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Bette Davis: More Than a Woman
“Irresistible, revelatory…Bursts with film lore, gossip, countless affairs and family secrets.” —
Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
“This is a truly riveting read, chock-full of meticulous details, juicy anecdotes, and profound insight.” — Liz Smith
“James Spada has certainly done his homework, and he charts Davis’s climb to fame with a meticulous attention to detail that his subject would surely appreciate, and without ever losing sight of the woman who motivated the actress.” — Time Out, London
Best-selling author James Spada has written the definitive biography of one of America’s greatest actresses, Bette Davis. Bette Davis participated in over 100 roles as an actress, including the films, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Jezebel, Dark Victory, and Dangerous. She won two Academy Awards, was the first person to accrue 11 Academy Award nominations, and became the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. But, who was this actress?
Based on three years of research and over 150 interviews with close family, friends, and co-workers, this Hollywood legend biography reveals for the first time the devastating effect on Bette of her father’s desertion; her oddly close relationship with her mother; her massive self-doubts and numerous, tempestuous marriages and extramarital affairs. Spada exposes the disturbing cover-up of the facts surrounding the sudden death of Bette’s second husband, Arthur Farnsworth; the truth about her relationship with her daughter B.D., who wrote a scathing Mommie Dearest style memoir, and the disturbing possible reason for her adopted daughter Margot’s mental retardation. And perhaps best of all, you will get an intimate glimpse into Bette and her working relationships with numerous other Hollywood legends. This film star biography explores her feuds with Joan Crawford, Miriam Hopkins, Helen Hayes and Lillian Gish; her affairs with William Wyler and other directors, her impossible behavior on sets created by her insecurities; the “fire and music” she was able to bring to every role; and her fights against sexism for the control of her creative destiny. By turns inspiring, shocking, and poignant, Bette Davis: More Than a Woman is a captivating film star biography you won’t soon forget.
514 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
59 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
About the author
James Spada
36 books29 followersAs a thirteen-year-old kid in Staten Island, James Spada started the first Marilyn Monroe Memorial Fan Club. He produced four bulletins and one yearbook a year for four years, when he had to disband the club due to lack of money.
In college he founded EMK: The Edward M. Kennedy Quarterly, and worked as an intern in Senator Kennedy’s Boston office in 1970.
At 23 his first book, Barbra: The First Decade (The Films and Career of Barbra Streisand), was published. He followed that up with the authorized book The Films of Robert Redford. He went on to write illustrated coffee-table books about Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Midler, Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty, and Jane Fonda.
In 1987 his first non-pictorial biography, Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, became a major international bestseller. He followed that up with intimate biographies of Peter Lawford, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, and Julia Roberts.
His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, People, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times Book Review, McCall’s, the Los Angeles Times, the London Sunday Express, and many other publications.
In 2010 his first work of fiction, Days When My Heart was Volcanic—A Novel of Edgar Allan Poe, was published.
In recent years he has become equally renowned as a photographer of the male nude. His first collection, Black & White Men, was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award as the Best Visual Arts Book of 2000.
-----------------------------
From "Black & White Men" published in 2000:
Over the past several years, Jim has also become known for his evocative black-and-white studies of the male nude. He has had three one-man exhibitions, most recently in January 2000 at the prestigious Gallery One at the New England School of Photography in Boston. "I've been taking pictures since I was a teenager," Jim says, "but it took a back seat to my celebrity books. Now I d like to be known as a hyphenate, a writer-photographer. Photographing people is very much like writing about them, except that I'm creating the portrait with light rather than words. Light is as much a subject for me as the model."
In college he founded EMK: The Edward M. Kennedy Quarterly, and worked as an intern in Senator Kennedy’s Boston office in 1970.
At 23 his first book, Barbra: The First Decade (The Films and Career of Barbra Streisand), was published. He followed that up with the authorized book The Films of Robert Redford. He went on to write illustrated coffee-table books about Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Midler, Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty, and Jane Fonda.
In 1987 his first non-pictorial biography, Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, became a major international bestseller. He followed that up with intimate biographies of Peter Lawford, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, and Julia Roberts.
His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, People, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times Book Review, McCall’s, the Los Angeles Times, the London Sunday Express, and many other publications.
In 2010 his first work of fiction, Days When My Heart was Volcanic—A Novel of Edgar Allan Poe, was published.
