The third most popular living Britain has finally committed her early life to print. It’s a good story; from an early age she was set for the stage and, as her young life on the hectic vaudeville circuit gathers pace, she encounters the likes of Max Wall, Max Bygraves, Hancock and Kenneth Williams, all on their way up the post-war showbiz ladder. By 19 she’s left the UK behind and, as Eliza Doolittle in Broadway’s opening run of My Fair Lady, Andrews finds herself walking with giants. The great stars, lyricists, arrangers, composers and even costumiers such as Cecil Beaton form part of her new, extraordinary and, dare we say, historic world.
Home charts her meteoric rise, interspersed with the ups and often very dark downs of her family life, with divorce, depression, alcoholism and more constantly shaking the foundations of our young bright star. It’s simply written and loses none of the innocence you’d associate with a teenager forging her way in a very big musical world. Surprising revelations are there, but nothing takes the shine from one of the most glittering early careers ever.
