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What Falls Away: A Memoir
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 the crisis that led her to reflect upon the incidents that had brought her to a place so incomprehensible. 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 in Peyton Place and Rosemary'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.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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1553 people want to read
About the author
Mia Farrow
15 books17 followersMaria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow, known as Mia Farrow, is an American actress. Farrow has appeared in more than forty films and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe award (and seven additional Golden Globe nominations), three BAFTA Film Award nominations, and a win for best actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Farrow is also notable for her extensive humanitarian work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Her latest effort is www.miafarrow.org containing a guide on how to get involved with Darfur activism, along with her photos and blog entries from Darfur, Chad, and the Central African Republic. In 2008, she was selected by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
February 24, 2016
If you still pay money to watch Woody Allen films after reading this book, then shame on you. This 1960s icon dishes the dirt on American's most famous neurotic, leaving the reader with a bad taste in the mouth about Allen, an obvious creep. The celebrated director's paedophile tendencies, as exhibited in the New York home he ocassionally shared with Farrow and her children (he was so afraid of their germs he tended to stay in his own pad, on the other side of Central Park) are positively shocking to read. And it's not just sour grapes: Farrow includes court documents about her custody case against him for the child Allen disgustingly loved too much. The judge alone seals his fate. So why do people still herald him as a genius? The times are warped indeed. My main criticism is of Farrow: How could she have been so blind for so long? But beyond that, she is a brilliant and sensitive writer and her book has moments of poetry in it.
March 18, 2018
During the whole Woody Allen/Mia Farrow separation and divorce, I was interested in what was going on thinking rightly that Woody is a pedophile for marrying a daughter he semi-raised. In another round of close but no cigar present buying (in fact I think this is when we decided not to buy presents for each other anymore), my husband thought that meant I wanted to read Woody Allen's version of what happened and bought me his book for Christmas. I returned it and bought Mia's book. If you read it now and see interviews of some of his children you realize this wasn't a spurned woman's sour grapes. I'm sorry that more people didn't choose to believe Mia. Also, she's a really, really good actress that hasn't really rebounded since that time. Enjoyable book too about her young life and her relationship with her mother and father. Worth a read.
December 30, 2010
Ms. Mia Farrow is an eternal optimist. Her book was profoundly complimentary to those in her life with the exception of one Mr. Woody Allen. She never saw a flaw in anyone despite heartbreak. She searched for inner beauty, embraced the differences of the people she knew and spent her life searching for the purpose of her own existence. At the end of the day, she lived to have a meaning for her life which always included service to others.
I found it very sad that she was jaded by a man who looked for vulnerability in others for his own satisfaction. He identified her giving spirit as a weakness and exploited it. A predator. He held the classic defining characteristics of a child molester. He 'groomed' the entire family. I find Mr. Allen to be dispicable. He is self absorbed and disgusting. I believe, his marriage to Soon-Yi is a ploy to protect his reputation.
I feel sorry for Soon-Yi. I wonder, if in the life the two share now, how much love is actually exchanged. I think that some people are damaged from their childhood and sometimes unrepairable. I think this was the case for Soon-Yi. By the time Mia adopted her, she was too far gone. She was damaged forever. Her emotional being was forever broken. I feel sad that perhaps at this time she is still emotionally stunted and lives in a loveless, lonely facade for the sake of a man drunk on power and self indulgence who trivialized others.
I also find it funny that everyone in this story was a victim, with the exception of one Mr. Allen though he vehemently denies any wrongdoing. That's usually how it goes though doesn't it.
I found it very sad that she was jaded by a man who looked for vulnerability in others for his own satisfaction. He identified her giving spirit as a weakness and exploited it. A predator. He held the classic defining characteristics of a child molester. He 'groomed' the entire family. I find Mr. Allen to be dispicable. He is self absorbed and disgusting. I believe, his marriage to Soon-Yi is a ploy to protect his reputation.
I feel sorry for Soon-Yi. I wonder, if in the life the two share now, how much love is actually exchanged. I think that some people are damaged from their childhood and sometimes unrepairable. I think this was the case for Soon-Yi. By the time Mia adopted her, she was too far gone. She was damaged forever. Her emotional being was forever broken. I feel sad that perhaps at this time she is still emotionally stunted and lives in a loveless, lonely facade for the sake of a man drunk on power and self indulgence who trivialized others.
I also find it funny that everyone in this story was a victim, with the exception of one Mr. Allen though he vehemently denies any wrongdoing. That's usually how it goes though doesn't it.
August 25, 2020
WHAT FALLS AWAY has been tucked away on my bookshelf unread since its release in 1997. I’m sure that I bought it initially because of the child molestation accusation that had been leveled against Woody Allen who had greatly impressed me as a filmmaker. As the years passed, I was even less inclined to read it.
And then over the course of two weeks, three references regarding the book came my way: a collected interview with Maureen O’Sullivan referencing her daughter’s book, a friend sending me a link to Dylan Farrow’s CBS interview when I’d mentioned that I wanted to read Woody Allen’s latest book, and a notice from BookBub that WHAT FALLS AWAY was now available at a significant discount in the Kindle format.
It was time to take the book from the shelf.
What struck me immediately was that Mia Farrow is a very accomplished writer! She had passages demonstrating a remarkable felicity of expression that brought scenes vividly to life in my mind. Even though I would have enjoyed more detail about certain subjects, such as working on the movie, “The Great Gatsby,” what she did tell tended to humanize “the stars” much more than the usual fabled Hollywood stories. (The story about Charles Boyer successfully rescuing a newborn baby bird comes immediately to mind.)
With marriages to Frank Sinatra and Andre Previn, becoming an overnight sensation on the night time television soap opera, “Peyton Place,” interacting with The Beatles during a meditation retreat, and her falling victim to polio as a young child, there would be enough to sate most curiosity into the world of show business. However, the “Big Event” was her time with Woody Allen ... and that story takes up most of the book.
Much has been told over and over again regarding the allegations against Woody Allen and his assertion that Mia Farrow had led a vendetta against him as “the scorned woman.” However, I would be very hard pressed to categorize the writer as vindictive based on what she relates here. Not unlike Dyan Cannon in her book about her time with Cary Grant, Mia Farrow is remarkably balanced given the situation. In fact, she sometimes makes statements that are too cryptic ... an extremely hurtful explosion of rage on a public street outside of a house that she thought belonged to William F. Buckley, or the firing of movie cast members Christopher Walken, Michael Keaton, and Maureen O’Sullivan. The writer drops these bombshells, then moves on without saying anything more about them!
I mention this because the writer certainly had the perfect forum to rake Allen over the coals ... and, considering the allegations, she mostly steers away from that. Indeed, she’ll often discuss her feelings of guilt about how she contributed to the situation.
The psychological reasons why people do what they do is fascinating and often inconclusive. Allen is definitely a bundle of neuroses, at one point going to two therapy sessions every day! Farrow doesn’t share a lot of her self-analysis, but it is evident that she suffered from feelings of being an outsider and not belonging. Add to that the guilt over refusing to take multiple phone calls from her father on the night he died. There is plenty of dysfunction here to go around.
In an Afterward at the end of the book, the writer received permission to publish “the state Supreme Court decision in its entirety” of the first lawsuit filed by Allen against her to gain child custody. This isn’t someone’s interpretation of what was said. This is a legal document. It sheds a completely different light on the reasons behind not prosecuting Allen.
I don’t know if I’ll ever read Woody Allen’s autobiography, APROPOS OF NOTHING. I’ve removed it from my reading list, and a few of his films that I wanted to see again have been dropped from my Netflix Watchlist. I feel pretty much as I did after the Bill Cosby verdict ... I’ve had enough of that person for now.
And then over the course of two weeks, three references regarding the book came my way: a collected interview with Maureen O’Sullivan referencing her daughter’s book, a friend sending me a link to Dylan Farrow’s CBS interview when I’d mentioned that I wanted to read Woody Allen’s latest book, and a notice from BookBub that WHAT FALLS AWAY was now available at a significant discount in the Kindle format.
It was time to take the book from the shelf.
What struck me immediately was that Mia Farrow is a very accomplished writer! She had passages demonstrating a remarkable felicity of expression that brought scenes vividly to life in my mind. Even though I would have enjoyed more detail about certain subjects, such as working on the movie, “The Great Gatsby,” what she did tell tended to humanize “the stars” much more than the usual fabled Hollywood stories. (The story about Charles Boyer successfully rescuing a newborn baby bird comes immediately to mind.)
With marriages to Frank Sinatra and Andre Previn, becoming an overnight sensation on the night time television soap opera, “Peyton Place,” interacting with The Beatles during a meditation retreat, and her falling victim to polio as a young child, there would be enough to sate most curiosity into the world of show business. However, the “Big Event” was her time with Woody Allen ... and that story takes up most of the book.
Much has been told over and over again regarding the allegations against Woody Allen and his assertion that Mia Farrow had led a vendetta against him as “the scorned woman.” However, I would be very hard pressed to categorize the writer as vindictive based on what she relates here. Not unlike Dyan Cannon in her book about her time with Cary Grant, Mia Farrow is remarkably balanced given the situation. In fact, she sometimes makes statements that are too cryptic ... an extremely hurtful explosion of rage on a public street outside of a house that she thought belonged to William F. Buckley, or the firing of movie cast members Christopher Walken, Michael Keaton, and Maureen O’Sullivan. The writer drops these bombshells, then moves on without saying anything more about them!
