Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal [Hardcover]

Kristine Groteke (Author), Marjorie Rosen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

A insider's look at the lives and relationship of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow discusses the unraveling of the famed couple, from revelations about Allen's affair with Mia's adopted daughter to allegations about his sexual abuse of another. 100,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Groteke, who was in college when she was hired by Mia Farrow as a nanny, admits that her account of the acrimonious, headline-grabbing breakup of Farrow and Woody Allen "is not intended as an objective account." True to her word, she praises Farrow as a devoted parent ("a mother with a capital M") while disparaging Allen as "rude and antisocial." The trouble in Farrow's "unconventional household," comprised of her 11 adopted and biological children (including a crack baby and a blind Vietnamese child), began when Farrow found photos taken by Allen of her adopted teenage daughter Soon-Yi in the nude. Subsequently, Farrow brought charges that Allen sexually molested their seven-year-old daughter, Dylan. A numbing round of lawyers, psychiatrists and extended court testimony ensues, laced with occasional tidbits (e.g., that Allen is neurotically fearful of germs) and an intimation that Mia's sister Steffi had an affair with Allen. Writing with Rosen, a senior writer at People magazine, Groteke portrays two pampered celebrities who have lost their grasp of reality. Photos not seen by PW. 100,000 first printing.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

It's Woody and Mia as seen through the eyes of their children's baby-sitter. No, it's not a segment of A Current Affair; in fact, it's several notches above that. Still, the topic being what it is, readers will want answers to questions like, What is he, nuts? or What is she, nuts? Groteke actually delivers at least some of the goods we've all been waiting for. Here's the background: just before the scandal broke, Groteke, a Connecticut neighbor of Farrow's, came to spend the summer as a nanny. Over the next several years, she became both friend and confidante to Farrow; thus, while her manuscript was not vetted by the actress, it does tell her side of it. Groteke, however, tries to be fair to Allen. She does not presume to say whether he molested his adopted daughter, Dylan, but she does describe what happened on the day when the alleged abuse took place, and she also comments on Allen's fawning devotion to Dylan (to the exclusion of his son, Satchel). The details of those horrific months when Farrow's family was torn apart and relentless reporters dogged their every step make for fascinating reading. Groteke's account of the custody hearing itself proves especially interesting, as does the appendix, which reprints Judge Wilk's entire judgment, devastating in its opinion of Allen. There are surprises here, too. For instance, we learn that even after Farrow found the nude pictures of Soon-yi, she still continued to see Allen, have dinner with him, and speak constantly with him on the phone. When Groteke asks how Farrow could have stayed with him even before the Soon-yi affair, considering he verbally attacked her, wanted nothing to do with her children, and refused to marry her, Farrow talks about Allen's brilliance and how superior she felt him to be. So maybe they were both nuts. Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub; 1St Edition edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786700661
• ISBN-13: 978-0786700660
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #619,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's View. . ., September 21, 2008

By 

Laurel-Rain Snow "Rain" "Rainy Days" (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal (Hardcover)

Unknowingly poised on the edge of melodrama, author Kristi Groteke innocently accepts a job as a nanny for a celebrity couple---Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. Little does she know that within the year, her life will be turned upside down, just as the lives of the famous couple and
their children are---set against the backdrop of a seemingly routine life of a family, a furor erupts when Mia discovers that Woody is having an affair with her daughter Soon-Yi. And then, in the midst of this angst comes the allegations of molest by Woody of the couple's adopted daughter Dylan.

Before the storm, the author marvels at the simple routines of this family, from the Connecticut house to the Central Park West home that Mia shares with several children---some biological and some adopted. Woody, of course, lives in his own duplex apartment across the Park, but visits frequently. In this fashion, the two have developed a semblance of normal family life for a dozen years, collaborating in movies and co-parenting the children.

Court battles ensue, and the author describes the stressful climate of the home while this is happening---it takes more than a year for everything to be resolved. But while it is playing out, the day-to-day lives of the family members change---subtly at first---but then dramatically, as the life they all once knew crumbles around them.

The author provides a true insider's version of events, albeit from her point of view.

I especially enjoyed the glimpses of celebrity family life, for despite the traumatic events, a kind of normalcy was sought by the parties involved. In this book, Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal, one fact shone through---Mia's love for her children.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As a fan of both Stars, this is an entertaining book, May 22, 2001

By 

Lee Loring (Dover, nh USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal (Hardcover)

Very well written, thoroughly engrossing. Both fair in that the author does not give specific opinions on the alleged abuse, but gives the reader a feel for what the Farrow-Allen relationship was like day-to-day and what the Farrow family went through during the "trial of character" that took place. I would like to read a follow up on what is going on now and how it has ended, and if it has ended? What is the Farrow Brood and Woody doing now. 2001-Lee

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want insider dirt, this is for you!, August 12, 2002

By 

"repeatonceagain" (Dexter, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal (Hardcover)

Straight from Woody and Mia's Nanny (Kristine Groteke). She did everything with the family and it shows throughout this book. You will get the inside scoop on what Mia, Woody, and the kids are really like.

Here's a couple fun examples from the inside info: Woody had a special shower built for him in Mia's house but refused to use it because he felt the germs built up inside it. Another one is that when Woody and Mia were not getting along well, Woody would bring a pre-cooked chicken to the house because he was concerned that Mia might poison him with her cooking.

Not everything is so light hearted, as we find out that Woody's daughter Dylan may have been coached by Mia into saying he molested her. Even worse, Woody may have molested Dylan (the charges were dropped). Also, it turns out that Soon-Yi has a double-digit IQ and may have been duped by Woody. Interestingly, Groteke says she does not know for sure about either of these issues but admits that she found it strange that Woody and Soon-Yi wound up together romantically.

Overall, I think the only way we could get a closer look at their lives would be if Woody, Mia, or Soon-Yi wrote a book themselves.