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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Audiobook9 hours

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Published by Hachette Audio

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

The chilling novel that inspired the iconic film.

The neighbors all whisper about the two sisters who live on the hill: It's Blanche Hudson who lives in that house, you know. The Blanche Hudson, who starred in big Hollywood films all those years ago. Such a shame her career ended so early, all because of that accident. They say it was her sister, Jane, who did it – that she crashed the car because she was drunk. They say that's why she looks after Blanche now, because of the guilt. That's what they say, at least.

Nobody remembers that Jane was once a star herself. A fixture of early vaudeville, Baby Jane Hudson performed her song and dance routines for adoring crowds until a move to Hollywood thrust her sister into the spotlight. Even now, years later, Jane dreams of reviving her act. But as the lines begin to blur between fantasy and reality, past resentments become dangerous – and the sisters' long-kept secrets threaten to destroy them.

A Hachette Audio production.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 1, 2013
ISBN9781478924852
Unavailable
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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Reviews for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Rating: 3.828571417142857 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Two sisters, both famous at one time, trapped together in a Hollywood mansion. Blanche was a big movie star in the 30's, but after a car accident left her in a wheelchair, her life has been spent in a second story bedroom being cared for by her awful older sister. Jane was a famous child performer in vaudeville, but her fame disappeared, she lived in her sister's shadow for years, and now she's been forgotten. Jane is the resentful caregiver, but when she learns that Blanche is selling the house, her mental illness flares and Jane becomes even more horrible. This edition also has three addition stories, including "What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?", which was the basis for the movie Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. I had no idea that the same author wrote both Baby Jane and Charlotte, though I should have as they're sort of linked in my mind with the time period and Bette Davis and crazy spinsters."Baby Jane" is so tense, even if you've seen the movie and know how it ends. Jane is a nightmare, and this is a really well-written scary story, highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I only saw the classic movie once, decades ago, but the creepiness of it lingers still. So when I found this yellowed gem at a Friends sale I naturally had to see if the book was "better than the movie." Compared to the time that it was written, its horror comes off a bit tame today. The terror is mostly psychological. And the melodrama of Blanche was a bit pearl-clutching. But one should always read or view the classics, and this definitely makes me want to revisit the movie. Bette Davis!!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Even though I've seen the film a few times when I saw this book available to download at my local library, I clicked! I'm glad I did.

    This wasn't exactly like the film, but in all the important ways, it was about the same. I pictured the characters as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis portrayed them, and I think the narrator did a fantastic job.

    Recommended!

    *Thanks to my local library for the free download through the Libby app! Libraries RULE!*
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Almost exactly like the movie, as I remember it. The character of Baby Jane seemed to be written specifically for Bette Davis, based on the descriptions. I think I prefer the movie, although in this edition, there was some interesting trivia in the introduction about Davis's and Crawford's tumultuous relationship.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a super creepy book and the twist at the end and the end itself make it even creepier! The relationship between Blanche and Jane is just freaky! It very much reminded me of the book “Misery”, which was published 27 years later! A worthy entry in creepiest/scariest stories of the 20th century!I also enjoyed the short story, "What Ever Happened to Charlotte?", though I must admit that the title made me extremely cautious before I read it! I thought, "What's next? A whole slew of "What ever happened to (fill-in-the-blank-with-a-woman's-name)?" stories by Henry Farrell?" How lame! Anyway, this is a good little story with a wicked twist at the end!The other two short stories are also good - an actor under the gun and a man and his dinosaur egg - but it's the title story that really shines! Baby Jane Hudson is one mad dame!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I so enjoyed this month's horror group read. Of course I saw the film years ago and was excited to see how similar or different the film was from the book. Short answer: not very. The film pretty much follows the book (with minor changes) but the book is oh so good! It is simplistically written but Farrell expertly blurs the lines between good and evil. You think you know who the bad guys are and then the author throws you a series of curve balls that totally shift your paradigm and completely changes your opinion. Also, you know that the character of Jane was molded after and created for Bette Davis. The physical descriptions of Jane are spot on. As a bonus, there is a short story at the end of Baby Jane- this story is the inspiration for the film Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. Much fun and recommended reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Please note: in this review, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" in quotation marks refers to the novella. The title in italics refers to the movie. The creepy, classic novella "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" is back in a new 2013 edition that also includes three short stories (two of which were previously unpublished) by Henry Farrell (1920-2006). The movie version of Baby Jane is extraordinarily faithful to the novella. Even if you haven't seen the film, you probably know the premise: an aging, paralyzed actress, Blanche, is imprisoned by her demented sister, Jane, a forgotten child star. Farrell perfectly captures Blanche's rising terror and sense of helplessness as crazy Jane escalates her abuse. It is a potboiler, all right, but a very effective one.The introduction by Mitch Douglas, Farrell's literary agent and close friend, is very helpful. Douglas explains that Farrell wrote "Baby Jane" because he needed the money for his beloved wife's medical bills. According to Douglas, the unexpected success of the film with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis inaugurated a whole new subgenre of horror films: "the 'psycho-biddy' movie." This subgenre, writes Douglas, revived the careers of several aging stars (including Olivia de Havilland and Tallulah Bankhead) as low-budget movies featuring deranged older women were popular in the '60s and '70s.After "Baby Jane", Farrell wrote several "psycho-biddy" knock-off stories and screenplays. One of these stories, "What Ever Happened to Charlotte?", the inspiration for the movie Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, is included in this edition. Like the other two stories in the collection, the previously unpublished "The Debut of Larry Richards" and "First, The Egg", "Charlotte" is not as compelling as "Baby Jane". In particular, "Charlotte" is marred by a murky ending. I had to look up Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte in Wikipedia to understand what really happened at the end.To sum up, "Baby Jane" is not required reading by any means, but it is interesting as a period piece and as a psychological sketch of captor and captive. This new edition is worthwhile because of the introduction, but the bonus stories do not add much value.