Loving Amy: A Mother's Story

by Janis Winehouse

“Amy was one of those rare people who made an impact . . . She was a bundle of emotions, at times adorable and at times unbearable. . . . Amy's passing did not follow a clear line. It was jumbled, and her life was unfinished―not life's natural order at all. She left no answers, only questions, and in the years since her death I’ve found myself trying to make sense of the frayed ends of her extraordinary existence.” Amy's mother, Janis, knew her in a way that no one else did. In this warm, poignant, and at times heartbreaking memoir, she tells the full story of the daughter she loved so much. As the world watched the rise of a superstar, then the free fall of an addict to her tragic death, Janis simply saw her the daughter she’d given birth to, the girl she’d raised and stood by despite her unruly behavior, the girl whose body she was forced to identify two days after her death―and the girl she's grieved for every day since. Arguably the most gifted artist of her generation, Amy Winehouse died tragically young, aged just twenty-seven. With a worldwide fan base and millions of record sales to her name, she should have had the world at her feet. Yet in the years prior to her death, she battled with addiction and was frequently the subject of lurid tabloid headlines. Including rare photographs and extracts from Amy's childhood journals, Loving Amy offers a new and intimate perspective on the life and untimely death of a musical icon.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Music, Memoir, Addiction, Biography Memoir, Health

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2014

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book as i have read the book written by Pete Doherty's mother and i just couldn't relate to her but i need not have worried, Janis writes in a way that makes you feel as if your actually living and breathing it with her.

This is a warts and all account of being the mother of Amy Winehouse, the highs and the lows, the good and the bad. Its such an honest account its heart breaking.

Being able to see the letters Amy wrote as a ten year old was amazing. Her mind was wired in a way that flabbergasted me. A genius with words, a wild imagination.

We have all watched a million clips of Amy and read a million articles but this book leaves you with a 3D vision of the icon

Amy was a rogue, a tearaway, a million difficult to manage things but i dare anyone to read this and not fall in love with her

We knew you were special Amy, your mother confirmed it!

[GTF · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins in 1983; Janis is pregnant with a baby who would grow up to be the Amy Winehouse we all knew for the beehive hairdo, jazz imbued singing voice, and tabloid shenanigans. Janis knew from an early stage in Amy's upbringing that her wayward daughter had an energy and audacity that Janis was not always able to control. While life with Amy was not always easy, Janis realized that Amy had a talent for music and performing from a young age, and tried to nurture that talent as much as she could, since Amy showed little interest in academia throughout her school years. Although school grades may have implied that Amy would not experience much success, Janis writes of how proud she was of her daughter when she recorded her debut album 'Frank'. While it was exciting for Janis to see Amy on television and in magazines during the promotion for her debut album, Janis had no idea that things would escalate into a media frenzy in only a few years time, following the release of Amy's beautifully written and composed second album 'Back to Black'.

Janis Winehouse has received criticism over the years for being too passive in her daughter's problems with drugs and alcohol, but it is important to highlight how strong willed and complex Amy's was as a person. Highly intuitive and charismatic, Amy was often capable of getting what she wanted while doing what she wanted. Although Janis writes about the lovely traits that her daughter possessed, she acknowledges some unpleasant qualities to Amy's character that Amy sometimes failed to control.

It is clear from the book that Amy deeply struggled with addiction. While she may have managed to kick her heroin addiction, Amy had patterns of binge drinking in the final few years of her life. A cryptic response from Amy during a brief conversation about Janis' wedding plans: You know I won't be around, is indelible in Janis' memory, as it implies that Amy could have been aware of her fate.

[Ruby Tuesday · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many books about Amy Winehouse and this book is by far the best. Janis Winehouse is a gifted writer and for the first time I've come away feeling that I've really understood Amy's story. Janis comes across as a very likeable person which is interesting as I think Amy's parents got a hard time in the tabloid press. She was a devoted Mum who did absolutely everything she could to save Amy,never truly knowing what was the best approach to take.

One thing I found notable was when Janis describes how Amy would adopt different characters. She remembers watching her on the Jonathan Ross show and Amy had adopted a really strong cockney accent and was speaking in a way she had never spoken before. She describes her "gangsters moll" persona when she was with Blake Fielder-Civil and how she would become babyish around her Dad, sitting on his knee and sucking her thumb. She was definitely a complex character but I believe that deep down she was basically a good,kind person. This story starts off from Amy's life as a child all the way through to her early death and the starting up of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. You get a sense that when Amy found fame so young she also lost herself and only occasionally would the real, old Amy appear from beneath the characters she had created.