In recent years he has become equally renowned as a photographer of the male nude. His first collection, Black & White Men, was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award as the Best Visual Arts Book of 2000.
-----------------------------
From "Black & White Men" published in 2000:
Over the past several years, Jim has also become known for his evocative black-and-white studies of the male nude. He has had three one-man exhibitions, most recently in January 2000 at the prestigious Gallery One at the New England School of Photography in Boston. "I've been taking pictures since I was a teenager," Jim says, "but it took a back seat to my celebrity books. Now I d like to be known as a hyphenate, a writer-photographer. Photographing people is very much like writing about them, except that I'm creating the portrait with light rather than words. Light is as much a subject for me as the model."
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June 1, 2024
I first read this book over 30 years ago…
I always find myself on a Bette Davis kick-recently having watched some films of hers that I haven't seen before: Deception, All this and Heaven Too, Kid Galahad, Storm Center, Bunny O'Hare, and Dangerous are some I've recently viewed. I don’t think one can finish watching all of Davis’ films- she’s been in over 100!
I have also read, reread, and memorized passages of Mr. Spada's biography of the star in which still continues to inspire me.
I was a teenager when I first read "More than a Woman". It was because I had just seen "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "All About Eve" as a kid. As a kid with the flair for the dramatic, Ms. Davis was a source of strength.
Her life and work ethic became something I wanted to emulate in order to make the best of my life, and to do the best work I could. Ms. Davis' motto of "attempt the impossible to improve your work"
I discovered this biography in hardback at the mall. I bought this book and read it so quickly, feeling enthralled by the story of this cinematic titan.
I was shocked as a kid that Ms. Davis could be so domineering and cruel; yet compassionate, empathic, and a down to earth straight shooter. She was a bundle of contradictions. She was abandoned by family, she was a raw mass of nerves, neurosis, egocentricity, and generosity.
She had complicated relationships with those she was closest to:
Her immediate family:
Her father, Harlow Davis, abandoned the family when she was a little girl. Her mother, Ruthie became a single mother with two girls to raise- extroverted, intense Bette, and quiet and introverted Bobby. The three of them called themselves The Three Musketeers until Ms. Davis' career took off. She always knew and would be forever grateful her mother and sister supported her ambition to be the best- but later, Bobby would leave Bette Davis behind to fulfill her own life, until her death from cancer. Their relationship did become strained because Bette Davis was so demanding.
Husbands:
Bette Davis would marry four times: She admitted she could never bring out the best in men:
Ham Nelson (ending in divorce after her affairs with millionaire Howard Hughes and director William Wyler); Arthur Farnsworth would die of a fractured skull; William Grant Sherry would be the father of their daughter BD Hyman); and actor Gary Merrill whom she with they would adopt Margot Merrill (who is brain damaged) and Michael, who becomes their most successful child- a well respected lawyer in Boston. Though living with Ms. Davis must have been tough- with her domineering personality, and sadistic flair for the dramatic, it's still no excuse that Sherry and Merrill would resort to physical violence towards Bette Davis because they were unhappy being labeled "Mr. Bette Davis".
Children:
Ms. Davis spoiled her daughter BD rotten. She was treated like an adult, and was allowed to marry her boyfriend at 16 years old. This relationship became fraught with tension as BD aged because she was often torn between her domineering mother, and her domineering husband.
Her daughter Margot would be brain damaged, and would live in a home for the disabled for the rest of her life: first paid for by Gary Merrill, then son Michael would inherit taking care of her.
Her son Michael would end up her "favorite". Often conciliatory and kind- he became her confidante and she would always be proud he became a successful lawyer and father to two grandsons as well.
Work Colleagues:
I loved the backstage bitchiness of how La Davis relished torturing a way too serious Joan Crawford, who had no sense of humor about herself. Its fun to read how Bette Davis was passive aggressive towards actors and actresses she felt were competition, such as Faye Dunaway, Miriam Hopkins, Lillian Gish, Glenn Ford, and Susan Hayward; male co-stars she felt that were lazy: Errol Flynn, Barry Sullivan, Ross Alexander; affairs and friendships with William Wyler, George Brent, Howard Hughes; platonic friendships with Robert Aldrich, Paul Henreid, Robert Wagner, and James Woods.
Female Friends:
I do wish Spada had explored more of Davis' friendships with Olivia de Havilland, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Glenda Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Lauren Bacall, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Debra Winger, Anna Magnani, and Anne Baxter, since its been documented that Davis kept in touch with them throughout her life.
