Born in Philadelphia in 1879, Ethel Barrymore would eventually prove herself a vital actor who was suited to radio, stage, and screen. After breaking out with Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines (1901), she performed in many plays, including Alice-Sit-by-the-Fire (1905), Déclassée (1919), and The Corn Is Green (1943), before investing her energies in films such as The Spiral Staircase (1946) and Portrait of Jennie (1949). Barrymore ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in None but the Lonely Heart (1944) opposite Cary Grant. She knew Hollywood's fickle nature all too well, and she remained committed to the Drew and Barrymore stage acting legacy up until the time of her passing in 1959.

Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights emphasizes how Barrymore's career was born from "duty, not desire." Kathleen Spaltro traces Barrymore's story back to her Drew grandparents' emergence as a tour de force in nineteenth-century US theater. Along the way, Spaltro examines the multifaceted relationship the "First Lady of the American Theater" had with stardom, detailing such disappointments as having to relinquish her childhood dream of being a concert pianist in order to pursue acting. Spaltro also pulls directly from interviews to illustrate how Barrymore, often misinterpreted as demure, was exhausted by the stage she so masterfully commanded.

With far more depth than a typical "rise and fall" narrative, Ethel Barrymore paints an empathetic picture of the struggles Barrymore faced, from her ascension to stardom to her "abdication of the throne." Spaltro's comprehensive and nuanced approach recontextualizes Barrymore's career, showcasing just how much her dogged allegiance to the Drew-Barrymore legacy cost her.