What do you think?
Rate this book
Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women , the first ever authorized biography of the most famous movie star of the twentieth century, Elizabeth Taylor. No celebrity rivals Elizabeth Taylor’s glamour and guts or her level of fame. She was the last major star to come out of the old Hollywood studio system and she is a legend known for her beauty and her magnetic screen presence in a career that spanned most of the twentieth century and nearly sixty films. But her private life was even more compelling than her Oscar-winning on-screen performances. During her seventy-nine years of rapid-fire love and loss she was married eight times to seven different men. Above all, she was a survivor—by the time she was twenty-six she was twice divorced and once widowed. Her life was a soap opera that ended in a deeply meaningful way when she became the first major celebrity activist to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS. A co-founder of amfAR, she raised more than $100 million for research and patient care. She was also a shrewd businesswoman who made a fortune as the first celebrity perfumer who always demanded to be paid what she was worth. In the first ever authorized biography of the Hollywood icon, Kate Andersen Brower reveals the world through Elizabeth’s eyes. Brower uses Elizabeth’s unpublished letters, diary entries, and off-the-record interview transcripts as well as interviews with 250 of her closest friends and family to tell the full, unvarnished story of her remarkable career and her explosive private life that made headlines worldwide. Elizabeth Taylor captures this intelligent, empathetic, tenacious, volatile, and complex woman as never before, from her rise to massive fame at age twelve in National Velvet to becoming the first to negotiate a million-dollar salary for a film, from her eight marriages and enduring love affair with Richard Burton to her lifelong battle with addiction and her courageous efforts as an AIDS activist. Here is a fascinating and complete portrait worthy of the legendary star and her legacy. Elizabeth Taylor features a photo insert.
512 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2022
453 people are currently reading
11620 people want to read
About the author
Kate Andersen Brower
14 books534 followersKate Andersen Brower is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller THE RESIDENCE and the New York Times bestseller FIRST WOMEN, as well as FIRST IN LINE, TEAM OF FIVE, and the children’s book EXPLORING THE WHITE HOUSE. She is a CNN contributor and she has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Vanity Fair and Time. She spent four years covering the Obama White House for Bloomberg News and is a former CBS News staffer and Fox News producer. She lives outside Washington, D.C, with her husband, their three young children, and their wheaten terrier named Chance.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews
December 29, 2024
I love Elizabeth Taylor!
I love her movies and more importantly I love her activism. Now it's common and pretty mainstream to support the right of LGBTQ+ folks to just live their lives but Elizabeth Taylor was supporting that in the 1950's. And when the AIDS epidemic arose in the 1980's Elizabeth Taylor was on the front lines. She not only raised hundreds of millions of dollars for AIDS research and treatment but she met with the frontline doctors and scientists. She pressured politicians to do anything about it including just saying the word AIDS. She forced Hollywood to stop discriminating against Gay actors. For some reason people think Hollywood is liberal or progressive, it's not Hollywood as a whole is very conservative....but not Elizabeth Taylor.
I find Elizabeth Taylor's many many marriages to be the least interesting thing about her. Obviously they played an important role in her life. Elizabeth Taylor was a hopeless romantic who married 8x to 7 men and whose engagements ran into the double digits. To say she loved men would be an understatement. But only 2 men were her actual real loves Mike Todd and of course Richard Burton. I'll be honest and say I've never understood her love of Richard Burton. He was an abusive drunk and he seemed like a user. But according to Elizabeth's family and friends and Richard's the love was real and they both loved each other until their dying days.
This book is an authorized biography and was written with the assistance of Elizabeth's children. That can be problematic in that it could be a whitewashed version of the story. Luckily I didn't feel like this was the case at all. Elizabeth Taylor's children let the author have full access to their mothers letters and diaries and it doesn't seem like they put up any guardrails. This book covers her very tempestuous relationships including her abusive first marriage to Nicky Hilton and her years long battle with drug and alcohol abuse. I've read lots of books and articles about Elizabeth Taylor and I still learned so many things. I also felt like I got to see what kind of parent she was. It was obvious she loved her kids but she didn't always get to spend that much time with her kids. Her kids thought she did the best that she was capable of but Elizabeth felt like she was a terrible mother. I'm not a mom but my perspective as a daughter is that she was a good mother because her children say they never felt unloved and they knew that their mother would move heaven and earth to make them happy.
I can't recommend this book enough. If you love Elizabeth Taylor than you will absolutely love this book. Elizabeth Taylor was truly one of a kind. She never claimed to be a feminist but she said that the liberation of women was of the upmost importance. A lot of Hollywood people talk about supporting civil rights but Elizabeth Taylor put in the work.
I highly recommend this book!
I love her movies and more importantly I love her activism. Now it's common and pretty mainstream to support the right of LGBTQ+ folks to just live their lives but Elizabeth Taylor was supporting that in the 1950's. And when the AIDS epidemic arose in the 1980's Elizabeth Taylor was on the front lines. She not only raised hundreds of millions of dollars for AIDS research and treatment but she met with the frontline doctors and scientists. She pressured politicians to do anything about it including just saying the word AIDS. She forced Hollywood to stop discriminating against Gay actors. For some reason people think Hollywood is liberal or progressive, it's not Hollywood as a whole is very conservative....but not Elizabeth Taylor.