I mention this because the writer certainly had the perfect forum to rake Allen over the coals ... and, considering the allegations, she mostly steers away from that. Indeed, she’ll often discuss her feelings of guilt about how she contributed to the situation.
The psychological reasons why people do what they do is fascinating and often inconclusive. Allen is definitely a bundle of neuroses, at one point going to two therapy sessions every day! Farrow doesn’t share a lot of her self-analysis, but it is evident that she suffered from feelings of being an outsider and not belonging. Add to that the guilt over refusing to take multiple phone calls from her father on the night he died. There is plenty of dysfunction here to go around.
In an Afterward at the end of the book, the writer received permission to publish “the state Supreme Court decision in its entirety” of the first lawsuit filed by Allen against her to gain child custody. This isn’t someone’s interpretation of what was said. This is a legal document. It sheds a completely different light on the reasons behind not prosecuting Allen.
I don’t know if I’ll ever read Woody Allen’s autobiography, APROPOS OF NOTHING. I’ve removed it from my reading list, and a few of his films that I wanted to see again have been dropped from my Netflix Watchlist. I feel pretty much as I did after the Bill Cosby verdict ... I’ve had enough of that person for now.
March 21, 2011
This was the first memoir that got me hooked on autobiographies. Read this book my last year of high school and loved it. I was really into the 60s in high school, and to this day I'm not sure how I stumbled onto Mia Farrow but all I knew was that she was a style icon back then. I researched more about her and picked up the book.
The book is a story about a girl whose parents were apart of old Hollywood, (nothing like what it is today). Her mom an actress, her dad a director. They lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills along with other famous friends in a life of luxury. She tells the history of her family and the tragedies that follows her from childhood to adulthood. She talks about her relationships with Frank Sinatra and her second husband which she broke up from. Then her ever famous relationship with Woody Allen that ruined her family life. Overall I liked this book and it made m appreciate autobiographies more!
The book is a story about a girl whose parents were apart of old Hollywood, (nothing like what it is today). Her mom an actress, her dad a director. They lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills along with other famous friends in a life of luxury. She tells the history of her family and the tragedies that follows her from childhood to adulthood. She talks about her relationships with Frank Sinatra and her second husband which she broke up from. Then her ever famous relationship with Woody Allen that ruined her family life. Overall I liked this book and it made m appreciate autobiographies more!
March 1, 2008
I read this because I never turn up my nose at a good trash-talkin' celeb-biog, but this is actually a good book. Yes, it dishes the dirt on Frank Sinatra and Woody and Soon-Yi, but I didn't find myself skimming just to get to the good parts. She's an odd woman, but smart, and she writes about her life -- and all its weirdness -- with real intelligence. The prose is even good. So...not what you might expect. Good for a long airplane ride, a rainy Sunday, or a day at the beach. You won't hate yourself afterwards.
February 6, 2024
Mia Farrow's memoir from childhood until 1999. It includes her childhood with six brothers and sister; her parents were famous, and their family grew up in Beverly Hills. We learn of her marriage to Frank Sinatra and Andre Previn, and her partnership with W. Allen and his abuse of several of her children. What fascinated me were some of her close friendships: such as Yul Brynner and Salvadore Dali and his wife.
August 8, 2010
A MUST READ autobiography. The title comes from Theodore Roethke:
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow,
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear,
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
-Theodore Roethke, The Waking, as cited in the foreward
of What falls away: a memoir by Mia Farrow
After reading this book I am unable to ever again watch a Woody Allen movie. Seriously.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow,
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear,
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
-Theodore Roethke, The Waking, as cited in the foreward
of What falls away: a memoir by Mia Farrow
After reading this book I am unable to ever again watch a Woody Allen movie. Seriously.
November 13, 2013
Most of it is pretty good, but the Woody Allen stuff...so much dirty laundry. My first thought was "What a scum this guy must be," but then, I thought, "Well--there's two sides to every story." Not to say that I think Ms. Farrow is lying. I'm sure that Woody Allen is as much of a psychological mess as he makes himself out to be. But public scrutiny has already been hard enough on the man. Still, the parts about Frank and the Beatles and Ms. O'Sullivan were pretty entertaining.
July 9, 2021
I've been on a mini Hollywood bio/autobio kick and none have been as compelling/uncomfortable as this one. Farrow is actually a good writer and for the first part of the book she's eloquent and sometimes even moving as she discusses her life, loves, and many losses. It's easy to get judge-y as she describes her relationships with the much older Frank Sinatra and Andre Previn - her passivity with these daddy figures is hard not to notice. But I appreciate her honesty. It's when she gets involved with Woody Allen in the second half of the book that things eventually get really ugly. A big part of the reason I read Hollywood tomes like these is for the cheap vicarious thrills, but there are none to be had in this section, it's all just really awful and sad and infuriating, making for riveting though squirmy reading. ***1/2 outta 5
July 27, 2012
I know that most people buy this book to read the nitty-gritty, salacious details of Mia's tragic relationship with Woody Allen, but that is not the reason this book seemed to call out to me. I was curious about Maureen O'Sullivan, one of my favorite old actresses (and the best Jane to grace the silver screen), and Mia's mother, as well as Mia's time with Frank Sinatra.
Quite before it got to the Woody section that completed the book, I learned many facts I was surprised to find out. I had assumed Maureen quit the Tarzan pictures to work closer to home and be with her children (and SEVEN of them at that!), but, as it turned out, she merely didn't enjoy her time, which is a bit disappointing, but understandable. I find it hilarious that the monkeys felt territorial over Johnny Weissmuller and felt her an encroacher, so she called them "jealous homosexuals", and referred to Cheetah himself as "that little bastard". The "marriage" she shared with John Farrow, however, seemed to be deeply rooted in 1950s Irish Catholicism-- i.e., they weren't happy, but allowing him an "extra door to his room for his hussies" was preferable to divorce, apparently.
I was unaware that Mia had grown up so religiously, including the bulk of her education in Catholic boarding schools, which made her at one time desire to become a nun-- that part was not quite so surprising, actually, knowing her great humanitarian desire to help others, especially children in need.
Her marriage to Frank Sinatra-- I enjoyed reading of this. While their love affair was brief, they sustained a cordial friendship that lasted the rest of their lives (he threatened to break Woody Allen's legs for her-- she should've let him!), and gained her very close friend, Nancy Sinatra, through the relationship. However, the Ava Gardner connection... Ohhhh... Walking in on your father with a woman, then ten years later marrying her ex-husband? Awk-ward... Not to mention that she once drunkenly came to Mia and said, "Isn't she CUTE?? She's like the baby Frankie and I never had!" (Beyond awkward.) And, though she adored Frank, too many differences seemed to get in the way-- she liked the quiet life, it just wasn't him.
It seems that her happiest love was with Andre` Previn, actually, with whom she shared her first six children, Matthew and Sasha (twins, biological), Lark (adopted), Fletcher (biological), Daisy (adopted) and Soon-Yi (adopted). However, too much time apart can ruin even a real, great love, and the small amount of time they spent together it seems that they were more together to have babies...
And, then, she was alone with her babes and her mother... she should probably have stayed that way, but hindsight is always 20-20. She allowed Woody Allen into her life, and, surprisingly, though he took over great chunks of it, and was omnipresent, he never actually LIVED with her at all. There seemed to be red flags all over the place, but perhaps fear, or loneliness, or both made her allow him to remain in her life, despite his cold indifference to her dearly loved (now seven) children.
And, when they decided to adopt a child together, this is when the REAL trouble began... from the moment of BIRTH she could see his behavior as "wildly inappropriate" towards little Dylan, but merely tried to coax him out of it. When she became pregnant with a child of their own, more red flags appeared, as he had no interest the second he found out the child was a boy, and no desire to have anything to do with him in following years, including threatening (and once attempting, only to be thwarted by Mia) to break his legs and referring to him constantly as "that superfluous little bastard". Still, apparently all the red flags in the world weren't enough, and she surprisingly was shocked when his sociopathic, pedophiliac, unethical, devious and without-conscience behavior came to true light, slapping her in the face.
She won the right to keep him from her precious, innocent and scarred children, but lost a daughter (Soon-Yi) in the process. She is regretful of bringing him into their lives, and admits her own shortcomings in doing so. However, this strong woman was able to move forward with her family, though it doesn't sound as if she'd want to risk her heart again.
I found this a beautifully written, detailed memior; one of the best I've actually read. I literally COULD NOT put it down.
Quite before it got to the Woody section that completed the book, I learned many facts I was surprised to find out. I had assumed Maureen quit the Tarzan pictures to work closer to home and be with her children (and SEVEN of them at that!), but, as it turned out, she merely didn't enjoy her time, which is a bit disappointing, but understandable. I find it hilarious that the monkeys felt territorial over Johnny Weissmuller and felt her an encroacher, so she called them "jealous homosexuals", and referred to Cheetah himself as "that little bastard". The "marriage" she shared with John Farrow, however, seemed to be deeply rooted in 1950s Irish Catholicism-- i.e., they weren't happy, but allowing him an "extra door to his room for his hussies" was preferable to divorce, apparently.
