From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir [Hardcover]

Nancy Aniston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

Engagingly written as a journal of fond memories, life experiences, lessons learned, and tragedies overcome, this is the story of the family that gave the world actress Jennifer Aniston. Written by her mother, Nancy Aniston, this tender, poetic, and charming memoir represents a healing exercise, and most importantly serves as an example of how to cope with and understand estrangement between parent and child. During the meteoric rise of Jennifer's popularity on the hit television comedy 'Friends', Nancy and her daughter had a misunderstanding imposed on them by a tabloid TV report. In the three years since they last spoke, Nancy learned that separation from grown children is a national epidemic and that scores of parents suffer the same feelings of pain, guilt, and shame. This knowledge inspired Nancy Aniston to record family memories in this compelling volume, 'and in the process of detailed retrospection a miraculous healing took place'. Nancy chronicles her own childhood of poverty, abandonment, failed marriages, and the difficult early years as a single mother. She recalls Jennifer's early love for the theatre, the therapists, career managers, and hangers-on who endangered family bonds as she guided her daughter through the exciting, sometimes disappointing, stages of an acting career that came to realise phenomenal success. While refusing the lure of celebrity gossip, Nancy Aniston strives to secure her story's inherent dignity, hoping it will be helpful to those trying to overcome their own childhood trauma, fallout from divorce, single-parenting issues, and the 'dark hole of child/parent estrangement'.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First Edition edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573927724
• ISBN-13: 978-1573927727
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not all it was cracked up to be, May 24, 2001

By 

imnoangel1975 (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (Hardcover)

While I understand that separation from one's child is difficult and makes for interesting reading, I failed to understand or sympathize with Nancy Aniston. This book is neither insiteful nor hopeful. The author (for some reason or another) feels it important to express in nearly every page of the book that she is a knock-out beauty, raving intellect and talented in everything she attempts. It is important to recognize one's own self beauty and self worth, but it is also important to express humility. Nancy Aniston also goes on to say that she was responsible for her 2nd husband's career success and without her pushing him so hard, he would have never left the sofa. The author comes across as vain, bitter and misunderstanding of others' need to push her away, including her famous daughter, Jennifer. I found her self-pitying attitude hard to swallow. This book seems more like a defense tactic, rather than a book of love, insite or hope. And one more point I would like to make... I was reading others' reviews of the same book and noticed a review written by "Coral Leigh", a name that looked familiar. Coral Leigh is a personal friend of Nancy Aniston's - her name is mentioned in the book itself. I can hardly recommend that anyone interpret her written review of this book as impartial and objective.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bleeding Heart, May 2, 2005

By 

Lois Lane "LL" (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (Hardcover)

This is one of the most trite books I have ever picked up to read. The entire story is that of a desperate woman trying to understand why her famous daughter no longer desires a relationship with her...well it is obvious! She sold her out once during a television interview and in her attempt to rekindle the relationship she sold her out again by writing this trashy novel.
Throughout the book she attempts to appear deep, when really her writing comes off worse than a beginning writing course at a community college.
This book is a serious waste of time and money, and frankly if I were Jennifer Aniston I wouldn't bother with a mother like that either.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One more celebrity's mom trying to move in on the action, July 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Aniston and fan of the sitcom Friends. I just finished this book. I was dying to read it to learn more about Jen and her life. I knew of the estrangement between her and her mother and was very curious to find out what had happened. Nancy Aniston wrote this book to tell about herself and her life. She has used her position in life as Jennifer's mother to promote herself. If speaking about Jennifer on a T.V. show perpetuated their estrangement, what must Jennifer think now? Did Nancy think this book would bring them back together? Think again Nancy! How can Jennifer ever trust you again. She can't leave her home without being hounded by the press, now the whole world is privy to her childhood and adolescence. Shame on you for being another mother of a celebrity who can't sit back and enjoy the fruits of your child without trying to move in on the action. Selfish and self absorbed is how you appear in this book. If your account of your childhood is accurate, then I understand that you must be desperate to find validation. In my opinion, you went about it the wrong way.