Watch Me: A Memoir

Written by Anjelica Huston

Narrated by Anjelica Huston

Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston’s “tireless fascination with the world is thrilling” (Elle), and Watch Me is an “elegant and entertaining” (Chicago Tribune) account of her seventeen-year love affair with Jack Nicholson, her rise to stardom, and her mastery of the craft of acting.

Picking up where her first memoir A Story Lately Told leaves off, Watch Me is a chronicle of Anjelica Huston’s glamorous and eventful Hollywood years. “With a conversational intimacy, inhabiting the role of the new best friend” (San Francisco Chronicle), she writes about falling in love with Jack Nicholson and her adventurous, turbulent, high-profile, spirited relationship with him and his intoxicating circle of friends.

She writes about learning how to act; about her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Maerose Prizzi in Prizzi’s Honor; about her collaborations with many of the greatest directors in Hollywood, including Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Richard Condon, Bob Rafelson, Mike Nichols, and Stephen Frears. She movingly and beautifully describes the death of her father John Huston and her marriage to sculptor Robert Graham.

She is candid, mischievous, warm, passionate, funny, and a fabulous storyteller. Watch Me is a magnificent memoir “from a lady so simultaneously real, tough, vulnerable, privileged, and candid, I want to hear whatever she tells me” (Lisa Schwarzbaum, The New York Times Book Review).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Nov 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781442372719

Anjelica Huston

Academy Award-winning actress and director Anjelica Huston has received honors from the National Society of Film Critics; the Independent Spirit Awards; and the Golden Globe Awards; as well as multiple Oscar, BAFTA, and Emmy awards or nominations. Huston most recently starred on the hit TV show Smash. She is the author of the memoirs A Story Lately Told and Watch Me.

[pianofreak95_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I hadn't listened to an audiobook in a long time and thought this one would be a good one to start with. (I usually love audiobooks that are chick lit or romance.) I got it from the library so I figured no harm no foul. This book was just what I expected it to be. Cute, light, maybe with a couple of good plot twists. The girls are cute and the boys are cute and everyone is cute. But hey, every once and awhile you just need a book like that. The reality t.v. twist was kind of cool. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a camera following my every move. Ugh. That would be terrible. That aspect could have been a bit more developed though. But it wasn't as if the book couldn't be enjoyed because of that.The characters were not developed all that deeply. Especially the characters of James and Simone; even though they weren't super main characters it would have been nice to see a bit more of what they were like. My favorite character was defiantly Drew. I loved his back story and the way he seemed to view life. I also LOVED the chemistry with him and Ally.In terms of plot, it was predictable. Comedy romance to a "T." I think I would have liked it less if I had just read the book and not listened to it. Since I learn best through sound, I can more easily pictures scenes when they're read to me. I could so picture this as a movie. I actually think it would be a great movie, or even a t.v. series. Finally, I can't do an audiobook review without talking about the narrator. I don't have the name of the narrator to Watch Me handy. All I can say was her voice was just a little annoying. Nothing too bad though, and I've heard way worse. After about a couple of chapters, you get used to it and it no longer took away from the story.Overall, listen/read Watch Me if you like romance/Chick Lit and are in for a predictably cute story about a girl who just happens to find herself on reality t.v..

[damarisgcr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not the greatest books by Barnholdt, but still pretty good. The Main character sort of bugged me, but the whole plot and the rest of the characters made up for that. :-)

[ericajsc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the House is a hybrid of The Real World and Big Brother, and when Ally finds herself as a late addition to the cast, she’s pretty naïve about how it will impact her life. I was a little bothered by this, as she seemed to be a pretty smart girl who would probably realize that being on a nationally broadcast show would mean life wouldn’t be “normal” for her. But, then again, I think I was pretty smart at eighteen and I was naïve about a lot of stuff, so I’m willing to accept this about Ally.Though most of the story is told from Ally’s point of view as she’s living in front of the cameras (THEN), there are moments after the cameras are gone (NOW) that are interjected into the story. Here’s why I love this: the reader is basically told from the very beginning how screwed Ally is. So when she and Corey have problems, and she finds herself maybe, kinda, sorta, but not really (but yeah she is) attracted to Drew, it’s not like we didn’t know something was going to go wrong with Ally and Corey’s relationship. My point is this: I hate reading a book where it’s obvious that there is a love triangle (of some sort) but it's presented as something that the readers wouldn't see coming. Generally we do, and pretending like it’s a shock can feel patronizing. I feel as though I’m ranting, so I’ll move on. I think it’s sufficient to say I liked the NOW and THEN setup, thank you very much, Lauren Barnholdt!I think what I love most about this book is that it takes place during Ally’s first semester of college. This is such a monumental time in life; it’s a time when many people begin to spread their wings and explore the world on their own for the first time, a time when life-altering decisions are made, and a time when dreams can be shattered like a skylight in a hail storm. In other words, it’s full of drama. Ally enters life at Syracuse pretty optimistic about the future, confident that she and Corey have a bond that is strong enough to endure long-distance and the scrutiny of viewers all over the country. But when things don’t go as smoothly as she planned – with Corey or otherwise – she’s a bit lost. To counter this (because, well, this is pretty devastating, not the best years of your life like people say college is – though they say that about high school, too, and clearly that’s not true for lots and lots of people), Ally finds purpose. Though she entered college not really having a clue about her future goals, she quickly discovers something she’s passionate about, and good at, too. Although this newfound passion and drive is met with less-than-expected enthusiasm from her family and friends (another thing that is all too real about the college experience), Ally is able to find people who do encourage her and see her potential in this area.In this book, Barnholdt has found a way to touch upon some pretty big issues, but they never feel so huge because the story has a light feel to it. I zipped through this book in a matter of hours, completely swept up in Ally’s story.

[Juyoung Kim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. How fasnating and how ardently she wrote. Thank you Angelica for sharing and much respect as a woman.

[James Noll · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Greet read and listen from an iconic Hollywood Family member

[kstina88 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So good and very exciting to listen to the Angelica huston telling her story loved it

[Karyn Myers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful book- wonderful life. I was struck by Angelica’s continual strength. She so actively participates in life and with people.

[Debbie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting life ...a very feminine soul ..you really feel the grief in it because author reads it from her heart.

[piemouth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Her life gets more interesting in this second volume – she realizes she’s drifting and decides to get serious about acting, gets better roles, and does well in them. Then directing and producing. I always enjoy reading about creative work and the creative process. There’s lots about her and Jack Nicholson (he finds out his “sister” was actually his mother, but she and their mother have both died). She meets sculptor Robert Graham to whom she was happily married until his death in 2008.

[meggo_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It helps that Huston has led an extremely interesting life. I just wish she had a happier time of things. I read this book immediately after Huston's predecessor memoir, A Story Lately Told, and I enjoyed it more in no small measure because her story telling is stronger in this book, which focuses on her adult life for which her memories are stronger. An interesting read.