I was unaware that Mia had grown up so religiously, including the bulk of her education in Catholic boarding schools, which made her at one time desire to become a nun-- that part was not quite so surprising, actually, knowing her great humanitarian desire to help others, especially children in need.
Her marriage to Frank Sinatra-- I enjoyed reading of this. While their love affair was brief, they sustained a cordial friendship that lasted the rest of their lives (he threatened to break Woody Allen's legs for her-- she should've let him!), and gained her very close friend, Nancy Sinatra, through the relationship. However, the Ava Gardner connection... Ohhhh... Walking in on your father with a woman, then ten years later marrying her ex-husband? Awk-ward... Not to mention that she once drunkenly came to Mia and said, "Isn't she CUTE?? She's like the baby Frankie and I never had!" (Beyond awkward.) And, though she adored Frank, too many differences seemed to get in the way-- she liked the quiet life, it just wasn't him.
It seems that her happiest love was with Andre` Previn, actually, with whom she shared her first six children, Matthew and Sasha (twins, biological), Lark (adopted), Fletcher (biological), Daisy (adopted) and Soon-Yi (adopted). However, too much time apart can ruin even a real, great love, and the small amount of time they spent together it seems that they were more together to have babies...
And, then, she was alone with her babes and her mother... she should probably have stayed that way, but hindsight is always 20-20. She allowed Woody Allen into her life, and, surprisingly, though he took over great chunks of it, and was omnipresent, he never actually LIVED with her at all. There seemed to be red flags all over the place, but perhaps fear, or loneliness, or both made her allow him to remain in her life, despite his cold indifference to her dearly loved (now seven) children.
And, when they decided to adopt a child together, this is when the REAL trouble began... from the moment of BIRTH she could see his behavior as "wildly inappropriate" towards little Dylan, but merely tried to coax him out of it. When she became pregnant with a child of their own, more red flags appeared, as he had no interest the second he found out the child was a boy, and no desire to have anything to do with him in following years, including threatening (and once attempting, only to be thwarted by Mia) to break his legs and referring to him constantly as "that superfluous little bastard". Still, apparently all the red flags in the world weren't enough, and she surprisingly was shocked when his sociopathic, pedophiliac, unethical, devious and without-conscience behavior came to true light, slapping her in the face.
She won the right to keep him from her precious, innocent and scarred children, but lost a daughter (Soon-Yi) in the process. She is regretful of bringing him into their lives, and admits her own shortcomings in doing so. However, this strong woman was able to move forward with her family, though it doesn't sound as if she'd want to risk her heart again.
I found this a beautifully written, detailed memior; one of the best I've actually read. I literally COULD NOT put it down.
April 22, 2019
Interesting read, but I can't help but wonder how long she would have stayed with Woody Allen if he hadn't decided he preferred her daughter. She writes about her misgivings about his sexualized behavior toward their younger daughter, her suspicion that he wanted to be with her sister and how he never loved any of her other children, as well as his mistreatment of her. . . but apparently was willing to overlook all of that since he was rich and powerful.
January 28, 2009
Desperate lives of talented dysfunctional Mia Farrow and Woody Allen.
June 27, 2013
Woody Allen: "The dick wants what it wants."
February 11, 2025
I mean. Ya were married to Frank Sinatra and then with Woody Allen for more than a decade. I don’t know how she led this life. I realized later that I started the book on her 80th birthday. I just hope times are calm and peaceful for her- perhaps some quiet.
May 20, 2020
I need a salt bath after reading the latter third of this book. I genuinely feel like crying; what Mia, Dylan, Soon-Yi and all of her children (including Moses) went through is absolutely stomach turning. But I'll get to that...
Mia's book for the first two thirds is fascinating in its own respect, and gives needed context for what she went through. Among the things I did not realise about Farrow was her parents' own incredibly impressive accomplishments (her father, an orphan, wrote a famous biography about a Tahitian priest and, for it, was a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre; her mother was a well known actress who played, among other things, Jane in Tarzan) and that she grew up in a large family, oft-marred by tragedy. Her Irish roots and strong Catholic education seemed to give her the necessary perspective and work ethic to continue moving forwards in a world that was not necessarily always kind to her, and she appears to have escaped a number of childhood traumas - her brother's death, her bout of Polio, her father's early death - with her back strengthened rather than broken.
One note: it's sad that Mia never really got a chance, throughout her life, to live for just herself. When not caring for her mother emotionally, she was caring for younger siblings, and soon thereafter, she was in a string of strange and high profile relationships with finnicky, self-absorbed creatives often a decade or more older than her - Dali (yes, Salvador Dali, I was surprised too! They met when she was 17 in New York), Frank Sinatra, Andre Previn, then finally, Allen. Past then, there were innumerable children. I find it interesting that, during her Polio episode, her mother referred exclusively to the hospital trip to come through reference to motherhood. It appeared to be impressed upon Mia from a young age that motherhood was the necessary pathway to adulthood for a woman - and I'm not knocking that, to be clear, but it's an interesting observation.
Mia paints her relationship with these men in broad strokes of dependence, condescension and little communication. Sinatra doesn't come off great in their time together, but rather in equal measures volatile and remote. Previn is discussed as almost an after thought, even though it is with him that she had her 7 children, and there is almost no discussion put to the fact that she was his mistress. I get no real sense of Previn, but their entire relationship seemed to be hinged on the phrase, "Why the hell not?" It seems like Mia herself can't really explain it.
Then, we get to Allen... Oh boy. By the time Allen and Farrow meet, she is in a state of insecurity. Her marriages both dissolved in part due to her pursuit of career (and even with Previn, she made incredible concessions that were never enough) and she appears to fall into a state of dependence on a man who it is difficult to reach and, often times, punishes her for trying to reach him. Their relationship seems to me to be one of mutual remoteness, with Farrow willing to accept it as "just good enough." She denies and looks away from his fawning relationship with her sister, Steffi, and it appears Allen is constantly attempting to stoke a reaction, especially through the process of the making of Hannah and Her Sisters - which I regret to inform you, is a great movie, through which one can continue to trace the origins of obnoxious soft boy behaviour.
Farrow hypothesises that Allen was attempting a reaction here, and also with the revelation of his relationship with Soon-Yi. The latter third takes you into her bewilderment at Soon-Yi's sudden hostility towards her, her "little laughs of superiority" and the incredible tension to their relationship. The pornographic polaroids were less than a metre away from Woody's phone. I do truly believe he left them there, too, because he is a nasty little sociopath who couldn't wait to see the chaos such awful behaviour would wreak.
I find myself emotionally exhausted after the book. I don't particularly want to even write about the allegations against Dylan, as they are so shocking and horrifying. All I can say is that Allen is a disgusting man, and I am sorry for Farrow that her autobiography had to include his name at all.
Mia's book for the first two thirds is fascinating in its own respect, and gives needed context for what she went through. Among the things I did not realise about Farrow was her parents' own incredibly impressive accomplishments (her father, an orphan, wrote a famous biography about a Tahitian priest and, for it, was a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre; her mother was a well known actress who played, among other things, Jane in Tarzan) and that she grew up in a large family, oft-marred by tragedy. Her Irish roots and strong Catholic education seemed to give her the necessary perspective and work ethic to continue moving forwards in a world that was not necessarily always kind to her, and she appears to have escaped a number of childhood traumas - her brother's death, her bout of Polio, her father's early death - with her back strengthened rather than broken.
One note: it's sad that Mia never really got a chance, throughout her life, to live for just herself. When not caring for her mother emotionally, she was caring for younger siblings, and soon thereafter, she was in a string of strange and high profile relationships with finnicky, self-absorbed creatives often a decade or more older than her - Dali (yes, Salvador Dali, I was surprised too! They met when she was 17 in New York), Frank Sinatra, Andre Previn, then finally, Allen. Past then, there were innumerable children. I find it interesting that, during her Polio episode, her mother referred exclusively to the hospital trip to come through reference to motherhood. It appeared to be impressed upon Mia from a young age that motherhood was the necessary pathway to adulthood for a woman - and I'm not knocking that, to be clear, but it's an interesting observation.
Mia paints her relationship with these men in broad strokes of dependence, condescension and little communication. Sinatra doesn't come off great in their time together, but rather in equal measures volatile and remote. Previn is discussed as almost an after thought, even though it is with him that she had her 7 children, and there is almost no discussion put to the fact that she was his mistress. I get no real sense of Previn, but their entire relationship seemed to be hinged on the phrase, "Why the hell not?" It seems like Mia herself can't really explain it.
Then, we get to Allen... Oh boy. By the time Allen and Farrow meet, she is in a state of insecurity. Her marriages both dissolved in part due to her pursuit of career (and even with Previn, she made incredible concessions that were never enough) and she appears to fall into a state of dependence on a man who it is difficult to reach and, often times, punishes her for trying to reach him. Their relationship seems to me to be one of mutual remoteness, with Farrow willing to accept it as "just good enough." She denies and looks away from his fawning relationship with her sister, Steffi, and it appears Allen is constantly attempting to stoke a reaction, especially through the process of the making of Hannah and Her Sisters - which I regret to inform you, is a great movie, through which one can continue to trace the origins of obnoxious soft boy behaviour.
