Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: I wanted to like Scott Berg's bio/memoir of Katharine Hepburn. I've read most of the books about (as well as those written by) Miss Hepburn, and would have been drawn to Mr. Berg's book, whatever the reviews. It's interesting that the book this one resembles most is the coffee table photo book, <i>The Private World of Katharine Hepburn</i>. Like that book, Berg's dwells on the ordinary (and not so ordinary) details of Hepburn's life; her two homes, the people she associates with, the artifacts she has chosen to keep on display. And Berg's description of his times with Hepburn flesh out the physical picture. For a character so famously committed to privacy, the "authorized" stories of her life have contained an extraordinary amount of such detail, forming a fairly consistent body of "myth" about the ageing Hepburn. There's good and bad in that, I think, as much of Hepburn's continuing fascination for her fans has to do with the way she has conducted her life, as well as the work she has done over the years.But in painting a picture of Katharine Hepburn as a friend or dinner companion might see her, Berg infuses his book with more information about himself than we really need. His relationships with people like Irene Mayer Selznick certainly inform his view of Hepburn, but they, and his multi-page digressions into the progress of his own books, make me an impatient reader. This book is short enough, and shallow enough in its details that I become jealous of the pages wasted in discussion of Mr. Berg's own projects. The inclusion of Irene Selznick's observations intrigues me, because they are among the few places in the book where we see Hepburn through someone else's eyes. Though Berg is careful o say that his is by no more as a comprehensive Hepburn biography, I would ave liked to see more context for Hepburn's version of things. <I>Kate Remembered</I> suffers from one failing that has afflicted many Hepburn biographies: it's depiction of Spencer Tracy is just as shallow and one-dimensional as that of other, more distant Hepburn chroniclers. To be sure, Tracy was a troubled man, who gave Hepburn more than her share of grief and heartache, but I was hoping to learn more than the details of his alcoholism. I opened this book wondering what Mr. Tracy was like as a human being; what Miss Hepburn might have to say about the man she obviously worshiped. It's interesting that despite Mr. Berg's first chapter discussion of how open Hepburn was about Tracy, the portrait painted of the actor later on is maddeningly unfulfilling. Like other biographers, Berg seems to imply that Tracy was a man who used and abused Hepburn and that she would have been better off without him. Presumably, Miss Hepburn did not feel that way, and it would be nice to read a biography of her that gave Tracy a bit more credit. <I>Kate Remembered</I> is an interesting read, and Berg is a skilled writer who weaves his story together in a compelling way. I only wish that he had more to say.
Rating:
Summary: I Thought It Was Supposed to Be About Her
Review: While I was very excited to read 'Kate Remembered,' I couldn't help but feel disappointed because it was more about Scott Berg's reaction to Kate than about Kate herself. I understand that they had been great friends and of course, should mention things like their first meeting and things they did together, but that should be it. This book was supposed to be about her, not him. Berg spent almost half the book talking about his research for his Goldwyn and Lindbergh bio's and talking to Irene Selznick than about Kate herself. I was expecting some of what he gave, but more of what should have been there. I was expecting there to be recounts and memories of Kate, but I thought it would be more Berg talking with others about their favorite "Kate experiences." While I expected him to interject some of his views and times with her, I wasn't expecting him to talk about himself throughout the entire book. I was also disappointed in the lack of pictures. They were only at the beginning of each chapter and were not on gloss pages. I was hoping that there would be pictures of Fenwick and Old Saybrook and many of the other things, places, and people he was talking about. The only reason I gave this book 3 stars was because it was about her. While I suggest that you read it as a completor to other books about Kate, stick with "Me" or the biography that Barbara Lemming did about her. Even the Garsin Kanin book that she absolutely hated would be better.
Rating:
Summary: Of interest, but....
Review: This book answers a number of questions I had about Hepburn's final years, and I'm glad for that, but I come away from the reading experience feeling that the book's publication within days of Hepburn's death borders on exploitation. And, I've seen Berg interviewed on TV (as well as heard him interviewed on NPR). He comes across as really cheerful and chatty, like he's having the time of his life. I certainly wouldn't feel that way if MY great friend of twenty years had just passed away. Throughout the book, the reader gets the impression that Berg feels he is oh-so-special because of his access to Hepburn for all those years. So, in the end, Berg presents himself in a none-too-flattering light, but Hepburn comes off well, and I admire her as much as I ever did.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much hype, too little substance
Review: As I read I kept hoping more substantive information and insight might become evident. Much had been told before through varied media and the redundancy detracted from the thoughtful insight I expected and never found. The first chapter was probably the most insightful of her idiosychrasies going downhill from there. A real disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Too bad the title was taken
Review: A. Scott Berg calls his memoir about Katharine Hepburn "Kate Remembered," but if Miss Hepburn herself had not already used the title for her own memoir, he might have called it "Me." His book is less about Katharine Hepburn than about his access to that most elegant and private of actresses. He starts on page 1 with an "I" ("I've never felt so intimidated ringing a doorbell") and pretty much continues in the same vein for 370 pages. We learn very little about Miss Hepburn's life and career that has not already been published or aired in her television interviews. The one major area about which Mr. Berg can inform us is the intimate details of her condition as very old age ravaged her body and her mind. Would Miss Hepburn have wanted us to peer so clinically at the wreckage of her marvelous self? That seems unlikely. Mr. Berg needs to tell us about Miss Hepburn's disintegration because he wants us to know that he, wonderful he, was among the few privileged to see her when there was practically no "her" left. The later portions of Mr. Berg's book are so invasive as to make uncomfortable reading. No real friend would shine the light so blazingly on a dying woman in the hope of book sales. Perhaps the biggest mistake Katharine Hepburn made in her long, magical life was not letting that ringing doorbell go unanswered.
