Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Bette & Joan

  • The Divine Feud
  • By: Shaun Considine
  • Narrated by: January LaVoy
  • Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (145 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Bette & Joan cover art

Bette & Joan

By: Shaun Considine
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Lonely Life cover art
Mommie Dearest: 40th Anniversary Edition cover art
Dark Star cover art
Past Imperfect cover art
Maureen O'Hara: The Biography (Screen Classics) cover art
Betty Grable cover art
My Way of Life cover art
Last Night at the Viper Room cover art
Hollywood Horrors cover art
Behind Closed Doors cover art
Furious Love cover art
This Was Hollywood: Forgotten Stars and Stories cover art
Natalie Wood cover art
Starmaker cover art
The Tragic Secret Life of Jayne Mansfield cover art
Lucy and Desi cover art

Summary

They were two of the most talented beauties Hollywood ever produced: the elegant Joan Crawford, a former chorus girl who shot through the ranks at MGM, and the brash, tempestuous Bette Davis, a Broadway star notorious for refusing to bow to the studio bosses. Their work together in the hit film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? sowed the seeds for a mutual hatred that would consume their lives. As each fading star tried to outshine the other, lives were upended and reputations were destroyed. Glamorous, merciless, and cruel, their feud became the stuff of legends.

Based on interviews the author conducted with both actresses and more than a decade of research, Bette & Joan shows the hard-drinking, hard-fighting duo at their best and worst. The epic story of these dueling divas is hilarious, monstrous, and tragic. This updated edition includes two new chapters. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are portrayed by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange in the Ryan Murphy TV series Feud.

©1989 Shaun Considine (P)2017 Graymalkin Media, LLC

More from the same

What listeners say about Bette & Joan

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    114
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    110
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    107
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful insight into a bygone era...

This is easily the best book I’ve ever read about the golden age of Hollywood; the glitz, the glamour, the double-deals and, of course, the feuding. And nowhere was there a greater, more enduring feud than that between the two undisputed queens of Tinsel Town, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

Davis, the ‘serious’ actress, with credits and accolades on stage and screen going back decades. Feisty and uncompromising, intense and demanding, arriving on set alone, eating alone, leaving alone; and Crawford, the ‘Movie Star’; glamourous and aloof, pampered and indulged, and always accompanied by her entourage of assistants, stylists, make-up experts and assorted hangers-on. Both of these women were every bit as serious about their status as Queens of Hollywood, and both every bit as prepared to defend that title, whatever it took.

The book follows their individual paths to fame and glory; Davis, slogging it out in small theatre productions in suburban America; Crawford, with the dazzling beauty and dancing skills, working as a chorus girl, all the time looking for the next step up. On the way they both began to develop the hard shell they would need to break the big time. For Davis this became her acid wit and abrasiveness; for Crawford, her beauty and permissiveness became a weapon she would use to get what or who she wanted. And all the time, they kept an ever-watchful eye out for potential competition, which had to be wiped out at the first opportunity. For both of them, being a movie queen wasn’t a job, it was a 24hr, 7 days a week vocation, one which they both played to the hilt.

And then came ‘Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”

By the time they finally got to work together both women were established A-listers in the Hollywood scene, and by this time had substantial reputations that went before them. The movie world held its breath at what could happen when these two immovable forces met.

Determined not to give the salivating media what it wanted, both artists individually decided to try and outdo each other by being as nice and supportive as possible. Whilst this approach definitely threw the press off-guard, the pressure of keeping this ‘nicey-nice’ act up, day after long day, started to wear the stars down, and tiny cracks started to appear.

The narration, by January LaVoy (Great name btw), is first-class and keeps the listener engaged throughout. Miss LaVoy also has a wonderful way of suggesting the speech patterns of the two stars (Davis very clipped and staccato, Crawford measured and purring) without descending into a full-on impression, which would’ve been distracting.

There are many, many wonderful insights into the golden era of Hollywood, but one of my favourites, which demonstrates how the stars of the day were constantly on their guard against criticism, and ready with a well-aimed putdown, happened when young Crawford is shooting a scene with an older, established actress, whose husband happens to be directing. The older actress is threatened by Crawford’s outfit, and tells Crawford, “If you’re wearing that to impress my husband, don’t bother. He doesn’t like women who dress like circus clowns.”

“No need to worry, Darling,” purrs Crawford, “I’ve never had a problem taking my clothes off for your husband.”

Absolute gold-dust

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

A classic at last available on audio. Faultlessly gossipy text with one of the best narrators. Had stuff to do but this just captivated me. Read it when it first came out and it has improved with age. Viva divas!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must-listen & perfectly read.

Highly recommended to those interested in these Hollywood greats. If you watched the tv show there’s plenty more here to sink your teeth into. Perfectly narrated. A must-listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Would you consider the audio edition of Bette & Joan to be better than the print version?

The narrator was excellent, brought the book to life

What other book might you compare Bette & Joan to, and why?

Best audio book I’ve listened to in a very long time

What does January LaVoy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The narration was on point

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Classic Betty Davis and Joan Crawford

Any additional comments?

Recommend this book to all who love the silver screen and the women who made it light up

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous darling!

As an Aries woman myself, I have always had a fascination with both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. This book is a fantastic warts and all tell all about the two Hollywood icons. Very much enjoyed and will definitely be listening again! Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book!

l loved listening to every minute of this fascinating and very well written book. Highly recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Skin deep

Before reading this book, I had vague memories of watching Crawford and Davis in old black and white movies, and had heard something of the bad feeling between the two, but my knowledge was sketchy. This book changed all of that. Anyone who reads it will come away with a clear and detailed picture of the lives of these two incredible women. The author does a great job of portraying the totality of their characters. Neither were likeable, and their behaviour at times was disgusting -particularly to people they could get away with harming. However, reading about their childhoods and the abuse they both suffered was also harrowing. The consequences were unsurprising: mental illness, toxic relationships, substance abuse and - at any rate in the case of Joan Crawford - what looks like sex addiction. Overall, this is a fascinating book, and depicts Hollywood at a time when it was at its most magical.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Divine subject divine audio book

Loved this book! Read for us by a lady with a voice one step away from American sensationalism!! Hearing it is like stepping back in time to the days of Magical Hollywood when stories were on the QT and always hush hush. This book does a grand job at presenting both actresses lives in full colour detail with a plethora of original named sources and reminiscences. There’s a little bit of Joan then a little bit Bette to compare and consider. Therefore, you never stop thinking about how parallel their star studded lives were. I adored this book and if you have any respect whatsoever for either Joan or Bette (I’m team Bette all the way) then please give it a go. Wonderful!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enlightening and engaging

Fascinating story. shed a great deal of light on this troubled relationship and the individuals involved. If you like old Hollywood definitely worth a read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must read / listen

I’ve read and listened to this book over thirty times in the last 15 years and it just keeps getting more enjoyable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful