U was excited to read this cus I like her as an actress。 Most of it I really enjoyed, but the end was very rushed! I wanted more of an ending。
Alexa,
A solid celebrity/Hollywood memoir, if limited in scope。 And it IS limited in scope--read if you're a fan of Hayley Mills' childhood/classic career and would like a view into that period of her life。 From that perspective, I did enjoy it。 However, the memoir cuts off at the point Hayley has her first child。。。 which is in the late 70s! So you don't get the last 40 years of her life。 Which, ya know, does she owe us every single spec of her life? No, but I was a bit surprised。 I had been looking fo A solid celebrity/Hollywood memoir, if limited in scope。 And it IS limited in scope--read if you're a fan of Hayley Mills' childhood/classic career and would like a view into that period of her life。 From that perspective, I did enjoy it。 However, the memoir cuts off at the point Hayley has her first child。。。 which is in the late 70s! So you don't get the last 40 years of her life。 Which, ya know, does she owe us every single spec of her life? No, but I was a bit surprised。 I had been looking forward to that part--it sounds silly but because I was born in the 80s and came up with early Disney Channel subculture (I didn't have cable but I still knew the shows!), I was really hoping to hear about Good Morning Miss Bliss and The Parent Trap 2。 Maybe even her perspective on seeing The Parent Trap remade for a new generation。 That said, Mills' is a lovely writer--perhaps why I wanted to read more? No surprise her mother was a writer, and a bit of a surprise Hayley's never had a go at it before this with a novel or something。 I was impressed at points, especially her journals when she was younger。 Her maturity and imagination come through。 And overall, it's lovely to spend time with her--she's very obviously a kind, lovely person。 She has nothing but nice things to say about pretty much everyone, except for one actor she's very honest about being a misogynist。 She also grew up surrounded by some seriously famous people (not just her dad) and it's kind of a trip to read her casually name-dropping "Uncle Dickie" (Richard Attenborough) or Larry and Joan--Sir Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright (and Vivien Leigh also gets a mention)。 She also speaks lovingly though realistically about Walt Disney--I liked how she recognized he was absolutely warm and wonderful on a personal level, but also a shrewd businessman。 You also get insights into her parents and how she grew up--I wasn't super familiar with her parents, but I'm sure Brits will find it all pretty fascinating。A solid memoir to get a snippet of a bit of Old Hollywood (as it was fading in the 60s) and a childhood icon。 I have a soft spot for Hayley Mills--I've always loved her! The one sadness for me is she keeps calling herself fat, and she does briefly acknowledge she had an eating disorder at the time, but like lord。 She was never fat! Hayley was always gorgeous。 I hate that she was made to feel that way :( 。。。more
Wendy,
Forever Young: A Memoir by actress Hayley Mills chronicles her recollections of her childhood when she became a Disney star to transitioning to grownup roles。 Hayley was championed by Walt Disney himself in such movies as Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, and That Darn Cat。 The daughter of actor John Mills and playwright Mary Hayley Bell, Mills found her transition from a wholesome teen to more mature roles difficult as fans wanted her to stay “forever young。”Mills offers a look into her family, and i Forever Young: A Memoir by actress Hayley Mills chronicles her recollections of her childhood when she became a Disney star to transitioning to grownup roles。 Hayley was championed by Walt Disney himself in such movies as Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, and That Darn Cat。 The daughter of actor John Mills and playwright Mary Hayley Bell, Mills found her transition from a wholesome teen to more mature roles difficult as fans wanted her to stay “forever young。”Mills offers a look into her family, and if readers thought she lived a charmed life, she did, but not without obstacles。 She shared her parents with an older sister, the actress Juliet Mills, and a younger brother Jonathan Mills。 While she had a marvelous relationship with her father, she often found herself at odds with her mother, who she felt drank too much。 Mills also experienced the fate of other child actors whose income was never realized as the Crown received most of it。While the scope of the book covers her childhood through the birth of her first child, there is still much opportunity for another memoir about her adult life…and I, as a great fan from childhood on, hope that she will take a breath then write the second half of her memoirs。Hayley Mills was born in London, where she currently resides。 Born in 1946, she made her first appearance in films in 1959 in Tiger Bay, starring her father。 Living in California for many years, she starred in “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” the Disney forerunner of “Saved by the Bell,” more material that could be mined for a second memoir。My review will be posted on Goodreads starting July 25, 2021。I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review。 。。。more
Casey Wheeler,
This book is a disappointment in that it was a sort of memoir that tended to ramble about other people and films/plays and only covers basically the first half of her life with later years rushed in the last couple of chapters。 It would have greatly enhanced if it was written by a biographer who would have helped keep the author focused。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, A This book is a disappointment in that it was a sort of memoir that tended to ramble about other people and films/plays and only covers basically the first half of her life with later years rushed in the last couple of chapters。 It would have greatly enhanced if it was written by a biographer who would have helped keep the author focused。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog。 。。。more
Becky,
I remember playing my VHS tape of Pollyanna, then rewinding and beginning again, over and over and over。 Imagine my excitement to see a biography of this talented actress coming across my radar! Unfortunately, the pace of the book was plodding, filled with list of films and theatre performances and endless but brief comments about co-stars and co-workers that did not lend to the development of the story。 What began as what I had hoped would be an introspection, ended as a dry retelling。 I'm disa I remember playing my VHS tape of Pollyanna, then rewinding and beginning again, over and over and over。 Imagine my excitement to see a biography of this talented actress coming across my radar! Unfortunately, the pace of the book was plodding, filled with list of films and theatre performances and endless but brief comments about co-stars and co-workers that did not lend to the development of the story。 What began as what I had hoped would be an introspection, ended as a dry retelling。 I'm disappointed that this didn't live up to they hype I had in my head。 Thank you to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review。#ForeverYoung #NetGalley 。。。more
Kristen,
I am a huge fan of hers, & I'd hoped to learn more about her life。 However, this book highlighted her early movies/life, which I enjoyed, but then later switched to a focus on how she didn't get to keep most of her earnings from that time due to British law, which is horrible, of course 。 It even ended on this topic, while glossing over her personal life, including when she had a second child after her divorce from her much older husband, who was the father of her first son。 It also didn't menti I am a huge fan of hers, & I'd hoped to learn more about her life。 However, this book highlighted her early movies/life, which I enjoyed, but then later switched to a focus on how she didn't get to keep most of her earnings from that time due to British law, which is horrible, of course 。 It even ended on this topic, while glossing over her personal life, including when she had a second child after her divorce from her much older husband, who was the father of her first son。 It also didn't mention her sister, Juliet, that much, focused more on her parents & brother。 。。。more