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Nan A. Talese

What Falls Away

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Description

In an exquisitely written memoir, Mia Farrow introduces us to the landscapes of her extraordinary life. Moving from her earliest memories of the walled gardens and rocky shores of western Ireland and her Hollywood childhood to her career as an actress, she writes of these experiences and her struggle to protect her children in a painful custody battle with Woody Allen. It was this crisis that led her to reflect upon the incidents that had brought her to a place so incomprehensible. Now, in What Falls Away, a memoir resonant not only in its honesty but also in its beautifully crafted prose, Mia Farrow speaks for the first time. She was born the third of seven children to the beautiful actress Maureen O'Sullivan and successful writer/director John Farrow, but the isolation of a polio ward brought her childhood to an abrupt end at the age of nine. Several years later, two deaths shattered the security of the family forever, and Mia Farrow embarked upon a journey that would lead her away from the convent education that was to sustain her spiritual courage, to starring roles in Peyton Place and Rosemary's Baby, a marriage to Frank Sinatra, divorce, a defining trip to India, work on the London stage and in film, and marriage to André Previn. Their life together in England brought them three sons and three daughters before that marriage, too, dissolved and she returned to the United States. The year 1979 saw the beginning of a new career with brilliant performances in thirteen of Woody Allen's most distinguished films. Told with grace and deep understanding, as well as humor, What Falls Away goes beneath the surface of this amazing life, with all its drama, success, and pain, and exposes the inner workings of a mind and spirit for whom truth, compassion, and faith are essential. Mia Farrow's story is ultimately one of hope and courage in the face of difficulty; of commitment to others--most important of whom are her children; and of spiritual strength. Readers will not easily forget this remarkable book, even long after the last page has been turned. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nan A. Talese


Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 3, 1997


Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385471874


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 79


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.5 x 10 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #694,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1,609 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A fascinating life, a good woman
Format: Paperback
I came away from this book with true admiration for the author. She has lived a fascinating life, beginning with her childhood, including a bout with polio and the views into the lives of successful show business families. This story spans many decades, and will give the reader a lot of newsy stories about many well known personalities, as well as being kind of a pop history of the second half of the 20th century. My favorite tidbits were actually the parts about being in India to study under the Maharishi, at the same time as the Beatles. Some of the odd titles and songs from the White Cover album, came from that experience and have literal explanations. I particularly liked reading about how Bungalow Bill's song came about. Turns out it's a true story! And what was it like being married to Frank Sinatra and hanging with his crowd? That was another fun section to read. She had friendships with luminaries like Salvador Dali and his wife and Yul Brenner and his, real friendships that lasted, among many others. Of course there is the long period of her relationship with Woody Allen and it is detailed and unsparing. If anything is left out of the famous story about his romance and marriage to Soon Yi, or the stories about daughter Dylan, that are currently being revisited in the press, it would have to be the most minor or repititious detail because so much is told, you really will have an idea of what was going on and the difficulties encountered. There is also much to learn about all of the children Mia Farrow has adopted, with Andre Previn, with Woody Allen, and on her own. She is a giving and generous woman and has helped these children enormously. I was very satisfied with this book, and have recommended it to many. I've also listened to it on an audio version, read almost entirely in her own voice. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2014 by expert
    • LOVED THE BOOK, HATED THE MAIN CHARACTERS!
WARNING: A bit of a spoiler. This book is a wonderful read. The writing is witty. Mia is articulate (if there are no ghost writers), and funny. Her experiences are of a extraordinary world, experienced by a very simple person giving it an almost 'Alice in Wonderland' feel. I really enjoyed reading it until I grew increasingly mad and then finally disgusted losing all respect for Mia. Yes, Mia. See, just from what I knew, I never had much respect for Woody so that did not change. Actually no, I do find him even more repulsive now, but I just cannot believe some of the decisions taken by Mia. There were choices, and in my opinion, she made many WRONG ones that were almost unforgivable because they impacted young children more than her own life and well being. OVERTLY obvious warning signs were flaring and she just wished them away, inappropriate acts were occuring, again she figured the shrinks were going to make it all right soon, just hang in there. I still rate it a 4 out of 5 for its cleverness, ability not to get boring, and for making me laugh and want to slap someone just pages apart. That makes for a good read. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2002 by Amazon Customer
    • Riveting
Format: Paperback
I was riveted to this memoir. The first part of the book where she writes about her childhood is so beautifully wrought, I was taken aback. Who knew? There's a dreamy, evocative quality that reminds me of Proust without the 800-word sentences. Mia Farrow is a great writer. The dreamy quality dissipates as she writes of her life when she is older and show biz begins. You get a lot of inside scoop, that's for sure. I did not feel she was entirely truthful in presenting her character. I think she was intensely ambitious, particularly when it came to hooking up with powerful men, whereas she presents herself in romantic scenarios as somewhat passive. I don't know how she kept rationalizing staying with Woody Allen when he was so inappropriate with Dylan that she asked that he never have Dylan alone overnight. Then Mia stays with him for a few more years. That's nuts. But she had all these kids and no real financial security, except with Woody's movies. It seemed like the power of having Woody Allen in her life trumped her fears early on. I never walked in her shoes, though. She asks herself why she stayed with him,. (Clearly, she fooled around with other men when she was with Woody. Ronan is the image of Frank Sinatra.) The idea that he could be molesting one daughter while fooling around with his daughter's sister was too repugnant. I don't know. So it's an exceptional read in the beginning of the memoir and fascinating from a voyeur's point of view in the rest. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2018 by Francie Nolan
    • Beautifully Written, Sensitively Told
Format: Kindle
What a wondetful read. Ms. Farrow has led an interesting, traumatic, well connected, much loved, maturely reflective and in many ways, selfless life. She comes from brilliant Hollywood anticedents, has been connected to some very powerful men, and has significant acting talent of her own. She has opened her heart and soul many times..in her love life, in adopting and raising many special needs children from different countries, and in writing this book. What a deep, thoughtful being she is. I especially loved her descriptions of the profound respect and honor with which she holds each of her individual children, and also of some profoundly transcendent moments of personal awareness and meaning behind incidents she has experienced. She seems to try to lay out a fair, nonvindictive account of her relationship with Woody Allen, which cant have been easy given some of his bizarre behavior. Kudos to the author!! A fascinating autobiography. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2019 by Kindle Customer
    • Good, Bad and Confusing
Format: Kindle
What a strange read and a strange life! The good includes that Mia is surprisingly one heck of a writer. Some of the writing, especially early in the book is lovely and eloquent. Other good elements are her frank discussion of polio, her parents and her sheltered, surreal childhood. The confusing - how can anyone be that clueless? She seems to feel nothing for breaking up Andre Previn's marriage and family, runs off into the jungle in India without a clue of the dangers, no red lights go off when Woody Allen refuses to engage with many of her children yet pays special attention to one. Some of the stories were so bizarre I had a hard time believing them to be real. The bad - wow, what a scum bag Woody Allen is! Yet, her ditzy, flower child attitude enabled his horrific behavior to continue and flourish. I found the beginning of the book interesting, the middle okay, but the final third just made me what to slap both Woody Allen and her! The final few pages about how idyllic her life is now with all of her happy, well-adjusted, successful children is downright delusional seeing that some of her children won't speak to her and others have died. Not sure what planet this woman lives on and amazed she is still worth millions - utterly confusing. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021 by Dr. Von
    • What Falls Away
Format: Paperback
Mia Farrow has beautifully written this book. I am assuming she didn't use a ghost writer. The section of the book on her relationship with Woody Allen and his with her daughter is sometimes hard to read as you want to slap her for not acting on her feelings about Woody Allen before he injured her family so severely. She portrays her family as one big happy family except for the intrusion of Woody Allen, but she seems to live somewhat in a world of denial and dreams. My experience with adopted children is different than her portrayal. There are always problems for children who are adopted that are not faced by biological children, and having so many of her children in therapy would indicate that she is really sugarcoating the picture she paints of them. That being said, this is a well written book, and is an interesting look at a life that is different than most and very intriguing. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2012 by G. Gold
    • A surprising, fascinating life
Format: Audio, Cassette
Mia Farrow was born into a privileged Hollywood family; her mother was an actress and her father was a director. She adored him, but he was cold and aloof, and died when Mia was young. By 20, she was a TV and movie star, and Mrs. Frank Sinatra. A few years later, she married conductor Andre Previn. By the time she met Woody Allen, she had a large biological and adopted family; Woody disliked the children and was openly contemptuous of them. He was often distant and abusive to Mia as well, although she appeared in 13 of his movies. The appalling revelation of Woody's affair with one of Mia's daughters and molestation of another made the last part of the book truly horrific. I listened to the audio cassette version, read by the author. Mia's flat and unexpressive reading voice had no variation in inflection or pace to express either happiness, grief, or anger. Without explanation, another reader took over in the seventh tape, and Mia returned in the eighth. The events of Mia's life were dramatic and mesmerizing, with an endless parade of the rich and famous. From her childhood, she tried desperately to please the men in her life, to gain the strength she lacked through them, at the expense of her own self-esteem. She finally found the peace she was seeking in her role as mother to her 14 children. It is an absorbing and moving story. Kona ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2005 by Kona
    • Good read, men are not all there in every sense of the word
Format: Hardcover
Very well written, but fuzzy when it comes to the specific attraction of the four men -- including her devout, wildly Catholic, philandering father and old-man-seeking-virgin-granddaughter Sinatra -- who helped shaped her experience. Her naiveté is a astonishing at times but her love, grace and generosity is equally amazing, at least as she tells it. As for old Woody, well, if HALF of what Farrow alleges re her children is true, he is a withholding, manipulative, very disturbed and sexually abusive man, in addition to being a stunning narcissist. Yik. I don't want to judge her for remaining with him for so many years but he was never a true partner and certainly never paternal. He still makes my skin crawl. Andre Previn remains a large empty space, absent-in-extremis, who also seems to have left virtually all the parenting to her, although three of her biological sons and three of her adopted little girls are his. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2019 by Fox in a Box

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