This book is a fascinating read for anybody that enjoyed Amy's music, as I still do or has an interest in addictions and what it's like to have an addicted family member. The book also has photos of Amy as a child and it is amazing how much she looked like her Mum, the resemblance when Janis was young was striking. When I see photos of Amy, healthy in her 'Frank' days I find it so sad knowing what became of her.

A tragic story but it ends with a positive by talking about the work of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. I thought this book was outstanding and well done to Janis Winehouse for finally doing justice to Amy's life, career and struggles with addiction.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels like an amazingly honest and real biography of a most complicated human being. It would have been so easy for Janis Winehouse to sugar-coat things, leave things out and recreate Amy in a more favourable light. But she doesn’t. She tells the story of her daughter; a child she loved fiercely, a teenagers she seemed not to understand and a young woman she lost.

As I read the book I alternated between wanted to just smack Amy and tell her to stop being such an attention-seeking drama llama, and feeling so very deeply sorry this obviously unwell young woman. Believe me, Amy did lots of stuff that would make even Mother Theresa or Ghandi growl at her. She was a nasty piece of work at times – Janis even admits she was a bit of a bully during some periods of her life, and she was not a popular girl at all. But under it all is a sense, from early on, that Amy was just not psychiatrically okay. She so clearly struggled with the world at large, and manifest her roundness in a square hole by being rather full of shit a lot of the time – not an easy person at all.

Maybe it because we all know the end at the start of the book, but Amy’s slide towards such an unnecessary and early death seems so obvious from quite early on in her teens. It was like watching a car accident in slow motion with a sense of horrid impending doom. Amy just kept making the wrong decision, seemingly unable to see the disaster she was creating, the talent she was squandering.
Janis Winehouse writes in a compelling, very readable way. Even when frustrated by Amy, I never wanted to stop reading. I felt so much sadness for Amy and Janis at the end of this book.
The book starts with Janis talking about how hard it is to get on with her life after a death when that person is around you all the time. Image being her, seeing monster posters of your dead child on the streets, hearing her voice in airports and supermarkets, seeing tabloid images of her breakdown resurfacing. I cannot image how painful that must be and I feel some guilt at the fact that, while not a fan, I remember the images of Amy in her red bra, falling apart on the streets of London.

How much did we all contribute to the end of this human’s life by simply clamouring for more from her?

This is a wonderful biography for both fans and those of us who know her music but never tipped into real fandom. I have since bought Amy’s father’s biography of her – it will be interesting to compare stories.

Well done Amy’s mom – you did good by your daughter in this book.

[Wendi Manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm on a streak of books by mothers explaining what happened with their dead children. This one seems to unintentionally show how detached Janis was from Amy. She didn't meet Blake until after he and Amy were married? That's a huge sign of how unimportant Amy and her mom were to each other at that time.

Waste of time, unless you want to read a book of excuses, and not a lot of knowledge of what actually happened to her daughter. Poor Amy.

[Tiegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different read than the biography written by Amy's father. While he was a little closer to the story and knew a bit more of the sordid details of Amy's life after she became famous, Janis kept her distance because of her diagnosis with MS and her need to watch her own health. Throughout Amy's struggle with fame and drugs, Janis kept herself planted in reality. She knew the dangers of Amy's choices, but also knew that there was almost nothing she could do. The only way Amy was going to get better was if Amy decided she wanted to get better. While Mitch's approach was to try to micro-manage and yell at Amy and force her into rehab after rehab, Janis just tried to take every moment with Amy as she could. Whenever she saw her little girl acting normal, she cherished those moments, and just continued to stand by her daughter and let her know she was loved no matter what she was going through. I am glad I chose to read both biographies, they both give a wonderful insight into Amy's struggles, as well as the different ways her family struggled. Like her family, I am sad she was gone too soon, just as she was really getting a handle on her addictions. All of her hopes and dreams for life were taken from her because of her addictions and that is just heartbreaking. But I love how Mitch and Janis both promote the work the Amy Winehouse foundation does for people like Amy who are less fortunate with money - they really work to help save others struggling with addiction and helping their families learn how best to get through it, too.

