Julie Andrews was born in 1935 to vaudeville pianist Barbara Morris and teacher Edward Charles “Ted” Wells. The marriage was brief because Barbara left Julie’s father for her vaudeville partner, Canadian tenor Ted Andrews. Julie was raised in a rather haphazard fashion, bounced around to various relatives and friends when Barbara and Ted were on the road performing before she joined them. The Second World War was ravaging London. Rationing, shortages, nightly blackouts, anxiety and fear became a way of life for young Julie, who had vivid memories of the war years.

Ted quickly realized that Julie possessed a strong, clear, lovely soprano voice --- something quite unusual in such a young child --- and he insisted she take singing lessons. Julie also studied dance, which Barbara’s sister taught. By age 9 she was on the road, regularly touring with her mother and stepfather --- hardly a normal life for a child. At age 12 she made her professional solo debut in “Starlight Roof” at the London Hippodrome. That performance set her on the road to stardom.

Julie’s childhood was anything but secure and serene. Barbara and Ted’s messy and protracted divorce caused much stress, and they were hardly model parents. Alcohol played a large part in their lives, and family finances were often shaky. Julie spent some time with her father whenever she could, but show business was the one constant in her life. Offstage the talented child star was awkward, shy and uncertain. She realized at an early age that the income derived from her talents was necessary to help keep the family afloat.

In 1954, at age 18, Julie left her native England to star on Broadway in a new show titled “The Boyfriend.” It was an instant success. Due to her reluctance to leave her family and friends in London for such a long period of time, Julie refused to sign the standard two-year contract and instead agreed to only one year. As it turned out, her decision was certainly a good one because when she was offered the role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” (which she played on Broadway for two years and then in London for 16 months), she was free to take advantage of this opportunity.

In 1957 Julie starred in the television musical “Cinderella.” Next came her leading role as Queen Guenevere opposite Richard Burton’s King Arthur in “Camelot.” During one of her performances, Walt Disney, who was in the audience, was so impressed with Julie’s talent that he met her backstage and offered her a real plum --- the starring role of the delightful nanny in the film Mary Poppins.

In 1959 Julie married her childhood friend and longtime sweetheart, Tony Walton, a very talented set and costume designer.

As the book closes in 1963, Julie, Tony and their infant daughter Emma move to Hollywood as Julie begins to prepare for her Mary Poppins role.

Julie describes in detail what it was like to work with such show business luminaries as Richard Burton, Moss Hart, Walt Disney, Robert Goulet, Roddy McDowell, Carol Burnett and many others. She explains how demanding rehearsals were and how she continually worked to perfect her craft, to tweak this or that, to try each day to make her performance better than the previous one.

Those fans who have seen Julie Andrews’s movies, television shows and live stage performances, and have heard her lovely voice, recognize how truly gifted she is. Reading HOME makes one realize how hard she worked to make her considerable talent seem effortless.