Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?

A Novel

By: Crystal Smith Paul

Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Kineta Kunutu, Lynnette Nicholas

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

REESE'S BOOK CLUB MAY 2023 PICK

A multigenerational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz

When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions.

A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty’s affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could—and between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.

The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them.

As Elise digs deeper into Kitty's past, she must also turn the lens upon herself, confronting the gifts and burdens of her own choices and the power that the secrets of the dead hold over the living. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is a sprawling thriller set against the backdrop of the Hollywood machine, an insightful and nuanced look at the inheritances of family, race, and gender—and the choices some women make to break free of them.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company.

©2023 Crystal Smith Paul (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Great story with a few downsides

Loved the story told by Kitty, but Elise's storyline wasn't as good. Also, the Elise narrator was annoying to be honest, especially because she pronounced 'aks' instead of 'ask' several times throughout the book.

Great-ish

Not “great” over all, but “better than good” story…parts I loved and learned from. Narration was hard to not be bored through.

Only one complaint...

Powerful story that must be told. I was bawling for these characters who had to make impossible choices. But don't get the Audible. This one needs to be read.
The reason is the voice actress reading for Elise sounds like she doesn't understand commas- kind of like when a robot reads, but with heart.
She kept emphasizing syllables and words kind of "off". Like Chandler Bing on Friends, if that makes sense.
The other voice actors were absolutely perfection.
I ordered the hardback and can't wait to read it!

Captivating story

I enjoyed listening to this story unfold. I thought the ending was a little anti-climactic however. I preferred the narration of Kitty’s story more than that of Elyse’s.

Lots of characters

Slow to start because the descriptions of all the sisters and their names was tricky to follow and made a listener feel disconnected. Loved Kitty’s narrator, especially how she said “no”. Enjoyed learning things I didn’t know!

White Passing

Loved historical aspects of kitty’s life; modern day aspects of Elise’s could have been omitted.

good story, but...

I love the story and how the author approached it. I have gained a better understanding about people who passed as white. As good as the story was/is, the person reading as Elise had me debating whether to continue to listen. The rhythm of her reading was so hard to follow. it became confusing if she was pausing, a comma, or stopping, a period, in the flow of the passages. The cadence of her sometimes excited monotone was really off-putting.

Good Story

I agree with other reviews that the Kitty story and narration was good. The Elyse story was not as good and the Elyse narrator was indeed annoying, as another review put it. Her time and inflection were all over the place and she even mispronounced words.

Extremely anticlimactic

I was intrigued by the ideas brought up in this story. It really dragged on in the middle/ end and was very predictable. I kept waiting for one more big secret or something more to happen which never did. Felt a bit disappointed by the end.

Good Story But Lacking Drama

The overall story was intriguing and I will read more from the new author — but with the build up of the story it was anticlimactic. There was more time spent on the background of Kitty than the fall out.