Though she personally said she didn’t like the company of women, I have read so much about how de Havilland and Davis were the best of friends. And that Anne Baxter, ironically who was her competition in "All About Eve" also became a close friend and confidante.
Also, Spada did not mention how it was Anne Baxter who helped Bette Davis seek medical attention after discovering the fatal lump on her breast that would become the cancer that would eventually kill her.
Backstage Drama:
Spada writes of instances of how Davis was ambivalent about returning to her stage roots several times over when her career went into decline: For example, she was a nightmare and a bundle of insecurities during the musical productions of "Two's Company" and "Miss Moffat". The classic backstage story of Davis being involved in Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" is also a standout story, worthy of a lurid biopic.
It is entertaining indeed, to read that Davis was upset that she was tricked into playing a comic relief part in order for Tennessee Williams to book a theater on the strength of her name.
This is backstage drama at its finest and most hilarious. However, time has been kind to the character of Maxine Faulk- and its usually now the most sought after role for any actress who plays it on stage.
BD Hyman's Betrayal:
Reading in detail about how Davis' daughter, B.D Hyman betrayed her after having a stroke and writing the tell-all memoir, "My Mother's Keeper" as the same vein as Christina Crawford's "Mommie Dearest" was the toughest to get through.
However, from having read both women’s accounts- their interpretation of how their mothers treated them differed. Joan Crawford being dead when “Mommie Dearest” was published could not defend herself the way Davis had been able to, but still, one can see how Ms. Davis' feelings of betrayal and sadness that probably contributed to her death. Her relationships with her assistant Kath Sermak and her son Michael Merrill remained loving and supportive.
It is a touching portrait of a cinematic titan, whose talent really shined even it wasn't the best film, and taught me that work is always what gets me through!
Bette Davis' Oeuvre:
In meticulous detail, Spada focuses on how Ms. Davis crafted some of her most indelible roles, where the backstage drama and the behind the scenes look are absolutely priceless, and of which each film defined Ms. Davis' career at which point she was in her life:
"Of Human Bondage" (Davis becomes a star).
"Jezebel", "Dark Victory", "The Letter", "The Little Foxes" and "Now, Voyager" (Davis is at the height of her career)
"All About Eve" and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (Davis' two great comebacks, and becomes a legend- and camp icon)
"Death on the Nile" “Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter” "Right of Way" and "The Whales of August" (Davis' twilight years).
Some of my favorite Davis films (not in any order): "Baby Jane", "It's Love I'm After" "Storm Center" "The Star", "The Catered Affair", "All About Eve", "Jezebel", "The Little Foxes" "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" “The Man who came to Dinner” "The Letter", "Marked Woman" and "Now, Voyager".
I always find myself on a Bette Davis kick-recently having watched some films of hers that I haven't seen before: Deception, All this and Heaven Too, Kid Galahad, Storm Center, Bunny O'Hare, and Dangerous are some I've recently viewed. I don’t think one can finish watching all of Davis’ films- she’s been in over 100!
I have also read, reread, and memorized passages of Mr. Spada's biography of the star in which still continues to inspire me.
I was a teenager when I first read "More than a Woman". It was because I had just seen "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "All About Eve" as a kid. As a kid with the flair for the dramatic, Ms. Davis was a source of strength.
Her life and work ethic became something I wanted to emulate in order to make the best of my life, and to do the best work I could. Ms. Davis' motto of "attempt the impossible to improve your work"
I discovered this biography in hardback at the mall. I bought this book and read it so quickly, feeling enthralled by the story of this cinematic titan.
I was shocked as a kid that Ms. Davis could be so domineering and cruel; yet compassionate, empathic, and a down to earth straight shooter. She was a bundle of contradictions. She was abandoned by family, she was a raw mass of nerves, neurosis, egocentricity, and generosity.
She had complicated relationships with those she was closest to:
Her immediate family:
Her father, Harlow Davis, abandoned the family when she was a little girl. Her mother, Ruthie became a single mother with two girls to raise- extroverted, intense Bette, and quiet and introverted Bobby. The three of them called themselves The Three Musketeers until Ms. Davis' career took off. She always knew and would be forever grateful her mother and sister supported her ambition to be the best- but later, Bobby would leave Bette Davis behind to fulfill her own life, until her death from cancer. Their relationship did become strained because Bette Davis was so demanding.
