Home Work A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Julie Andrews — 2019

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this follow-up to her critically acclaimed memoir, Home, Julie Andrews shares reflections 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.

Reviews

kels@kelseysoderberg

Sep 7, 2023

my favorite parasocial relationship 🫶🏻

Brianna@dinosauriaclade

Aug 1, 2022

3.5 stars My thoughts haven’t changed much from my review of Home, though I enjoyed that one more.

mary@bookswithmary

Dec 14, 2021

content warnings: drug abuse, depression, suicide, suicide mention, alcohol abuse,

Judy McClure@crazee4books

Dec 3, 2021

A remarkable, talented and caring woman. But we all already knew that.

Jeni Enjaian@jenienjaian

Oct 30, 2021

I found this book fascinating and engaging, as things told by Julie Andrews usually are. She moved through the early years of her life with ease, discussing even some of the more difficult aspects with circumspection and taste, not avoiding the darkness but not dwelling in it either. The one thing that kept me from giving this book five stars is the thing that usually plagues me with memoirs, muddy transition from "nobody" to "somebody." Either Andrews played down the fame aspect too well or she simply neglected to mention it. Near the end of the second third of the book, Andrews seems to suddenly have money and fame whereas before she worked constantly just to provide enough money for her family. Since this transition is what most people want to know about, I find it odd that in nearly every memoir I read, this transition appears muddy at best. That being said, Andrews writes beautifully and her voice shines through every page. I definitely recommend this book.

Elize van Heerden@bashfulreader

Oct 8, 2021

I adored this audiobook narrated by the wonderful Julie Andrews, listening to her recount her experiences as she joined Hollywood. I loved how personal it felt and how she shared some stories. Truly a great listen

Alyssa Jacunski@unread-shelves

Sep 3, 2021

Julie Andrews is someone I grew up loving her work, from Mary Poppins to the Sound of Music; including her books like Mandy (probably one of my favorite books from my childhood). With Julie narrating the audiobook, it was a joy to have her in my ears reading this. In this memoir, we follow Julie from childhood in WW2 through the early 1960's (right before Mary Poppins). I loved listening to her life on stage, what it was like to be on Broadway in the 1950's and everything in between. Julie is a great writer and I this honestly made my heart happy to "spend" time with her. If you enjoy any of the work of Julie Andrews, I do recommend this memoir. Trigger warning: sexual assault; alcoholism.