I find Elizabeth Taylor's many many marriages to be the least interesting thing about her. Obviously they played an important role in her life. Elizabeth Taylor was a hopeless romantic who married 8x to 7 men and whose engagements ran into the double digits. To say she loved men would be an understatement. But only 2 men were her actual real loves Mike Todd and of course Richard Burton. I'll be honest and say I've never understood her love of Richard Burton. He was an abusive drunk and he seemed like a user. But according to Elizabeth's family and friends and Richard's the love was real and they both loved each other until their dying days.
This book is an authorized biography and was written with the assistance of Elizabeth's children. That can be problematic in that it could be a whitewashed version of the story. Luckily I didn't feel like this was the case at all. Elizabeth Taylor's children let the author have full access to their mothers letters and diaries and it doesn't seem like they put up any guardrails. This book covers her very tempestuous relationships including her abusive first marriage to Nicky Hilton and her years long battle with drug and alcohol abuse. I've read lots of books and articles about Elizabeth Taylor and I still learned so many things. I also felt like I got to see what kind of parent she was. It was obvious she loved her kids but she didn't always get to spend that much time with her kids. Her kids thought she did the best that she was capable of but Elizabeth felt like she was a terrible mother. I'm not a mom but my perspective as a daughter is that she was a good mother because her children say they never felt unloved and they knew that their mother would move heaven and earth to make them happy.
I can't recommend this book enough. If you love Elizabeth Taylor than you will absolutely love this book. Elizabeth Taylor was truly one of a kind. She never claimed to be a feminist but she said that the liberation of women was of the upmost importance. A lot of Hollywood people talk about supporting civil rights but Elizabeth Taylor put in the work.
I highly recommend this book!
March 3, 2024
What an experience this audio was, both with the content, and also each time I brought it up with coworkers and friends because I wanted to talk about it all the time. It was just that good. I quickly found people have really strong feelings on Liz Taylor. I also discovered I knew very little about her. Her life experiences, the way Kate Andersen Brower wrote them, and how Eleanor Caudill performed the audio; it was perfection. It took me a couple weeks to get through this one at over 500 pages, and my interest never waned. The end of Liz’s life was equally fascinating as its beginning, and everything about the middle, too.
The author shared about Elizabeth’s early life, including her family, and went movie by movie, and husband by husband mostly chronologically. Each chapter opened with a quote from Elizabeth. The book covered her extensive humanitarian efforts with the AIDS crisis, and also how she would quietly help a friend or ex-husband. Equally given time were the jewels, the lavish spending, and the outrageous happenings surrounding the filming of Cleopatra and other movies. Her friendships with Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Michael Jackson, and more were all part of her story. Quotes and other writings were frequently shared, so I often felt like I was hearing directly from Elizabeth.
Was I fan of Elizabeth Taylor before I read this book? Probably not, though I always thought she was beautiful and enjoyed the handful of movies I’ve watched with her. Through the process of reading this book, I added her filmography to my watchlist, and I’ve already watched and re-watched a few titles. I plan to continue on with this now that I know some of the history and scoop behind the movies.
I received a free copy of the book and purchased the audiobook from Libro.fm.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
The author shared about Elizabeth’s early life, including her family, and went movie by movie, and husband by husband mostly chronologically. Each chapter opened with a quote from Elizabeth. The book covered her extensive humanitarian efforts with the AIDS crisis, and also how she would quietly help a friend or ex-husband. Equally given time were the jewels, the lavish spending, and the outrageous happenings surrounding the filming of Cleopatra and other movies. Her friendships with Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Michael Jackson, and more were all part of her story. Quotes and other writings were frequently shared, so I often felt like I was hearing directly from Elizabeth.
Was I fan of Elizabeth Taylor before I read this book? Probably not, though I always thought she was beautiful and enjoyed the handful of movies I’ve watched with her. Through the process of reading this book, I added her filmography to my watchlist, and I’ve already watched and re-watched a few titles. I plan to continue on with this now that I know some of the history and scoop behind the movies.
I received a free copy of the book and purchased the audiobook from Libro.fm.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 26, 2023
Many years ago I read Elizabeth and Richard Burton: A Life, both excellent books on these Hollywood icons. So when I saw that a new biography of Elizabeth Taylor was released where some of her family and the late Senator John Warner (ex-husband) cooperated- I was intrigued to read it.
I can't say that I enjoyed this one any more than I enjoyed the previous one I read by author J. Randy Taraborrelli. It's just that this one is much more recent and was written after her death. I was particularly entranced by her marriages with producer Mike Todd and of course Richard Burton...these two her greatest loves in life. I would still endorse the two biographies I mentioned in my first paragraph to get the best pictures of this subject. It's been decades since I read these books but they still resonate deeply with me. The Richard Burton book included excerpts from his "Notebooks" which were his extensive diaries. He loved to write and wrote seeringly honest passages about Elizabeth that were riveting. The J. Randy Taraborrelli authored Elizabeth biography covered the subject of her marriage to Mike Todd to a greater degree, as I recall.
This is a brand new biography of Elizabeth so I had to "scratch that itch" and read it...and it was good...but I still remember enjoying the one from many years ago a bit more. Perhaps it's nostalgia having its way with me.