Rating: 
Summary: If Eric Holk understood the English language as he thinks he
Review: does, he would know that the word 'anxiously' is not the same as 'eagerly'. 'Anxious' indicates 'anxiety filled anticipation'. Perhaps he would not have been so ready to defame Scott Berg's words regarding the publication of this book.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect companion to other Kate books
Review: Having read Hepburn's autobiography (which the author shamelessly tells of acting as her informal editor for) and another book that tells her story behind the making of the African Queen, Kate Remembered is one of those "gotta run out and buy" books we closet Hepburn fans love to read. Once the reader gets beyond the story of the relationship between Berg and Hepburn and Berg and his other interview subjects (which I am strongly averse to, and think most people will find rather boring - after all, we didn't pay to hear Berg's professional conquests), there are some real gems in this book. My favorites are the times when Hepburn confesses her humanity and admits her mistakes. This is truly Berg's sole victory - revealing the human side of one of America's most private and cherished celebrities. Obviously Berg had his foot in the door early, born to a father inside the industry. True, the whole thing smacks of elitism, yet Berg can't resist telling on the people who used Hepburn and others to step over to reach another star (including Michael Jackson). Was he not much the same? Another thing that sticks in one's mind is how Berg plays up Spencer Tracy's alcoholism but downplays the fact Hepburn constantly reminded him at her house, "drinks are at 6, dinner is at 7." Need I say more? All in all, an enjoyable read. The dialogue is cleverly written and does make one feel as if they're an onlooker. But the relationship between Berg and Hepburn, and choosing to include it in the book is, well, rather messy.
Rating: 
Summary: . . . A Warm Remembrance . . .
Review: and a truly wonderful read! A treat for any Hepburn fan!
Rating:
Summary: Promises too much, but still worthwhile
Review: This book is interesting and valuable because it provides a glimpse of Miss Hepburn in her later years vouchsafed to few. As is so often the case however, the media coverage of this book promises far more than the book delivers. Moreover, there is far too much of the author here, and not enough of the subject. With the exception of glimpses of the history of the author's relationship with the subject,and the story of Miss Hepburn's last years as seen by the author there is very little here that is new to anyone who has read Miss Hepburn's autobiography. In addition, someone whose image of Spencer Tracy consisted solely of what this book purports to tell us would be hard-pressed to figure out why anyone would like- much less love him. He was a far more intelligent and likeable person than Mr Berg tells us, and he is done an injustice here, as he has been in most of what has been written of him, which has been mainly concerned with his alcohol problem. This book would have been far more interesting had Mr Berg chosen to interpose himself less between his subject and his audience. For example, Irene Mayer Selznick was clearly a significant figure in the life of Katharine Hepburn,but the amount of space given to her and her opinions in this book is excessive. Having said that, I must also say that she is the only person in Miss Hepburn's life who is presented in this book with any degree of depth. In short, this book is interesting and valuable not because it tells us any "secrets" of any significance, or refutes much of significance written by others. It is a warm memoir which gives us snapshots of a remarkable human being, whose ability to cope in the sunset of her life makes her even more remarkable, as years of theory were put into practice.
Rating:
Summary: Katharine Hepburn is brought back to life - in full color!
Review: As a longtime Hepburn fan, I literally tore through this tender loving, and richly textured portrait of a truly extroardinary woman. A. Scott Berg's accounts of his highly treasured friendship with Miss Hepburn are so vivid that the reader can almost feel as if they are present, albeit invisible, in the midst of their encounters. She comes through, not surprisingly, as a woman with a real zest for living, and one who would not suffer fools gladly, but also as a deeply caring and generous person for those who in some way touched her. Although I certainly wasn't surprised by her death, I felt a great loss nonetheless, as somehow she always seemed she would be there for us - the author, through his rich text, serves to remind us of just how deep this loss will be felt.
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