The Audrey Hepburn Estate by Brenda Janowitz: Book Review

The Audrey Hepburn Estate has a woman revisiting the grand Long Island estate in which she grew up for one last time before it is demolished.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Libro.fm for the ALC of this audiobook. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

From The Publisher:

When Emma Jansen discovers that the grand Long Island estate where she grew up is set to be demolished, she can’t help but return for one last visit. After all, it was a place filled with learning to ride a bike, sneaking a glass of champagne, falling in love. But once Emma arrives at the storied mansion, she can’t ignore the more complicated memories. Because that’s not exactly where Emma grew up. Her mother and father worked for the family that owned the estate, and they lived over the garage like Audrey Hepburn’s character in the film Sabrina . Emma never felt fully accepted, except by the family’s grandson, Henry–a former love–and by the driver’s son, Leo–her best friend. As plans for the property are put into motion and the three are together for the first time in over a decade, Emma finds herself caught between two worlds and two loves. And when the house reveals a shattering secret about her own family, she’ll have to decide what kind of life she really wants for herself now and who she wants to be in it.

My Thoughts:

The story is told in two time frames – during Emma’s childhood and as an adult. While the book was a little slow moving for me, the amount of research the author has done about Audrey Hepburn is clearly evident. Be sure to read the author’s notes and the list of easter eggs that Janowitz has left throughout the book.

Emma’s childhood was a bit of an unusual one. She grew up as the daughter of employees working at a large Long Island home – one that has been dubbed the Audrey Hepburn estate due to its inspiration for an Audrey Hepburn movie.

Growing up Emma’s best friends were the estate owner’s Grandson Henry, and the driver’s son Leo. Flashbacks to their time as children and as teenagers on the estate are relived when Emma returns to the estate as an adult when she learns it’s about to be demolished.

Secrets of the past are abound include one that has Emma questioning who she is. The author does a good job of slowly revealing the hidden parts of Emma’s own childhood that will change her life forever. However, I did find myself struggling to finish the book. The characters were adequately developed but I felt that they were just not that interesting to me. This is likely just a mismatch between reader and the book and those readers that enjoy WWII history may find this book to be a good fit for them.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Audrey Hepburn Estate which was narrated by Cassandra Campbell. I enjoyed her performance and appreciated the sweetness of her tone. I listened to the audiobook at my usual 1.5x speed and found this book easy to listen to.

Although this is marketed as Women’s Fiction, I recommend this book to those that enjoy Historical Fiction.

What I Liked:

• The obvious level of research performed by the author
• The Audrey Hepburn based easter eggs throughout the book

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen