Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews
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Book Reviews of Home: A Memoir of My Early Years
Book Review: Practically perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
"Home" was the first word that toddler Julia Wells -- soon to become Julie Andrews -- spoke. Though it was denied her as a young girl, a normal home life was important to Andrews from the beginning.
The embodiment of a class act, Julie Andrews tells the story of her impoverished upbringing in London with grace and candor. She recounts what must be painful memories in a straightforward way, never whining or asking for pity. She holds nothing back.
Stories of her alcoholic stepfather -- and his obvious efforts to molest her -- left me shaken. When she was 9, he insists he show her "how I cuddle with Mummy." At 16, he shows up in her bedroom and demands that he "really must teach you to kiss properly." Her uncle installs a padlock on her bedroom door. Julie's two younger brothers are regularly beaten and abused. When her 3-year-old brother has a potty-training accident, the stepdad rubs the little boy's nose in it.
Andrews began performing to support the family while still very young. She tells fascinating stories of learning to sing properly and working the shabby vaudeville circuit. The result of her first screen test? "She's not photogenic enough for film." To combat the stress the 12-year-old would go to a nearby cinema to watch Mickey Mouse cartoons between her two performances of the night.
The fact that Cinderella is her door out is almost too perfect. Later, when Walt Disney picked her to play Mary Poppins, she gets a whirlwind tour of Disneyland by Walt himself, riding the Jungle Cruise and seeing the Swiss Family Treehouse. "Mary Poppins" author P. L. Travers even calls her, complaining: "Well, you're much too pretty, of course. But you've got the nose for it!"
The memoir ends there, with Andrews on the cusp of real stardom.
Book Review: I'm glad this book covers the early years in such evocative detail...
Summary: 5 Stars
Julie Andrews' new autobiography, "Home," is a must-read for anyone who loves Disney, entertainment, England and great family stories. She is a consummate writer -- yes, she is one of the celebrities who writes her own books -- and evokes the mood, settings, and even the smells of her early life, from a dysfunctional but loving family and the last days of British Vaudeville to Broadway stardom and getting the role of Mary Poppins.
I was not aware that two Disney legends crossed paths twice in their careers. Julie Andrews performed in her first big stage variety show with none other than Disneyland Golden Horseshoe fixture Wally Boag. Boag also figures prominently in Steve Martin's autobiography, in which he fondly recalls Disneyland as his haven from an unhappy home life.
Julie's childhood had tough times, but she remained very close to her family over the years despite the bumps in the road. I'm glad she chose to focus in so much detail on her early career in this book, since many of us know little about the theatrical world she came from. Mary Poppins makes an appropriate stopping point since she suggests that her early experience led to her being uniquely qualified to play the part, which had a lot of music hall-style set pieces. The life she led after the movie made her an international star is really another story for another book.
I listened to the book on CD. Hearing Julie Andrews herself spin her tale in a warm, friendly way is a remarkable experience. Some of my friends chose to read the book first. I also bought the book to share with family and friends, and to have on hand for quick reference.
Book Review: A good start to a fascinating life
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed Julie Andrews' recently published memoir, "Home." Sadly, the reader is left at the beginning of her catapult to stardom wishing that the follow-up book was already available. Fans wanting to learn all about "Mary Poppin" and "The Sound of Music" will be disappointed, as this volume ends just as Julie is about to begin production on "Mary Poppins." Many will wonder what she could possibly fill a book with, leaving out the bulk of her career. I can tell you: PLENTY! "My Fair Lady" & "Camelot" on Broadway, "Cinderella" in the early years of television, live performances for the British Monarcy, and much more. Julie has written a beautiful tale of her early years; how her amazing vocal talents were developed, the trials and tribulations of growing up in a broken home, as well as all the things that contributed to her being able to grab the plum role of P.L. Travers' famous nanny, Mary Poppins (especially touching is her recounting of Walt Disney personally walking her around Disneyland). Julie is extremely frank, candid, and revealing; she had more than her share of hardships growing up. One will get a sense of what World War 2 was like for a little girl; she vividly paints the picture of the bomb shelters and the constant unease of not knowing when an evacuation might occur. Still, with all of the sadness that Julie reveals, her positive spirit never once asks for sympathy or for tears. This is an uplifting tale that is able to rise above the typical "who I slept with" narratives that so many celebrities choose to concoct. I highly recommend this book to those who admire Julie Andrews and want an inside look at her early years.Book Review: Home - Almost A Love Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Whether as Maria Augusta von Trapp or Victor/Victoria, any role that Julie Andrews tackled assured her audience of several things: she would pour her heart and soul into the part, and, it would be a classy bit.
It is no surprise that her autobiography, HOME, is just as classy as the woman who wrote it. Although it stops with Julie Andrews on her way to Hollywood to make Mary Poppins, the parts of her life that were shadowed by her meteoric rise in popularity are now told in a clean, honest way.
Her childhood in England is discussed as is: the war; vaudeville and her early career on the stage in England. Without bragging, Julie Andrews enters the reader's mind as a dedicated, hard working and diligent performer who deserved to succeed.
There are sad parts as well: her dysfunctional family; a rather surprising introduction to a man whom she discovered was actually her father. However, Julie does not dwell on them or detail them with any sense of historonics or self pity. She is, and always was, a very strong woman.
I found her recollections on performing in MY FAIR LADY and CAMELOT to be of particular interest but there is not a dull or lagging part in this wonderful book.
Now, about the sequel . . .
Book Review: Julie Andrews's Unflinching Memoir Plumbs the Depths
Summary: 5 Stars
I came of age listening to the original cast recordings of MY FAIR LADY and CAMELOT, and my first glimpse of Julie Andrews was in snippets from the latter show on ED SULLIVAN. I fell in love with her crystalline soprano and crisp diction and have always followed her career. When I heard she was writing a memoir of her early years, I couldn't wait to read it. After the book arrived from Amazon, I devoured it in two sittings, staying up late to finish. In beautiful, unflinching prose she fills in the gaps I've wondered about over the years, giving insights into her evolution from a young English girl with a big voice to the coloratura toast of Broadway--a transition she made with grit and talent. Ms. Andrews depicts a childhood that forced her to leave school at 14 and support her family with her singing, but there's not a trace of self-pity. She also shares details about her vocal training with Lilian Stiles-Allen. If you're a Julie Andrews fan, you'll want to buy this book and immerse yourself in her memories. She's a "fair lady," all right, and still the queen of the golden age of musicals. Brava, Ms. Andrews, and many thanks! -- from Susan Dormady Eisenberg, contributing writer to Classical Singer Magazine & author of the novel, THE VOICE I JUST HEARD.