[Polly March · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Amy’s passing did not follow a clear line. It was jumbled, and her life was unfinished - not life’s natural order at all. She left no answers, only questions, and in the years since her death I’ve found myself trying to make sense of the frayed ends of her extraordinary existence.”

Where to start on the life and times of Amy Winehouse? A woman so undefinable, yet who has come to capture so much of our generation's imagination with her soulful, gut wrenching lyricism and totally unique voice. Well, perhaps by reading her mother’s reflections, published just three years after her death as the milestone for Amy’s thirtieth birthday quietly passed us by.

First things first, I will never find enough to say about Amy Winehouse. I am a HUGE Amy Winehouse fan and grew up with her music which, even since her passing, has come to define significant milestones in my own life. I had read her father, Mitch’s, book two years ago and came away feeling I hadn’t really learnt anything new - rather, feeling frustrated from what I felt was a little centered in his own narrative. (However, he had always carried a bad reputation for being “fame hungry” and my own perception has softened towards him since I last read his work.)

Whereas Mitch had been defined as the dominant parent in Amy’s life, and also in the press, Janis had always been painted as the passive parent - a characterisation I also accepted all too willingly as the truth. For this reason I wasn’t expecting to glean an awful lot from Janis’ book and, as with any account written about someone who is no longer with us, was expecting it to offer up more questions than it did answers.

I can humbly say that I was wrong on all fronts. This book is an almost uncomfortably honest view of a jazz legend who was once just somebody’s daughter. Janis doesn’t sugar coat who her daughter was, in all her fierceness and fragility, nor does she try to paint herself out to be anything other than a mother battling against an addiction, and an addict, that slowly hollowed out her little girl.

Whilst I wouldn’t ever want to say that Amy’s early death, and to that of addiction, was an inevitability, you can’t help but come to understand that Amy was never going to live a conventional or straightforward life. Whilst so many musicians of today can only dream of cultivating the legendary rock n roll lifestyle and image she crafted so effortlessly, you truly get a sense that Amy was just being Amy.

Without wanting to romanticise or glorify the legend behind the life (that, Janis so deftly dispels) Amy was always destined to follow the pull of her wild, tempestuous nature: “Whatever Amy felt at any given moment, those feelings were real to her and she acted on them.” And for this you simply can’t hold her parents responsible. Janis herself has stated that even in the years since her death, “Sometimes we figure her out; at other times she is the ball of confusion she always was.” Ultimately, for all that Amy was on her best days: funny and intelligent with a razor sharp wit, she was always fighting against something - and as much as you want to find that one pivotal moment in her life where you can pinpoint where it all began to go so wrong, you can’t. And that’s something Janis has clearly worked hard to accept.

Throughout ‘Loving Amy’, Janis surprised me in her candour, especially when talking about how much Amy’s public persona continued to change and the confusion she felt towards it all. From speaking with an East End accent (as she used in her first Jonathan Ross interview), to acting the gangsters moll when it came to Blake and putting on a baby voice when with her father, even her mother never knew which Amy she was going to get. Whilst Janis puts this down to emotional immaturity owing to her insecurities and the pressures of being in the public eye, it feels incredibly sad to think that this once totally authentic and larger than life girl seemed to lose track of who she was. Janis writes: “I think she brought her characters out as coping mechanisms, to get her through anxious moments or stressful situations.... In all honesty there was rarely a time at Camden Square [2010/11] when Amy was a whole person. Rather, she continued to be this fragmented girl, a series of creations I suppose I'd become accustomed to.”

It is these candid reflections that I found littered throughout her writing that surprised me the most. Janis remains bravely open in acknowledging that behind the legendary headlines, was a lost, and often not particularly selfless, young woman. From being accused of bullying at school (“Other children seemed to develop a pack mentality around Amy, probably because it was the easiest way to force her back”) to the personal anger she felt at Amy choosing to get married in Miami, a place that had become so personal to Janis in her own teenage years (“Not for a moment do I think that Amy would have made the connection. She was in her own ‘Amy bubble’ without a care for anyone other than herself”) - you can’t argue that Janis doesn’t lay it all bare for the reader, and the fans.

