HOME WORK covers Julie Andrews’ years working in Hollywood on various movies, including Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Written with her oldest child, Emma Walton Hamilton, she reflects on her extraordinary film career and its effect on her personal life as she learns to navigate her meteoric rise to fame.

The mother/daughter duo co-wrote Andrews’ first memoir, HOME, which focuses on her life growing up during World War II, her experiences with vaudeville in her teens and performing on Broadway in her early 20s. In the Introduction to HOME WORK, Andrews offers a concise summary of the highlights of HOME to give readers the relevant details of her early life and to help them place family relationships and events in context when those people are referenced in the pages that follow.

"As she continues to talk about her amazing film career during the time period covered in HOME WORK, Andrews’ grace, decency and devotion to her craft shine through on each and every page."

The book opens as Andrews is cast in Mary Poppins and heads to Los Angeles to meet with Walt Disney himself and other relevant people whose job it is to prepare her for the lead role. She recounts her steep learning curve as she adjusts to the process of filming a movie versus staging a Broadway show. These reminiscences are brimming with in-depth, fascinating glimpses into both the creation of the movie and the personalities of the actors with whom she worked, and she regales readers with stories that provide just the right balance between the two. Particularly intriguing are her descriptions of creating the special effects: “So often, the film called for something that had never been achieved before in terms of special effects. It was up to Walt’s brilliant technical crew to figure out how to make it happen.”

Andrews’ discussion of the filming of The Sound of Music contains the same thoughtful recounting of behind-the-scenes tales, but she also addresses her initial reluctance to accept the role because she had not loved the Broadway production of the show and hated to be cast again as a nanny so early in her career. While the movie did not require the rigorous, occasionally dangerous and often time-consuming special effects that were necessary in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music had its own challenges and initially was not well-received by the critics.

As she continues to talk about her amazing film career during the time period covered in HOME WORK, Andrews’ grace, decency and devotion to her craft shine through on each and every page. And the fact that she wrote the book with her daughter lends an additional layer of genuineness and authenticity to her depiction of her life story.

In her Epilogue, Andrews offers some advice to aspiring performers: “Learn your craft. Do your homework. Opportunity will come along when you least expect it, as it did for me. You may not even recognize it at the time. Your job is to be as ready as possible when that good fortune comes your way.” While she directs this guidance to those seeking to succeed in her profession, these wise words will benefit anyone who heeds them regardless of his or her job.

HOME WORK traces Andrews’ career through 1986, focusing on both her personal life and her professional body of work during those years. It provides an unparalleled glimpse into these remarkable chapters of her life and will leave readers hoping for a third memoir in the not-too-distant future.