The Woman Who Had Everything: A Novel of Elizabeth Taylor and the Summer of Love

A luscious, wildly entertaining biographical novel about love, ambition, resilience, reinvention, and Elizabeth Taylor in Italy during the summer of 1967 when, on the big-budget set of Boom!, alongside her husband Richard Burton, she truly was the woman who had everything…and needed so much more.

On the glittering Italian set of Boom!, a big‑budget adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play, Elizabeth Taylor is at the height of her fame. It’s an exhilarating experience for everyone in her orbit. That includes Jean, her personal assistant, and Buddy, her semi-closeted best friend and costume designer. A flamboyant force of nature, Taylor enjoys “improving” the lives of those around her through matchmaking—and the young, gamine Jean is one of her favorite projects.

Yet Jean can see that for all Elizabeth’s verve, she’s worried that her box-office potential is dimming. At 35, she needs to stretch. She sets her sights on an unlikely role: the lead in the film version of Hello, Dolly!.

Jean and Buddy must also help Elizabeth navigate her tempestuous personal life. The Burtons live on their lavish yacht during filming, and Elizabeth is fiercely protective of her four children. Richard Burton’s heavy drinking makes him apt to stray, and soon the off-screen dramatics eclipse anything happening in front of the cameras.

But beyond the public spectacle, there are other, undeniable transformations underway. By the time Boom! wraps, Jean and Buddy’s lives will have changed irrevocably. And the star herself will have taken steps toward a new legacy built not on her fabled beauty but as an entrepreneur and humanitarian, driven to help others live their best lives . . .