Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In an exquisitely written memoir, Mia Farrow introduces us to the landscapes of her extraordinary life.Moving from her earliest memories of the walled gardens and rocky shores of western Ireland and her Hollywood childhood to her career as an actress, she writes of these experiences and her struggle to protect her children in a painful custody battle with Woody Allen.It was this crisis that led her to reflect upon the incidents that had brought her to a place so incomprehensible.Now, inWhat Falls Away, a memoir resonant not only in its honesty but also in its beautifully crafted prose, Mia Farrow speaks for the first time.
She was born the third of seven children to the beautiful actress Maureen O'Sullivan and successful writer/director John Farrow, but the isolation of a polio ward brought her childhood to an abrupt end at the age of nine.Several years later, two deaths shattered the security of the family forever, and Mia Farrow embarked upon a journey that would lead her away from the convent education that was to sustain her spiritual courage, to starring roles inPeyton PlaceandRosemary's Baby, a marriage to Frank Sinatra, divorce, a defining trip to India, work on the London stage and in film, and marriage to Andre Previn.Their life together in England brought them three sons and three daughters before that marriage, too, dissolved and she returned to the United States.
The year 1979 saw the beginning of a new career with brilliant performances in thirteen of Woody Allen's most distinguished films.
Told with grace and deep understanding, as well as humor, What Falls Awaygoes beneath the surface of this amazing life, with all its drama, success, and pain, and exposes the inner workings of a mind and spirit for whom truth, compassion, and faith are essential.
Mia Farrow's story is ultimately one of hope and courage in the face of difficulty; of commitment to others--most important of whom are her children; and of spiritual strength.Readers will not easily forget this remarkable book, even long after the last page has been turned."
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A simply elegant memoir."
--Newsweek In this exquisitely written memoir, Mia Farrow takes us on a journey into her remarkable life. As the daughter of actress Maureen O'Sullivan and film director John Farrow, she lived what was by all appearances a charmed and privileged childhood. But below the surface, money troubles, marital tensions, drinking, and occasionally violence marred the Hollywood illusion.
And when Mia was nine, she would be forever wrenched from childhood by the terrible isolation of a bout with polio. Her father's death propelled her out into the world, where she embarked onto an acting career that included television, theater, and film--from her debut in Peyton Place to her first starring role in Rosemary's Baby, and on to her thirteen films with Woody Allen.
Here is a luminous memoir of childhood and motherhood, a thoughtful exploration of a spiritual journey, and a candid examination of her marriages to Frank Sinatra and Andr Previn and her close but troubled twelve-year relationship with Woody Allen. Told with grace and deep understanding, as well as humor, What Falls Away is an unforgettable book, an extraordinary record of an extraordinary life.