Brief review of "Miss D & Me" by Kathryn Cermak

This brief book review is my contribution to the Classic Film Reading Challenge, run by Raquel Stecher of the Out of the Past blog. (I originally posted a variant of this on Goodreads.)

I listened to the audiobook version of Miss D & Me, read by the author, Kathryn Cermak. Cermak was a personal assistant and later friend and surrogate daughter to Bette Davis, starting in 1979. As insight into the final decade of Bette Davis’ life, this book is excellent and unique. Critical happenings during this period include Davis‘ stroke and prolonged recovery, aided by Cermak; Davis’ daughter's betrayal of her mother via her slanderous book; plus Davis’ final trip and death in France. Cermak provides much insight into these events, plus the film work that Davis was doing during this period. I was less interested in Cermak’s diversion into her own aborted romance, but it does have some relevance to her relationship with Davis, so I understand why Cermak included it.

Miss D & Me is a worthwhile book for anyone interested in the last decade of Bette Davis’ life and career. Davis' personality really shines through.

Comments

[RaquelStecher]

Thank you for your review! I went to one of Cermak's events when the book first came out and she was bursting with stories about Davis. Very different type of memoir for sure!