Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years
Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years book cover

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Paperback – October 13, 2020

by
Price
$15.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
352
Publisher
Hachette Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0316349246
Dimensions
5 x 1 x 8 inches
Weight
11.2 ounces

Description

" Home Work is a quiet revelation. And by quiet I don't mean dull. The book is packed with emotion, action, gossip, and fascinating tidbits about craft. The Julie Andrews we get to know is salty, funny, passionate, hard-working, gracious, and above all, a brilliant vocalist and actress who has braved many disappointments."― O Magazine "A frank and intimate storyteller whose radiant spirit fills these pages, Andrews chronicles the peaks and valleys of her life and career. This event-packed memoir is a must for fans of Andrews's life and work, students of cinema history, and anyone who is curious about musical film production."― Library Journal (starred review) "Details Andrews' transformation from traveling performer to movie star."― Los Angeles Times, Book Club Pick "Shares reflections on Andrews's astonishing career, and discusses her famous roles in Mary Poppins , The Sound of Music , Victor/Victoria , and more."― Bustle, New Celebrity Memoirs that Will Leave You Starstruck This Fall "A warm, entertaining memoir...An insightful treat for Andrews's fans."― Kirkus Reviews "[ Home Work gives] readers long-awaited details about [Julie Andrew's] earliest films like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music.... Andrews continues to approach life -- and writing -- with strength and grace."― People "Full of delicious details...and poignant recollections."― Long Island Living "Sincere and inspiring...This charming account of Andrews's professional and personal life will no doubt serve to make the venerated performer all the more beloved."― Publishers Weekly "[W]arm, graceful, and candid... This deeply pleasurable and forthright chronicle illuminates the myriad reasons 'home work' has such profound meaning for artist and humanitarian Andrews... [a] treasury of delectable Hollywood revelations."― Booklist "The inside-look into the perils and stress of movie making, and the honest portrayal of Andrews' struggles to blend her career, home life, and complicated personal matters offers a rich glimpse into a resilient star. Edward's mercurial but brilliant and generous nature is vividly recounted...her memoir makes it vividly clear that her stardom was not an easy path to achieve."― The Missourian "Thrillingly honest but never unkind, Andrews mixes fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of filming... with moving revelations....This enchanting memoir reveals Andrews as a rare creature: a mega-star whose feet remain firmly on the ground."― Daily Mail "Julie Andrews's two memoirs, Home and Home Work , are at once heartbreaking and awe-inspiring."― "Our Mothers Ourselves" "[ Home Work ] is everything you could hope for and more."― Scribbles by Kat Julie Andrews's legendary career encompasses the Broadway and London stages, as well as multiple films, television shows, album releases, concert tours, directing assignments, and the world of children's publishing. In 2000 the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire was bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II for lifetime achievements in the arts and humanities. Her many other honors include a Kennedy Center honor in the fall of 2001. She was married to film director Blake Edwards for forty-one years, and the couple have five children, ten grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Emma Walton Hamilton is an award-winning writer, producer and arts educator. Together with her mother, Julie Andrews, she has written over thirty books for children and young adults. Emma is on the faculty of Stony Brook University's MFA in Creative Writing, where she serves as director of the Children's Lit Fellows and the Young Artists and Writers Project.

