This is a truly fantastic book. I finished it in less than three days, because I just couldn't put it down. It gives you insight into the actress' life, career choices and character, without being too explicit and vulgar. After you read it, you really feel like you KNOW Deborah Kerr... And wish you had.

Frightening The Horses is described as a "personal journey through a century of gay-themed cinema." While there are some personal references, it would be much more accurate to describe the book as a compendium of gay actors, gay icons, and key movies they made.

For what it really is, the material is presented in a straight-forward easy to digest manner. The layout of the material is quite good and there are many b/w pictures. I would have found it much more interesting if the author decided to be less of an editor and became more vested in his book. For example, he mentions several actors that worked for Alfred Hitchcock but does not address what the director thought of homosexuals nor any observations or conclusions on why Hitch did so many gay-specific sub-plots in his movies. Also, where is the info on famous gay directors such as George Cukor or Vincente Minnelli?

The potential reader might also want to consider that the 2002 edition (current edition) of the book is being distributed without an index. An addendum says that the index is available on-line. It is not. When the publisher was contacted he provided a hotmail address for the writer's assistant. There was no response to my e-mail.

Given all of this, my overall impression of the book is luke-warm.

I had heard rumors about certain acors and actresses all my life - who hasn't - that So & So was gay/lesbian/whatever. This book discusses some of these aspects of Hollywood life as well as the various films regarding homosexuality.

There's some films I never thought had anything to do with homosexuality - for instance, the Rita Hayworth film "Gilda". I never realized the male leads played the part as if they were gay lovers. It makes total sense once it's pointed out, but I have to admit I didn't see that aspect before.

Much information is provided regarding various actors' sexual preferences, even detailing Judy Garland's unfortunate picks of husbands (one was having an affair with Liza's husband - that's something for Jerry Springer!).

Most of the information is not sensationalized, however, and makes for a very good read. Much of Hollywood's past, a homosexual was forced to marry to cover up his/her sexuality. Careers would (and did) crumble if a whiff of homosexuality surrounded a star. The people who had to deal with living this lie are names and discussed, but not in a "National Enquirer" way. Their personal lives as well as their professional lives are skillfully interwoven to give you a complete picture of the person. Mr Braun treats his subjects with the respect they deserve.

If you want to see how much gays and lesbians influenced the movies, this book is a great place to start. I never realized there were so many actors and actresses that were in the closet and I never realized so many films had a gay subtext. I will be looking at the movies a little differently now, thanks to Mr Braun.

This book contains more errors than Pierce's "The Ultimate Elvis" and many errors are simply inexcusable as they are to do with the films that are basically the subject of this so-called "encyclopedia." There are even errors in the plots and the character and actor names! Information about recordings is even more error-filled and further information one would expect to find in a book with this title is simply non-existant -- the vast majority of Elvis's co-stars are ignored and yet there are entries for Gracie Fields and Mae West. Film synopses are reasonable, the rest (including many of the illustrations) is rubbish!