Synopses & Reviews
Since her first appearance on screen in Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews has played a series of memorable roles that have endeared her to generations. But she has never told the story of her life before fame. Until now.
In Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie takes her readers on a warm, moving, and often humorous journey from a difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to the brink of international stardom in America. Her memoir begins in 1935, when Julie was born to an aspiring vaudevillian mother and a teacher father, and takes readers to 1962, when Walt Disney himself saw her on Broadway and cast her as the world's most famous nanny.
Along the way, she weathered the London Blitz of World War II; her parents' painful divorce; her mother's turbulent second marriage to Canadian tenor Ted Andrews, and a childhood spent on radio, in music halls, and giving concert performances all over England. Julie's professional career began at the age of twelve, and in 1948 she became the youngest solo performer ever to participate in a Royal Command Performance before the Queen. When only eighteen, she left home for the United States to make her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend, and thus began her meteoric rise to stardom.
Home is filled with numerous anecdotes, including stories of performing in My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison on Broadway and in the West End, and in Camelot with Richard Burton on Broadway; her first marriage to famed set and costume designer Tony Walton, culminating with the birth of their daughter, Emma; and the call from Hollywood and what lay beyond.
Julie Andrews' career has flourished over seven decades. From her legendary Broadway performances, to her roles in such iconic films as The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hawaii, 10, and The Princess Diaries, to her award-winning television appearances, multiple album releases, concert tours, international humanitarian work, best-selling children's books, and championship of literacy, Julie's influence spans generations. Today, she lives with her husband of thirty-eight years, the acclaimed writer/director Blake Edwards; they have five children and seven grandchildren.
Featuring over fifty personal photos, many never before seen, this is the personal memoir Julie Andrews' audiences have been waiting for.
Synopsis
We all know Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, but few people know the story of her road to fame. In this memoir, Julie Andrews& nbsp; takes us from her early years with an aspiring Vaudeville mom and a loving dad, to her parents??? divorce and mother??'s remarriage to a difficult stepfather. Julie has kept diaries her whole life, so every anecdote in her memoir is very fresh and immediate.& nbsp; There are incredible scenes of the London Blitz during WWII; at age nine, she was the only kid on the street who was able to identify the sound of the German bombers, and it was her job to warn the whole neighborhood when they were coming. Julie??'s mother was in musical theater with her stepdad, and Julie spent her entire youth traveling to& nbsp; venues all over the country. She performed for the Queen at age 12, and by the time she was a young teen, she was supporting her entire family because her stepdad was an alcoholic.& nbsp; A few of her roles were more glamorous during this time, but she was always the performer with holes in her socks because she never had any money. At age 19, Julie tried out for the role in ???The Boyfriend, ??? which was opening on Broadway in New York. She got the part and flew here, was a smash in the play, and then starred in ???My Fair Lady??? with Rex Harrison. The book carries through her role in ???Camelot??? with Richard Burton, at age 20, after which her daughter was born. There are great anecdotes about the actors and actresses of her day; her voice is humorous, warm, and lively; and this is just an incredible memoir. There are tons of never-before-seen photos, too.
Synopsis
Many know Julie Andrews from "The Sound of Music" and "Mary Poppins." In this memoir, she looks back on her early years with an aspiring Vaudeville mom and a loving dad and her role in "Camelot" with Richard Burton at age 20.
Synopsis
"A frank, intriguing memoir."
--People "Painfully shrewd, and written with real delicacy and pathos."
--The New York Times Book Review "Home reflects the very qualities that first made the working-class English singer a star 45 years ago: intelligence, gentle humor, and a clear, sweet, surprisingly powerful voice . . . In warmly nostalgic later chapters, the book begins to glow."
--Entertainment Weekly "A delightful remembrance of her own childhood, and an engrossing prelude to her cinematic career . . . Andrews is an accomplished writer who holds back nothing while adding a patina of poetry to the antics and anecdotes throughout this memoir of bittersweet backstage encounters and theatrical triumphs."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Frank and fascinating . . . Andrews comes across as plainspoken, guilelessly charming and resoundingly tough."
--Time In Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie Andrews takes her readers on a warm, moving, and often humorous journey from a difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to the brink of international stardom in America.
About the Author
Julie Andrews' career has flourished over seven decades. Most recently she's played the queen in both the Princess Diaries and Shrek films. Her bestselling children's books include The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Mandy, and The Great American Mousical. She currently lives with her husband of 38 years, the acclaimed film director Blake Edwards, and they have five children and seven grandchildren.