Once again I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and impartially review.
Warning - Spoiler Alert
Though i have to confess it is quite difficult to review this excellent book without giving away spoilers for my fellow readers. Almost everyone knows Audrey Hepburn the famous film star, model and UNICEF Ambassador, but this story concentrates on her early years particularly 11 to 15 in War torn Netherlands. Her Mother and English Father were initially Nazi supporters, she wrote propaganda articles for British fascist magazines, and her Father was detained in prison during the war for his pro German beliefs. When war looked imminent her Mother recalled Audrey from school in England to the Netherlands as she believed that as in the First World War, the Germans would respect their neutrality, so Audrey the would be Ballet Dancer spent the majority of the War with her family in a small town not far from Arnhem. Yes that Arnhem of a Bridge to Far fame. This is the story of a brave compassionate girl who suffered the horrors of War at close quarters, the danger of imminent death from both sides, food shortages, and all while volunteering at the local hospital, and aiding the resistance where she could but so much more that i cannot reveal without further spoilers.
This is a fascinating meticulously researched book, well written and so descriptive you feel a part of the story that is as good a fiction.
Highly recommended.

A fascinating biography of Audrey Hepburn. From her birth to death her life was filled with adventure. Five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, Arnhem's most famous ballerina and on to her work as an actress and a UNICEF ambassador. Audrey Hepburn exemplified one who rises above all troubles and is a wonderful example for everyone.

The biography of Audrey Hepburn was so dry and confusing with all her ancestors that I had to put the book down. I felt the emphasis on her relatives bogged the initial story down and then I lost interest

I was glad to read the Introduction by Audrey Hepburn’s son, giving the book - & author - his warm approval. So often biographies can seem unfair, written without the subject having a chance to correct anything. Add to that, this has been written in a very ‘readable’ style – again not always the case with biographies & histories – another plus point, before I had even read very far. This would have proved a fascinating story to read even if the subject was not a ‘celebrity’. In fact I have always admired Audrey Hepburn, since (unwittingly!) purchasing an oil painting of her when I was a teenager. Someone later told me they thought it was of her, in the lead role in ‘The Nun’s Story’. So then I had to buy the book – which I loved - & many years later finally saw the film. Many people have been struck – just as I was – on looking at the painting : it really ‘speaks’ to us. This is one very special lady, & this book allows us to understand some of what she went through to make her who she was. I also found this a most interesting read from a war history point of view : I have read a lot about the Second World War, & did see ‘A Bridge Too Far’ when it first came out, but really had no idea of what it was actually like to have lived through the experience. This book took me there, as if I had been a part of it. I don’t want to spoil the story for other potential readers, but I would say I can totally recommend it - & I will certainly be looking for the author’s other books...

I found this account of Audrey Hepburn's early years in Nazi occupied Netherlands riveting. It gives new depth to this actress that I have long admired. It balances the terrors of the war with her emerging love for dance and performance. Her family was not untouched by the brutality of war, but this taught the young Hepburn an appreciation of life that she carried with her beyond those difficult years. This book was well researched and a gripping read. I will definitely look for the companion titles about Jimmy Stewart and Carol Lombard and their war experiences.

If you're looking for a biography that delves into the glamour and glitz of being a world-acclaimed actress, this could be disappointing as very little of the content is dedicated to that side of Audrey Hepburn's life. However, those who want to read an absolutely fascinating account of the real life of Hepburn will find it here. Just as the events of the second world war were to fashion and permeate a large percentage of her life, we are led to feel the effects of the harrowing times that the child and teenager was to suffer.
Not only does this enlighten me as to what life must truly have been like for the frustrated young aspiring dancer, but it provided me with a deeper knowledge of what the Occupation meant for the Dutch citizens and just how terrifying those days must have been.
As Matzen states, Hepburn was a remarkable survivor and her later work with Unicef was further proof of this. There were obviously many sufferers and survivors from the second world war but somehow this account really reached out to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and GoodKnight Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating look into a part of Audrey Hepburn’s formative years during the war. Although the first 10% of the book got bogged down in nobility relationships, the rest was a wonderful insight into those years for Audrey Hepburn. Thank you for an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I didn’t know much about Audrey Hepburn, aside from her movies. This was a fascinating work. It makes me want to learn more about the rest of her history. I am fascinated by this time period, but knew nothing about what happened in this area.

