A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York by Anjelica Huston
2 stars
The first in a duo of memoirs by Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston, A Story Lately Told is Huston’s account of growing up in Ireland, London and New York as the daughter of famed director John Huston and former prima ballerina Ricki Soma. As the first installment of her memoirs, this book only covers her early life and the beginnings of her career as a model; it does not get into any of her more well-known roles in Prizzi’s Honor, the Addams Family and Smash or her relationship with Jack Nicholson.
While it’s nice to get a broad and detailed look a Huston’s childhood, the book in general seems to lack focus. It’s basically just story after monotonous story with no angle or perceived purpose (other than to give a long, drawn-out account of the early years of her life). What’s most disappointing is that her personality does not shine through and that’s usually what is such a big draw with celebrity memoirs (at least for me).
There is no doubt that Huston is accomplished and deserving of her multiple accolades. But her book feels like she’s just yet another celebrity who doesn’t actually have a story to tell, but who writes a memoir just because she thinks that’s what’s expected of her. Or, maybe she really does have a story to tell and doesn’t do a very good job of telling it. If she’d focused more on certain relationships (with her father) or milestones (the tragic and unexpected death of her mother), the book would have read more as a reflection on her life rather than a jumbled string of stories. I have no doubt that she’s got an interesting story to tell somewhere within her – how can you not after growing up with a famous director for a father, winning an Academy Award and dating Jack Nicholson? – but she’s got to hone-in on those stories and tell them with the same emotion and passion she uses in her acting roles.
I still have an immense amount of respect for Anjelica Huston as an actress and performer, but I suggest she stick to acting and leave the writing to others! With such a famous name attached to it, A Story Lately Told turns out to be quite a disappointment.
A Story Lately Told was published in 2013 by Scribner/Simon & Schuster. Huston’s second book, Watch Me, is due to be published in November, 2014. I received a copy of this book from the publisher at BookExpo America.
