Product Description

Joyce Grenfell (1910-1979) was a British institution and one of the country's best-loved entertainers. She achieved success as a writer and performer of songs and monologues on stage and radio at a time when it was unusual for a woman of her background to work at all. Joyce revealed little about her private life in her two autobiographies, and after her death her image was fiercely guarded by her husband and friends, so that she came to be remembered as almost unnaturally perfect. Now, at last, it is possible to show her human failings as well as her humour, kindness and generosity. Janie Hampton explores Joyce's intense relationship with her brother and her mother; her childlessness; her love affair with Prince Aly Khan; her mixed feelings about the theatre; her moving acts of philanthropy and her faith in Christian Science which enabled her to endure the pain of cancer without medical treatment. The result is an affectionate portrait of a unique, complex and lovable person.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #419326 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 381 pages

Review
'Using Joyce's journals and her extensive output of letters, this is an extremely well-written and detailed account which reveals the real and wonderful Joyce' -- This England 20030401 'Hampton has produced a winner' -- The Sunday Telegraph 20011201 'This is undoubtedly the definitive life of Grenfell' -- The Literary Review 20021201 'Hampton has turned her lesson plans into a popular book' -- The Independent Review - Jane Matthews 20050301 'This full and surely definitive biography' -- Mail on Sunday 20030105 'Like her subject, Hampton is well organised, with an excellent eye for detail' -- The Sunday Times 20021110

The Literary Review
'This is undoubtedly the definitive life of Grenfell'

The Sunday Times
'Like her subject, Hampton is well organised, with an excellent eye for detail'

Customer Reviews

An interesting read
A life-long younger fan (age 33) of Joyce Grenfell, having read both instalments of her autobiographies, as well as earlier published letters and diaries, I was intrigued to know more about this unique character. It is true indeed that all the works published to date had been clearly 'vetted' by Joyce or those close to her to uphold her wholesome reputation and I wanted to know some more of the facts that were clearly missing. However, I was anxious that this first biography would not be a snide, bitchy account of someone I had grown to admire from a distance. Janie Hampton treats her account of Joyce with sympathy, whilst letting the erstwhile unknown facts speak for themselves. We get a wider sense of Joyce's personality, both as an entertainer and private person, without any wild conjecture from the author. Whilst there are no major revelations in this biography, it is interesting to learn more of Joyce's earlier life and the complexity of her relationships with her family and friends. We learn more of how her self-confessed 'bossiness', evident in some of her monologue characters, was received with great irritation by some people and a sense of resignation from her beloved husband. Joyce Grenfell was born into the 'poor' branch of an aristocratic family and this book reveals that she tended to be seen by those around her in the entertainment industry as a talented amateur performer with connections. Notwithstanding, Joyce did have great talent and skill within her particular field and the biography does not demean this. Nor does it undermine the innate sense of decency and kindness that Joyce demonstrated all her life and the happiness this brought to both herself and those around her.

In summary, this biography is an appealing read for anyone who is interested in the life and works of Joyce Grenfell. It relates the darker events of her life, previously ignored or speedily skimmed over, with compassion and with a view of giving a clearer insight into Joyce's ethics and motives. As I said earlier, there are no mucky revelations, simply because I don't believe there are any but the biography certainly leaves one with a greater understanding and appreciation of Joyce Grenfell.

Janie Hampton has achieved what I hope she wanted, to temper the previous accounts, which sometimes left one feeling that not even Joyce Grenfell could be that perfect! An excellent book to curl up with and add to your collection of biographies.

Joyce Grenfell: A Biography
I had always enjoyed watching Joyce Grenfell, in the St. Trinian's films and brought this book to find out more about the woman behind the moving image. The book was a revelation and deals sensitively with the less well publiscised aspects of her life. It is a moving book that is well written, and a good introduction to a talented performer, at times it is very moving and this is one of the few books that I was geniunely sorry to have finished.

In-depth and affectionate biography
This biography of the much-loved Joyce Grenfell is not the cosy collection of anecdotes that some readers may expect. It is an in-depth, very well-researched book from somebody who knew Joyce Grenfell personally, but has not let her affection for the subject to blind her to her(albeit minor) faults.

There are no sordid revelations, but there are aspects to Joyce Grenfell's life that are not well-known, and it is refreshing to read these 'uncensored'. I highly recommend this book, which fans of Joyce Grenfell will certainly enjoy.