I so enjoyed this book and her story. I knew that she had experienced the war and it affected her but not to the extent of what I read. So much so many scared and then to live as long as she did and make a life for herself!! I will read the other books from this persn!!

All Audrey Hepburn fans this is it !
But don't expect to find this book.full of fab,Hollywood,glamour shots,This book is a down and dirty,telling all about her early life as a survivor of WWll.
She suffered starvation and deprivation along with her mother,mothers family.and the rest of the tightly knit Dutch community.
She did make it to Hollywood,after the war,but it wasn't her first choice,she wanted to be a ballet dancer.
She did many interviews,over the yrs.but,never answered any questions about the War or her private life,She considered those questions,off limits.
She retired from Hollywood,after 27 yrs.I'n the business to raise her two sons.She lived an enjoyable life,after all the glamour yrs.by keeping up with her gardening and the antics of her sons.
She died at the age of 63 due to stomach cancer.
I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review "Dutch Girl" by author Robert Matzen.

Audrey Hepburn is such an iconic actress and I've seen so many of her films multiple times. Outside of her films though I didn't know much about her life, especially as a young woman growing up during WWII in Europe. This biography from Robert Matzen is a fascinating read if you're interested in her life. I learned so much about her and I can definitely say that I have a newfound respect for her knowing what she went through. Audrey and her family lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and witnessed the terrible events of the war first hand, including the Hunger Winter of 1944-45. I knew nothing about her parents going in and their story is just as interesting given all of the circumstances. One thing that I didn't expect was the close connection between Audrey and Anne Frank - they were almost exactly the same age and lived fairly close to one another, but their lives were very different. It's easy to see how she grew to become the woman she did especially when it comes to work with children and UNICEF.

The best book I have read in a while and a must to write a review on is the well-researched biography “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II” by Robert Matzen. Audrey Hepburn was a screen star adored by many including me for her awe-inspiring talent, and someone admired in her private life for doing much good for worthy causes like UNICEF.

After reading this biography, however, one cannot help but, admire her. Did you know that she spent five years of her life—ages 10-15—in Nazi-occupied Holland, and was a part of the Dutch Resistance even at that young age, starved along with the rest of that oppressed country, and was forever shaped by those experiences? This book explores those years. And, it is fitting it has been published not long before May 5 which would have been her 90th birthday had she lived. (Hepburn died at age 63.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this great biography and a book on the history and effects of World War 11 and Holland.

This book drew my interest as a fan of Audrey Hepburn, however, after reading it, I'm even more impressed by the person that she was and what she overcame. Written with the approval of her son, this book delves into Audrey's childhood and life during World War 2. As a child in the Netherlands, Nazi occupation and fear of Hitler was enormous.
Well researched and difficult to read at times, this book gives insight as to why Hepburn became such a vocal advocate for UNICEF and why she seemed so caring and selfless.
Hollywood isn't mentioned as this is based upon Hepburn's youth but it is well worth the read for historical significance.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It was a privilege to review the biography “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II” by Robert Matzen. Audrey Hepburn was a screen star admired by many for her transcendent talent, and someone admired in her private life for doing much good for worthy causes like UNICEF.

After reading this biography, however, I had even more reason to admire her. Did you know that she spent five years of her life—ages 10-15—in Nazi-occupied Holland, was a part of the Dutch Resistance even at that young age, starved along with the rest of that oppressed country, and was forever shaped by those experiences? This book explores those years. And, it is fitting it has been published not long before May 5 which would have been her 90th birthday had she lived. (Hepburn died at age 63. And, yes, her wartime experiences did contribute to that early demise.)

