Joan Crawford

A Woman's Face

By: Scott Eyman

Narrated by: Chanté McCormick

Film historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive biography of Hollywood icon Joan Crawford, drawing on never-before-seen documents and photos from the Crawford estate.

Joan Crawford burst out of her poverty-stricken youth to become a bright young movie star in the 1920’s, drawing the admiration of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the attention of audiences worldwide. She flourished for decades, working for multiple studios in every genre from romance to westerns (Mildred Pierce, Johnny Guitar), musicals to noir (Torch Song, A Woman’s Face), and being directed by a young Steven Spielberg in one of her last appearances. Along the way she accumulated four husbands, an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the undeniable status of a legend.

Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face looks at the reality of this remarkable woman through the prism of groundbreaking primary research, interviews with friends and relatives, and with the same insightful analysis of character and motive that author Scott Eyman brought to John Wayne and Cary Grant, among others.

Joan Crawford was a woman like no other, and Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face is the first full telling of her dazzling, turbulent life.

Excellent biography on old Hollywood star power

I’ve never been a huge Crawford fan. She actually made only a few really good films but her persona and the Mommie Dearest controversy always interested me. This biographer understands this and focuses on how Crawford created her persona. This is a great read for MGM fans too. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Repetitive Stories Found in Other Books

Of some interest. Nice telling of background history of Ms. Crawford's movies . Reader needs to learn how to pronounce "didn't" "couldn't", not did' dent or could dent. Also possessive names " i.e James' not James ez...annoying and stops the flow of the narrative.

Nice Perspective, Poor Research & Narration

It’s nice to read a Crawford bio that does not have a negative agenda. The research and narrator are not stellar, but the book was enjoyable enough.

Flat and repurposed.

The material in A Woman’s Face is interesting, but the audiobook is let down by a flat, often careless narration. The narrator mispronounces several well-known Hollywood names and delivers the entire book in a monotone that drains the story of its drama and emotional contours. On top of this, many anecdotes feel repurposed from Shaun Considine’s Feud, sometimes so close in detail and framing that the overlap becomes distracting. Having heard the Feud audiobook, whose narrator brings real vitality and even evokes Joan Crawford’s voice with striking accuracy, the shortcomings here stand out even more. The story deserved a richer, more attentive performance. If you are looking for a story about Joan, then Feud is the better and more complete tale.

Not entirely truthful! A white wash!

Her abuse of some of her children was well known in Hollywood....Helen Hayes, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and many others have spoken out about it. Rumors were rampant in tinsel town. She was bisexual as confirmed by Marilyn Monroe, Louise Brooks and others. She was also a functioning alcoholic.