Farrow hypothesises that Allen was attempting a reaction here, and also with the revelation of his relationship with Soon-Yi. The latter third takes you into her bewilderment at Soon-Yi's sudden hostility towards her, her "little laughs of superiority" and the incredible tension to their relationship. The pornographic polaroids were less than a metre away from Woody's phone. I do truly believe he left them there, too, because he is a nasty little sociopath who couldn't wait to see the chaos such awful behaviour would wreak.
I find myself emotionally exhausted after the book. I don't particularly want to even write about the allegations against Dylan, as they are so shocking and horrifying. All I can say is that Allen is a disgusting man, and I am sorry for Farrow that her autobiography had to include his name at all.
July 11, 2022
This is an incredible book, and Mia Farrow is an incredible person and a great writer. It was great catching up on all the events and people that I have heard about throughout my life. Like the Beatles' Dear Prudence was written about her sister, who wouldn't leave her hut at the Maharesh Yogi's compound because she spent all her time meditating. Also, Bungalow Bill was written about a feckless boy at the retreat. I had always been a huge Woody Allen fan until I saw Allen v. Farrow and realized what a scumbag he was. He was a pervert and narcissist and his loveable nebbisch character in his movies was a complete fraud, an entirely invented thing.
Mia is a brilliant, highly well-read and spiritual person who has a huge heart and excels at being a mother as well as a pretty decent actress. Her struggles with her various relationships make her a very sympathetic person. She always tries so hard and is treated so poorly by successive men she gets attached to. Her children turn out to be outrageously successful and are all well brought up. She and they have uniquely loving relationships, excepting Soon-Yi, who was corrupted by Woody Allen and allowed herself to be alienated from Mia because of his machinations.
This book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about Farrow's whole life and her earnest intentions, the court case, the adoptions, the movies, and her wants and dreams. She is a most admirable person who has suffered terribly through no fault of her own. This book tells you everything you need to know. It's a gem.
Mia is a brilliant, highly well-read and spiritual person who has a huge heart and excels at being a mother as well as a pretty decent actress. Her struggles with her various relationships make her a very sympathetic person. She always tries so hard and is treated so poorly by successive men she gets attached to. Her children turn out to be outrageously successful and are all well brought up. She and they have uniquely loving relationships, excepting Soon-Yi, who was corrupted by Woody Allen and allowed herself to be alienated from Mia because of his machinations.
This book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about Farrow's whole life and her earnest intentions, the court case, the adoptions, the movies, and her wants and dreams. She is a most admirable person who has suffered terribly through no fault of her own. This book tells you everything you need to know. It's a gem.
January 5, 2016
Picking this book up at Vinnies for $1.00 I expected nothing but a bit of fluff. How wrong I was. Mia Farrow is a wonderful writer, her story of a second generation Hollywood actor was not a gloat but merely a journey through her life with well known parents. The journey into herself in the 60's meeting the Beatles and Maharishi and marriages to Frank Sinatra, Andrea Previn are a wonderful adventure into a life so different from mine. Mia collects children, some born from her, most adopted, while some of those have disabilities she helps cure with love and care. Her need to be a mother stands out. While the relationship with Woody Allen bemused me and I will make no judgement, as love comes in all forms, but when your young daughter is seen being caressed by your partner in view of other family members and considered inappropriate, why did she continue to allow Woody Allen near any of her children, especially the girls? There are of course two sides to every story, however my gut finds Woody Allen extremely creepy. To initiate a sexual relationship with someone 35 years younger and who is also naive in matters of love is purely grooming. I loved this book for it's simple prose yet parts of it angered me beyond belief, I only hope that Woody Allen's two daughters with his marriage to Soon Yi are safe, and that Mia and her children are healed.
January 27, 2021
Es un libro interesante, aunque admito que lo que más me gusta de él son las fotos, jejeje. Incluye también, como es la Mia Farrow, historias sobre otras personas famosas y una que es copuchenta... lo aprecia. Además, está escrito con soltura. No es difícil de leer.
SIN EMBARGO, no siempre me creí todo. Tal vez la autora cometa el error de ser tan sincera que parece mentira. Es fácil culpar a los demás de los problemas y eso es lo que ella hace en varias de las páginas. Además, ella no me parece particularmente agradable. De hecho, me parece, por un lado, criticona y, por otro, santurrona.
Esto no significa que sea del "bando Woody Allen", aunque admito que con el tiempo cada vez le creo más a él y menos a ella. Después de todo, si fuera alguien tan bestial, Soon-Yi no seguiría a su lado después de más veinte años. Y con dos hijos.
En fin, una lectura interesante, pero para nada indispenable.
EDIT: Ahora que leí el libro de Woody, las conclusiones de los estudios oficiales, y el blog de Moses Farrow, parece que sí soy del bando Woody Allen (aunque la total verdad nunca la sabré, porque claramente no estuve ahí).
SIN EMBARGO, no siempre me creí todo. Tal vez la autora cometa el error de ser tan sincera que parece mentira. Es fácil culpar a los demás de los problemas y eso es lo que ella hace en varias de las páginas. Además, ella no me parece particularmente agradable. De hecho, me parece, por un lado, criticona y, por otro, santurrona.
Esto no significa que sea del "bando Woody Allen", aunque admito que con el tiempo cada vez le creo más a él y menos a ella. Después de todo, si fuera alguien tan bestial, Soon-Yi no seguiría a su lado después de más veinte años. Y con dos hijos.
En fin, una lectura interesante, pero para nada indispenable.
EDIT: Ahora que leí el libro de Woody, las conclusiones de los estudios oficiales, y el blog de Moses Farrow, parece que sí soy del bando Woody Allen (aunque la total verdad nunca la sabré, porque claramente no estuve ahí).
January 2, 2009
Her mother was Jane in the old Tarzan movies. She was a friend of Dali's. Was married to Frank Sinatra. Has more children than Angelina Joli, and did it all herself. She is a strong, fragile, and willful person. The book was a so-so read until revelations about Woody Allen who has to be one of the more vile characters on the planet. I read this because Margaret Ann Comito loved the book, but MA is a devout Catholic. Oh, dear, it's all so complicated...the Catholic thing.
March 13, 2013
Изключителна жена, осиновила 10 деца още през 70-те години и родила още 4 свои, много от ангажиментите свързани с децата е поемала тя, макар и с помощ от бавачки понякога. Всичко това паралелно с ангажиментите в киното. И без излишна показност.
А съжителството и с Уди Алън ме потресе, въпреки че очаквах подобни истории и бях чела за скандалите ...
А съжителството и с Уди Алън ме потресе, въпреки че очаквах подобни истории и бях чела за скандалите ...
May 21, 2014
She's a good writer, which doesn't surprise me, and the Woody Allen portion is....gripping to say the least. I think I was maybe subconsciously annoyed at her seemingly challenge-less rise to success as an actress, and her insane beauty? Wait, am I just jealous? I don't know. It doesn't matter!
April 22, 2021
After finishing Mia Farrow's book, I identified three of her traits that influence the way she responds to life situations. First of all, she is a fervent believer in God who, as a teenager, was drawn to a religious vocation and wanted to become a nun. Second, she has a passive/fatalistic attitude towards love, in which a woman becomes caught up in a man's orbit and must do what she's told to do. Third, when facing great stress, Mia seeks equanimity by rationalizing a complex situation into a simple commandment which she must obey.
The second and third traits need to be unpacked a little more. Farrow was raised a Catholic and sent to covent boarding school for a few of her formative years. Catholics are taught from childhood to believe that God is watching them and judging. They are taught to confess their sins to a priest. Given these strictures, what do Catholics experience if they engage in manipulative or deceptive behavior? To judge from reading this memoir, while anyone might try to conceal their misdeeds from other people, Catholics must additionally find a way to conceal their sin from God's watching eyes. For example, by cultivating a blank state of mind as they commit sin, which Mia seems to be doing with her passive behavior in relationships. Along with this passivity comes a careful deflection of blame; Mia tells how she (quietly) made note of all the unfair treatment she received, from first husband Frank Sinatra, and second husband Andre Previn. In that way, when they separated, she was able to console herself that her own behavior had been blameless, while the men's behavior had been the root of any problems. Mia has one other tool for dealing with guilt in moments of crisis; she reduces complex ethical dilemmas to a simple rule that must be followed, like a commandment. All she has to do is follow the rule; then she knows that her behavior aligns with God's will, and that all the sin must belong to other people. She repeats these commandments like a chant, as if they were a protective charms, to reassure herself that God cannot perceive if she has sinned.
With this understanding of Mia's character and disposition, I turn to the key sections of her book. In what is otherwise a completely episodic narrative, there is only one thread which Mia weaves across many chapters: Woody Allen's alleged molestation of Dylan Farrow. As she drops this trail of crumbs, Mia must engage in a delicate balancing act because she has to portray herself as an innocent, acting perfectly in alignment with God's will. The way she tells the story, over three years Allen escalates his aggression towards her family, while boldly placing himself closer to Dylan. Mia resists the best she can but, after all, she is just a helpless woman! Then an unexpected shock: Mia discovers that Allen is in a sexual relationship with her daughter Soon-Yi. As they disentangle their financial, creative, and parenting responsibilities, Allen eventually outmaneuvers Mia's defenses, and succeeds in getting Dylan alone to molest her. Afterwards, Mia realizes that there is a simple rule which Allen has violated: "If you're dating someone then that means you can't sleep with their children." Armed with this holy mantra, Mia now moves confidently to scuttle Woody Allen's parental rights for contacting Dylan and Ronan Farrow.
Mia has chosen to appeal to the reader's emotions by describing these events with the frame of a powerful man plotting to invade the home and corrupt a defenseless child or woman. There is a whole tradition of such narratives. Some examples include Wuthering Heights, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, or even the film, Birth of a Nation. Mia's narrative strategy also reminds me of the famous con called "The Spanish Prisoner" in which a mark is shown a portrait of a beautiful woman, and then told how she is entrapped by controlling men. It is an irresistible technique, inflaming our emotions, and rooting us strongly on the side of the victim.
The second and third traits need to be unpacked a little more. Farrow was raised a Catholic and sent to covent boarding school for a few of her formative years. Catholics are taught from childhood to believe that God is watching them and judging. They are taught to confess their sins to a priest. Given these strictures, what do Catholics experience if they engage in manipulative or deceptive behavior? To judge from reading this memoir, while anyone might try to conceal their misdeeds from other people, Catholics must additionally find a way to conceal their sin from God's watching eyes. For example, by cultivating a blank state of mind as they commit sin, which Mia seems to be doing with her passive behavior in relationships. Along with this passivity comes a careful deflection of blame; Mia tells how she (quietly) made note of all the unfair treatment she received, from first husband Frank Sinatra, and second husband Andre Previn. In that way, when they separated, she was able to console herself that her own behavior had been blameless, while the men's behavior had been the root of any problems. Mia has one other tool for dealing with guilt in moments of crisis; she reduces complex ethical dilemmas to a simple rule that must be followed, like a commandment. All she has to do is follow the rule; then she knows that her behavior aligns with God's will, and that all the sin must belong to other people. She repeats these commandments like a chant, as if they were a protective charms, to reassure herself that God cannot perceive if she has sinned.
With this understanding of Mia's character and disposition, I turn to the key sections of her book. In what is otherwise a completely episodic narrative, there is only one thread which Mia weaves across many chapters: Woody Allen's alleged molestation of Dylan Farrow. As she drops this trail of crumbs, Mia must engage in a delicate balancing act because she has to portray herself as an innocent, acting perfectly in alignment with God's will. The way she tells the story, over three years Allen escalates his aggression towards her family, while boldly placing himself closer to Dylan. Mia resists the best she can but, after all, she is just a helpless woman! Then an unexpected shock: Mia discovers that Allen is in a sexual relationship with her daughter Soon-Yi. As they disentangle their financial, creative, and parenting responsibilities, Allen eventually outmaneuvers Mia's defenses, and succeeds in getting Dylan alone to molest her. Afterwards, Mia realizes that there is a simple rule which Allen has violated: "If you're dating someone then that means you can't sleep with their children." Armed with this holy mantra, Mia now moves confidently to scuttle Woody Allen's parental rights for contacting Dylan and Ronan Farrow.
Mia has chosen to appeal to the reader's emotions by describing these events with the frame of a powerful man plotting to invade the home and corrupt a defenseless child or woman. There is a whole tradition of such narratives. Some examples include Wuthering Heights, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, or even the film, Birth of a Nation. Mia's narrative strategy also reminds me of the famous con called "The Spanish Prisoner" in which a mark is shown a portrait of a beautiful woman, and then told how she is entrapped by controlling men. It is an irresistible technique, inflaming our emotions, and rooting us strongly on the side of the victim.
August 18, 2019
What a fascinating difficult life. You always think that being the child of celebrities would be a charmed life, but Mia suffered many traumas along with the perks. At the age of nine, she contracted polio and was separated from her family to be treated in a polio unit. That must’ve been so traumatic for a young child. Then she and her sister were sent away to a strict convent school. She was one of seven children, which may be why she wanted to have a large family as an adult. The book chronicles her career and personal life. She goes to India to explore meditation with the Maharishi and the Beatles arrive, she becomes friends with Salvador Dali, she marries Frank Sinatra, then Andre Previn and begins a family, she has a long relationship with Woody Allen, which ends in scandal. I’m struck by the contradictions between who she seems to be and the relationships she chooses. This is her life from her perspective, and I think there can be no doubt that she is an exceptional person who opened her home and heart to the many children she adopted, some with special needs. I greatly admire her for this. I was happy to see photos included in the book.
August 2, 2021
I decided to read this autobiography of Mia Farrow after watching the recent documentary about her life to compare differences in how she perceived things then and now and to see what may have been left out in the recent story. The book provides the finer details of her life and her film career which I really enjoyed reading about. I also was thrilled to read that "The Purple Rose of Cairo" is her favorite film as it is one that I really enjoy watching frequently. Seeing a character step off the screen into real life is just a wonderful idea for a film as well as being a secret wish of readers. It was interesting hearing about Woody Allen's directing style and their films together. I was sad reading about all the unusual things that he chose to do or in some cases not do with the children over the years. Much of that has already been aired in public through the media so it was not new to me. Although Mia's kindness with the children comes through, it was hard to believe sometimes that she was once again taking on one more adopted child. I think that often she just plunged ahead and figured that somehow things in her life would all just work out. Unfortunately, sometimes they unravel and you have to work hard at putting them back together.
March 16, 2025
Grabbed this from the street library and read it in an afternoon (with a bit of skimming).
Written in the wake of the Woody Allen abuse allegations in the 1990s, though it does cover her childhood, and marriage to Frank Sinatra.
I didn't know Mia (real name Maria) survived polio as a child, hence explaining her lifelong quest to adopt children from orphanages around the globe, most of whom were suffering from debilitating illnesses.
She came from a family of 7 children, and at the time of finishing the book had raised 7 children who were now adults, with 7 small children still to raise at home. Is this a sensible way to raise families?
What a toxic household! Difficult to read.
It was satisfying to see how she won the case (against Allen for sexual abuse of Dylan and for sole custody), when Woody exerted so much power in Hollywood and NYC at the time, and certain machinations at higher levels could have had him walk away scot free.
The complete judgment is printed at the back of the book as an appendix, for those who are interested.
Written in the wake of the Woody Allen abuse allegations in the 1990s, though it does cover her childhood, and marriage to Frank Sinatra.
I didn't know Mia (real name Maria) survived polio as a child, hence explaining her lifelong quest to adopt children from orphanages around the globe, most of whom were suffering from debilitating illnesses.
She came from a family of 7 children, and at the time of finishing the book had raised 7 children who were now adults, with 7 small children still to raise at home. Is this a sensible way to raise families?
What a toxic household! Difficult to read.
It was satisfying to see how she won the case (against Allen for sexual abuse of Dylan and for sole custody), when Woody exerted so much power in Hollywood and NYC at the time, and certain machinations at higher levels could have had him walk away scot free.
The complete judgment is printed at the back of the book as an appendix, for those who are interested.
August 2, 2013
Mia Farrow has managed to tell her harrowing story through three marriages, fourteen children, a narcissistic Woody Allen who abused her seven-year daughter and then started a sexual relationship with her teen-aged daughter (although not in that order), and tried to win custody of three of the children. By some amazing gift, she can not only tell the story in quite a personal and poetic way, but does not make the reader cringe or run for the exits; she is just an excellent writer who reveals her own depth and integrity while making us wonder many many things.
Here is what I wondered throughout the entire book ( I did not wonder about Woody Allen's slimyness; he is obviously a hopeless nutcase; the worse kind...):
1. I wondered about Money. How could Farrow afford all the expenses of raising so many children? (And I was always counting on my fingers just many children there were. There were SO MANY.) Her father died broke; her mother, Maureen Sullivan was acting on the Broadway stage at the age of 55 to support her own 7 children! Did Mia inherit some money somewhere along the line? I think her 2nd husband Andre Previn, who seemed a decent sort,did help support his 6 (or 7) kids with her, but still. (Maybe she made her money in Peyton Place, or Rosemary's Baby.)
2. I wondered about space. Where did all those children sleep? IN the cabin on the lake in Connecticut or wherever that was, it did not sound like a mansion.
3. I wondered how all her children got along so well. Here you had special needs orphans who had been traumatized in Viet Nam and elsewhere; yet as soon as she brought them home to the USA, it was like a Disney movie.
4. I wondered about childcare. There is some slight mention later on in the book about a "babysitter" and a "French Tutor," but with 7,8, and 9 small children in a home and Mia free to go act in films and on the stage, who was home taking care of the kids? How many nannies? Was there a cook? Who did the laundry and washed the dishes, not to mention the bathroom? These are the details that were missing.
