[audiobook] A Difficult Woman: The Challenging Life and Times of Lillian Hellman by Alice Kessler-Harris at Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Layered History of Lillian HellmanBy Pamela Gilbreath KellyI ordered this because. after reading Hellmans three autobiographies. I felt mystified about who she was. as a person. Writing before texting and tablets existed. Hellmans writing seemed arch and opaque... I couldnt get a living-breathing sense of her. So I was glad to find "A Difficult Woman: The Challenging Life and Times of Lillian Hellman" on . Its written by historian. Alice Kessler Harris. who focuses on one layer of Hellman at a time - the "tough broad". the playwright. the communist. the Jew. the moralist and more - bringing each layer to life with rich historical details. It was fascinating to trace Hellmans political involvement. from the early days of Communism in the US. in the 1930s.and continuing through the McCarthy investigation of Un-American activities. during the 50s. in which she had to testify. Equally engrossing was learning about the roiling political scene in America. during the times leading up to World War II. and afterwards. Overall. Kessler Harris fleshes out in a very satisfying way the many facets of Lillian Hellmans character.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Difficult -yes. Fascinating-Yes indeed!By G. E. MeloneI have long admired the writing of Lillian Hellman. I havent read everything-just the short story trilogy that has Pentimento and of course I have seen The Childrens Hour. What I didnt know was that at the end of her life Hellman was vilified by many critics. and it was a bit shocking to find that out.This book cleverly places Lillian Hellman inside the history that surrounded her. molded her and challenged her. Rather than taking a life as a linear progression. we are invited to view her through the window of the times in which she lived. What I liked most about this biography is the "take no prisoners" account of Hellmans character. which was alternately charming and totally bitchy. This character portrayal is backed up by Hellmans own words about how difficult she could be-as well as including Hellmans sly allusions to her capacity to make up things about herself and pass them off as the "truth"- or did she?Hellman was so many things I did not know about. and of course. she lived in fascinating times. Just for one example: we could all take a lesson from Lillian Hellmans ferocious dedication to the eradication of Fascism. since we seem to be on that borderline again in our own times.I approached this book thinking I would like Lillian Hellman a little less. but found I liked her even more! Warts and All2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I loved this bookBy Nikki HannaThe amount of research that went into this book is incredible. Presenting the story of Hellmans life in a structure that is mostly topic driven rather than chronological works. The book is a history lesson as Hillmans life is portrayed in a national and world setting. The McCarthy era and other significant political events are revealed in conjunction with real people. I learned so much and about the times Hellman lived in. Kessler presented multiple perspectives on Lilians controversial life in an objective way. leaving it to the reader to draw their own conclusions on this complicated woman. I was fascinated throughout. I loved this book.