Hepburn was born to an English father, and a titled Dutch mother from a prestigious and influential family in that country. In the 1930s, her parents were duped—as many were—into having Nazi sympathies. ( Her mother during the war, however, becomes a supporter of the Dutch Resistance and the Allies, and at the close of the war is exonerated from charges of being a Nazi sympathizer.). Her father abandons her family, and Audrey at a young age moves back to Holland from England. Her family is devastated when a beloved uncle is executed by the Nazis, her half brother goes into hiding to avoid being conscripted by the Nazis, and she finds refuge in her love of ballet.

During the war, she even uses her skills as a rising ballet star to raise funds for the Dutch resistance. Through a network of doctors at the local hospital who are secretly active in the Dutch Resistance, she begins—in her early teens—carrying food and messages to downed Allied fighter pilots and Jews being hidden by the local people. She also survives the bloody Battle of Arnhem, helping to tend those who are wounded. When her small town becomes the focal point of battle, she is exposed to war at its worst. Then, during the 1944 “Hunger Winter,” food supplies are cut off and she, along with the rest of her community, suffer severe malnutrition.

The book is very well researched and documented. And is riveting reading. Here are some interesting passages:

Quote from the author about his research and the writing of the book:

“Context is everything in Audrey Hepburn’s war story, so I’ve described the times and the history that surrounded the subject. I was able to locate more than 6,000 words spoken by Audrey about World War II, and in the end I plugged them into the story of the war and the part the Netherlands played in it. And, son of a gun, her quotes made sense, including all those stories she told about the Resistance. In some ways it’s a miracle Audrey Hepburn made it out of the war alive; in all ways this is the tale of a remarkable survivor who would go on to become a hero for the ages.”

About what Audrey had in common with Anne Frank:

“New York, New York June 2, 1952
“I didn’t know what I was going to read,” said Audrey. “I’ve never been the same again.” She had first run into Anne Frank quite by accident in 1946. No, it wasn’t an accident, not the way it turned out. It was fate—there was no other explanation—that she and Ella had left Velp and were living in Amsterdam below the apartment of a publishing house employee who was working on this soon-to-be released, strange wartime dagboek, or diary, of a young Jewish girl. It carried the title Het Achterhuis, translated literally as ‘the house behind,’ with an official translation of The Secret Annex. The editor knew of Audrey’s wartime experiences and saw some similarities between the manuscript she worked with day by day and what she had heard from the van Heemstras. She said of the manuscript that Audrey “might find it interesting.” Oh, that didn’t begin to capture the reaction of seventeen-year-old Audrey Hepburn-Ruston to the power of the entries of her contemporary, Anne Frank. They were written in Dutch by Anne to a fictional friend named Kitty.

The Frank family, including Anne’s father Otto, mother Edith, and sister Margo, had fled their Frankfurt, Germany, home in 1933 after Hitler’s ascension to power. Anne was four years old when the Franks began a new life in Amsterdam. Her father ran a successful business until after the German occupation, and when Margo Frank received a summons to appear before the Nazis in July 1942, the family went into hiding. Anne’s diary described their experiences as onderduikers living in a secret part of her father’s building from 1942 to ’44.

“There were floods of tears,” Audrey said of that first encounter with the writing of Anne Frank. “I became hysterical.” As a resident of Amsterdam, she had been so moved that she became one of the first pilgrims to Prinsengracht 263 to experience the secret annex. Now here it was, six crazy years later. Audrey no longer lived in a one-room flat in Amsterdam; she had just completed the run of Gigi on Broadway, U.S.A., and now ran around her New York apartment packing for a trip to Rome where she would begin production of William Wyler’s Roman Holiday.

This Dutch girl, the one who was a dancer and couldn’t act, the one who didn’t like her looks, had taken Broadway by storm. Everywhere she went in America, people fell in love with her unusual looks and quiet, humble manner. With the performances, social engagements, interviews, photo shoots, and appearances associated with a successful Broadway show, there would be times her mind shook free of memories of the war. But all that changed in a heartbeat today.

Today she learned that the American edition of Het Achterhuis was about to be released. For U.S. audiences it had been retitled Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had been so impressed with it that she had agreed to write an introduction that would prepare readers for the impact of what they were about to experience.

