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Ronald Harwood
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Julie Andrews
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Home: A Memoir of My Early Years Hardcover – 7 Mar. 2008

by Ronald Harwood (Author)
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.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Weidenfeld & Nicolson
  4. Publication date
    7 Mar. 2008
  5. Dimensions
    16 x 3.3 x 24 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0297643576
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0297643579
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Product description

Review

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

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

"Julie tells the really quite harrowing part of her childhood with the same breeziness as she does her subsequent stardom." -- Nicky Haslam, The Spectator

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

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

"it is precisely the frankness which gives the book such an admirbly unsentimental tone." -- Michael Arditti, The Daily Telegraph

"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 and Tribune

"will astond her friends and those who have followed her career." -- Daily Express

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

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.

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  1. Ronald Harwood

    Ronald Harwood

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  2. Julie Andrews

    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.

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,905 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this memoir enjoyable and well-written, particularly praising it as one of the best stage and screen autobiographies. They appreciate the narrative style, with one customer highlighting its focus on childhood upbringing, and another noting its surprising family history. Customers find the book insightful and engaging.
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34 customers mention readability, 34 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book readable and interesting, with several noting it's worth reading before the follow-up book "Homework."
...However so far it's a good read, giving a fascinating insight into Julie's early family life and early career.Read more
Started and then continued until page 40 ish to be very interesting but from then on turned into a name dropping book ie, look who i know, spoilt...Read more
Lovely book.Read more
Great book...Read more
12 customers mention writing style, 12 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as wonderfully and best-written among stage and screen autobiographies, with one customer noting Julie Andrews' graceful prose.
Well written and informative as well as mentioning lots of well-known stars ✨ Really enjoyed it ☺️ 🍒...Read more
So interesting and beautifully written I read this in just over a day. And I could read it again! Looking forward to the following book.Read more
Loved this book, very well written evoking a real sense of the times. Can't wait for the next one! There will be another one won't there?Read more
This is such an interesting and well written autobiography. Highly recommended. I am moving straight on to the latest one!Read more
8 customers mention interest, 8 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book interesting, with one mentioning that the personal aspect makes it more engaging.
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...Read more
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....Read more
...She's had such an interesting life, so far. I feel this is a very honest book and for that reason alone deserves to be read....Read more
The story is moving and engaging. Very good but loses its way when she starts to breakthrough as loses its edgeRead more
7 customers mention narrative style, 7 positive, 0 negative
Customers enjoy the narrative style of the book, describing it as a lovely showbiz memoir, with one customer highlighting it as a must-read biography.
The story is moving and engaging. Very good but loses its way when she starts to breakthrough as loses its edgeRead more
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...Read more
This was a lovely showbiz memoir to read - Julie has the ability to see the good in everybody and make friends wherever she goes....Read more
...This is a must- read biography which highlights how much work went into establishing Julie as the leading actress she is today....Read more
5 customers mention insight, 5 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book insightful, with one describing it as a must-read biography.
...However so far it's a good read, giving a fascinating insight into Julie's early family life and early career.Read more
...it - Not just another autobiography, one that is well written and insightful'.Read more
Well written and informative as well as mentioning lots of well-known stars ✨ Really enjoyed it ☺️ 🍒...Read more
Truly enjoyable reading, giving an insight into the world of one of the United Kingdom’s mist loved actresses. Thank you Julie!Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Miss Diane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 September 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    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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  • philip norris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A very fine memoir.
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  • Annabel Gaskell
    4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely memoir
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2008
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    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!
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Lou M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 April 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    This is such an interesting and well written autobiography. Highly recommended. I am moving straight on to the latest one!
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  • Noel Cordingley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Slow start to an otherwise excellent book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2020
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    A little slow to start, introducing you to sooooo many different relatives and family friends it was hard to keep up, but once the chapters turn to address her early beginnings thru to her broadway successes it becomes a book that I couldn’t put down. Read it in three days which is rare for me!
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  • mr j adams
    5.0 out of 5 stars So insightful!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    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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  • Alison
    4.0 out of 5 stars a great present
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 February 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified 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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  • Fm Oshea
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Voice of Julie Andrews
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2016
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    What a great book..it is very interesting not because is some sensational the 'expos'e but because it's the story of a girl ordinary who doesn't rate herself very highly has a problematical family issues abound. After being thrown into the world of vaudeville learns she has a voice. Also she takes us through a period of English history told by one who lived it. I recommend this book I couldn't put it down. A surprise for me!.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Milene
    5.0 out of 5 stars recomendo muito para os 5 julie fãs do brasil
    Reviewed in Brazil on 29 July 2021
    Verified Purchase
    O livro é maravilhoso! Acabei de finalizar a leitura (ontem, na verdade) e recomendo muito pra qualquer um que seja tão apaixonado pela Julie quanto eu — a entrega, inclusive, foi super rápida e o livro chegou em perfeito estado. Recomendo pra quem puder que compre em capa dura, no entanto, porque a comum não é das mais resistentes, mas isso eu já esperava.

    Não vejo a hora de comprar a segunda parte. :)
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  • Anne Marie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in Canada on 3 November 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Loved this book!
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  • Betbarine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Une grande actrice
    Reviewed in France on 21 December 2016
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Je suis depuis toujours une fan de Julie Andrews comme actrice et je n'ai pas été déçue par son autobiographie qui est honnête, très bien écrite (en Anglais) et agréable à lire. En plus ça m'a permis d'apprendre un tas de mots anglais que je ne connaissais pas. La version Kindle est pour cela d'une grande aide : elle ouvre un dictionnaire par simple pression sur le mot inconnu.
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  • Liz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
    Reviewed in Australia on 3 September 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I loved reading this - I had no idea her early life was so difficult. Well written and engaging book.
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  • Mira Makai
    5.0 out of 5 stars Julie Andrews for President
    Reviewed in Germany on 9 February 2026
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Best purchase of my life. 🥹🩷
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