Thank you to my free public library for providing this book.
I can't say that I enjoyed this one any more than I enjoyed the previous one I read by author J. Randy Taraborrelli. It's just that this one is much more recent and was written after her death. I was particularly entranced by her marriages with producer Mike Todd and of course Richard Burton...these two her greatest loves in life. I would still endorse the two biographies I mentioned in my first paragraph to get the best pictures of this subject. It's been decades since I read these books but they still resonate deeply with me. The Richard Burton book included excerpts from his "Notebooks" which were his extensive diaries. He loved to write and wrote seeringly honest passages about Elizabeth that were riveting. The J. Randy Taraborrelli authored Elizabeth biography covered the subject of her marriage to Mike Todd to a greater degree, as I recall.
This is a brand new biography of Elizabeth so I had to "scratch that itch" and read it...and it was good...but I still remember enjoying the one from many years ago a bit more. Perhaps it's nostalgia having its way with me.
Thank you to my free public library for providing this book.
August 16, 2022
If you loved Elizabeth Taylor you will love this book. If you didn’t care for Elizabeth Taylor, then I urge you to read this book because you will fall in love with her. While the world knows about her 8 marriages, and her lavish life with yachts, jewels, and homes all over the world, it’s her later years that brought true meaning to her life. What a trailblazer. A woman firm in what her worth was and what it could do to help people. From helping a homeless woman who lived in her car, to getting that woman’s child in school, getting her an apt, and paying its lease for a year. The most significant part of her life - amfAR, and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Her visiting AIDS patients back when the disease was still relatively unknown and the stigma attached to it. She visited patients, laid in bed with them, held them, hugged them. She dressed in full Hollywood glamor- jewels and all, when she went to hospices bc she knew they wanted to see her that way. She raised hundreds of millions of dollars for them leading to drugs that allowed them to live. As her health went into decline she had her people still take her to West Hollywood gay clubs, in a wheelchair, so she could be around the living. Guys would thank her for saving their lives which would bring her to tears. She lost so many dear close friends it was her life purpose to speak for them…and boy did she. Sadly not all of Hollywood was behind her and it hurt her. Especially when she was trying to get Rock Hudson into a Parisian hospital for experimental drugs. She was friends with then president Ronald and Nancy Reagan. They knew people at the hospital and while Nancy expressed how close she was to Rock, they turned their back and told Elizabeth “no”. They wouldn’t help get him in. As she became a senator’s wife, she used her name and his power to get things done. She even took out a full page NYT ad against her husbands wishes in her fight against the AIDS pandemic. Kudos to her. I love her more now than I ever did. An icon. A light. A woman full of heart. When her team would warn her about the shape some of these people were in towards the end of their lives, as they were afraid it would be too hard on her…she responded with “after all I’v been through in my life….I can handle anything”. Yea you did Ms Taylor. Yes you did!!!
November 27, 2023
What a fascinating life this woman led. I really feel like it would be pretty hard to come away from this book not liking Elizabeth Taylor as a human being. She loved fiercely, struggled publicly, and left a huge legacy that has helped millions of people, and continues to do so.
I grew up in the 80s and 90s knowing who Elizabeth Taylor was, just like everyone else, because she was part of the zeitgeist, one of the most famous women ever to live. I specifically remember her commercials for White Diamonds, and from watching National Velvet over and over. This is still the only film of hers I've ever seen. It was a staple in my house as a child who was horse obsessed*. My mom taped it off the TV for me and I'm sure if I could get my hands on that copy I could recite all the commercials to you. (I learned from this book that Elizabeth kept her horse from the film, King Charles, who was a cousin of Seabiscuit. He was a gift to her from Louis B. Mayer on her 13th birthday.) According to her Wikipedia, I've most likely seen all her sitcom cameos as well, though I have no memory of them.
*I apparently went on an extended campaign to convince my parents we could drain our pool and keep the horse in there. They love telling this story.
Kate Andersen Brower is a very good biographer. She takes us through Elizabeth's life in a way that makes the straightforward linear timeline of that actually interesting (linear timelines and trudging through uninteresting parts of a life are both reasons why I tend to stay away from biographies). She knows what to emphasize and what to gloss over. And because she had access not only to Elizabeth's friends and family, but her papers as well, we get some pretty great insight into what she was actually thinking and feeling as we go along. It helps, of course, that her subject led a fascinating event-filled life. This woman did not have a uninteresting part of her life.
I was originally interested in this book because I happened to see a Vanity Fair article about her AIDS activism, and she just seemed like such a badass. That combined with my childhood nostalgia meant this was a must pick up for me. It was most definitely worth the audiobook credit. There's really something in here for all kinds of biography lovers: Hollywood gossip, reproductive issues, abuse, child stardom, chronic pain, addiction, behind the scenes info from her many films, details about all her weddings and the nitty gritty of all her relationships (with Mike Todd and Richard Burton being the main focuses there), details about her glamorous lifestyle and her unquenchable passion for expensive jewelry, and her close friendships with many queer people that eventually led her to trailblaze in using her vast fame and fortune to further AIDS research and help care for the people suffering and dying from the disease. She regularly visited hospice wards and held and comforted those that were very ill and alone, in a time when most people didn't even want to get near let alone touch or embrace someone with the disease. When she died in 2011, she told them to hold her funeral fifteen minutes late because she was famously late everywhere she went, and being late for her own funeral tickled her.
