Then Again

The highly successful actress Diane Keaton, best known for ANNIE HALL, writes and reads this irksome, confusing, and eccentric memoir, which is, nevertheless, charming at moments in its truthfulness. Emphasizing her thoughts and feelings in a stream-of-consciousness style, Keaton writes her own story on a parallel track with her mother's biography. The variety of the collage of words is at odds with her monochromatic reading. The famously quirky actress doesn't seem motivated to dramatically deliver the highs and lows of her quite fascinating life. She addresses particular segments of her experiences, including her relatively recent adoption of two children, but details of her professional life and her perspectives on acting are disappointingly absent. W.A.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 27, 2012
This audio production of Keaton’s memoir delivers something you won’t get in the print edition: Diane Keaton herself. As a narrator, Keaton’s personality, talent, and vulnerability shine through—whether she is describing heartbreak (take that, Al Pacino), revealing a never-before-disclosed struggle with an eating disorder, or acting goofy and showcasing her famously funny side. Keaton’s delivery is conversational throughout, and listeners will feel as if they’re sitting around the kitchen table swapping stories with the Hollywood legend. Most significantly, the performance captures the tenderness of Keaton’s relationship with her mother, Dorothy Keaton Hall. This audio weaves Hall’s journal entries, by turns joyous and painful, with Keaton’s memories from her childhood and adult life. Entertaining and a must for fans. A Random House hardcover.