I also gleaned lots of other little facts that I didn’t know about Amy, such as that she had barely lasted a term at BRIT (the school so famously credited with her talent), that the death of her beloved grandmother Cynthia, which triggered so much of her derailment, was only 5 short years before her own passing, and that in the year she set record breaking wins at the Grammys she was nominated against Taylor Swift for best new artist (and won!)

Indeed, I think that is something worth remembering about the era in which Amy lived her life - no one was doing what Amy was doing. Nobody sounded like her, nobody looked like her, and certainly the press didn’t take the same level of care towards her as we would today. Whereas in 2007 we saw a stick thin drug addict who was laughed at in the weekly glossies, now we are able to understand that, actually, she was a bulimic who battled with this mental illness for most of her life (tragically, at her death, she weighed a mere 6 ½ stone and had purged the night of her passing). In the 7 short years she was in the public eye, we saw the most pivotal years of her young adult life play out and Janis does an important job to note this in her reflections: we simply weren’t having the same conversations then as we are now.

However, of course, as any mother’s account of a daughter is bound to do, it did leave some big questions I would love to have read more on. For example she barely mentions Blake, perhaps as this is such a sore point for her, but frustratingly he is so wrapped up in Amy’s life and legacy, fans are always going to want to uncover more. I also found the period in which Amy was writing Back to Black was rather short and didn’t reveal anything new, though understandably as Amy was in America for much of this, we can’t expect too much.

Ultimately, you are left with a very real, very honest account of being Amy’s mother. And for anyone to say that Janis was a passive by-stander in her daughter's demise, I urge you to pick up this book. For one, Janis began to suffer with MS around the time Amy became famous - and until you are being faced with your own mortality and a disease that slowly strips you of your own autonomy, I don’t think anyone can argue how mentally and emotionally strong you will be - let alone when you are wrapped up in what felt like a never ending media storm. As Janis sadly laments herself, “Underneath, I longed to be plain old Janis Winehouse again, the pharmacist from north London who lived an ordinary if topsy-turvy life but who was proud of everything she’d achieved and loved her kids with all her heart.” It’s also important to remain rooted in the simple fact that unless you have lived with someone who has an addiction or a mental illness, you simply cannot critique what you would do in their position.

Janis doesn’t make excuses, but what she does make clear is how lost Amy became in the whirlwind that was her life: “I saw a girl whose life was overwhelming her, more than she had ever anticipated.” It is a tragic and sad telling of a life that burned too brightly, but it is also completely authentic - and isn’t that exactly how Amy lived and breathed, even when she wasn’t understood by those closest to her?




*I picked up this book as the tenth anniversary of Amy’s death approached, at which point the BBC also released a new documentary led by Janis titled “Reclaiming Amy” which I watched as I reached the halfway point of this book. I would recommend watching this as it helps reframe the narrative that has followed Amy’s parents.

*I have also added a number of quotes in “My Quotes” attributed to this book which I feel give a good indication as to what to expect when approaching “Loving Amy”.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took awhile to actually sit down and do the review for this book because my honest opinion feels a bit harsh. I am going to try to do a brief review and not get too in depth as I know opinions and emotions tend to run high on this subject. For information, the book tells a nice side of Amy's early years and shows sides of Amy that are not fully fleshed out in other books and interviews. It's really clear that from both of Amy's parents books that Amy was loved and encouraged in her life from childhood and that both of her parents did their best in raising a very complicated child. There is however a tone of defensiveness in both of the books that Amy's parents have written. I know that the press and fans at times have been harsh and the media glare would be difficult to take for anyone. I just feel like telling a story and not adding a "but I did my best" coda into every chapter would make the obvious difficulty of dealing with someone like Amy come through but not rub a person the wrong way. I don't think anyone, including Amy herself could deny how complicated it is to deal with someone so talented, so troubled and so addicted. I think that the people around Amy were just out of their depths from early on and did not know how to handle a handful of a person like Amy. The does not make her downfall any one person's fault--more like a long series of tripping down and over large and painful objects and not getting a hand at the right time. Interestingly, I think her grandmother Cynthia had the best handle on Amy and had she lived and been more well informed about Amy's activities she might have been the one to take her in hand and stop a lot of nonsense that need never have occurred. Ultimately, this is a fan's book, for those of us who are fans and want to read whatever we can about this important musician and fragile woman.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly emotional read some laughter,joy and tears I’ve always loved janis and i feel honoured that i got to see her,
Janis does an incredible thing with this book were its raw and its true and that’s something ive longed to have read the rawness and truth behind the legacy of Amy Winehouse.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to “know” Amy through her music about a year before her death. Her musical voice fits a group of female artists who have touched me; Phoebe Snow, Laura Nero, Tracy Chapman, and Amy Winehouse. So talented, transparent, creative, unique, very unique.

