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Julie Andrews

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years Hardcover – 7 Mar. 2008

by Julie Andrews (Author)

4.6 2,680 ratings

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Over the years Julie Andrews has been much interviewed in the press and on television, but she has never before revealed the true story of her childhood and upbringing. In HOME she vividly recreates the years before the movies. An idyllic early childhood in Surrey was cut short when her parents divorced and her mother remarried. The family moved to London, and there are vivid scenes of life during the Blitz. Her mother went into musical theatre with her stepfather, who encouraged Julie to have singing lessons which led to the discovery that her voice had phenomenal range and strength for someone her age. Before long she was appearing on stage with her parents. She soon realised how much she enjoyed looking out into the black auditorium with the spotlights on her. By the time she was a teenager, Julie was supporting her whole family with her singing performing. A London Palladium pantomime led to a leading role in THE BOYFRIEND on Broadway at 19. Parts in MY FAIR LADY opposite Rex Harrison and CAMELOT with Richard Burton soon followed, and there are wonderful anecdotes about the actors and actresses of her day. But this is far more than a collection of show stories (it's not until the last page of the book that Julie gets the call from Disney for MARY POPPINS), HOME is an honest, touching and revealing memoir of the early life of a true icon.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publication date

7 Mar. 2008
Dimensions

15.3 x 3.2 x 23.4 cm
ISBN-10

0297643576
ISBN-13

978-0297643579
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Product description

Review

"the book is magic... Andrews is far too polite to exploit her catalogue of hurts, but some moments really sting" (Antonia Quirke SUNDAY TIMES)

This book is several dozen cuts above the usual showbiz memoir. I eagerly await the next instalment" (Roger Lewis SUNDAY EXPRESS)

"it is precisely the frankness which gives the book such an admirbly unsentimental tone." (Michael Arditti DAILY TELEGRAPH)

"Andrews's book is not devoid of fascination. How could it be?" (DAILY MAIL)

"will astond her friends and those who have followed her career." (DAILY EXPRESS)

"lays bare several family secrets, including that she was born of an illicit affair" (DAILY MAIL)

"most of the book is painfully shrewd and written with delicacy and pathos" (Emma Brockes INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE)

"The quality of her prose is such that you are remindeded she is already an established children's author.." (SCOTSMAN)

"Julie tells the really quite harrowing part of her childhood with the same breeziness as she does her subsequent stardom." (Nicky Haslam SPECTATOR)

"Dame Julie's precise voice drips from every sentence" (Gay Times)

"Home is an honest self-portrait by a much-loved star who has a thumpingly good story to tell and tells it well." (3SIXTY)

"Candid and perceptive, providing a vivid portrait of her formative years" (Good Book Guide)

"Very well written as one would expecr from such an accomplished writer.. but with not a trace of self-pity from the author." (ReFRESH)

There are revelations and anecdotes by the score in prose that is as immaculate as its author" (Christie Hickman S Magazine, Sunday Express)

"her prose is confident and somewhat romantic, filled with reminiscences of an England that no longer exists." (Paul Vale The Stage)

About the Author

Dame Julie Andrews is an Emmy, Grammy and Academy-Award-winning actress and singer, best-known for her roles in MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weidenfeld & Nicolson; First Edition (7 Mar. 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0297643576
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0297643579
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.3 x 3.2 x 23.4 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 746,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 2,690 in Individual Directors
- 11,383 in Theatre & Performance Artist Biographies
- 13,019 in Actors & Entertainers Biographies

Customer reviews:
4.6 2,680 ratings

About the author

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Julie Andrews

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JULIE ANDREWS EDWARDS is one of the most recognized and beloved figures in the entertainment industry. Her legendary career encompasses the Broadway and London stages, blockbuster Hollywood films, award-winning television shows, multiple album releases and concert tours and the world of children's publishing.

Andrews' dedication to children has been steadfast throughout her career. She began writing books for young readers over thirty-five years ago and her first two novels - MANDY and THE LAST OF THE REALLY GREAT WHANGDOODLES - remain in print and in high demand. Her other books include the LITTLE BO series, and over 20 picture books, novels and Early Readers co-authored with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, including the best-selling DUMPY THE DUMP TRUCK series, SIMEON'S GIFT, DRAGON: HOUND OF HONOR, THE GREAT AMERICAN MOUSICAL, THANKS TO YOU: Wisdom from Mother and Child (#1 NY Times Bestseller), the VERY FAIRY PRINCESS series (#1 NY Times Bestseller), and the poetry anthologies JULIE ANDREWS' COLLECTION OF POEMS, SONGS AND LULLABIES and JULIE ANDREWS' TREASURY FOR ALL SEASONS.

Together the best-selling mother-daughter team head-up "The Julie Andrews Collection" publishing program, dedicated to publishing quality children's books which nurture the imagination and cultivate a sense of wonder.

Andrews considerable charitable work has been consistent throughout her career, and in 2000 the title of Dame Julie Andrews was bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II for lifetime achievements in the arts and humanities. Her many other honors include being named "One of the 100 Greatest Britons" by the British Broadcasting Corporation, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations' UNIFEM program, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, ambassadorships for literacy programs as the American Library Association's National Library Week and Ready. Sit. Read!, and a prestigious Kennedy Center honor in the fall of 2001.