Husbands:
Bette Davis would marry four times: She admitted she could never bring out the best in men:
Ham Nelson (ending in divorce after her affairs with millionaire Howard Hughes and director William Wyler); Arthur Farnsworth would die of a fractured skull; William Grant Sherry would be the father of their daughter BD Hyman); and actor Gary Merrill whom she with they would adopt Margot Merrill (who is brain damaged) and Michael, who becomes their most successful child- a well respected lawyer in Boston. Though living with Ms. Davis must have been tough- with her domineering personality, and sadistic flair for the dramatic, it's still no excuse that Sherry and Merrill would resort to physical violence towards Bette Davis because they were unhappy being labeled "Mr. Bette Davis".
Children:
Ms. Davis spoiled her daughter BD rotten. She was treated like an adult, and was allowed to marry her boyfriend at 16 years old. This relationship became fraught with tension as BD aged because she was often torn between her domineering mother, and her domineering husband.
Her daughter Margot would be brain damaged, and would live in a home for the disabled for the rest of her life: first paid for by Gary Merrill, then son Michael would inherit taking care of her.
Her son Michael would end up her "favorite". Often conciliatory and kind- he became her confidante and she would always be proud he became a successful lawyer and father to two grandsons as well.
Work Colleagues:
I loved the backstage bitchiness of how La Davis relished torturing a way too serious Joan Crawford, who had no sense of humor about herself. Its fun to read how Bette Davis was passive aggressive towards actors and actresses she felt were competition, such as Faye Dunaway, Miriam Hopkins, Lillian Gish, Glenn Ford, and Susan Hayward; male co-stars she felt that were lazy: Errol Flynn, Barry Sullivan, Ross Alexander; affairs and friendships with William Wyler, George Brent, Howard Hughes; platonic friendships with Robert Aldrich, Paul Henreid, Robert Wagner, and James Woods.
Female Friends:
I do wish Spada had explored more of Davis' friendships with Olivia de Havilland, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Glenda Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Lauren Bacall, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Debra Winger, Anna Magnani, and Anne Baxter, since its been documented that Davis kept in touch with them throughout her life.
Though she personally said she didn’t like the company of women, I have read so much about how de Havilland and Davis were the best of friends. And that Anne Baxter, ironically who was her competition in "All About Eve" also became a close friend and confidante.
Also, Spada did not mention how it was Anne Baxter who helped Bette Davis seek medical attention after discovering the fatal lump on her breast that would become the cancer that would eventually kill her.
Backstage Drama:
Spada writes of instances of how Davis was ambivalent about returning to her stage roots several times over when her career went into decline: For example, she was a nightmare and a bundle of insecurities during the musical productions of "Two's Company" and "Miss Moffat". The classic backstage story of Davis being involved in Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" is also a standout story, worthy of a lurid biopic.
It is entertaining indeed, to read that Davis was upset that she was tricked into playing a comic relief part in order for Tennessee Williams to book a theater on the strength of her name.
This is backstage drama at its finest and most hilarious. However, time has been kind to the character of Maxine Faulk- and its usually now the most sought after role for any actress who plays it on stage.
BD Hyman's Betrayal:
Reading in detail about how Davis' daughter, B.D Hyman betrayed her after having a stroke and writing the tell-all memoir, "My Mother's Keeper" as the same vein as Christina Crawford's "Mommie Dearest" was the toughest to get through.
However, from having read both women’s accounts- their interpretation of how their mothers treated them differed. Joan Crawford being dead when “Mommie Dearest” was published could not defend herself the way Davis had been able to, but still, one can see how Ms. Davis' feelings of betrayal and sadness that probably contributed to her death. Her relationships with her assistant Kath Sermak and her son Michael Merrill remained loving and supportive.
It is a touching portrait of a cinematic titan, whose talent really shined even it wasn't the best film, and taught me that work is always what gets me through!
Bette Davis' Oeuvre:
In meticulous detail, Spada focuses on how Ms. Davis crafted some of her most indelible roles, where the backstage drama and the behind the scenes look are absolutely priceless, and of which each film defined Ms. Davis' career at which point she was in her life:
"Of Human Bondage" (Davis becomes a star).