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving Amy. (A mother’s story)

I can only write so much so i will put what i feel is right.Where do I start??? When I heard the new’s about Amy on Facebook I could not believe it and to this day it is very sad and i am still a shock and does seem real. As you never expect a very special and magical pop singer to die and at a young age. She had a true love for writing songs, singing, and recording them for her fans and her self also family, as she had something going on in her life which made her very happy as well. I personally think that she had a lot of sadness, felt lonely at times and anger when it can to her life when it came to the press not ever leaving her a lone and unless she went away to a secret country or when in her home. If they had left her a lone she might be a life today.I read on line that she said if you leave me a long I can write songs. The only way that Amy could blank out the pain was to take drugs and drink which is very sad and in a way I understand it as we all get to live a normal life where can go out to: the shops, eat out, go for walks, chill in the park, go to a bar with friends or family and have fun but Amy could not do this that often because of the press which is very sad in my eyes but then they want make lots of money and just think of them self's and instead no one else. When it comes to Blake where do I start??? When it came to life with him it was love and happiness when not on drugs and I think it is so wrong that he introduced Amy to hard drugs as really it made her drug in take even worse than it was. I think they loved each other to a point that they would of done anything for each other but it upsets me that he did not think about the how the drug habit was affecting Amy and that he could of helped somehow but because he was too deep in it as well and did not see what it was really doing to him and Amy. it is a shame that Amy did not meet Reg before Blake where he could of made sure she was happy, safe and could of had a family and happy life together but who knows. When it comes to drug dealers they are evil, scum and just someone who should be a shamed of them self's big time. Their family members and friends should be a shamed as well and that the fact they let them do it is disgusting and need to wake up to the fact they need to help and make them see since it is wrong and that they are causing a lot of pain for the drug taker and family when it ends in a bad way. I can’t stand drug dealers as I don’t know how they can live with them self’s and I hope karma comes their way one day. Janis wanted to protect Amy so much when it came to drugs and Alcohol but there is only so much you can do with a child as they need to want to change them self’s when they are ready which is very hard. The hell of what Janis, Mitch, Alex and the family went through I could never imagine the pain, worry and upset they must have felt as when you worry about a child or brother, sister but in this case a sister, it can be very stressful and upsetting at times but you can only try your best even if it is not always right.Knowing that Amy’s doctor visited her in the home she lived was a very kind thing and caring but it is a shame that the doctor could not save Amy but tried her best. Amy’s bodyguard Andrew must have felt so bad that Amy died while he was there keeping an eye but really no one is to blame about what happen. Not Amy, Janis, Alex, Riva, Richard, Mitch or Jane or even any of Amy’s friends The very sad thing is knowing Amy did not want to die but nothing could not be done but i am sure where ever she is that may Amy be happy, safe and enjoying a life that she wanted instead of the sad one she lived.it is such a kind thing that the family have asked the government to make effective drugs education to be compulsory part of the national curriculum which is very important and should be done, even though the subjects gets taught in schools are to be needed but really knowing the facts of what life really is about and is like, it is so much more important in my eyes but then the government does not always think about the people and the real world. They are such a kind family to do such wonderful work and give money to charities who need help. It must have been so hard to celebrate a special birthday for Amy (30th) but they all did in their own special way which was very sweet. I can’t believe that someone would be so enough to take a few of Amy’s belongings which to this day have not been given back or found which is very sad for the family as that is all they have left of their lovely special daughter but you never know one day they might have a heart to give them back. I feel very sorry for Janis when it comes to her MS which I know that not everyone wants people to feel sorry for them but you can’t help not feel sorry for them. I think stress and worry do not help but this comes with life when you have a family and life as this part of it and always will be. at not one point is Alex or Amy to blame. The married break up did not help one bit which is very sad but not every married work's out as some don't always work or last but really if this happens you should at least try and fix it or go your own way. When it comes to having MS it must be very frightening as you don’t know what will happen now or in the future so I hope Janis is well and happy somehow as I do not have a clue what is like to lose a child and never will as I do not want children. there is not enough words to describe what it must be like to lose a child as i know people who have and it is very difficult, painful but with in time it get's better and easier but a parent's life will never be the same as well the same for a brother or sister . As a fan we will never know the truth about every last bit of how Janis felt at the time of what happened as even though she has written bits and bobs there always will be private things she will want to keep quite but I am very thankful for telling Amy’s fans a certain amount of what she felt was right to say as we can picture Amy’s real life and what it was like as the DVD about Amy’s life is not completely true and has had some untrue tales and information in it which is very sad.Janis did not have to do an interview about Amy to talk about the Anniversary and foundation but putting a photo is with Amy wearing a bra out her flat is discussing then to do but then they do not care.I come to the end now of writing my review which is very sad and I don’t not want it to end if I am truthful. It have been a very entreating read and sad at times, happy and sweet moments but I have at times been tearful and sad but this Book tells the truth about a very special pop artist as the DVD has at times told a lot of wrong things and even made it look bad with certain things which is very sad. Janis, Alex and Mitch you should be very proud with your daughter and that you will never find a pop start like Amy again who loved music, sang live and wrote such fabulous songs and will never be beaten to re placing or getting old. Janis you should also be very proud for writing this book as it must have been a very hard thing to do.
Thank you Janis for writing this book!!!!!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

