Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?: A Novel

3.5

📚 review I of II Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul 🖊️Kitty Karr was a powerful and successful actress during the Golden Era of Hollywood and at her death she left her large fortune to the St John sisters, who are also famous in their own right. The question remains, why did Kitty, a recluse at the end of her life, leave all her money to the St John sisters; especially when she was white and they are black. The eldest St John sister Elise was the closest to Kitty during her life and takes it upon herself to see to Kitty’s last wishes and, while doing soon, learns Kitty’s biggest secret. I was hooked in the first half of the book where Kitty’s life is detailed from her perspective. Watching Kitty navigate her childhood and her transition to adulthood in California was exciting to witness. I loved being on the studio lot with Kitty and witnessing her transformation from shy phone operator to the glamorous actress and fearless writer. Halfway into the book, the author did a great job detailing the balancing act Kitty managed while in California, but then the narrative abruptly changed from Kitty’s rising stardom to her joining a secret society helping the civil rights movement. I thought this change was too fantastical and introduced too many new characters that the overall tone of the book changed and Kitty’s story became overshadowed. Following the plot shift, there were a few additional moments where Kitty’s life held my attention again, but then another unrealistic moment would happen and I was confused all over again. In terms of not being interested, the chapters featuring the St John sisters were undeveloped and didn’t do much to help me understand or like the sisters and their family. I would’ve rather the focus remain on Kitty or the author spend more time fleshing out the St John family and their discovery of Kitty’s true life. I despised the ending of the book, but that’s a topic for the book club discussion. Overall, the book was enjoyable and the exploration of the privileges that come from one’s race and class were entertaining, but this will not be a top book of 2024 for me. 🖊️ Reviewed by Jaimey Howard 📚review II Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? Let’s say The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett had a love child with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Kitty Karr was born… This book follows a Black actress sorting through the belongings and estate bequeathed to her and her sisters by a white movie star by the name of Kitty Karr. Her story is mirrored by a story about a Black mother in the rural south secretly devising a plan to make sure that her daughter, the product of her own rape by her White employers son, has a better opportunity at life than she does. Unbeknownst to readers, the stories are deeply intertwined within a tale of heartbreak, belonging, and secrecy. Kitty had a secret that could have destroyed her entire life had anyone found out. Had she stayed out too long in the sun, or let her roots get too kinky, Hollywood and the world would have known all her business. The white glaze couldn’t see it, but if she socialized with another Black woman for too long they would have known that she was passing. This book drew me in quickly, and I found myself lost in the world of old Hollywood as a white passing Black woman. Then stuff started getting weird, and the focus shifted from that story to snippets of a secret operative freedom fighting from within using other white passing women as spies and darker skinned women in domestic roles to get inside information… And then the present day FBI asking questions about why a white woman would give her money to a family of Black actresses… This is where I started to get pissed off. By the time I finished the last paragraph, I had thrown the book to the other side of the room and proceeded to stew over how big of a fumble the ending of this book was. I was all in until I wasn’t. Kitty deserved better. 🖊️ Reviewed by Fallon Vaughn #tbgrbookclub

Historical fiction about a light skinned black woman "passing" as white while pursuing a dream to become an actress. The novel was detailed regarding the difficulties of "passing" in a White society.

Awful. Very one dimensional characters. Certainly no one likable. It was read by a robot (I listened to the audiobook). Stuck with it hoping it would get better. It didn’t. Save your time. The movie, Imitation of Life, was mentioned as coming out during the plot’s 1950’s era. A movie I loved, which does a far-superior job of exploring the subject, challenges and ultimate regrets this book tried to cover. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie instead.

I enjoy historical fiction and this book had me hooked. The ending was disappointing, but overall, the book got me thinking about the Jim Crow Law Era. We have come a long way in the past 70 years.