that way her entire life.

The pretty dimpled blonde we see in old skating footage or Hollywood movies was a real battle-axe to friends AND family, and treated them like dirt, but always expected everything to go back to normal after a fight or separation. Her long-suffering secretary (20-something years!) was given nothing when Sonja died; her brother was forced to cede multiple real estate properties over to her when she demanded them (including his own ranch).

Interesting, but not especially well-written.

[Bonni Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book but Sonja clearly thinks of herself as #1 and that in the end, she wasn't given enough credit for anything.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok book about a truly terrible human being.