No parent should ever have to bury their child. In hindsight and through the pages of this book, Winehouse's addictive personality was evident at a very young age. In real time as life was happening, however, it's not that cut and dry. As someone who has experienced addiction within my own family, no one has the right to blame family or friends for the addict's eventual demise. They can do everything within their power to protect or save their loved one, but it's the addict who eventually decides whether or not to get, and stay, clean. Amy accomplished many incredible things in her too short life, but we will sadly never know the full potential she may have achieved with a clear head and maturity on her side.

Some of my favorite passages from the book:

"Across the generations all the women had exactly the same features - the joke was that we were so poor we could only afford one face."

"She was wise beyond her years in some ways, and that comes through in all of her lyrics, but she never seemed able to apply that wisdom to herself."

"Amy lifted her T-shirt to show him the skin around her liver. It was yellow, jaundiced, and Michael has since admitted to finding hugging her uncomfortable because he could almost feel her body disintegrating in his embrace."

"I cannot continuously torture myself by thinking about what could have been, but it gives me some comfort to know in my own mind that Amy did not want to die. She wanted to live."

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Această carte ar trebui tradusă în alte limbi și promovată cum trebuie. Este un bun manual atât pentru părinți, cât și pentru copii împotriva luptei cu adicția. Semnele sunt clare, dar ambele tabere le ignoră.

[Susan Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gut-wrenching, harrowing and exhausting account of one young woman's spiral into drugs and alcohol; a one-way trip with a no-return ticket. I am familiar with this story, we are all familiar with this story; but in this case, a mother's love, so intense and palpable, yet so far-removed from the truth of her daughter's plight. It is the same old story, denial, denial, denial. How far this mother went, to no avail. And how far Amy could have gone had she not gotten in her own way, time and time again. She wanted it all, but when she achieved her dream, singing to the world, it became unbearably painful to acknowledge. She just couldn't put herself in the very shoes she earned. Disguises, became the norm; false hair, false body image and untruths about her worthiness. Her mom and dad divorcing when Amy was so vulnerable; mom going off to college, dad remarrying and burying himself in the business world, coming back to his daughter when it was just too late. I felt for this family. I related to this family. I wanted her to get clean, I want everyone to get clean. Amy was a genius. She could have continued to do great things. Now she leaves a legacy of music and her parents with a foundation in her name. A foundation doing great things for struggling youth all over the world. Out of bad, comes good, always. I loved the insight, hated the journey. I was glad when it was all over.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my GoodReads wins, and I was pleasantly surprised that it came in the mail so quickly. I am a big fan of Amy Winehouse's music, and was sad and shocked by her untimely death. In this book, her mother brings Amy, briefly, back to life - from the portrait of a stubborn and willful little girl to the gifted musician she was, and her swift fall from the heights of fame to death at age 27 of alcohol poisoning. Her mother, while also battling a crippling and often fatal illness, manages with wit and grace, to bring the reader inside Amy's life and harrowing death - sharing her pain and the insights she has gained from the battle with Amy's demons of drug and alcohol addiction. If this book reaches just one or two people who see themselves in it and manage to pull back from that cliff, it will have achieved it's aim, and the Winehouse family's loss will not have been in vain. I am an even bigger fan, after reading this book, although I knew the end before I even opened the cover. Thank you, Mrs. Winehouse, for sharing your daughter, and your pain, with us. May you be blessed for the work you are continuing to do in Amy's name through your charitable foundation, reaching out to children at risk of the same illnesses that Amy fought - educating them on a better way to live and celebrate their lives.

