What Would Audrey Do?

Title: What Would Audrey Do? Timeless Lessons for Living with Grace and Style

Author: Pamela Keogh

Pages: 253

Published: Gotham Books, 2008

Genre: How-to/Etiquette/Biography

Cover Score: A

Overall Grade: B+

Audrey Hepburn was more than a movie star--she was mother, humanitarian, Holocaust survivor, and the epitome of class, grace, and style. Whether in fashion, relationships, her work on the screen, or UNICEF, there is no one more worthy of imitation. What Would Audrey Do? presents readers with the necessary tips and mannerisms needed to become a woman of grace and style, just like Audrey herself.

My thoughts:

What Would Audrey Do? is more than an etiquette book based off of the mannerisms of an iconic, timeless cinema star. It is chock-full of interesting facts about Audrey herself, a style guide, and a biographical account that explores the most private aspects of the star's life.

The book is carefully sectioned into chapters that dole out advice in a graceful, endearing manner that Audrey herself would be proud of: "Audrey as a Movie Star", "Romance Central", "Zen Audrey", "Home Studies", "On the Road", "'A Very Stylish Girl...'", "Heartbreak and Solace", "Modern Times", "St. Audrey", and "Legend".

What Would Audrey Do? is a book that you want to snuggle up with on a rainy day, a book that you want to drink tea and eat bonbons with while reading it in a rose garden. It reads quickly, and not like an etiquette book at all, which most often simply lay out rules in a commanding manner.

Ms. Keogh delicately displays the "dos and donts" of a lady in an old-fashioned and quirky manner, while supplementing her facts with tidbits and Audrey history, stories that are both amusing, hilarious, heartbreaking, and relatable. This guide to living life with grace and character is a delightful and charming presentation of Audrey's life, as well.

Ms. Keogh's admiring and spunky account of this iconic star's life verifies that Audrey goes beyond what we believe to be a "celebrity". A true role model, What Would Audrey Do? justifies how much of a role model Ms. Hepburn truly was--and still is.