"Jezebel", "Dark Victory", "The Letter", "The Little Foxes" and "Now, Voyager" (Davis is at the height of her career)
"All About Eve" and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (Davis' two great comebacks, and becomes a legend- and camp icon)
"Death on the Nile" “Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter” "Right of Way" and "The Whales of August" (Davis' twilight years).
Some of my favorite Davis films (not in any order): "Baby Jane", "It's Love I'm After" "Storm Center" "The Star", "The Catered Affair", "All About Eve", "Jezebel", "The Little Foxes" "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" “The Man who came to Dinner” "The Letter", "Marked Woman" and "Now, Voyager".
October 13, 2024
Ryan Murphy's FX TV drama anthology Feud: Bette and Joan (2017) sparked renewed curiosity in the rival title characters. Bette was portrayed with aplomb by multiple award-winning Susan Sarandon. The pair's older fans, including myself, dusted off fading biographies, inevitably comparing pre-established accounts with Murphy's reimagined screen depictions of these legendary divas. A nostalgic journey of revision ensued.
James Spada is a superb biographer. I've read several Bette Davis biographies and find it impossible to rate one higher than the others. Inescapably, many details are rehashed across all of them. This one I liked, not much more or less than the others I've read. However, if I were recommending which ones to include in your coverage (there are so many), this would make my list.
All the fabulous comical caricatures have redefined our memories of this wonderful actress. Just watch her actual films, though, and you'll rediscover that she was nowhere near as over the top as you might have recalled, she had far greater dramatic subtlety and nuance than her impersonators have led us to believe.
As a woman she was renowned for being earthier than her professional nemesis Joan Crawford and boasted of that, making her perhaps appear the more arrogant of the two, yet no less adorable.
I like to make my own mind up about the subjects of biographies and usually can.
That Bette Davis was no saint becomes clear enough after covering a few biographies, that she was no monster either is also clear. She was a fascinating woman and a great, great star.
James Spada is a superb biographer. I've read several Bette Davis biographies and find it impossible to rate one higher than the others. Inescapably, many details are rehashed across all of them. This one I liked, not much more or less than the others I've read. However, if I were recommending which ones to include in your coverage (there are so many), this would make my list.
All the fabulous comical caricatures have redefined our memories of this wonderful actress. Just watch her actual films, though, and you'll rediscover that she was nowhere near as over the top as you might have recalled, she had far greater dramatic subtlety and nuance than her impersonators have led us to believe.
As a woman she was renowned for being earthier than her professional nemesis Joan Crawford and boasted of that, making her perhaps appear the more arrogant of the two, yet no less adorable.
I like to make my own mind up about the subjects of biographies and usually can.
That Bette Davis was no saint becomes clear enough after covering a few biographies, that she was no monster either is also clear. She was a fascinating woman and a great, great star.
May 9, 2015
One way, and a rough one at that, to survive 81 years as a tightly wound nervous wreck.
November 2, 2020
What a fascinating, complex woman. I wish I had something of more depth to say, but how can I judge a woman who forced the studio system to treat her as an actor, rather than as a prop with legs? She had her demons, true, but dear God, she earned them.
Read
July 24, 2012There is a line in Lorrie Moore’s story “How to Be the Other Woman”: “Slam the door like Bette Davis.”
Offscreen, onscreen, the woman had attitude and it (and she) was tremendous.
The writing itself, well, there is a a lot of editorializing, a lot of reconstructed scenes as if out of a novel, and I found myself having plenty of OH PLEASE moments because of this. Still, though, this baby was a good one.
Offscreen, onscreen, the woman had attitude and it (and she) was tremendous.
The writing itself, well, there is a a lot of editorializing, a lot of reconstructed scenes as if out of a novel, and I found myself having plenty of OH PLEASE moments because of this. Still, though, this baby was a good one.
November 30, 2020
My problem with this biography is that the author tries to push a certain narrative down the reader's throat - namely of Bette being a temperamental bitch - which makes it really hard to sympathize with anything she ever did or said (even if she was right). In a way this is worse than a book blatantly against its subject because it tries to put certain ideas in your head but in a ~subtler~ way. I believe the writing style, which includes detailed descriptions of places, dialogues and people's thoughts and feelings - almost as if you were reading a novel - contributes to this kind of deception.