She was a ballsy, glamorous broad, and I'm glad I know more about her now.
I grew up in the 80s and 90s knowing who Elizabeth Taylor was, just like everyone else, because she was part of the zeitgeist, one of the most famous women ever to live. I specifically remember her commercials for White Diamonds, and from watching National Velvet over and over. This is still the only film of hers I've ever seen. It was a staple in my house as a child who was horse obsessed*. My mom taped it off the TV for me and I'm sure if I could get my hands on that copy I could recite all the commercials to you. (I learned from this book that Elizabeth kept her horse from the film, King Charles, who was a cousin of Seabiscuit. He was a gift to her from Louis B. Mayer on her 13th birthday.) According to her Wikipedia, I've most likely seen all her sitcom cameos as well, though I have no memory of them.
*I apparently went on an extended campaign to convince my parents we could drain our pool and keep the horse in there. They love telling this story.
Kate Andersen Brower is a very good biographer. She takes us through Elizabeth's life in a way that makes the straightforward linear timeline of that actually interesting (linear timelines and trudging through uninteresting parts of a life are both reasons why I tend to stay away from biographies). She knows what to emphasize and what to gloss over. And because she had access not only to Elizabeth's friends and family, but her papers as well, we get some pretty great insight into what she was actually thinking and feeling as we go along. It helps, of course, that her subject led a fascinating event-filled life. This woman did not have a uninteresting part of her life.
I was originally interested in this book because I happened to see a Vanity Fair article about her AIDS activism, and she just seemed like such a badass. That combined with my childhood nostalgia meant this was a must pick up for me. It was most definitely worth the audiobook credit. There's really something in here for all kinds of biography lovers: Hollywood gossip, reproductive issues, abuse, child stardom, chronic pain, addiction, behind the scenes info from her many films, details about all her weddings and the nitty gritty of all her relationships (with Mike Todd and Richard Burton being the main focuses there), details about her glamorous lifestyle and her unquenchable passion for expensive jewelry, and her close friendships with many queer people that eventually led her to trailblaze in using her vast fame and fortune to further AIDS research and help care for the people suffering and dying from the disease. She regularly visited hospice wards and held and comforted those that were very ill and alone, in a time when most people didn't even want to get near let alone touch or embrace someone with the disease. When she died in 2011, she told them to hold her funeral fifteen minutes late because she was famously late everywhere she went, and being late for her own funeral tickled her.
She was a ballsy, glamorous broad, and I'm glad I know more about her now.
December 30, 2022
3 stars for the first half of the book.
5 for the second half.
As a long-time fan of Elizabeth's, the first half of the book didn't really offer any new insights. It's a fascinating story, filled with drama, and I was glad to reread it. I also thought the photos were a little lacking, especially compared to Furious Love, which came out about a decade ago. The book really picks up around the time she and Richard Burton remarry, which sheds new light on just how rushed and inevitably doomed this second marriage had been. Who's to say what might have happened had they waited a little longer?
The second half dives deeply into Elizabeth's marriage to Senator John Warren, which foreshadowed her AIDS activism. I knew that she was a dedicated activist and raised tons of money for AIDS research, but I was unaware of just how much unpublicized work Elizabeth did to make AIDS patients feel loved and comforted in their final days. I spent a good portion of the last 100 pages getting choked up. This is such an important part of her legacy, and it is also an important part of American history that we can't forget.
But if you think this is a book about "Saint" Elizabeth, especially because it was authorized by her family and estate, that couldn't be further from the truth. Andersen Brower writes frankly about many of Elizabeth's flaws and poor choices--and Elizabeth was always aware of her shortcomings, too. Over-all this was a moving account of a woman who refused to be defined by a single role, who was a survivor, and who was fearlessly . . . herself.
5 for the second half.
As a long-time fan of Elizabeth's, the first half of the book didn't really offer any new insights. It's a fascinating story, filled with drama, and I was glad to reread it. I also thought the photos were a little lacking, especially compared to Furious Love, which came out about a decade ago. The book really picks up around the time she and Richard Burton remarry, which sheds new light on just how rushed and inevitably doomed this second marriage had been. Who's to say what might have happened had they waited a little longer?
The second half dives deeply into Elizabeth's marriage to Senator John Warren, which foreshadowed her AIDS activism. I knew that she was a dedicated activist and raised tons of money for AIDS research, but I was unaware of just how much unpublicized work Elizabeth did to make AIDS patients feel loved and comforted in their final days. I spent a good portion of the last 100 pages getting choked up. This is such an important part of her legacy, and it is also an important part of American history that we can't forget.
But if you think this is a book about "Saint" Elizabeth, especially because it was authorized by her family and estate, that couldn't be further from the truth. Andersen Brower writes frankly about many of Elizabeth's flaws and poor choices--and Elizabeth was always aware of her shortcomings, too. Over-all this was a moving account of a woman who refused to be defined by a single role, who was a survivor, and who was fearlessly . . . herself.
