Then Again: A Memoir by Diane Keaton
I was really looking forward to reading Diane Keaton’s autobiography. She’s always been on my radar – her witty acting style, preppy clothing choices and awesome laugh. I saw her on a few chat shows doing press for ‘Then Again: A Memoir by Diane Keaton’ and was excited to see what her life entailed up until that point.
The book is exquisitely written – I’m not sure if she had someone lend her a hand but I liked her flair for keep me interested and the visual images her stories presented. She spoke of her family dynamics, her parents ailing health, her own battles with mental health issues within the crazy fabric of trying to make it as a working Hollywood actress.
Lovely.
The only bit of a bummer about this book was that there was not enough about her high profile romances with Woody Allen, Warren Beatty and Al Pacino. I wanted more romance and intrigue. Even her professional relationship with Francis Ford Coppola while working on ‘The Godfather’ was quite short in detail. These are some pretty powerful Hollywood players – I wanted dirt. Perhaps there wasn’t a lot mainly because these gentlemen are still alive and being a classy lady she didn’t want to sell them out. They have families now and the like. I get it.
I have to applaud her for also writing about what it was like adopting two children late in life and being determined to give them as much love, affection and care equal to that of any mom younger in age. Love it!
She didn’t winge about how she never married or was waiting around for dudes to come and sweep her up so she could procreate on their schedule. Instead she took the reins and made it happen for on her time. Very modern woman. So admirable. Then again – she is pretty rich so maybe it’s a lil easier for her to get away with that than say you or I could in our 50’s. 
Lastly, the coolest element of this book was that it was written as a series of letters. A craft she inherited from her mom early on to not only journal what was going on in life but also to make sense of it so she could reflect upon it at a later date. Fascinating. Letter writing is such a dying art – recognizing that she was able to hold onto such beautiful historical mementoes between herself, her parents and loved ones that were ultimately assembled to tell her life’s tale.
‘Then Again: A Memoir by Diane Keaton’ was uniquely and creatively written. I read a lot of autobiographies and this one really stands out as a ‘must read’. Is this book worth a read? Yes! Keep in mind you will get wrapped up in a whirlwind very early on in this book. The imagery is stunning. In the latter part of the book – it did wane a tad. Overall, I enjoyed it and glad I know her a lil better.
Random House Publishing Group
Price: $30 Canadian
Yours,
Mel xo