So after all that wondering, I have to admit that I think Mia Farrow must have just had a magical amount of love to give these children. It seemed like every few months she was taking in a new child, with seemingly no qualms. And flying all around the world, to pick up the child from the orphanage, often bringing along one or two of her other children.
In my experience as a lower-middle class working person who raised a mere 3 children, that was pretty demanding. I cannot even imagine having 7, 8, 9, 10, and eventually 14 children! And while still having an acting career and maintaining a relationship with a partner (although we do see how that went downhill.)
Am I the only one with all these questions?
This was a terrifically revealing and inspiring book. I have nothing but respect for Mia Farrow. She certainly has the "right stuff."
And I would also comment that way before Angelina Jolie introduced the concept to the public of adopting orphans from various third world countries and blending with the children she gave birth to, apparently there was Mia Farrow, although we really did not get the blow by blow accounts in the press. At least Mia Farrow was able to shield her family from that for the most part.
Here is what I wondered throughout the entire book ( I did not wonder about Woody Allen's slimyness; he is obviously a hopeless nutcase; the worse kind...):
1. I wondered about Money. How could Farrow afford all the expenses of raising so many children? (And I was always counting on my fingers just many children there were. There were SO MANY.) Her father died broke; her mother, Maureen Sullivan was acting on the Broadway stage at the age of 55 to support her own 7 children! Did Mia inherit some money somewhere along the line? I think her 2nd husband Andre Previn, who seemed a decent sort,did help support his 6 (or 7) kids with her, but still. (Maybe she made her money in Peyton Place, or Rosemary's Baby.)
2. I wondered about space. Where did all those children sleep? IN the cabin on the lake in Connecticut or wherever that was, it did not sound like a mansion.
3. I wondered how all her children got along so well. Here you had special needs orphans who had been traumatized in Viet Nam and elsewhere; yet as soon as she brought them home to the USA, it was like a Disney movie.
4. I wondered about childcare. There is some slight mention later on in the book about a "babysitter" and a "French Tutor," but with 7,8, and 9 small children in a home and Mia free to go act in films and on the stage, who was home taking care of the kids? How many nannies? Was there a cook? Who did the laundry and washed the dishes, not to mention the bathroom? These are the details that were missing.
So after all that wondering, I have to admit that I think Mia Farrow must have just had a magical amount of love to give these children. It seemed like every few months she was taking in a new child, with seemingly no qualms. And flying all around the world, to pick up the child from the orphanage, often bringing along one or two of her other children.
In my experience as a lower-middle class working person who raised a mere 3 children, that was pretty demanding. I cannot even imagine having 7, 8, 9, 10, and eventually 14 children! And while still having an acting career and maintaining a relationship with a partner (although we do see how that went downhill.)
Am I the only one with all these questions?
This was a terrifically revealing and inspiring book. I have nothing but respect for Mia Farrow. She certainly has the "right stuff."
And I would also comment that way before Angelina Jolie introduced the concept to the public of adopting orphans from various third world countries and blending with the children she gave birth to, apparently there was Mia Farrow, although we really did not get the blow by blow accounts in the press. At least Mia Farrow was able to shield her family from that for the most part.
July 31, 2022
Elegant. Dignified. Compelling.
On the highly unusual side of this biography there are a Golden Globe award (plus another seven nominations), three BAFTA nominations and a win for Best Actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival -which any Hollywood child would mention at least three times- that go utterly ignored. Not a single mention of any of that.
She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and was elected by Time Magazine as one of the Most Influential people in the world. Both also unmentioned in the book.
On the insanely unusual side, though, the anecdotes are like a work of fiction. Mia had dinner with her father and Frank Sinatra at the age of 11. Eight years later, unaware of who she was, and just after a brief chance encounter on a film set, Sinatra (49) invited Mia (19) to a movie preview later that week. During the film, he held her hand and afterwards invited her to drive to Palm Springs for the weekend; when she baulked citing some unfinished chores at home he offered to send his private plane to pick her up the following day. She flew in, he took her virginity, and a year later they were married until shooting in Rosemary’s Baby (Mia’s first leading role) run into delays which clashed with the schedule of The Detective, a Sinatra-Lee Remick show. Frank had Mia replaced by Jacquelineas Bisset and dispatched his lawyer, Mickey Rudin with divorce papers.
Mia had met John Wayne as an infant, was a kindergarten friend of another Hollywood child, Liza Minelli, her best friend was next-door neighbour Maria Roach, whose father Hal Roach produced all Oliver & Hardy movies, and in Martha’s Vineyard, her neighbour and very good pal was Carly Simon. But probably her most serendipitous encounter occurred a month before her 18th birthday. She caught the elevator to a party at the top floor of the St. Regis hotel. When the doors opened, the crush of people, smoke and noise made her change her mind, so she took a step back and remained in.
That was when she realized there was still another passenger in the elevator who had not alighted. “a quite extraordinary-looking man I had never seen a mustache like his: several inches long, waxed and wire-thin, it sprang antenna-like from above his pursed lips into a jaunty curl at each tip. His eyes popped outrageously, and his black hair fell past the collar of a pin-striped morning coat under which glimmered a gold brocade vest. Gold too was the handle of his cane, which he raised slightly to say “Bonjour,” with a short bow. Never mind that it was nine at night. “Good morning” was my reply.
When the doors opened onto the lobby, the mustache-man suggested “Encore?” with an upward gesture of his cane, and, abandoning my foothold in the real world, I nodded. There were three or four more ascents, three or four brief studies of the party, and then my companion introduced himself.”
The following day, Mia had lunch the man and his wife, Gala, and they continued to share meals daily every time the couple was in New York, which happened every fall until St. Patrick’s Day when everything became “too green” for the man, and they left for Paris. And so, a family-deep friendship was forged for the rest of their lives between Mia’s family and Gala and Salvador Dalí.
When Mia was struggling to get over her abrupt divorce from Sinatra, she she received a phonecall from her sister Pru, asking to accompany her to a crowded auditorium in Chicago to hear the Majarishi Mahesh Yogi speak.
Afterwards, the Maharishi invited Pru to India to a teacher’s course, so she could learn to meditate and seek enlightenment. Mia decided to join too and seek escape at the foot of the Himalayas. What followed was a deeply introspective period, during which she tried to make sense of God, read the teachings of Buddha, Thomas Jefferson’s writings about Christ and Tolstoy’s take on the Gospels, also Kierkegard, Hegel, Kant, Nietzshe, Camus, Satre, Plato and all of Dostoyevski’s ouvre. All this profoundness was interrupted weeks later when the Beatles showed up with their guitars and wives. They all became good friends and after they left, Lennon and McCartney wrote “Dear Prudence” about Mia’s sister.
Mia’s second husband was also a world-famous musician, pianist-composer-conductor André Previn whose asinine schedules allowed the couple only a week or two together every year. They did use their time constructively and had three natural children and adopted another three.
During one of Andre’s appearances in London, the Previns attended dinner at 10 Downing Street with the Oliviers (“Lawrence and Joan Plowright). ”It was a stiff crowd—except for us and Leonard Bernstein, with whom I had a depressing conversation about the death of symphonic music and civilization in general. Larry, sitting next to me, was Lord Olivier from the moment he arrived. At the dinner table the Queen Mother was on his other side. She asked me about the babies and I said they were fine, thank you, and then, because of the silence, I asked, What, in your view, is the most important thing I can teach them?
“Let me think for a moment.” Her Highness looked thoughtful.
“Ma’am, I think Mia means—” Larry interjected, flashing a look that jogged a vague recollection that you’re not supposed to ask queens questions.
“I know what she means. I’m just thinking—” She cut him dead. Then, with her eyes shining, she said beautifully, “I think it’s…manners.“
“Really?” I squeaked. “You think?”
“Yes,” she said decisively. “I believe that manners can get you through anything.”
Although they were legally married for 9 years, soon enough, there and because of the awful globetrotting schedules, there was a new Mrs. Previn in his bed and Mia devoted her time to bringing up the children.
The eldest adopted kid, Mia’s oldest daughter, was a Korean orphan of indeterminate age –the orphanage guessed five years at the time- and you probably know that by the time she was in her senior year of high school, Woody Allen –the boyfriend Mia threw away twelve valuable years of her life next to- started fucking Soon-Yi.
Because Allen never married Farrow and Farrow had legally adopted Soon-Yi, she makes the acid observation that, technically, after Allen and Soon-Yi, Mia could be considered Woody Allen’s mother in-law.
Woody Allen had one child with Mia, (born Satchel then he changed his name to Ronan Farrow –the Pulitzer prize winner). If you’ve read his book “Catch and Kill” , you’ll know that Ronan accuses his father of raping his young (adoptive) sister Dylan. Mia’s book corroborates the fondling and molestation accusations but the police investigation was dropped after pressure from the Mayor’s office.
Unfortunately, a good part of the biography is dedicated to Mia’s life with Allen (though they lived in separate apartments right across Central Park). He comes across as the manipulative, neurotic, degenerate, child-molesting, vile cockroach the press has reported him to be.
Mia’s words, however, are much kinder but no less revealing: ”Woody the actor had long ago invented his screen persona: a lovable nebbish, endlessly and hilariously whining and quacking, questioning moral and philosophical issues great and small. He was a guy with his heart and his conscience on his sleeve, whose talk was peppered with quotes of Kierkegaard and Kant: an insightful and unthreatening mascot of the intelligentsia. A guy who is nothing like the real Woody Allen.”