March 19, 2023
I have always known about Elizabeth Taylor. Her face covered all of the scandal magazines and her movies and doings would pop up regularly. I always looked closely at her eyes trying to see the Violet in them. I knew about her magnificent bosom and gems and many marriages. And I remembered how she led the way in talking about HIV/AIDS. What I didn't know was how she clever and fun and lonely and fierce and giving and strong and awesome she was. I am glad to have gotten to know Ms. Taylor and be inspired by her total beauty inside and out. What a memorable icon.
June 25, 2024
4 Stars
Revealing biography of an iconic actress.
The press tends to focus on Elizabeth's beauty, her messy love life, two Oscar wins, and her compassionate AIDS charity work. So it surprised me to learn how funny and self aware she was, as well as astute and successful in her business ventures. As a friend she was discreet and loyal, keeping confidences long after the deaths of those who entrusted their secrets to her.
The public image of Liz as femme fatal and destroyer of Debbie Reynold's marriage is a simplistic version of events, and leaves out the complex truth. It makes me even more aware that what we see of celebrity gossip is still driven by what will drive clicks to sites and sell trashy tabloids.
All in all, fascinating.
Revealing biography of an iconic actress.
The press tends to focus on Elizabeth's beauty, her messy love life, two Oscar wins, and her compassionate AIDS charity work. So it surprised me to learn how funny and self aware she was, as well as astute and successful in her business ventures. As a friend she was discreet and loyal, keeping confidences long after the deaths of those who entrusted their secrets to her.
The public image of Liz as femme fatal and destroyer of Debbie Reynold's marriage is a simplistic version of events, and leaves out the complex truth. It makes me even more aware that what we see of celebrity gossip is still driven by what will drive clicks to sites and sell trashy tabloids.
All in all, fascinating.
Want to read
September 28, 2024"celebrities" come and go like clockwork but icons like elizabeth taylor are once in a lifetime.
January 19, 2023
I knew very little about Elizabeth Taylor going into this new biography, and most of what I knew was the salacious pieces related to her eight marriages. I love everything related to the Golden Age of Hollywood, and since Taylor is regarded as the last major star to have been "made" by that era, I was so excited to dive into her story.
I'm really glad I picked this one up because I learned so much about her life, and how much more to her story there is beyond her romantic relationships. I had no idea she was a major player in raising money and awareness for AIDS in the late 80s and early 90s, or the amount of trauma and grief she faced throughout her entire life. Elizabeth Taylor somehow managed to live dozens of lives in her 79 years, and she really was a remarkable person.
My only qualm with this book was the editing. There's no doubt it was tough to piece all this together—it's a behemoth of a book—as there is just so much to pack in when telling her life story, but at times it felt very choppy and somewhat repetitive.
I'm really glad I picked this one up because I learned so much about her life, and how much more to her story there is beyond her romantic relationships. I had no idea she was a major player in raising money and awareness for AIDS in the late 80s and early 90s, or the amount of trauma and grief she faced throughout her entire life. Elizabeth Taylor somehow managed to live dozens of lives in her 79 years, and she really was a remarkable person.
My only qualm with this book was the editing. There's no doubt it was tough to piece all this together—it's a behemoth of a book—as there is just so much to pack in when telling her life story, but at times it felt very choppy and somewhat repetitive.
February 11, 2025
After reading bits and pieces about Elizabeth Taylor and viewing a number of her films, most notably Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly Last Summer, A Place in the Sun, and the amazing Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on a near regular basis, Kate Andersen Brower has arranged the huge life of Dame Elizabeth into a smooth narrative that I enjoyed very much. We have all been touched by the charisma and legacies of Elizabeth, or Bessie Mae, as Montgomery Clift affectionately called her, and will continue to do so with a hearty smile.
August 17, 2024
Like the late Queen here is another Elizabeth whom I cannot read enough about. There is little I don't know about ET but this book was endorsed by her family so it is as close as we will get to ET's story in her words and writings. What an interesting woman she was -- flawed, selfish and spoiled yet deeply loyal to her family and friends and basically a decent person way ahead of her time whose mistakes were judged publicly. She accomplished more for AIDS than anyone and was in the fight for a cure from the beginning when the President of the United States could not even address the subject. This was a very entertaining and interesting read and confirmed my view of Eddie Fisher as possibly one of the biggest idiots who ever lived.
June 20, 2023
This was one of the best books I've read this year, which was quite unexpected. I knew virtually nothing about Elizabeth Taylor prior to hearing about this book as part of a book club. I was intrigued to hear that this was the first authorized biography. I also thought that I would enjoy reading about this subject because Elizabeth Taylor and I share interests in feminism, jewelry, and HIV/AIDS.
The story of her life exceeded my expectations. She was an amazing person that I loved learning more about. If you're at all curious, I'd encourage you to read more.
The story of her life exceeded my expectations. She was an amazing person that I loved learning more about. If you're at all curious, I'd encourage you to read more.
