Alma Hitchcock: 6the Woman Behind the Man

This is a lovely tribute by Pat Hitchcock O'Connell about her mother (and ultimately her father Alfred) that takes the reader on a pleasant journey through the lives of the Hitchcock family. It is charmingly written and so enjoyable that I hated to see it end.

I really enjoyed reading this biography because I have been a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock for years and have always wondered what his family life was like. Who better to tell us than his and Alma's one and only daughter. While it was interesting to read about the film stuff in this book, I am so happy she did not go into analyzing them because ultimately I don't see this as a critical film book. As a family memoir and biography, this worked for me. While I would never try them, I loved reading through the menus and recipes in the back of the book because it gives you and extra special peek into the Hitchcock daily life. Alma was a wonderful woman, feisty like nothing else, a huge contributor to his films and others, and obviously a wonderful mother. Pat Hitchcock did a great job bringing us into her childhood and family life.

I have been a Hitchcock fan for years and have always been intrigued by the quiet, petite woman beside the giant behemoth of a man. Now I know her story thanks to this intimate memoir written by the Hitchcocks' only child Pat Hitchcock O'Connell. Pat delves deep into the recesses of her memory, it seems, to bring the reader the details of life in the Hitchcock home. Alma was a remarkable woman, very instrumental in the production of all of her husband's films and a wonderful homemaker to boot. She was a little spitfire of energy, but also quite reserved. She put "Hitch" in his place when he acted up and she was always there by his side when he needed her--which was always! The photos and Alma's recipes and menus in teh back of the book add another level of intimacy to this memoir, practically bringing the reader into the family fold and the Hitchcok world. Alma was quite the successful gourmet cook--as her husband's corpulence proved! While it seemed Pat included a bit too many interviews with friends and family, it just only served to confirm Alma's enormous influence and presence in the Hitchcock legacy. I highly recommend this book to ALL HITCHCOCK FANS and to all who love to read a good family biography! Thank you, Ms. Hitchcock O'Connell for this long-awaited glimpse into your family life.