And New York - A Story Lately Told - Coming of Age in Ireland

Angelica Huston's memoir is a delight. She writes of growing up in Ireland, England, and New York in the 60's and 70's. This is the 1st part, the 2nd coming out next fall. She writes well and you can live her moments with her. And I can only believe the next will be better with all the Hollywood dish of the 80's.

This is an elegant and fascinating memoir. I don't usually read celebrity memoirs but I was interested in this because of her father, the famous director John Houston, but, soon, I was enthralled by her elegant prose. A very good read.

Just fun to read; looking forward to the next edition. A lovely balance of her amazingly clear memories, just the right balance of frisson with her romances. She does not delve into her relationship with her father very much and seemed to show little anger with him for his inability to be a good husband to her mother or a good father to her.

This was a surprise Christmas gift for a dear friend of mine who moved to Florida to live a couple of years ago. My friend's taste in reading runs primarily to biographies, autobiographies, and current history. So I'm sure this was appreciated.

I was excited when I read that Anjelica Huston had a book coming out and so when it came in the mail I immediately started reading it. I was so disappointed in the book. It's all about a spoiled little girl and her spoiled childhood. Shallow and superficial.The writing leaves much to be desired too. Definitely will not get book 2 when it comes out.

I generally prefer reading histories, biographies and memoirs, and i loved this one. It was so engrossing, I truly believe even if you had never heard of Ms. Huston, or her famous father and grandfather, you'd still enjoy the book, its rather like a snap shot of the 50s through 70s. I will say that she and I are the same age, so her references had significance for me. I couldn't put the book down and I cant wait for the next installment.

Had a tough time finishing this book. I like Anjelica Huston as an actor and was excited to read her book. It just didn't keep my attention as much as I thought it would. It was more like a list of events rather then a story. She really didn't go in to great detail about events. I would have liked to have seen more in depth account of events.

Had a tough time finishing this book. I like Anjelica Huston as an actor and was excited to read her book. It just didn't keep my attention as much as I thought it would. It was more like a list of events rather then a story. She really didn't go in to great detail about events. I would have liked to have seen more in depth account of events.

A beautifully written book. A marvelous and insightful read, full of legends that spring to life. One could only hope that all celebrity biographies were self-written, as this is -- and as well done. I can't wait for the next part.

I was disappointed that the book was about her childhood. It stopped just short of her career taking off and the reason I wanted to read the book initially was to read about her movie career, loves and relationships with people in the industry. I should have read more information before purchasing it. So if a reader is expecting to get a glimpse of Angelica Huston's life and loves while she was a movie/television star, this isn't the book for you. It was well written but I found the subject matter mostly boring.

Anjelica Huston really grew up in a very emotionally abusive home with both her parents self destructive behavior and their lack of concern but even though this is well written and engaging it doesn't appear that she's that aware of how disturbed her background was. Her father was so famous and so spoiled, her parents even when she was very young didn't really live together they they had separate areas of the house in Ireland and her mother just taking off with various boyfriends and leaving the children with nannies,eventually when she was 17 the mother Ricky Soma died in a car accident while traveling in Europe with her latest boyfriend leaving her 3 children without a mother and to fend for themselves.

Though I enjoyed the book for sheer information about her parents and lifestyle, I was surprised that a mature woman whom I consider intelligent and, up till now, thoughtful, could simply make a list of happenings without pausing to reflect on them. As the daughter of one of America's most fascinating artists I would have thought Anjelica would have had, and shared with her readers, some views about his character and motivations. Ditto her also fascinating mother. The tone of the book read as though she were still a kind of clueless teenager (maybe she viewed it as an acting role instead of that of auteur) and I kept waiting for the part where she broke into adulthood and gave us some real grit. The book was also too short. She ought to have waited till she finished the second part and released them both as one piece. In short, the subtitle is what throws one off - there seemingly IS no coming of age; just a recitation of what she wore, her hairstyle, where she went, and whom she dated while this potentially great story took place coincidentally around her! Still, if the reader is just interested in what went on (on the surface), it's worth picking up. In fact, I may actually buy the second installment just to learn about her relationship with Nicholson. If I do, I won't expect anything deeper than the logistics and an occasional aside.

I've always thought of Anjelica Huston as someone whose story i would like to read. The twists and turns of her life that i had already read about, together with her family history, the professional and personal choices she has made and her subsequent acting success, would, I imagined, offer the reader a rare insight into the era, and her experiences within it. But sadly no. The telling was a huge bore really. The writing ability didn't live up to the expectation of a well written insightful autobiography and at times just seemed like a listing of the celebrities who passed through her seemingly superficial life. The book was a huge disappointment for me and certainly not worth the price.

Liked the way it was written. Nice and clean. Not too many people live this way today. For once other peoples lives are moral
at least to the most part. I just like this woman. I know nobody is perfect and I am glad she had a nice childhood.