December 17, 2022
I have been fascinated with Elizabeth Taylor ever since the early 1950’s when I would devour every movie magazine, I could get my hands on. She was a true example of a 20th Century icon, a very real woman. The author, Kate Andersen Brower, put together an appealing chronicle of Elizabeth’s life by delving into her personal letters and diaries as shared by her family. Taylor grew up in old Hollywood, she was there in its heyday with her beautiful face and violet eyes, even though she suffered from pain from several accidents, disease and trauma, she gave her fans many years of exciting movies to watch with anticipation. Brower spent time to obtain extensive interviews with Taylor’s family and friends that knew her well. Most of her fans were aware of her 8 marriages and lavish lifestyle, her jewels and her lavish homes all over the world, however, it was not until late in her life that she found what she calls real meaning to her life. She was a trailblazer in the realm of HIV/AIDS by contributing much of her personal fortune and using her close relationships with politicians and other influential movers and shakers to further her mission. She not only raised hundreds of millions of dollars that led to the discovery of the drugs that allowed AIDS patients to live, but she also spent time visiting the patients, holding them and giving them hugs while speaking words of encouragement. She lost so many dear close friends that she felt she needed to make it her purpose to speak for them. She was truly a woman with a big heart and was often warned by her team that it was too hard on her to which she replied “after all I’ve been through in my life, I can handle anything. “ Bravo Liz, you are one fine broad and truly missed!!
February 27, 2023
Occasionally needed more details. Became repetitive. Most of time, it is just a fawning fan writing style when much more analysis would have made this more engaging. Excuses were made for Taylor’s behavior when deeper dives were more appropriate. Curiosity made me finish it.
November 2, 2025
3.5!!
October 21, 2023
I’ve read so many biographies of Elizabeth Taylor that I feel like I knew her. Not really, but I certainly know more about her than the average person. She always fascinated me.
October 17, 2025
An icon. Thank you Taylor Swift for introducing me to Elizabeth Taylor 💎
February 27, 2023
grit behind the glam
Elizabeth Taylor (2022) is an enthralling authorized biography of one of Hollywood's most famous stars. This fascinating and complete portrait of the legend chronicles her life of fame, tragedy, love, and loss.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
Born in England in 1932, Elizabeth Taylor’s training began early, at the famed Vacani School of Dance in London. At three and a half years old, she performed in a benefit event attended by British royalty. The naturally shy girl blossomed on stage, sparkling under the lights. The Taylors, an American family, had only just begun their journey when the Second World War forced them to flee England and move to Los Angeles. Sara Taylor, Elizabeth’s mother, was convinced that her child would become a performer – but she had no idea the girl would grow up to become one of the most famous actors of all time.
In Los Angeles, Sara became obsessed with her daughter’s success. She began tutoring her in etiquette and preparing her for auditions. Maternal persistence paid off when the young Taylor made her film debut in Universal’s There’s One Born Every Minute.
Personal Health Struggles
Taylor suffered from a range of health issues. She was born with scoliosis and experienced excruciating back pain from an early age. Unfortunately, her impairment was aggravated by her childhood horse-riding injury. Taylor’s bouts of ill health became so frequent that friends claimed she exploited them. The actor George Hamilton, who dated her, noted that she was skilled at gaining attention through theatrical performance and self-inflicted traumas. Taylor herself admitted that her mental state had always been linked to her physical health. But despite her fear of pain, she declared she wanted at least six children. She had two with her second husband, Michael Wilding – Michael Jr. in 1953 and Christopher in 1955. Then, on August 6, 1957, she gave birth to her third child, Liza Todd, via Cesarean section. Unfortunately, the pregnancy’s health risks led doctors to perform a tubal ligation. But the ordeal did not end there. In the summer of 1968, Taylor entered hospital for treatment to relieve her chronic back pain, and a hysterectomy became necessary. And there was more trouble to come.
In the mid-1950s, during a photo shoot for the movie Elephant Walk, Taylor got a bit of rusty debris stuck in her eye. She had to have surgery and took a few weeks to recover. Then, when baby Michael accidentally hit her in the same eye, it made matters worse, and a second operation was required. During this time, Taylor considered quitting acting altogether.
In the mid-1970s, while married to her seventh husband, Senator John Warner, Taylor suffered an injury while horse-riding that forced her to give up that beloved pastime.
She also struggled with pill and alcohol addiction for years, partly due to her constant pain. She sought help from the Betty Ford Center twice. Along with her multiple surgeries and illnesses – including surgery for a benign brain tumor in 1983 – she allegedly attempted suicide. The anxious star used sleeping pills every night. She never really beat her opioid addiction, thanks to personal doctors who could not say no.
Elizabeth Taylor was seldom alone, but often felt that way, much like her contemporary Marilyn Monroe. Her much-publicized marriages, affairs, and substance abuse masked familiar celebrity issues. The media’s negative portrayal was as relentless as the public’s appetite for her. Regardless, Taylor retained her spirit. She used her pain to better understand the suffering of others.
Elizabeth Taylor (2022) is an enthralling authorized biography of one of Hollywood's most famous stars. This fascinating and complete portrait of the legend chronicles her life of fame, tragedy, love, and loss.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
Born in England in 1932, Elizabeth Taylor’s training began early, at the famed Vacani School of Dance in London. At three and a half years old, she performed in a benefit event attended by British royalty. The naturally shy girl blossomed on stage, sparkling under the lights. The Taylors, an American family, had only just begun their journey when the Second World War forced them to flee England and move to Los Angeles. Sara Taylor, Elizabeth’s mother, was convinced that her child would become a performer – but she had no idea the girl would grow up to become one of the most famous actors of all time.
