Captain of Her Soul

For many decades, Marion Davies's story has been a source of fascination to the public. From her humble days in Brooklyn to her rise to fame alongside press baron William Randolph Hearst, her story seems like a modern fairy tale. Gossip columnists and fan magazines have tried to capture her unique story for over one hundred years, and biopics and documentaries have tried to incorporate her story into countless screenplays. Amid the interest, the real Marion Davies has been largely hidden. Due to her wariness of strangers and the press, she shied away from interviews and trusted very few with the details of her own unusual life story. Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies lifts that veil to explore the life of this remarkable woman in detail. Through meticulous archival research, letters, notes, tapes, and interviews with family and friends, a woman emerges of enormous strength and resolve. Faced with many challenges in her life, Davies weathered the storms with her head held high. She was a woman who remained in control of her own destiny, and who aptly referred to herself as 'captain of my soul.'--