It starts from the very first chapters, describing her predecessors (women in particular) as rebellious and domineering (not failing to mention the ancestor who was burned at the stake and who clearly passed on her witchy personality to Bette), dwelling on her tantrums and fastidiousness as a child and often insinuating that a streak of madness / mental disorder run in the family. If this was not enough, according to the author (and his PhD in psychology?) Bette had serious daddy issues, which are brought up way too many times to justify her insecurities and problems with the male sex. Apparently it also influenced her acting abilities! "It wouldn't be the last time that Harlow's departure from the Davis family circle would inspire Bette to a brilliant performance". Please.
It goes on blaming Bette for practically everything: her sister's nervous breakdowns, an actor's suicide in the early '30s (who allegedly had an unrequited crush on her), her second husband's death (the author had access to the coroner's inquest transcript and goes out of his way to prove his thesis that it was all a cover-up and that Bette was actually responsible for his death), AND the brain damage of her adopted daughter.
Bette is described as a high-strung, irrational, unstable, sexually frustrated (this is so offensive and sexist?) woman who fought with EVERYONE just for the sake of fighting, which perpetuates the idea that she was just a temperamental bitch and not someone who cared deeply about her work and who had to fight in a man's world in order to have a career. The author instead gives us a very unpleasant one-dimentional portrayal. At a certain point it got so bad that I couldn't help thinking "surely in 81 years of existence she must have done ONE nice thing???" It is just baffling to me how someone could spend 3 years of their life in research, access to tons of material, and come up with something like this that seems to be focusing only on the negative side of things. Some of the sources are laughable (interviews with ex-husband Sherry, his wife, fired cooks and nannies... Seriously?), among which BD's book "My Mother's Keeper" (anyone who uses her book as a source is dead to me) and "Fasten Your Steatbelts" by Laurence J. Quirk, possibly the trashiest biography I have ever read.
What made me realize how biased this book is is the fact that I recognized some of the interviews quoted by the author (now available online for everyone to hear) in which Bette sounded perfectly fine and pleasant and yet the author managed to twist her words and make her sound like the terrible person she wasn't.
Bette Davis was determined and strived for excellency, and as a result gave us some of the most powerful performances ever seen on screen. How did she accomplish that? Can we maybe talk about this? She could be difficult, I'm not denying it, but she was so much more than that. She could be very generous with the people she liked, she had a wicked sense of humor and under the hard exterior she was quite down-to-earth and vulnerable. Why do I rarely read about this??? As she often said she was larger than life, and rightly so. Quoting Margo Channing, peace and quiet is for libraries.
It starts from the very first chapters, describing her predecessors (women in particular) as rebellious and domineering (not failing to mention the ancestor who was burned at the stake and who clearly passed on her witchy personality to Bette), dwelling on her tantrums and fastidiousness as a child and often insinuating that a streak of madness / mental disorder run in the family. If this was not enough, according to the author (and his PhD in psychology?) Bette had serious daddy issues, which are brought up way too many times to justify her insecurities and problems with the male sex. Apparently it also influenced her acting abilities! "It wouldn't be the last time that Harlow's departure from the Davis family circle would inspire Bette to a brilliant performance". Please.
It goes on blaming Bette for practically everything: her sister's nervous breakdowns, an actor's suicide in the early '30s (who allegedly had an unrequited crush on her), her second husband's death (the author had access to the coroner's inquest transcript and goes out of his way to prove his thesis that it was all a cover-up and that Bette was actually responsible for his death), AND the brain damage of her adopted daughter.
Bette is described as a high-strung, irrational, unstable, sexually frustrated (this is so offensive and sexist?) woman who fought with EVERYONE just for the sake of fighting, which perpetuates the idea that she was just a temperamental bitch and not someone who cared deeply about her work and who had to fight in a man's world in order to have a career. The author instead gives us a very unpleasant one-dimentional portrayal. At a certain point it got so bad that I couldn't help thinking "surely in 81 years of existence she must have done ONE nice thing???" It is just baffling to me how someone could spend 3 years of their life in research, access to tons of material, and come up with something like this that seems to be focusing only on the negative side of things. Some of the sources are laughable (interviews with ex-husband Sherry, his wife, fired cooks and nannies... Seriously?), among which BD's book "My Mother's Keeper" (anyone who uses her book as a source is dead to me) and "Fasten Your Steatbelts" by Laurence J. Quirk, possibly the trashiest biography I have ever read.
What made me realize how biased this book is is the fact that I recognized some of the interviews quoted by the author (now available online for everyone to hear) in which Bette sounded perfectly fine and pleasant and yet the author managed to twist her words and make her sound like the terrible person she wasn't.
Bette Davis was determined and strived for excellency, and as a result gave us some of the most powerful performances ever seen on screen. How did she accomplish that? Can we maybe talk about this? She could be difficult, I'm not denying it, but she was so much more than that. She could be very generous with the people she liked, she had a wicked sense of humor and under the hard exterior she was quite down-to-earth and vulnerable. Why do I rarely read about this??? As she often said she was larger than life, and rightly so. Quoting Margo Channing, peace and quiet is for libraries.
February 3, 2014
Bette Davis fans should be warned about reading this book, which includes the most cursory treatment of her film work, but a cornucopia of embarassing stories of drunken arguments with 3 of her 4 husbands, professional feuding and personal contrariness.
If I must read hundreds of pages describing Davis' fairly appalling behaviour, at the very least I would like some in depth acknowledgement of her extraordinary contribution to the golden era of film.
I was filled with great sadness upon finishing this book. I admire and respect the body of work that Davis produced, and found it distressing to be forced to look away from it towards the more salacious material that fills More Than a Woman. Bette deserves better than this.
If I must read hundreds of pages describing Davis' fairly appalling behaviour, at the very least I would like some in depth acknowledgement of her extraordinary contribution to the golden era of film.
I was filled with great sadness upon finishing this book. I admire and respect the body of work that Davis produced, and found it distressing to be forced to look away from it towards the more salacious material that fills More Than a Woman. Bette deserves better than this.
September 13, 2016
Bette Davis has always been a favourite. I enjoy her movies most specially the ones she did in the forties, her most popular time in Hollywood. Reading about her childhood, family, fears, her journey through life, makes for very interesting reading. Not necessarily a likeable person, she was extremely difficult - a prime diva - yet an admirably strong woman who stood up for what she believed in and grasped life with both hands! Seriously ambitious. She was everything I imagined her to be and so much more.
April 4, 2020
Exciting accounts of Bette's life from start to finish
Great read if you are a Bette Davis fan. Loved it from chapter 1 until the finale. Her acting career was extraordinary. She fought for women's rights and equality as early as the1940"s. Thank goodness for incredible, strong-willed women like her!
Great read if you are a Bette Davis fan. Loved it from chapter 1 until the finale. Her acting career was extraordinary. She fought for women's rights and equality as early as the1940"s. Thank goodness for incredible, strong-willed women like her!
June 19, 2020
A very well researched and written biography of one of the most celebrated and accomplished actresses of her time ,revealing her tumultuous life and complex personality,her ups and downs.She was a human being after all,in search of love and a great movie actress.Read the book,you won't regret it and you won't loose your admiration for her but you'll understand her better somehow.
January 3, 2021
Enjoyed the book so much I found it hard to put down. At times when I read the book I said to myself about Bette what a horrible woman but basically I couldn’t stop loving her in spite of some of the things she said and did. I think she would have made a good friend if she really liked you. Kathryn Sermak was very lucky to have such a special friendship with Bette.
February 13, 2013
Read in 2011. This is THE Bette Davis bio to read. She was a force of nature and in her own words, "just too much!" Love her.
September 6, 2017
An honest review; Bette Davis was a brilliant woman possessed with sensitive acting ability. She appeared to have been bi polar and self anesthetize herself with alcohol which only exacerbated this condition.Strong willed and focused, however she appeared to have no insight about how she affected others. Tragic. Well written.
Bette Davis was a brilliant woman with great acting ability. She was undoubtedly bi polar. She exacerbated her condition with alcohol which only intensified her mental health.This is a personal tragedy for her, as all tragedian are directly or indirectly responsible for their own downfall. Well written.
Bette Davis was a brilliant woman with great acting ability. She was undoubtedly bi polar. She exacerbated her condition with alcohol which only intensified her mental health.This is a personal tragedy for her, as all tragedian are directly or indirectly responsible for their own downfall. Well written.
March 22, 2019
I am embarrassed to admit how glued to this book I actually was although not for the reasons most would think. Never having been much of a fan of any celebrity, certainly not of Bette Davis, nevertheless I was curious as to how a virtual nobody could have risen to such heights of stardom, even to attaining two Oscars, and then to have seemingly lost it all. Although remembered fondly as a great actress (which may or may not have been true) nevertheless Bette Davis was shrewish and miserable for much of her life and through many marriages and abortions. Most certainly money, fame and celebrity can only buy just so much..and not of what matters most.