In Los Angeles, Sara became obsessed with her daughter’s success. She began tutoring her in etiquette and preparing her for auditions. Maternal persistence paid off when the young Taylor made her film debut in Universal’s There’s One Born Every Minute.
Personal Health Struggles
Taylor suffered from a range of health issues. She was born with scoliosis and experienced excruciating back pain from an early age. Unfortunately, her impairment was aggravated by her childhood horse-riding injury. Taylor’s bouts of ill health became so frequent that friends claimed she exploited them. The actor George Hamilton, who dated her, noted that she was skilled at gaining attention through theatrical performance and self-inflicted traumas. Taylor herself admitted that her mental state had always been linked to her physical health. But despite her fear of pain, she declared she wanted at least six children. She had two with her second husband, Michael Wilding – Michael Jr. in 1953 and Christopher in 1955. Then, on August 6, 1957, she gave birth to her third child, Liza Todd, via Cesarean section. Unfortunately, the pregnancy’s health risks led doctors to perform a tubal ligation. But the ordeal did not end there. In the summer of 1968, Taylor entered hospital for treatment to relieve her chronic back pain, and a hysterectomy became necessary. And there was more trouble to come.
In the mid-1950s, during a photo shoot for the movie Elephant Walk, Taylor got a bit of rusty debris stuck in her eye. She had to have surgery and took a few weeks to recover. Then, when baby Michael accidentally hit her in the same eye, it made matters worse, and a second operation was required. During this time, Taylor considered quitting acting altogether.
In the mid-1970s, while married to her seventh husband, Senator John Warner, Taylor suffered an injury while horse-riding that forced her to give up that beloved pastime.
She also struggled with pill and alcohol addiction for years, partly due to her constant pain. She sought help from the Betty Ford Center twice. Along with her multiple surgeries and illnesses – including surgery for a benign brain tumor in 1983 – she allegedly attempted suicide. The anxious star used sleeping pills every night. She never really beat her opioid addiction, thanks to personal doctors who could not say no.
Elizabeth Taylor was seldom alone, but often felt that way, much like her contemporary Marilyn Monroe. Her much-publicized marriages, affairs, and substance abuse masked familiar celebrity issues. The media’s negative portrayal was as relentless as the public’s appetite for her. Regardless, Taylor retained her spirit. She used her pain to better understand the suffering of others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 1, 2025Did I solely read this as research because Taylor Swift has a song on her new album called Elizabeth Taylor? Yes! A girl can have hobbies.
June 28, 2023
This was an interesting read. What a character 🙂
July 19, 2024
una mujer fascinante
August 24, 2023
I've never really been a fan of Elizabeth Taylor & I never found her particularly beautiful (the cover photo of this book is one of the best photos I've seen of her), but as they say, it's in the eye of the beholder. She does seem to have led an intriguing life though so I wanted to read this one. I think most people over a certain age are aware of Taylor's tumultuous love life especially with Richard Burton, & she seems to have been more famous at times for this than her films. Yet she was in more films than I was aware of - over 50 onscreen appearances.
This book was eye-opening about what went on behind the scenes & how the stars were treated by the studio executives. Taylor was only 16 when she played the onscreen wife of an actor in his late 30s. Ick. She was onscreen partners & offscreen friends with gay men such as Rock Hudson, James Dean, & Montgomery Clift & in the 1980s used her influence to campaign for research into HIV/AIDS & LGBT+ rights.
Elizabeth (never Liz) seems to have been a bundle of contradictions:
i) She was a feminist who stood up for her own & other women's rights BUT she was involved in the break-up of at least two marriages (Eddie Fisher & Richard Burton).
ii) She loved animals BUT she wore fur coats.
iii) Was supposedly considerate & kind to others BUT notoriously kept people waiting for hours (lateness is a pet hate of mine), & could be acid-tongued when worse the wear with alcohol.
Having read this, I'm not sure I would have liked her as a person but I can appreciate the good she tried to do & later in life she did try to make amends with those she had hurt earlier. Taylor died in 2011 & an era of Hollywood glamour died with her. Taylor was well-known for her love of jewellery & this quote from the book would be the one I think sums her up:
Elizabeth: "Going to bed with jewellery is so much better than going to bed with a man."
Friend: "Why?"
Elizabeth: "The jewellery will be there in the morning."
The book itself is comprehensive in covering her entire life & there are some lovely photos at the end, although it may have made more sense to have them distributed throughout the book.
This book was eye-opening about what went on behind the scenes & how the stars were treated by the studio executives. Taylor was only 16 when she played the onscreen wife of an actor in his late 30s. Ick. She was onscreen partners & offscreen friends with gay men such as Rock Hudson, James Dean, & Montgomery Clift & in the 1980s used her influence to campaign for research into HIV/AIDS & LGBT+ rights.
Elizabeth (never Liz) seems to have been a bundle of contradictions:
i) She was a feminist who stood up for her own & other women's rights BUT she was involved in the break-up of at least two marriages (Eddie Fisher & Richard Burton).
ii) She loved animals BUT she wore fur coats.
iii) Was supposedly considerate & kind to others BUT notoriously kept people waiting for hours (lateness is a pet hate of mine), & could be acid-tongued when worse the wear with alcohol.