As a footnote: Mia Farrow has 14 children -4 biological (3 with André Previn, 1 with Woddy Allen) and 10 adopted. Among her adopted babies there was an abandoned crack-baby, two blind Vietnamese girls and an Indian kid who came to her as the human version of a pretzel, too twisted to even sit on a wheelchair, and after years of therapy, love and patience, she unknotted, stretched and straightened him until he could walk with braces and crutches.
There is no sign, none whatsoever throughout the book, that Ms. Farrow loves or favours her biological children above the adopted ones.
On the highly unusual side of this biography there are a Golden Globe award (plus another seven nominations), three BAFTA nominations and a win for Best Actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival -which any Hollywood child would mention at least three times- that go utterly ignored. Not a single mention of any of that.
She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and was elected by Time Magazine as one of the Most Influential people in the world. Both also unmentioned in the book.
On the insanely unusual side, though, the anecdotes are like a work of fiction. Mia had dinner with her father and Frank Sinatra at the age of 11. Eight years later, unaware of who she was, and just after a brief chance encounter on a film set, Sinatra (49) invited Mia (19) to a movie preview later that week. During the film, he held her hand and afterwards invited her to drive to Palm Springs for the weekend; when she baulked citing some unfinished chores at home he offered to send his private plane to pick her up the following day. She flew in, he took her virginity, and a year later they were married until shooting in Rosemary’s Baby (Mia’s first leading role) run into delays which clashed with the schedule of The Detective, a Sinatra-Lee Remick show. Frank had Mia replaced by Jacquelineas Bisset and dispatched his lawyer, Mickey Rudin with divorce papers.
Mia had met John Wayne as an infant, was a kindergarten friend of another Hollywood child, Liza Minelli, her best friend was next-door neighbour Maria Roach, whose father Hal Roach produced all Oliver & Hardy movies, and in Martha’s Vineyard, her neighbour and very good pal was Carly Simon. But probably her most serendipitous encounter occurred a month before her 18th birthday. She caught the elevator to a party at the top floor of the St. Regis hotel. When the doors opened, the crush of people, smoke and noise made her change her mind, so she took a step back and remained in.
That was when she realized there was still another passenger in the elevator who had not alighted. “a quite extraordinary-looking man I had never seen a mustache like his: several inches long, waxed and wire-thin, it sprang antenna-like from above his pursed lips into a jaunty curl at each tip. His eyes popped outrageously, and his black hair fell past the collar of a pin-striped morning coat under which glimmered a gold brocade vest. Gold too was the handle of his cane, which he raised slightly to say “Bonjour,” with a short bow. Never mind that it was nine at night. “Good morning” was my reply.
When the doors opened onto the lobby, the mustache-man suggested “Encore?” with an upward gesture of his cane, and, abandoning my foothold in the real world, I nodded. There were three or four more ascents, three or four brief studies of the party, and then my companion introduced himself.”
The following day, Mia had lunch the man and his wife, Gala, and they continued to share meals daily every time the couple was in New York, which happened every fall until St. Patrick’s Day when everything became “too green” for the man, and they left for Paris. And so, a family-deep friendship was forged for the rest of their lives between Mia’s family and Gala and Salvador Dalí.
When Mia was struggling to get over her abrupt divorce from Sinatra, she she received a phonecall from her sister Pru, asking to accompany her to a crowded auditorium in Chicago to hear the Majarishi Mahesh Yogi speak.
Afterwards, the Maharishi invited Pru to India to a teacher’s course, so she could learn to meditate and seek enlightenment. Mia decided to join too and seek escape at the foot of the Himalayas. What followed was a deeply introspective period, during which she tried to make sense of God, read the teachings of Buddha, Thomas Jefferson’s writings about Christ and Tolstoy’s take on the Gospels, also Kierkegard, Hegel, Kant, Nietzshe, Camus, Satre, Plato and all of Dostoyevski’s ouvre. All this profoundness was interrupted weeks later when the Beatles showed up with their guitars and wives. They all became good friends and after they left, Lennon and McCartney wrote “Dear Prudence” about Mia’s sister.
Mia’s second husband was also a world-famous musician, pianist-composer-conductor André Previn whose asinine schedules allowed the couple only a week or two together every year. They did use their time constructively and had three natural children and adopted another three.
During one of Andre’s appearances in London, the Previns attended dinner at 10 Downing Street with the Oliviers (“Lawrence and Joan Plowright). ”It was a stiff crowd—except for us and Leonard Bernstein, with whom I had a depressing conversation about the death of symphonic music and civilization in general. Larry, sitting next to me, was Lord Olivier from the moment he arrived. At the dinner table the Queen Mother was on his other side. She asked me about the babies and I said they were fine, thank you, and then, because of the silence, I asked, What, in your view, is the most important thing I can teach them?
“Let me think for a moment.” Her Highness looked thoughtful.
“Ma’am, I think Mia means—” Larry interjected, flashing a look that jogged a vague recollection that you’re not supposed to ask queens questions.
“I know what she means. I’m just thinking—” She cut him dead. Then, with her eyes shining, she said beautifully, “I think it’s…manners.“
“Really?” I squeaked. “You think?”
“Yes,” she said decisively. “I believe that manners can get you through anything.”
Although they were legally married for 9 years, soon enough, there and because of the awful globetrotting schedules, there was a new Mrs. Previn in his bed and Mia devoted her time to bringing up the children.
The eldest adopted kid, Mia’s oldest daughter, was a Korean orphan of indeterminate age –the orphanage guessed five years at the time- and you probably know that by the time she was in her senior year of high school, Woody Allen –the boyfriend Mia threw away twelve valuable years of her life next to- started fucking Soon-Yi.
Because Allen never married Farrow and Farrow had legally adopted Soon-Yi, she makes the acid observation that, technically, after Allen and Soon-Yi, Mia could be considered Woody Allen’s mother in-law.
Woody Allen had one child with Mia, (born Satchel then he changed his name to Ronan Farrow –the Pulitzer prize winner). If you’ve read his book “Catch and Kill” , you’ll know that Ronan accuses his father of raping his young (adoptive) sister Dylan. Mia’s book corroborates the fondling and molestation accusations but the police investigation was dropped after pressure from the Mayor’s office.
Unfortunately, a good part of the biography is dedicated to Mia’s life with Allen (though they lived in separate apartments right across Central Park). He comes across as the manipulative, neurotic, degenerate, child-molesting, vile cockroach the press has reported him to be.
Mia’s words, however, are much kinder but no less revealing: ”Woody the actor had long ago invented his screen persona: a lovable nebbish, endlessly and hilariously whining and quacking, questioning moral and philosophical issues great and small. He was a guy with his heart and his conscience on his sleeve, whose talk was peppered with quotes of Kierkegaard and Kant: an insightful and unthreatening mascot of the intelligentsia. A guy who is nothing like the real Woody Allen.”
As a footnote: Mia Farrow has 14 children -4 biological (3 with André Previn, 1 with Woddy Allen) and 10 adopted. Among her adopted babies there was an abandoned crack-baby, two blind Vietnamese girls and an Indian kid who came to her as the human version of a pretzel, too twisted to even sit on a wheelchair, and after years of therapy, love and patience, she unknotted, stretched and straightened him until he could walk with braces and crutches.
There is no sign, none whatsoever throughout the book, that Ms. Farrow loves or favours her biological children above the adopted ones.
March 18, 2013
По принцип не обичам да чета много автобиографични и биографични книги, но тази ми беше изключително интересна. Никога не съм знаела нищо за живота на Миа Фароу. Направо бях потресена от нейната история. Първо заради силата на духа и куража ѝ, и освен това заради нейната готовност да се бори и да не пада. Животът ѝ с франк Синатра, снимането на филмите, нейното семейство, работата. Не съм знаела също, че един от любимите ми режисьори - Уди Алън, който всъщност е един изверг като човек. Много интересен живот има Миа Фароу и наистина има какво да разкаже.
"Открих, че каквото и да изгубиш, все още можеш да избереш най-доброто за останалата част от живота си. Ако си здрав, ако имаш малко смелост и въображение, ти притежаваш основното за да изградиш нов живот, а може би и по-добър. Разбрах колко крехка е структурата на живота ни и колко лесно можеш да бъдеш изтръгнат от нея, и захвърлен в света на несигурността, страха, болката и смъртта. Научих, че не можеш истински да владееш нещата, че ги владееш истински само когато даваш. Научих и малко за приятелството и как то може да освети най-тъмната бездна."
"Тогава научих нещо за яростта. Можеш да я почувстваш с цялата ѝ сила, а след това да я оставиш да премине през теб. Може да се постигне - знам, защото съм го правила безброй пъти; яростта може просто да мине през теб като един лош миг. И мъката, която остава въплъщава една лична, терзаеща ни болка, тя се загнездва някъде дълбоко в нас, за да ни напомня за загубата. И никой не би могъл да промени това "
"Ако искаш драстична промяна, обуй обувките си наопаки."