Hearing about the release of Anne Frank’ s diary knocked Audrey for a loop all over again, bringing back all the connections that one teenager’s words had made for the other. Audrey and Anne were two dark-haired Dutch girls who had been born in countries other than the Netherlands. They were less than six weeks apart in age—Audrey born 4 May 1929 and Anne 12 June 1929. Ella’s birthday was also 12 June. Separated by a distance of just 60 miles, Audrey and Anne had experienced the same war with all its milestones, from German occupation to the battles for Britain and Russia to the bombing of Berlin to D-Day—as followed by both girls with their families on Radio Oranje. They experienced the same Nazis in all their brutality. And Anne had even known of and commented upon the executions in Goirle when she wrote from the Franks’ hidden rooms: “Prominent citizens—innocent people—are thrown into prison to await their fate. If the saboteur can’t be traced, the Gestapo simply put about five hostages against the wall. Announcements of their deaths appear in the papers frequently. These outrages are described as ‘fatal accidents.’ “

A quote in the book from Audrey about what she saw during the war:

“In interviews later in life she recalled time and again the horror of what she witnessed in Arnhem: “I saw families with little children, with babies, herded into meat wagons—trains of big wooden vans with just a little slat open at the top and all those faces peering out at you. And on the platform were soldiers herding more Jewish families with their poor little bundles and small children. There would be families together and they would separate them, saying, ‘The men go there and the women go there.’ Then they would take the babies and put them in another van.”

About the Hunger Winter:

““I went as long as three days without food,” said Audrey of life in the first quarter of 1945, “and most of the time we existed on starvation rations. For months, breakfast was hot water and one slice of bread made from brown beans. Broth for lunch was made with one potato and there was no milk, sugar, cereals or meat of any kind.”

It was now more than four years since Audrey or any of the van Heemstras had enjoyed a full meal unaffected by rationing and shortages. Up until Market Garden, times were lean and stomachs always rumbled. After the one-two punch of a failed invasion and the railroad strike, the country’s food supply dwindled to nothing. Now, four full months later, Audrey and her family were suffering horribly from malnutrition.

One official report said that by February 1945, more than 500 Dutch people were dying of hunger each week. Across the Netherlands, but particularly in the west, people were succumbing at such a rapid rate that morticians couldn’t keep up.”

About her work as a UNICEF ambassador and her death (Luca and Sean are her son’s’ names):

““When my mother wanted to teach me a lesson about life,” said Luca Dotti, “she never used stories about her career. She always told stories about the war. The war was very, very important to her. It made her who she was.”

Audrey spent her last four years of life on the road as an ambassador for UNICEF, trying with her five-foot-seven frame that barely cracked a hundred pounds to will a planet of vengeful adults away from starting wars, because those wars create powerless victims in the children. She knew all about it.

Audrey came back from Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Ecuador in 1988; from Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Mexico, the Sudan, and Thailand in 1989; from Vietnam in 1990 and Somalia in 1992 with her heart broken after every journey through barren, contested lands where children were starving. Or dying. Or already dead. She bled for them on the inside until she couldn’t live with the pain anymore.

In an interview with Audrey’s friend, Anna Cataldi, Barry Paris documented a telling moment from October 1992 in Nairobi. Cataldi visited Hepburn to say goodbye after they had been in Somalia at the same time, Audrey for UNICEF and Cataldi on a magazine assignment. “When I hugged her, I was scared,” Paris quoted Cataldi as saying. “I had a shiver. She [Audrey] said, ‘War didn’t kill me, and this won’t either.’ But I had the feeling that sooner or later, war kills you. She was so skinny. I felt something was really wrong.” Cataldi said that Audrey mentioned she was having nightmares about the dead children of Somalia, and couldn’t sleep, and was crying all the time. “She had seen a lot of terrible things with UNICEF, but she broke in Somalia,” was Cataldi’s conclusion.

Luca said that unlike every other mission, where she had found beauty in the children, “When she came back from the Somalia trip, she was devastated. Totally devastated. Hopeless.”

