"Home: A Memoir of My Early Years" by Julie Andrews (2008)

What a surprise - not unlike Charlie Chaplin's own book that showed how beloved comedian actually rose from tragical childhood full of misery, poverty and sadness, sunny and cheerful Julie Andrews actually started in grey, impoverished and food-rationed Britain with divorced parents and alcoholism around her. Judging from her lighthearted public image, everybody would expect that she had always bounced trough the clouds and flower fields, where in fact at the very early age she was the main bread winner of the family and kept the rent paid with her concert performances while still only a teenager.

The book is written exquisitely - as expected, Andrews has a classy, stylish touch and simply glosses over negative things, trying bravely to describe only pretty gardens, flowers and happy moments but every now and than we are reminded that this was simply a frame of mind and not a reality. Reality was a poverty, exhaustion, cruel stepfather, sad and lonely stepbrothers and alcoholic mother who would often embarrass her in public. It is just amazing how she blossomed into star of musical theatre in spite of all this shortcomings and no one could even guess there was such a sadness underneath her poise. Somewhere along the line Andrews braced herself and worked really hard - nothing was ever given to her and she describes every step of her early life & career for what it was - constant rehearsals, concerts, performances and more rehearsals. Far from living glamorous life, when she appeared on Broadway her diet was canned food. Between the lines we sense how strong she became and that her whole outlook was the matter of choice, Andrews is not the one to mop around and feel self-pity - no matter what circumstances, she would laugh at herself and whistle away. It is really difficult (almost impossible) to separate her public image and private personality because in a way she reflected it all in her subsequent movie work - apparently she IS that kind of a person who would always look on the bright side of life and serve a spoonful of sugar. There are certain moments truly heartbreaking (specially when she talks about her beloved father and what did he mean to her) but she balances it all with a excitement from her theatre work experiences. Just wonderful.