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"Stormy Weather" is not only a voluminous study of the life of Ms. Horne, but of the lives of many of the renown and the talented who lived through the years of the Great Depression and endured and/or participated in the poverty and the bigotry that was everywhere evident at that time. "Stormy Weather" portrays Lena as a woman with the strength to endure a difficult life and the frailties that made her life difficult and untimately unrewarding. This is a book worth reading.

Just finished this amazing book and truly enjoyed it. I had the great pleasure to have met her backstage at Lincoln Center after her performance as part of a JVC Jazz Festival tribute to Billy Strayhorn. She was most gracious to my ex-wife and I and even took the time to pose for several photos with us. A few days later, I sent her a card to sign for us to frame with the photos and she obliged and mailed the card back in record time. We later saw her in concert at Carnegie Hall when she brought the house down with a spectacular performance. James Gavin has done a great job with this book and I wish him and Ms. Horne all the best. Get the book !!!!!!

If you, like I, have read Lena Horne's autobiography and her daughter's book "The Hornes" and think you know all there is to know about Lena Horne, you are mistaken. This fascinating book is packed with new information. I agree with another reviewer who wrote that a pervasive sadness overhangs the book. For those whose early impressions of Lena Horne were shaped by the movies that presented her as the absolute epitome of 1940's Hollywood glamour - and one who often seemed to be bursting with exultant joyfulness - it is hard to square that image with the troubled, complex woman who endured a grim childhood and as an adult was told by her mother that she never loved her. Hard to believe that for the first several years of her career, many considered her singing mediocre. She became one of the great song stylists of the 20th Century. Also interesting is that she loathed those famous New York nightclubs we've heard about, referring to them as "toilets." No matter how many descriptions one has read of the casually accepted racism of Horne's earlier years, some of the examples here are pretty jaw-dropping. In some respects this is not a flattering portrait, but considering all of the pleasure and entertainment she has given to the world, she deserves to be forgiven much. A beautifully well-written and balanced biography.

When I think of Lena Horn I can clearly see a stunning, sleek, classy woman who has that sly, knowing smile and sharp focused eyes. The author, Mr. Gavin, lets you know what goes on behind that smile and why Lena Horn feels the need to be so observant. After reading STORMY WEATHER, I understood more about not only Ms. Horn but the early years of our society and how it related to African Americans. The story is explosive in that it details Lena's struggles not only with prejudice from society but from within her own selected circle. The author skillfully details the confused arena that Lena Horn was born into. Although not pleasant, the historical details validly state why the woman had to fight, struggle and feel the need to excel her entire life. Also, played out against the changing times, the reader sees Ms. Horn developing into her own being as opposed to the MGM fantasy. This is a very insightful,well written and fascinating look not only at one of our greatest performers but society at large.

I received the book very quickly. It is a very imformative book, full of history as well as info about Lena Horne