Elizabeth Taylor

The Grit & Glamour of an Icon

By: Kate Andersen Brower

Narrated by: Eleanor Caudill

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 Brower uses Elizabeth’s unpublished letters, diary entries, and off-the-record interview transcripts as well as interviews with 250 of her closest friends and family to tell the full, unvarnished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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

An in-depth look at the Elizabeth you never knew

Elizabeth Taylor’s life was a larger than life icon.
She made a huge impact on this world not only as a movie star but more importantly as an advocate. She brought the epidemic to the forefront when no one else would - and saved so many lives because of it.
She connected with people of all walks of life. Her gusto for life was infectious and maybe that’s what part of her magic lay. She was not only beautiful but intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor.
So lucky to have read about the amazing life she led!

Amazing Story

Following Elizabeth since National Velvet. Had scrapbook following her career for years. Love the story!

Even more if she was sober

I think she functioning amazingly well, considering her crazy childhood. Her mother did protect her from the casting coach. Great charity work during the early days of HIV infections
Her personal life with male lovers was always a work in progress. she was never discouraged

I thought I knew it all!

Wow. She and Richard were marked by Charles Manson himself! A must have if you think you know it all about Dame Elizabeth!

A great listen

Loved every minute of it including how she always stood for what she believed in

Well done ..

I liked this book. Have insights is never heard before about Taylor. Narrator was terrific.

What a woman!

Didn’t want the book to end. She was a force of nature and absolute inspiration.

Couldn’t stop listening!

Kate Brower does an outstanding job capturing the essence of Elizabeth Taylor! Because so much was shared in Elizabeth’s words through her letters, I often sensed I was right there with her.
I better understand star power and admire Elizabeth’s positive use of it. I had no idea she had so much fine jewelry.
The narrator is fantastic. She even does excellent impressions.

Intimate and compelling

Loved this book! It was an intimate and compelling story about a remarkable woman. The narrator brought that beautiful story to life.

Fabulous

Such a great, beautiful, Wow!!!Story…so real. Makes me want to know more about her