[Monica Mikulski · Rating 3 out of 5]

❝She was a don’t-mess-with-me girl who said, ‘I am what I am, and if you don’t like it, tough.’ Amy built a wall around herself from early on and she seemed to let few people in. The more up front and brassy she could be, the less people would be inclined to get to know her and her insecurities. Believe it or not, she was sensitive to life hurting her, even though she outwardly communicated the opposite.❞- Janis Winehouse, Loving Amy: A Mother’s Story

This is a very personal book about Amy Winehouse’s life from her mother’s perspective, and who she, Janis, believes Amy was behind the beehive. It is interesting to hear the differences behind how Amy perceived events in her life versus how Janis did, and the way in which certain events may have affected Amy long-term. Overall, I was shocked by the passive nature and the shortage of parental engagement on Janis’ part. She often says that Amy was unmanageable from early on in life and that there was little she could do to help her. I know it is unfair to judge how a parent deals with their child who is struggling with addiction, but I thought much more could have been done for Amy to help with her mental health.
[🎤🎤🎤/5]

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best book published about Amy Winehouse to date, and given her mother's unique insight I'm not sure it can be improved upon. Unlike Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, Janis has largely stayed out of the limelight. And while Mitch may have been more involved in the tabloid drama of Amy's final years, it's clear that Janis was the mainstay of Amy's childhood and adolescence. So even if she wasn't 'in the thick of it' later on, she remained a stabilising force until the very end. Ultimately this is a sad book, but with her wisdom and compassion, Janis Winehouse brings a clarity to her daughter's life story that has been lacking for so long. All profits go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which is making great strides in helping other young people struggling with addiction.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a painfully candid glimpse into the brief life and tragic death of Amy Winehouse, written by her mother. I always wanted to know more about this talented singer since I became a fan in 2008 and this biography does not disappoint. Reading her life story through her mother's eyes is heartbreaking and so very sad at times. The only drawback is there is too extensive of a back story about her mother's life, but that is somewhat expected since she is the author. Coincidentally, I finished reading this book four days before the fifth anniversary of Amy Winehouse's untimely death.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all R.I.P to Amy! No mother should ever have to bury their child so that alone is heartbreaking. Amy has always been a free spirit and wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted. Her mom tells a beautiful story about her beautiful daughter and all the wonderful accomplishments she achieved. Although her mom was not so close to her as she got older, it does not take away from the pain she endured. This book had me in tears. This story is beautifully written. I love how this story was told and I hope Janis can someday find peace.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not an Amy Winehouse fan, but I did like this book. Her mother loved her very much. It's pretty clear that she was a talented person who was in over her head. It's yet another example of someone who the rest of see as "having it all" succumbing to the pressure and insanity of fame. Very sad for her Mum.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. A great story about a very complex star. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking .
Told by her mother, who, while loving Amy, had difficulty dealing with and understanding her daughter.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but at times funny....

So sad at the things that happened in the last few years of Amy's life and to see how her family dealt with it. Janis was so open in this book and in parts it made me emotional to see the effect it had on her too

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A while back I read the book about Amy by her dad. I found this memoir by Amy's mother to be much more informative. It's apparent that Amy had acute mental issues starting in childhood. As talented as she was, it was her personal pain and lack of impulse control that ruled her short life.