The story is beautifully written and generously shared with delightful details tucked in to make the reader feel like an intimate friend. I have always admired Angelica Huston as an artist and as a woman who has lived life courageously in spite of heartbreak and devastating loss. She is a truly beautiful human being who radiates joy and strength. I voraciously look forward to the next installment of her saga.

This is such a detailed, mundane memior. If you want to read about an alcoholic father (John Huston) who cheats on every woman he comes into contact with, then this is the book for you. I thought I would zip through this thin book, but is so droll and boring, I was sadly surprised. Wait for the library and save your money. I would return it to the store, but I think I am past the return date.

I found this book to be interesting for sure. However, it seemed to be somewhat repetitive, boring information about celebrities and the home in Ireland. Suppose she will write another book about her Hollywood experience.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! I've always been an Angelica Huston fan, and have found many of her interviews facinating. She seems to have lived an extraordinary life and I hoped that she would write an autobiography at some point in her career. She did not disappoint, and I'm really looking forward to her next book!

I had my first girl crush watching Angelica Huston in woody Allen's "Manhattan murder mystery" turns out she's even cooler than the character she portrayed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Those quotes from Joan Didion (who should know better) to plug what passes as some kind of meaningful memoir. This book was a just list of blase anecdotes. Just a list of I lived here and then I lived there and (insert celebrity) would drop by and my father was on location filming (insert title) and sleeping with (insert almost anyone he ever encountered) and btw, my favorite dog died of kidney disease because I didn't walk him enough. What she should be writing about is this father fetish. Why she even cared about a freakin' fornicating father who slapped her around because her "bumping dance" was nasty---please, enough already...another battered woman who defends the men that beat up on her.

Perhaps great actors should just act. My fault for hoping that this talented and seemingly interesting public figure could also write. Alas she can not.
Disjointed and overly detailed the storey moves through time and oodles of names but with little to no insight or reflection or emotion. Very disappointed.

It was said that Ms Huston's latest series "Smash" was in trouble when her name was misspelled in the credits, same could be said about the grammatical incorrectness of the title of her latest book. I'm not sure if i read this correctly but i found exactly one instance of her expressing concern for someone other than herself, a weepy Montgomery Clift. I think when she says, on the occasion of her mother's death, she couldn't forgive her father for abandoning "her," she must be talking about herself, as that seems to be the pattern. She does fall for photographer Bob Richardson, who seems every bit the svengali who stole fellow model Lauren Hutton's money in the same time period. It's not so much about "Bob" as it is "Dick" (Avedon) or "Polly" (Mellon), all of whom worked for "Diana" (Vreeland). It's all so tiring, keeping up with where she is, who she is with and with not the slightest insights, she did have friends, Joan, Lizzie, lucky she was to have them.

I was a little disappointed with this book. It seemed the only interesting parts were when her father, John Huston was the subject. I ended up skipping through parts because so much time was spent describing in detail what she ate, what others ate, what she smelled, what she was wearing, etc. It's hard to believe that after 40+ years she can remember all of this down to the smallest detail. I started to wonder if she had run out of material. I believe Angelica Huston is a very interesting woman, but this book dragged.

In this first book of her autobiography Anjelica Huston tells tales starting with her childhood in Ireland and England up to her young womanhood in New York City. Born in 1951, Huston had colorful parents - the former beautiful ballerina Enrica Soma and the larger than life director John Huston - and met large numbers of the rich and famous. In fact Huston mentions so many people - friends, acquaintances, neighbors, nannies, teachers, crushes, models, photographers, actors, actresses, directors, etc. - that they become blended together in a confusing swirl of names. The book also seems more like a detailed list of activities - fox hunting, partying, skiving off school, moving, modeling - than a comprehensive life story. We do get a feel for the love Huston's mom bestowed on her children and for the fun and hardships that come with having John Huston - a hard-drinking womanizer and gambler who was often away directing films - for a dad. The story gets more interesting when Anjelica becomes a fashion model in her late teens and hooks up with the mentally ill photographer Bob Richardson for a four year romance. I'm hoping the second volume of the biography, when Huston becomes a famous actress and has a long-term romance with Jack Nicholson, is more of a comprehensive biography.

I don't understand how anyone could write a negative review of this wonderful memoir. It was fascinating to learn not only about Ms. Huston's childhood, but also what Ireland was like in the 1950's, and London in the 1960's, from her personal memories. She is thoughtful, honest, self-effacing and her stories about her Mother and Father are lovely. I have the audio version of the book, and love listening to her voice. She has lived a fascinating life, and I am looking forward to her follow up book, "Watch Me".

Some of the criticism of this memoir (it seems) has been on the abrupt ending to this book. Yes, it is a bit abrupt...you just want to learn more! But it would be a rather large book to hold with all of her wonderful stories, and pearls of wisdom that she has learned along the way. I think a memoir SUCCEEDS when you don't want it to end. I don't see that as a negative. It just makes you look forward to her next book. She is an incredibly gifted writer. Simply. wonderful.