Home

A Memoir of My Early Years

By: Julie Andrews

Narrated by: Julie Andrews

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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 listeners 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 listeners 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 12, and in 1948 she became the youngest solo performer ever to participate in a Royal Command Performance before the queen. When only 18, 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, and her influence spans generations. Today, she lives with her husband of 38 years, the acclaimed writer/director Blake Edwards; they have five children and seven grandchildren.

©2008 Greengage Productions, Inc. (P)2008 Hyperion

Wonderful!

What did you love best about Home?

Hearing Julie's beautiful voice and British accent as she told the story of her early years.

What other book might you compare Home to and why?

Carol Burnett's autobiography - reading that one now

Which character – as performed by Julie Andrews – was your favorite?

herself

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was deeply touched by her relationship to her Dad, Ted Wells. I admire him so much and was glad for the insight into Julie's feelings about her biological father. My own daughter has politely declined a relationship with her biological father because of the bond she has with her Dad, my incredible husband, who adopted her at the age of six and has been her REAL father ever since.

Any additional comments?

I want more! Is Julie writing about the subsequent years?

What's not to like.

Julie recounts her life with honesty and openness and all in that marvelous speaking voice with crystal clear diction. I only hope that someday there will be a second book that continues where this one left off.

Good, not great

I had just finished Carol Burnett's book when I started this one...I don't believe I gave Julie the attention she was due, since I was disappointed with the content due to my own comparisons to Carol's bio. Carol is a comedian, and Julie a singer/actress...why would I compare them to each other? I shouldn't! Julie uses her sweet, somewhat slow reading voice...I love listening to her voice and accent, but in order to make it through the entire book without sleeping through it, I had to listen while at work. Carol is a riot, and her book included excerpts, not a play-by-play accounting of her life. Julie included details, and while I loved hearing about her life...it was a bit slow for my liking.

Wonderful!

Wow - I am 42 and grew up with Julie Andrews as Maria and Mary Poppins. I also enjoyed her in Victor Victoria, Ten and many other movies as an adult. I recently and happily watched (and watched) Mary Poppins and Sound of Music with my two young boys. Happily, they also introduced me to her latest movies such as Princess Diaries and Shrek. To hear about about Ms. Andrews' childhold and personal and professional life was a real pleausre and I feel privileged. I had no idea about her history and I loved hearing about every minute. She is truly a strong, gentle, loving and extraordinary human being. I now see a piece of herself in each of her characters. Can't wait for part 2 (and 3 maybe:)

So fun and interesting story.to listen to this amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing

This was an amazing story, so interesting and so brilliantly told.
Thank you for sharing.

A Lovely Story

Julie Andrews telling of her early life brought me back to my own childhood. It was a very pleasant performance.

Loved Julie Andrew’s narrating her own autobiography!

I wish it had included her later life! I hope there will be a sequel!

Outstanding!

I have always loved Julie Andrews! What a life! What an amazing woman! The consummate, actor, and singer. Great memoir! Thank you Julie!

Well…

Lovely to hear her read it, but she’s not great at making there be a point to anecdotes or a through line to the memoir overall. And a lot of her childhood is really depressing.

I LOVED this book!

I could have listened to Julie Andrews talk about her life forever. It was amazing to get a glimpse into what made her who she is. I have always loved Julie and now I love her even more.