Reviews 

"What Falls Away"
by Mia Farrow

It is infrequent that a biography of a "celebrity" includes passages or events that resonate on such a personal level with the rest of us, but "What Falls Away" could have been any woman's story (minus the Hollywood element, of course). There is, most certainly, name-dropping and anecdotes involving the famous and infamous, but this biography is more a woman's story than that of a celebrity.

There are few people living in America during the '90's unfamiliar with the media frenzy regarding Ms. Farrow's courtroom drama with director Woody Allen, but that drama is a small portion of "What Falls Away". Mia Farrow recounts the full range of her life, from a childhood struggle with polio, the loss of a beloved brother, and the grief of watching your family disintegrate as parents drift apart. Throughout it all, Ms. Farrow provides a very honest, if at times melodramatic, narrative.

Although her life unfolds within the constant scrutiny of the Hollywood fish bowl, Ms. Farrow is able to convey the process of grief, the struggle with perfectionism and fear and surviving the devastation of betrayal in very real terms. No matter their circumstances, any reader is likely to stumble upon some kernel to which they can relate. "What Falls Away" examines the messiness and complexities of a life with a welcome degree of honesty.

In all truthfulness, however, the portions of the book devoted to Ms. Farrow's relationship with Woody Allen read like the story of any dysfunctional relationship. Verbal and emotional abuse escalate over the years accompanied by Ms. Farrow's heightened neediness and dependency. Had a close friend retold this as their story, most reader's would immediately ask 'What are you thinking? Why are you letting this happen to yourself and your children?' Viewing the story externally, it is easy to make these judgements, but as any abuse survivor will explain, at the time and within the context of this type of relationship, such a reasoned perspective is elusive.

The inclusion of court documents at the book's end, may or may not have been necessary, but it does lend and air of credibility to Ms. Farrow's recounting of her relationship with Mr. Allen. Frankly, it is hard not to read them and feel overwhelming frustration, anger and disgust.

The real story in this biography, however, is larger than this one portion of her life.  Mia Farrow could be any woman.  She struggles with issues of self-esteem, flawed judgment, a lifetime of grief and emotional need, and a desire to build as healthy and full a life as possible.  In looking beyond the celebrity and glitz, "What Falls Away" is a worth reading simply because it is a true introspection to which any woman can relate.

About the Author : Catie Hayes is founder/editor of WomanLinks.com; a community of support, spirituality, growth and empowerment for women. She is a freelance writer, the single homeschooling mom of two, and an avid fan of laughter, spontaneous dancing, cats and chocolate (not necessarily in that order).