Julie Andrews

I enjoyed this one but couldn’t give it 5 stars. It gave a wonderful insight into the life of Julie Andrews from early years through to the birth of her daughter Emma. It felt disjointed at times which was a bit of a struggle for me but as I write this I realize that can be due to the trauma and hardships faced. I enjoy books with a good flow and more cohesiveness. The info was worth it though and I’ll be reading another memoir of hers in the near future.

I listened to Julie Andrews' first memoir on audio, which was an utterly delightful experience. The book recounts her life from childhood (with some family history included in the early chapters) through to her departure for California to begin work on Mary Poppins. Her life is a fascinating one and the book includes memories of being in or near London during the Blitz, her time as a child vaudeville performer, and her eventual transition to musical theatre with the Broadway productions of show more My Fair Lady and Camelot. Intertwined with the professional is, of course, the personal and she recounts her relationships with her family, particularly her father and mother who divorced when she was relatively young, as well as her serious romantic relationships up to her first marriage and the birth of her daughter, Emma. The audio production is of excellent quality and there are several moments when you can hear the laugh in Andrews' voice as she reads. Highly recommended. show less

Ten-year-old Mandy feels lost among the thirty children who live in the old stone orphanage. She dreams of a home of her own, a place where she belongs. When Mandy climbs over the high orphanage wall to explore the outside, she is lucky enough to find a tiny deserted cottage hidden in the forest. With a few "borrowed" items, the cottage becomes a refuge. To guard her secret, Mandy even lies -- but when she falls terribly sick, no one knows where she is. No one, that is, except for a special show more admirer she didn't know she had. show less

Summary: Ben, Tom, and Lindy Potter are enjoying an autumn day at the zoo when they meet Professor Savant - an eccentric but brilliant biologist. He asks them if they’ve ever heard of the Whangdoodle - the most fantastic creature in the world, and the last of his kind. So begins their adventure in Whangdoodleland, an incredible place filled with amazing creatures, and reachable only through the imagination. For they are on a quest to meet the elusive Whangdoodle, whatever adventures they show more might meet on the way.

Review: I’m sad I never encountered this book as a child - I think I would have loved it. But, even twenty years too late, I loved it anyways. It’s a fun adventure story, full of actually suspenseful adventures, and a dangerous if not particularly menacing bad guy. But, more than that, it’s got a really nice message about using your imagination, and about seeing the miracle of Life. Obviously, 35 years later, the science seems a little dated - in the 1970s, genetics was only very recently establishing itself as a major field of study, and cloning still seemed like a pretty remote possibility. Today, the descriptions of what happens in a laboratory working with DNA seem a little laughable (if I ever had brightly-colored clouds of steam coming from my work, I’d be severely worried… But, of course, these things work differently in Whangdoodleland.) But, even so, if I ever have children, this book will definitely be read to them early - and often. For now, though, it’s definitely going in my pile of childhood favorites, even if I didn’t quite get to it in childhood. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you have kids, read it to them. If you don’t have kids, read it anyways - it’s a fun adventure and a quick kick in the pants to a stagnated adult imagination.

Quote I Particularly Liked: Lindy brought her bike alongside the professor’s. “You know so much,” she said. “Don’t you sometimes feel bewildered when you think of the millions of things that put life together?” The professor smiled. “I’m not bewildered. I’m filled with the deepest awe and wonder. The miracle is that in its complexity it all works.”

Amen, sir. Amen. show less