Features & Highlights

  • In this
  • New York Times
  • bestselling follow-up to her critically acclaimed memoir,
  • Home
  • , Julie Andrews reflects on her astonishing career, including such classics as
  • Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music
  • , and
  • Victor/Victoria
  • .
  • In
  • Home
  • , the number one
  • New York Times
  • international bestseller, Julie Andrews recounted her difficult childhood and her emergence as an acclaimed singer and performer on the stage.With this second memoir,
  • Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years
  • , Andrews picks up the story with her arrival in Hollywood and her phenomenal rise to fame in her earliest films --
  • Mary Poppins
  • and
  • The Sound of Music
  • . Andrews describes her years in the film industry -- from the incredible highs to the challenging lows. Not only does she discuss her work in now-classic films and her collaborations with giants of cinema and television, she also unveils her personal story of adjusting to a new and often daunting world, dealing with the demands of unimaginable success, being a new mother, the end of her first marriage, embracing two stepchildren, adopting two more children, and falling in love with the brilliant and mercurial Blake Edwards. The pair worked together in numerous films, including
  • Victor/Victoria
  • , the gender-bending comedy that garnered multiple Oscar nominations.Cowritten with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, and told with Andrews's trademark charm and candor,
  • Home Work
  • takes us on a rare and intimate journey into an extraordinary life that is funny, heartrending, and inspiring.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(3.9K)
★★★★
25%
(1.6K)
★★★
15%
(985)
★★
7%
(459)
★
-7%
(-459)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Enjoyable, but too many travel details.

I liked that Ms. Andres recapped her first book at the start, telling about her harsh growing up years. This book covers her quick rise to stardom and much of her Hollywood career. She is a charming person and it shows in her writing. She rarely has harsh words for anyone. That said, there was an overabundance of small details as she traveled from one home or job to the other. You would find which of her children made it for a holiday at the chalet, and which didn't, and why, complete with their boyfriend or girlfriend problems. That said, there were lots of intimate details of her life and her husband Blake Edwards' life, including mental health issues. I prefer when stars talk more about the intricacies of their work. Yes, she does discuss a lot of the filming details, but too often the flow is interrupted by more recountings about who missed a plane or who had the flu. But I still adore her and her talents.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Long, and a bit tedious

I see many reviews loved this book. I love how it is read by Julie Andrews, in the audio version, but I felt that year after year, it was repeat and repeat. Figure out the kids, say hello, say goodbye, travel here, travel there, a concert here , a movie there, it was like reading her appointment book, not really an insight to her life. Ms. Andrews herself doesn't give much detail on the difficult parts, depression in parents, the sicknesses, trying to help them, she writes those parts with just a blip. I actually felt sorry for her kids being shuffled from country to country, school to school. I lost count how many schools Emma had been in. I'm very glad they adopted two orphan girls, but if you listen or read this book, it seems if not much time is spent with them. There's so much going on in her life and her husbands that you lose the continuity. Maybe there's a lot more family time going on but it doesn't seem like it as you listen or read it. I almost got to the end of it, but in all it was just too tedious to get thought.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

an easy and sincere read

the frantic life of julie andrews and her family and the way they move around the world is so unbelievable i cannot not believe it. she is great at what she does and i wish julie and her family the best.
✓ Verified Purchase

A+++

Bought this as a gift for a die-hard Julie Andrews fan. She loved it!
✓ Verified Purchase

A great read

Just as good as the first book.. like a well written continuation of the first one "Home". All about the movies and music and personal life...
✓ Verified Purchase

Pack up the luggage la la la

Like others have said, there’s very little about the movie experiences. It’s mostly about moving the family from Malibu to England, to Switzerland and back again. I almost gave up.
✓ Verified Purchase

Highly recommend.

Great story.
Sad in parts.
Enjoyed reading it.
✓ Verified Purchase

Excellent book, I hope she writes another!

Such a great book I was sad that it ended in 1986, I wanted to hear the rest of the story of her life, I hope she writes a sequel to it!
✓ Verified Purchase

good book

to read
✓ Verified Purchase

Loved It

Julie Andrews is my very favorite, after seeing her in A Sound of Music growing up. I didn't see that many of her movies after that, and the ones she mentioned that her husband directed I had never seen or heard of them, with the exception of Breakfast At Tiffany’s and The Return of the Pink Panther (which I absolutely loved, it was hilarious and the funniest and best Pink Panther movie!!).
I must say I was exhausted reading about all their many moves - LA, England and Switzerland. Whoo! And all the added stress of ex-spouses, families, and health. I'm sorry that Julie had to put up with Blake's depression, anger and addiction. I feel that she deserved better than that.
I was surprised that she didn't mention her throat issues, but maybe she didn't want to deal with it.

Related Books