cover image At Home with Kate: Growing Up in Katharine Hepburn's Household

At Home with Kate: Growing Up in Katharine Hepburn's Household

Eileen Considine-Meara. John Wiley & Sons, $24.95 (230pp) ISBN 978-0-471-78376-3

It was celebrated gossip columnist Liz Smith who suggested that Considine-Meara collect all of the Katharine Hepburn memorabilia saved by her mother, Norah, during her 30 years as a cook, housekeeper, friend and confidante to the legendary actress. It's not dirty laundry that Considine-Meara airs here, though, but recipes and remembrances she and her mother shared with Hepburn and her famous friends, including Michael Jackson, Warren Beatty, Barbara Walters, Martina Navratilova and Lauren Bacall, all of whom enjoyed meals at their dinner table at 244 East 49th or at the actress' beloved Connecticut estate. These short, simple essays glow with fondness for the brassy actress, revealing the star's passion for sweets (especially brownies and lace cookies), gardening and spending time at home by the fireplace. In doing, she adds another delicate layer to Hepburn's biographical record, casting a warm light on the home life of a Hollywood legend, and making a fine, light alternative to the recently released 600-plus-page Kate. 85 b&w photos and 9 illustrations.