December 5, 2025
When siblings become a tribe.
Today when large families are so rare, it's difficult for people to imagine the effects of growing up with multiple siblings. Journalist Tom Braden (whose book "Eight is Enough" inspired the TV show of the same name) recognized this phenomenon in his own large brood. He noted that as his family increased, his children became an entity in themselves, separate from their parents.
This was particularly apparent when his family vacationed with the large family of Robert and Ethel Kennedy. The adults came home one night to find the Braden kids "defending" their rental home, which was under "attack" by the Kennedy kids. Rocks were being thrown and the assault had taken on a deadly seriousness in the minds of the two sets of siblings.
Braden (himself from a large family) theorized that siblings in large families are closer to each other because each one gets less attention from the parents. From my observation, I think this is true. Growing up in a family of seven siblings (with emotionally distant parents) explains a great deal that some people find puzzling in Mia Farrow.
I read a library copy of this book when it was published in 1998 and was touched by the story of this vulnerable, sometimes-bumbling-but-always-well-meaning woman. Her childhood was privileged by some standards and deprived in other ways. Actress Maureen O'Sullivan was of a generation of Catholic women who believed that giving birth to a large family fulfilled her responsibility to God. What happened to the children after she gave birth to them was of less interest to her.
Australian director, producer, and screenwriter John Farrow was a brilliant, talented man, but barely domesticated and unsuited to be a husband and father. In other words, having the kids was his wife's idea and he went along with it. He would occasionally stage dramatic events for his children and those were memorable times. Most of the time, he regarded them as an annoyance and an interruption to his work. For better or worse, servants figured largely in the Farrow children's lives.
The death of Mia's oldest brother when he was 19 and she was 13 would have been a shock from which she may never have fully recovered. Much has been written about the effects of the death of a child on the parents and their marriage, but there's no interest in the effects on other siblings. It’s as if psychologists believe the removal of one sibling has little or no effect on the others.
Michael was the family golden boy and he and his oldest sister were close. In addition, Mia was the oldest daughter, a position which creates a feeling of responsibility for the safety of her siblings. Her “failure” to prevent her brother’s death would have left a deep scar. His son’s death increased John Farrow’s always heavy drinking and caused Maureen O’Sullivan to withdraw into herself. The parents provided no support for their other children or even recognition of their loss.
It was almost inevitable that Mia would become an actress and be largely involved with show business people. She has fascinating stories about her brief, disastrous marriage to Frank Sinatra when she was very young and he was much older. Sinatra could be thoughtful and loving, but he was basically a selfish man. At night, he and his “cronies” entertained each other while Mia sat with their stripper/hooker girlfriends and made polite conversation.
Her marriage to musician Andre Previn was more successful and produced three sons. I think it’s important to note that all of her sons from that marriage, as well as her biological son by Woody Allen and their adopted daughter continue to defend her as a loving, involved mother. It was the adopted daughter whom Mia accused Allen of molesting, causing a storm of controversy.
Allen has repeatedly claimed that he was “cleared” of the charges, but the facts show otherwise. The NYC District Attorney decided not to try the case because doing so would have necessitated the child testifying in court and being cross-examined. It was determined that the potential damage to the little girl out-weighed the possibility of allowing a molester to go free. Dylan Farrow lives quietly as an adult, but has no contact with her adoptive father and still maintains that he molested her.
I'm astonished at those who refuse to consider the possibility of Woody Allen being a child molester because “he’s a genius." If intelligence or talent precluded the possibility of evil, the history of the human race would be far different. Can you tell I’m NOT a Woody Allen fan?
As an adult, Mia Farrow attempted to recreate her birth family, but with a loving mother at the head of it. As she wrote, “I was one of seven children. I have raised seven children to adulthood. Now I’m raising seven more children. My life has come full circle.”
Her detractors have noted that some of her adopted children have failed to go on to lead happy lives (one committed suicide; another claims Farrow mistreated him.) They believe this is “proof” that she was a bad mother. Yet how many of us have seen wise, loving parents raise children whose adult lives are far from happy or productive. Sadly, parenting isn’t as simple as doing all the right things and getting good results.
I remember the quote of a woman who (with her husband) raised a large family of at-risk children in addition to their biological ones. “We’ve had ‘em in Yale and we’ve had ‘em in jail” she said philosophically. All any parent can do is the best they can.
In her capacity as goodwill ambassador of the UN, Farrow visited areas where children are at risk and adopted many of them to give them the best chance possible.I firmly believe she adopted them because she loves children and wanted to save as many as possible.
I finished this book with a great deal of admiration for this vulnerable, loving woman. I’m glad she told her story. I wish those who hold negative opinions of her would read this book with an open mind.
Today when large families are so rare, it's difficult for people to imagine the effects of growing up with multiple siblings. Journalist Tom Braden (whose book "Eight is Enough" inspired the TV show of the same name) recognized this phenomenon in his own large brood. He noted that as his family increased, his children became an entity in themselves, separate from their parents.
This was particularly apparent when his family vacationed with the large family of Robert and Ethel Kennedy. The adults came home one night to find the Braden kids "defending" their rental home, which was under "attack" by the Kennedy kids. Rocks were being thrown and the assault had taken on a deadly seriousness in the minds of the two sets of siblings.
Braden (himself from a large family) theorized that siblings in large families are closer to each other because each one gets less attention from the parents. From my observation, I think this is true. Growing up in a family of seven siblings (with emotionally distant parents) explains a great deal that some people find puzzling in Mia Farrow.
I read a library copy of this book when it was published in 1998 and was touched by the story of this vulnerable, sometimes-bumbling-but-always-well-meaning woman. Her childhood was privileged by some standards and deprived in other ways. Actress Maureen O'Sullivan was of a generation of Catholic women who believed that giving birth to a large family fulfilled her responsibility to God. What happened to the children after she gave birth to them was of less interest to her.
Australian director, producer, and screenwriter John Farrow was a brilliant, talented man, but barely domesticated and unsuited to be a husband and father. In other words, having the kids was his wife's idea and he went along with it. He would occasionally stage dramatic events for his children and those were memorable times. Most of the time, he regarded them as an annoyance and an interruption to his work. For better or worse, servants figured largely in the Farrow children's lives.
The death of Mia's oldest brother when he was 19 and she was 13 would have been a shock from which she may never have fully recovered. Much has been written about the effects of the death of a child on the parents and their marriage, but there's no interest in the effects on other siblings. It’s as if psychologists believe the removal of one sibling has little or no effect on the others.
Michael was the family golden boy and he and his oldest sister were close. In addition, Mia was the oldest daughter, a position which creates a feeling of responsibility for the safety of her siblings. Her “failure” to prevent her brother’s death would have left a deep scar. His son’s death increased John Farrow’s always heavy drinking and caused Maureen O’Sullivan to withdraw into herself. The parents provided no support for their other children or even recognition of their loss.
It was almost inevitable that Mia would become an actress and be largely involved with show business people. She has fascinating stories about her brief, disastrous marriage to Frank Sinatra when she was very young and he was much older. Sinatra could be thoughtful and loving, but he was basically a selfish man. At night, he and his “cronies” entertained each other while Mia sat with their stripper/hooker girlfriends and made polite conversation.
Her marriage to musician Andre Previn was more successful and produced three sons. I think it’s important to note that all of her sons from that marriage, as well as her biological son by Woody Allen and their adopted daughter continue to defend her as a loving, involved mother. It was the adopted daughter whom Mia accused Allen of molesting, causing a storm of controversy.
Allen has repeatedly claimed that he was “cleared” of the charges, but the facts show otherwise. The NYC District Attorney decided not to try the case because doing so would have necessitated the child testifying in court and being cross-examined. It was determined that the potential damage to the little girl out-weighed the possibility of allowing a molester to go free. Dylan Farrow lives quietly as an adult, but has no contact with her adoptive father and still maintains that he molested her.
I'm astonished at those who refuse to consider the possibility of Woody Allen being a child molester because “he’s a genius." If intelligence or talent precluded the possibility of evil, the history of the human race would be far different. Can you tell I’m NOT a Woody Allen fan?
As an adult, Mia Farrow attempted to recreate her birth family, but with a loving mother at the head of it. As she wrote, “I was one of seven children. I have raised seven children to adulthood. Now I’m raising seven more children. My life has come full circle.”
Her detractors have noted that some of her adopted children have failed to go on to lead happy lives (one committed suicide; another claims Farrow mistreated him.) They believe this is “proof” that she was a bad mother. Yet how many of us have seen wise, loving parents raise children whose adult lives are far from happy or productive. Sadly, parenting isn’t as simple as doing all the right things and getting good results.
I remember the quote of a woman who (with her husband) raised a large family of at-risk children in addition to their biological ones. “We’ve had ‘em in Yale and we’ve had ‘em in jail” she said philosophically. All any parent can do is the best they can.
In her capacity as goodwill ambassador of the UN, Farrow visited areas where children are at risk and adopted many of them to give them the best chance possible.I firmly believe she adopted them because she loves children and wanted to save as many as possible.
I finished this book with a great deal of admiration for this vulnerable, loving woman. I’m glad she told her story. I wish those who hold negative opinions of her would read this book with an open mind.
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