And her health was failing fast. “She wasn’t feeling well,” said Sean. “At first she felt tired. Then we all thought for quite a while that she had caught a bug in Somalia, maybe some intestinal flu or some complicated disease.”

The work on behalf of UNICEF that had been inspired—no, demanded—by the years in Arnhem and Velp attacked her insides as ferociously as the malnutrition and binges and diets plagued a girl who after all she had endured could never again master the simple task of eating. As sure as if a Nazi bullet had finally tracked her down, World War II claimed this woman who had cheated death in the Netherlands time and again. The date was 20 January 1993. At the age of just sixty-three, when she should have been vital and happy, enjoying the love of her life, her “Robbie” in their Swiss hideaway and delighting in sons Sean and Luca—both now adults—the war caught up and took Audrey Hepburn in a matter of weeks. The cause of death: abdominal cancer.”

I highly recommend this inspiring biography and thank Goodknight Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of the book and for allowing me to review it.

"Dutch Girl" by Robert Matzen was a truly fascinating biography of Audrey Hepburn before she became the actress and activist that we know and love. Many know about her talents, gracefulness and philanthropy - but not much is documented of her upbringing. "Dutch Girl," chronicles the experiences of one small Dutch town during the Nazi occupation. Not only was in informative, but also beautifully written. We learn about her interesting family dynamics, and how her mother got swept into the glamor of Nazi politics. Whether you are a fan of Audrey Hepburn or World War II, you will love this biography!

An impressive feat by Robert Matzen to set the record straight about Audrey’s life during World War II and the events that led up to it.

Good points: Audrey’s early life in detail. Her personal experiences in wartime is harrowing to read. Ella’s (Audrey’s mother) movements prior to the war was eye-opening. Stories about her other relatives were enjoyable.

There were a few things that bothered me. The many and varied titles of nobility got rather confusing as I continued onto the story. Could not help but wished the author stuck to everyone’s first names for clarity. And details of the war can get very technical? I felt very out of depth.

All in all, reading this book made me understand a lot about her. For that I am grateful.

This stunning biography details Audrey Hepburn’s years as a teenager during the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II. It is a targeted biography that mentions her life before and after the war, but the main focus was her horrific experiences during the war that shaped her life. One of the biggest influences during this time was the killing of her uncle and cousin by the Nazi’s. Another was her complicated relationship with her mother and father – both early sympathizers of the Nazi regime. She fell in love with ballet before the occupation – it gave her a freedom of expression and she performed locally in Holland before, during and after the war. She performed for allied soldiers in secret for the Resistance as well as delivering newsletters and food to the soldiers as an assistant to the local physician. The book went into great detail of the battles between Allied and German forces that took place in and around her home in Velp. She and her family took shelter in their cellar where she suffered severe malnutrition as well as enduring the trauma of constant battle. After the war, one of the highlights in the book detailed Audrey Hepburn’s reaction to the Diary of Anne Frank – they were both the same age at the same time in Holland. The book devastated Audrey and when asked to play Anne in a movie, she declined the role as well as other offers due to the extreme pain of that time period. The war experience shaped her life forever and contributed to Audrey’s later work with UNICEF – helping children throughout the world facing hunger and disease. It was interesting that she starting acting in order to finance her ballet lessons after the war ended – she kind of fell into acting and never considered herself to be a great actress. After reading this biography, I have a greater understanding and appreciation for her vulnerability as an artist and activist – a deeper appreciation for the complex person she was.
I received my digital complimentary copy of Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen courtesy of GoodKnight Books and NetGalley

4 1/2 stars

After about 10% into Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen I was beginning to regret asking to read this novel as the Audrey Hepburn's ancestral background felt as if it might doom me to everlasting sleep. But then things began to pick up and there was war, which sounds horrible, but that's what we're here for, so, oh well.
Matzen does an excellent job of weaving war history with Hepburn's. The reader cares not only about Hepburn but also those civilians around her, just trying to get by. We are devastated when her beloved Uncle Otto, one of the father figures in her life, is slaughtered as an act of German retribution. We enjoy her dance triumphs and then live through the months of starvation, watch as neighbors are killed, allied soldiers who were supposed to be saviors die. We feel the horror of war as experienced by someone most of us have seen in a movie. We try to imagine that woman, the one who strummed the guitar and sang Moon River as this girl who helped doctors who were part of a resistance, and then find, yes, we can believe that she would be that girl.

