The Geeky Bibliophile's Reviews > Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II

Audrey Hepburn is best remembered for her starring roles in films—such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, and My Fair Lady—and for her work as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. But what is known about her life during the years of World War 2? In Dutch Girl, Robert Matzen reveals the terrors and triumphs young Audrey experienced during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

Part biography, part WWII history of specific areas of the Netherlands, Dutch Girl is a fascinating book. I didn't know very much about Audrey Hepburn prior to reading this. The little I did know was about her films and humanitarian work—and that knowledge was scanty, at best.

Audrey was the daughter of Joseph Ruston and Baroness Ella van Heemstra. In the mid-1930s, Joseph and Ella became involved with the British Union of Fascists, and were intrigued by Nazism, going so far as to travel to Germany where they met Hitler. Joseph abandoned the family shortly thereafter.

Knowing war was on the horizon, Ella and her children moved to Arnhem—and, later, Velp—where much of the van Heemstra family resided, hoping that the Netherlands would remain neutral as they had during the first World War. Sadly, this was not to be. The Nazis invaded the Netherlands the following year. The Nazi occupation lasted five years, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

These were the years that molded Audrey Hepburn into the person she became. During this time, she studied dance, and gave her first performances. She felt the horror of the execution of a beloved family member. She watched as Jewish people were loaded into railcars, never to be seen again. She felt the heartache of failed liberation, and suffered the agony of slow starvation. She experienced the dangers of participating in the Dutch Resistance. She felt the terror of battles being fought close to her home. And finally, at long last... she felt the indescribable joy of the Germans being forced out when help arrived.

Audrey Hepburn survived the war, but she was forever changed by it.

I almost didn't read this book, but I'm so glad I changed my mind. It's outstanding in every way, and I highly recommend it.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of GoodKnight Books via Edelweiss.