September 17, 2017
Bette Davis has never been one of my favorite actresses, but there's no denying that she was a star. This biography of her manages to walk the line and give an even-handed account of her good and bad traits. There are places where a little too much information is given (I don't really care what her sexual adventures were), but her personality comes through strong and clear, and the book is compelling reading.
November 19, 2017
A fascinating look at a wonderful actress - but sometimes horrible human being. I think the author does a good job of trying to remain objective when chronicling the events of his subject's life; he shows how Bette could be cruel, jealous, and petty, but then goes into descriptions that show her more humane side, such as founding and putting countless hours into the Hollywood Canteen and constantly giving to her thankless daughter. This book is a must-read for classic movie fans.
October 15, 2019
One of my favorite actresses. I loved the first half, but the second brought up her troubles that seemed a little tmi or salacious w questionable sources. The end was sad, too. Definite read if you are a fan.
November 29, 2017
Excellently researched autobiography. All about old Hollywood and Bette Davis.
June 8, 2018
A long wordy biography. Halfway through you begin to think Bette is an evil harpy. By the end, she is a lonely, sad lady with nothing and no one.
July 27, 2019
What a life Bette lived!
October 6, 2019
Informative and poignant
March 29, 2015
The book was very informative, perfectly readable and absorbing. I appreciate the fact the writer gave all accounts specially of the most controversial episodes in Bette's life in the most impartial way as possible.
It's true the writing is not particularly original or stylistically engaging but nevertheless I perfectly enjoyed it from start to finish. More a journalism piece than a emphatic biopic.
The task of recounting such a tumultuous life is not to be considered an easy one.
The only small flaw (which is definitely excusable) is the lack of many details with regards to so many of her landmark movies. I would expect more behind the scenes for movies such as All About Eve, Baby Jane, Behind the Forest, of Human Bondage, Now Voyager.
It's a biopic which duly succeeds in portraying a multi faced woman, wife, daughter, mother, actress, activist and business woman.
What I'm now looking for is for a more technical detailed book about her movies (from the first to the last).
It's true the writing is not particularly original or stylistically engaging but nevertheless I perfectly enjoyed it from start to finish. More a journalism piece than a emphatic biopic.
The task of recounting such a tumultuous life is not to be considered an easy one.
The only small flaw (which is definitely excusable) is the lack of many details with regards to so many of her landmark movies. I would expect more behind the scenes for movies such as All About Eve, Baby Jane, Behind the Forest, of Human Bondage, Now Voyager.
It's a biopic which duly succeeds in portraying a multi faced woman, wife, daughter, mother, actress, activist and business woman.
What I'm now looking for is for a more technical detailed book about her movies (from the first to the last).
August 23, 2012
This is a fantastically comprehensive book. The levels of scrutiny, research and detail are very impressive without slowing down the story development. The world of Bette Davis is brought to life through engaging prose and helps to try and understand the psyche of one of Hollywoods more complex characters. I've read a few Bette Davis biogs, but this one is by far the best in terms of detail and evidence.
May 19, 2015
I'm so enjoying this in depth look into my silver screen idol's body of work and personal life. It's not an easy read at times, Bette comes off as rather sociopathic at times, and despite the descriptions of her behavior on set or at home, one thing is crystal clear: Ms. Davis was a force to be reckoned with. I can't hate her for taking her world by the tail and doing it her way, good or bad.
December 10, 2008
The definitive biography of Davis thus far. Spada truly captures the complexities of the legendary star, and manages to expose the dark side of Davis while balancing compassion and objectivity. A must read, even for non-fans.
January 19, 2017
Loved this book! Such a complex woman- so inspiring, talented, strong, ahead of her time and also at times terrifying and downright tragic.
October 25, 2013
A bitter, sad, yet somehow, likable woman.
February 25, 2014
This is more than just a list of achievements as some biographies are, a real insight into a great actress.
August 5, 2016
Great read
I really enjoyed this book. I felt like the author really attempted to remain neutral on the conflict with her daughter. Very informative.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt like the author really attempted to remain neutral on the conflict with her daughter. Very informative.
September 19, 2018
Well-researched and well-written book with an easy writing style, this is an effective work of the life of one of Hollywood’s premiere star actresses. The reader gets a clear look at the influences in Davis’ life that led her to become one of America
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