While I was not always a fan of Matzen's non-linear story-telling, I could appreciate his intentions. I felt that this was more for the Hepburn's fans, those who needed the Hollywood tie-in, those reading just for another glimpse of the actress than for readers interested in the war and how it affected her. However, her comments on her preceding years were interesting. I could also completely understand her shutting down interviews when they wanted to delve into her personal life. 

What I came away with was not only how Hepburn was affected, it's life-long toll on her, but how completely devastating war is to all of its participants. Matzen vividly portrayed the months of starvation, the cold, the desperation, the feeling of sadness that the original liberators did not liberate. The terror of the allied bombs that would unintentionally kill civilians. The daily fear that the Germans' last line of defense, the V1 rockets would ultimately rain down upon the town because of their defects.

I also came away with the knowledge that there have always been judgy individuals trying to find fault with others, even ones like Hepburn, who exuded goodness and fairness and always tried to do the right thing. Hepburn was and always will be a role model for the best of humanity.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved Audrey Hepburn's films. She just shines on the screen...so beautiful, so poised and talented. I learned years ago about her charitable work through UNICEF. She was a kind and giving person, as well as intelligent and talented. This book talks about Audrey's life before Hollywood...the years she lived under the Nazi occupation of Holland.

I never realized how much she went through during World War II in the Netherlands. My respect for her has increased so much since I finished reading this book. She worked as a doctor's assistant, witnessed brutality, hunger and death, and survived it all. This book is not about Audrey as an actress....it is about her life prior to all of that. Her film career is mentioned only in passing. This book is about Audrey's years growing up during the war and how those experiences shaped who she became as an adult. Her life is so much more than her Hollywood career!!

This is the first book by Robert Matzen that I've read. He has also written books about Carole Lombard, Jimmy Stewart and Mulholland Farm...an infamous house owned by Errol Flynn. I'm definitely going to read his other books, starting with the one about Jimmy Stewart's war service: Mission (on my TBR shelf already).

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from GoodKnight Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Dutch Girl Audrey Hepburn And World War II by Robert Matzen is a comprehensive account of Audrey Hepburn’s teenage years in the Netherlands during WWII. It also touches on her life up until her death in 1993 aged just 63 years from abdominal cancer – a cruel end for a beautiful lady who gave so much.
Audrey Hepburn was ‘emotionally wounded’ by WWII saying, “It was worse than you could ever imagine.” Consequently her whole life was lived in its shadow. She involved herself in UNICEF and the plight of suffering children due to her experiences in the war.
Not only did the war years shape Audrey Hepburn but her love of dancing did. “I wanted to be Margot Fonteyn.” Audrey Hepburn gave concerts to raise money for the resistance. Following the war she ‘stumbled into acting.’
The war made the teenager into the woman we see on screen. She was incredibly brave and saw things no one should have to see. The faces of the Jewish men, women and children as they were herded into cattle cars would haunt her forever.
We see the elegant, beautiful woman on screen but Audrey Hepburn thought she was ugly and ungainly with large hands and feet as a teen. Her poise and beauty are what I remember Audrey Hepburn for – and none more so than her transformation in My Fair Lady.
Robert Matzen has produced an excellent account of both WWII in the Netherlands and Audrey Hepburn’s part in it. As a historian it was both fascinating and horrifying. As a fan of Audrey Hepburn I admire her even more after reading this book. Audrey Hepburn was so much more than just a beautiful face – she was incredibly brave and full of compassion. Thank you Robert Matzen for opening my eyes to the brave and very beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Thank you also for showing the true picture of WWII. We owe it to the six million innocents to keep their memory alive.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.