[Terri Durling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot imagine what it feels like to lose a child. As a mother of four, I am grateful they are all still here. Amy Winehouse was such a gifted singer and song writer who did not play by the rules but, instead, lived her life on the edge and she paid the price for that with her life. It is so sad that she was unable to overcome her addiction to alcohol which had been a crutch for her very early on in her life and a means of coping. Her parents were adamant that she did not die from a drug overdose and had been clean for three years. She was very underweight and her body just could not sustain the abuse she had put it through for a good part of her life. Amy’s mother does a good job here and it is obvious she loves her daughter very much. She is also very honest about how difficult she was to deal with and that it was almost impossible to get her to do anything. Amy had a close bond with her grandmother, Cynthia, who was one of the few people Amy listened to. It seemed that she went downhill after her death and never really recovered from that loss. Any was often outspoken, rude and often did not think about others. At the same time, her family and friends say she could also be warm, thoughtful and considerate but those times became more rare as her addictions took over. This is a very sad story of the loss of a great talent long before her time and I found it very depressing. Amy was her own worst enemy and those who loved her had to watch her destroy herself. I can only imagine their pain and agony watching her. It is the story of addiction and how it takes over your mind, body and soul. It is the story of loss - of a daughter, a sister, a friend and a phenomenal talent who had so much more to create. I absolutely love her music and her album “Back to Black” is one of the top albums of all times according to Roll Stone Magazine.

[Yustina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about a singer who has become very popular in her early ages, and then could not handle the stress coming from this popularity. The book is written by her mom, who had to struggle with her loved daughter's addictive behaviour. There is a lot of things which captured my attention: first of all, that this mom loved her daughter so much, she supported her when decided to send her to a special musical school instead of the normal school with 'normal' education: I think that this step was the key in her daughter's success. Then I liked the fact that when the daughter was bullied at this school, her mom decided to change the school even though that would mean they will need to pay more money for education, as they would loos their scholarship.
What was not clear is the moment when the daughter lost her connection with mom, and started being addicted. I think that was an important moment of her life, which was not clearly explained.
Recommend to read for those who are interested in addictive behaviour.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, well just emotionally draining. I read her fathers book prior. I feel this book is more on the emotional aspect of her mother and the toll it took on her while she tried to help Amy. Ultimately Hanis has to take a step back for her own self preservation. throughout, Amy never listened to anyone when it came to cleaning up her life and getting off drugs and alcohol. Everything was on her terms!! She’d tell her family “don’t” or when her Mum tried to talk to her she’d be so evasive and just appease her an say, “I love you Mummy”. There are so many things I have to say about this book and Amy. I have many questions too. If you want to chat about it then message me or let’s start here! Just heart breaking.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty sad read about a very talented young woman-- singer, Amy Winehouse-- and the unsettled features of her personality that played BIG in her life leading to full-blown addictions in a potentially/sometimes brilliant career, and ultimately, her early accidental alcoholic death.

Amy's mother, Janis Winehouse, wrote this book from a mother's loving, grieving perspective with everything that entails. The record of detail is impressive. This book would be of particular interest to any parent who feels impotent against the addictions that buffet their own child (or other loved one). The Winehouses (Amy's mother and father) have set up the Amy Winehouse Foundation to raise money to assist "vulnerable and disadvantaged young people to help them reach their full potential".

[Jenae Aiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about Amy Winehouse. I have always been a fan of Winehouse so reading this book, made me learn new details about how the drugs affected her and the people around her. The story is very devastating yes however, although her mother wrote about the good times and the bad times . There were plenty of things that she could have done to have helped Amy out. Yes I know she was an addict and most of them don’t want to be helped. But instead of her telling Janis every time to not “worry” about her she didn’t. This made me feel as if Amy maybe thought no one cared about what she did so she felt that she could run over people. Overall it is a good book. I wish more could have been done to help her through her addiction.

[Jessica Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the story by her father, this is a beautiful yet tragic story. Janis was a little more intimate than mitchs however, I feel so bad for what they had to endure. Reading the stories from Janis, I can’t help but think that some of these things she was describing truly feel connected with her in some way, I think she suffered from a personality disorder honestly, she couldn’t find herself and drown herself in her addictions. A beautiful story very beautifully told. I’m so glad that I bought this actual book because I will be reading it again.

[Connie Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Janis' story of Amy the year it was published excluding the final chapters that tragically end Amy's life. I couldn't bring myself to be in that moment then but years later the inevitable departure of Amy told by her mother are vulnerable and as accurate as any mother recounting a terrible event of child loss can be. I come away with a raw understanding of Amy the person. And longing for more of her music.