Andrews was married to the late film director Blake Edwards, and has five children, eight grandchildren,and two great-grandchildren.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

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Alison

a great present

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 9 February 2023

Verified Purchase

I bought this for my mum as she loves film stars and their life stories. She can't write this herself but said what a lovely book this was and how much she enjoyed reading it - Not just another autobiography, one that is well written and insightful'.

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A lovely memoir

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 26 October 2008

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This was a lovely showbiz memoir to read - Julie has the ability to see the good in everybody and make friends wherever she goes. This first volume of memoirs stops at the point Walt Disney was poised to make her an Oscar-winning megastar, but is no less interesting for that. I hope there will be volume two before long as I'd love her take on the first two films I saw at the cinema which were a soundtrack to my childhood - Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. But enough of that, back to her early years...
Julie had an interesting childhood in Surrey, as her vaudeville entertainer mother split with her father quite early to take up with her Canadian stage partner. Once they realised that Julie had a voice very early on, her path was set and she entered the world of showbiz. Soon she was supporting her mother's side of the family as her stepdad fell into alcoholism and her mother not being able to cope.
Meanwhile, her loving Dad was a refuge of calmness for her - and remained so even after she found out he wasn't actually her biological father. This was something her mother threw into conversation one day - Julie was very level-headed about it and after meeting him wrote saying she didn't want to develop a relationship.
Her squeaky clean image as the virginal teenager with a glorious voice served her well on stage, managing complex arias with ease. Eventually she was spotted for a TV variety show, leading to recruitment for her first starring role on the London stage as the original Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Despite having no real acting experience she made the role her own, repeating it on Broadway, but famously lost out in the film to Audrey Hepburn as the studios wanted a film star, not a film unknown.
She eventually married her childhood sweetheart Tony Walton, with whome she had corresponded throughout the war. He was a skilled theatre designer and his career fitted nicely with hers. So next she went on to play opposite Richard Burton on Broadway in Camelot and the rest, as they say, is history.
Her image is no accident. From reading these memoirs, I think she grew up that way having seen some of the downsides early on and rejected them. As she blossomed it stayed with her - and of course made her fortune. She has barely a bad word to say about anyone really except her stepdad - but even then explains it away as an effect of his alcoholism. She obviously does have a fun-loving side (there is a lovely photo of her posing with Nureyev), but realising that her voice was her career - chose not to abuse it and moderated her activities accordingly. This book was a lovely read with some great photos - and so much better than any misery memoir!

5 people found this helpful

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C. O'Shaughnessy

Frank, simple, affecting memoir

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 November 2021

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Julie Andrews has written an affecting, simply-told, memoir of her childhood upbringing, her time as a child singing-star and the path to Hollywood via brilliant performances in stage musicals. Dame Julie is a unique and lasting talent that has give delight to many and the triumph and success was hard-won, a fact this disarming book makes very clear. Probably one of the best-written stage/screen autobiographies.

One person found this helpful

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Miss Diane

Who knew!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 24 September 2020

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I have bought both books of her life, pre Mary Poppins and post Mary Poppins, and what a life she has had and still does of course, although now 85, she was a Vaudiville singer and dancer, against her wishes, had a difficult upbringing, but throughout it all she has played some wonderful roles and has a wonderful singing voice.

Her international travelling is remarkable flying to and from America so many times and trips to Switzerland are amazing (if there were Air Miles then, she would have won hand down).

A lovely lady and both books are a wonderful read

One person found this helpful

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Bookworm

Nostalgia

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 23 November 2019

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I found the book interesting as I also was born in Walton-on-Thames. Two of us had a passing friendship with her step brother Donald Andrews. He took us to the Old Meuse after school where we met Julie Andrews. She would have been her Twenty's we were in our early teens. I doubt she would remember this.

4 people found this helpful

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mr j adams

So insightful!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 26 October 2019

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I have always been a Julie Andrews fan but had no idea how turbulent her youth had been. She writes with a style that is detailed and nostalgic. This is a must- read biography which highlights how much work went into establishing Julie as the leading actress she is today. From being a touring singer to paying her parents’ mortgage and falling in love for the first time, this reflective literature is perfect. Have a look and you will learn a lot about Julie, Broadway and many other celebs from that age.

5 people found this helpful

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Karen Tracey

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 9 April 2021

Verified Purchase

Good read. Worth a read . The chapters were a nice length. Could easily read two or three a night

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Henry Layard

Wonderful account of Julie Andrews's difficult

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 25 November 2015

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Wonderful account of Julie Andrews's difficult, interesting and unlikely childhood, but the last third of the book (once she has made it) is far too lovey. The book takes the reader from birth, through her early stage successes to the eve of her magnificent film career. It would be wonderful to have the 'second half' of her memoirs, but not if the follow-up is simply gushing tributes to everyone she meets.

2 people found this helpful

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Home: A Memoir of My Early Years Hardcover – 7 Mar. 2008

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