Having read this, I'm not sure I would have liked her as a person but I can appreciate the good she tried to do & later in life she did try to make amends with those she had hurt earlier. Taylor died in 2011 & an era of Hollywood glamour died with her. Taylor was well-known for her love of jewellery & this quote from the book would be the one I think sums her up:
Elizabeth: "Going to bed with jewellery is so much better than going to bed with a man."
Friend: "Why?"
Elizabeth: "The jewellery will be there in the morning."
The book itself is comprehensive in covering her entire life & there are some lovely photos at the end, although it may have made more sense to have them distributed throughout the book.
September 30, 2022
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.
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.
May 25, 2023
I have no idea how this book has such a high rating.
From what I've heard Elizabeth Taylor sounds truly fascinating but, man, the writing here is a drag. The citations feel choppy to me, and it's just so intensely hero-worshipping that it has got to be a turnoff for anyone not in the cult. Is there an Elizabeth Taylor focused cult? It feels like there must be.
A lot of the stuff I got through came off as a delusional parent describing how their child is the most perfect child there ever was, and how everybody recognized this one true fact of life, and oooh and ahhh! It was eye-roll inducing and annoying.
If I come across a different biography on Elizabeth Taylor, I would be interested in reading it, but this is a DNF at page 76/~17% (I got through the prologue and chapter 1) for me.
From what I've heard Elizabeth Taylor sounds truly fascinating but, man, the writing here is a drag. The citations feel choppy to me, and it's just so intensely hero-worshipping that it has got to be a turnoff for anyone not in the cult. Is there an Elizabeth Taylor focused cult? It feels like there must be.
A lot of the stuff I got through came off as a delusional parent describing how their child is the most perfect child there ever was, and how everybody recognized this one true fact of life, and oooh and ahhh! It was eye-roll inducing and annoying.
If I come across a different biography on Elizabeth Taylor, I would be interested in reading it, but this is a DNF at page 76/~17% (I got through the prologue and chapter 1) for me.
April 5, 2023
A very friendly, light biography of Elizabeth Taylor. Fun as a fan, but nothing new.*
*except an affair with Frank Sinatra that led to an abortion?? It’s only briefly mentioned and seems only lightly supported, so I wasn’t convinced. It goes unmentioned in other Taylor biographies and in the (much more thorough) recent Sinatra bio.
*except an affair with Frank Sinatra that led to an abortion?? It’s only briefly mentioned and seems only lightly supported, so I wasn’t convinced. It goes unmentioned in other Taylor biographies and in the (much more thorough) recent Sinatra bio.
December 29, 2022
Elizabeth Taylor the grit and glamour of a icon is a great book. I was. definitely surprised by the wealth of information that she gathered about her life. A truly remarkable woman.
August 27, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up.
This book had been on my to-read list for a while. I finally picked it up because Taylor Swift’s new album is coming out soon, and it has a song called “Elizabeth Taylor.” The autobiography was well written, and I really enjoyed all the direct quotes from Elizabeth herself and the people who knew her. Before reading, I only knew that Elizabeth Taylor was a classic Hollywood star, and I knew nothing else about her. The author did a good job showing how complex and interesting her life was. Some parts dragged a bit and felt repetitive, and by the end, I was ready for it to be over, but overall, I thought it was a good book.
Also, this might be a “well, duh moment,” but I’m pretty sure “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” was at least partly inspired by Elizabeth Taylor. She was married eight times to seven different men, and there are many similarities between her marriages and those in “Evelyn Hugo.”
Content Warning: Occasional swearing, mentions of alcoholism and drug abuse, infidelity, references to sex, nothing explicit.
This book had been on my to-read list for a while. I finally picked it up because Taylor Swift’s new album is coming out soon, and it has a song called “Elizabeth Taylor.” The autobiography was well written, and I really enjoyed all the direct quotes from Elizabeth herself and the people who knew her. Before reading, I only knew that Elizabeth Taylor was a classic Hollywood star, and I knew nothing else about her. The author did a good job showing how complex and interesting her life was. Some parts dragged a bit and felt repetitive, and by the end, I was ready for it to be over, but overall, I thought it was a good book.
Also, this might be a “well, duh moment,” but I’m pretty sure “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” was at least partly inspired by Elizabeth Taylor. She was married eight times to seven different men, and there are many similarities between her marriages and those in “Evelyn Hugo.”
Content Warning: Occasional swearing, mentions of alcoholism and drug abuse, infidelity, references to sex, nothing explicit.
September 23, 2025
Realllllly good and so interesting so well written. Sometimes w a biography u never know how the writing style will be but this one was great!!!!! I will say the only 2 things….. it focused a lot on her life as defined by her husbands which was interesting and maybe that is what she would do but also it’s like she’s her own girl….. and then also she was lowkey a Michael jackson apologist but I would like to think if she saw all the proof (she died before a lot of it came out) she would believe it…. Anyway she was an insanely amazing activist for AIDS and really changed the way ppl perceived aids and ppl lived w it she did so much great work for the cause I had no idea!!!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews