Anjelica Huston details her childhood, working with father John Huston
Actress Anjelica Huston鈥檚 memoir 鈥淎 Story Lately Told鈥� is garnering plenty of buzz for its Hollywood insider stories.
The first part of what will be a two-volume biography, according to , was released on Nov. 19, and details Huston's childhood and young adult life working as a model.
Huston is an Oscar-winning actress (for the 1985 film 鈥淧rizzi鈥檚 Honor鈥�) and appeared in the films 鈥淭he Postman Always Rings Twice,鈥� 鈥淐rimes and Misdemeanors,鈥� and the 鈥淎ddams Family鈥� movies as well as, more recently, 鈥淭he Royal Tenenbaums,鈥� 鈥�50/50,鈥� and the NBC series 鈥淪mash.鈥�
Huston told USA Today she started writing her memoir with a ghostwriter but decided to go on by herself soon after.
鈥淚t became evident to me that if I was going to embark on this idea that I should do it myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause really I don't think anyone can replicate your way of thinking.鈥�
Huston鈥檚 memoir describes what it was like to work with her director father John Huston on the movie 鈥淎 Walk With Love And Death.鈥� Huston told interviewer Terry Gross that the experience was not a good one.聽
鈥淚t seemed to me that he didn't want me to be who I was," she said. 鈥淎nd that was very difficult.... I felt at that time that he didn't like me, he didn't like who I was, he didn't like the way I dressed, the way I looked. He was very critical of all of that.鈥�
However, she later worked with him on 鈥淧rizzi's Honor,鈥� and gained a new perspective, she said. 鈥淚 thought it was all about me, [that] he had it in for me鈥� while working on 鈥淲alk,鈥� she said. But later, working on "Prizzi's Honor," she said that she saw her father "get tough on other people too and although that doesn't really diminish the effect that it has on one when one's talent or one's behavior is called into question, at the same time there was something vaguely comforting about knowing that I wasn't the only one to suffer criticism.鈥�
As for the second volume, Huston told USA Today there will be 鈥渁mple Jack,鈥� referring to her relationship with actor Jack Nicholson.
The memoir received a negative notice from Kirkus Reviews. The reviewer for Kirkus says the book "sags" as it goes on and that "a phone book of names assails readers, challenging both memory and interest.... Banality clutches the book tightly."
But most other reviewers disagreed. Publishers Weekly says Huston 鈥渁chieves some moments of ringing clarity鈥� and called her memoir a 鈥渂rave account,鈥� while writer Melissa Maerz awarded the book an A- and calling it 鈥渇ascinating.鈥�
鈥淗er lovely, novelistic writing carries the book,鈥� Maerz writes.
