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Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering Audiobook
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(3.02) - 580 listener ratings
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“I remember Sarah asking me, when I’d just begun therapy with her, what I looked for in a man. After a few moments of silent, tense deliberation I had it. ‘Hair,’ I blurted. ‘He has to have hair.’” Meredith Baxter is a beloved and iconic television actress, most well-known for her enormously popular role as hippie mom, Elyse Keaton, on Family Ties. Her warmth, humor, and brilliant smile made her one of the most popular women on television, with millions of viewers following her on the small screen each week. Yet her success masked a tumultuous personal story and a harrowing private life. For the first time, Baxter is ready to share her incredible highs, (working with Robert Redford, Doris Day, Lana Turner, and the cast of Family Ties), and lows (a thorny relationship with her mother, a difficult marriage to David Birney, a bout with breast cancer), finally revealing the woman behind the image. From her childhood in Hollywood, growing up the daughter of actress and co-creator of One Day at a Time Whitney Blake, Baxter became familiar with the ups and downs of show business from an early age. After wholeheartedly embracing the 60s counterculture lifestyle, she was forced to rely on her acting skills after her first divorce left her a 22-year-old single mother of two. Baxter began her professional career with supporting roles in the critically panned horror film Ben, and in the political thriller All the President's Men. More lucrative work soon followed on the small screen. Baxter starred with actor David Birney as the title characters in controversial sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. While the series only lasted a year, her high-profile romance with Birney lasted 15 volatile and unhappy years. Hiding the worst of her situation from even those closest to her, Baxter’s career flourished as her self-esteem and family crumbled. Her successful run as Nancy on Family was followed by her enormously popular role on Family Ties, and dozens of well-received television movies. After a bitter divorce and custody battle with Birney, Baxter increasingly relied on alcohol as a refuge, and here speaks candidly of her decision to take her last drink in 1990. And while another ruinous divorce to screenwriter Michael Blodgett taxed Baxter’s strength and confidence, she has emerged from her experiences with the renewed self-assurance, poise, and understanding that have enabled her to find a loving, respectful relationship with Nancy Locke, and to speak about it openly. Told with insight, wit, and disarming frankness, Untied is the eye-opening and inspiring life of an actress, a woman, and a mother who has come into her own.
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"Meredith Baxter has written a very personal memoir that moves along easily. She talks about a difficult childhood, marriages, changes in her life and, of course, her career. I sometimes wondered how a woman who degrades herself so much in this book could become quite an accomplished actor. The book is at times sad and poignant and funny. She does give us a pretty clear picture of what makes her tick. I met Meredith once for a very short time and found her to be warm and friendly. I hope we get to see her on TV again soon."
— Joanne (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
Untied Listener Reviews
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" she had unbelievably low self-esteem; interesting to see how that affected her life and decision-making "
— Christinebrender, 2/17/2014 -
" i've always liked meredith baxter but now i like here even more. reading this i felt like i was getting to know someone who i had been only slightly aquainted with and maybe thought i knew, only to discover that there was a whole lot more to her than i ever expected. her dysfunctional childhood, her marriage(s)and their problems, her struggle with alcohol and her eventual coming out were all laid out in plain, honest talk. definitely one of the better autobiographies that i've read. "
— Terri, 2/10/2014 -
" This book is a nice quick read. Enjoyable and interesting. "
— Millerjennifer, 2/4/2014 -
" Interesting book, quick read, nothing shocking, just a regular life with her own share of misery. "
— Carol, 1/28/2014 -
" Not as interesting as I had hoped. Barely touched on her time on Family Ties. "
— Linda, 1/12/2014 -
" Just a quick question as I've just started listening to the audio. Why does the prologue begin with "On the evening of November 31..." I find that so distracting. "
— Sue, 1/10/2014 -
" I finished this last night and I don't know what I think about it. If your looking for info on Family Ties, you won't find it here. "
— Teddie, 1/9/2014 -
" This was an audio book that I listened to on my morning walk. It was entertaining and insightful. enjoyed it. "
— Karen, 12/27/2013 -
" Fascinating story of her life. Glad she is now being well loved--it sure took long enough! "
— Ellie, 12/20/2013 -
" I don't think celebrity memoirs is my genre. "
— Lori, 11/20/2013 -
" The book became more interesting after she started Family Ties. Was hoping for manyyyy more details on working with Stephen Collins (I adore him), but there were hardly any! She's a great actress and I liked learning more about her, but the beginning just dragged a tad. "
— Tara, 11/14/2013 -
" I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. There is a lot to relate to, as a woman. And it's read by the author, which adds a lot. "
— Jody, 10/28/2013 -
" I grew up in a dysfunctional family, but it wasn't as bad as Meredith's. Compelling and hard to put down because I could identify with so many defense mechanisms Meredith used, and how hard it is to overcome them. Therapy of some sort, formal or informal, becomes nearly constant throughout life. "
— Sherri, 5/18/2013 -
" This book was better than i thought it would be "
— Suzie, 5/10/2013 -
" Phenomenal! This audiobook was narrated by the author herself, and she was absolutely wonderful! Honest, raw, revealing, and brave. I've always liked her as an actress, but had no idea what she went through in her lifetime. I highly recommend it! "
— MzDivaDawn, 3/5/2013 -
" At times stream-of-consciousness, at times orderly recollection, it's an interesting insight into the life of someone I "grew up with" when she was on Family Ties. "
— Beth, 2/14/2013 -
" For most of this book, I thought this was a really well written and interesting book. The part that lagged the most was the very end with page after page of gushing about Meredith's current girlfriend. I definitely recommend this for a quick, interesting summer read. "
— Katherine, 2/9/2013 -
" I still remember "Bridgett loves Bernie" and loved "Family Ties", so I enjoyed hearing her story. "
— Laurie, 8/7/2012 -
" Easy read and quite interesting story. "
— Donna, 6/20/2012 -
" Who would have guessed all this woman went through during her life? And she seems to have done most of it without really thinking much about it. If nothing else, her story changed my perspective of her. "
— Madalene, 1/27/2012 -
" I really enjoyed reading this book. I've always liked Meredith Baxter and her memoir gave me a whole new perspective on both her personal and public life. She's an amazing woman and her book is well worth reading. "
— Ellen, 8/20/2011 -
" Phenomenal! This audiobook was narrated by the author herself, and she was absolutely wonderful! Honest, raw, revealing, and brave. I've always liked her as an actress, but had no idea what she went through in her lifetime. I highly recommend it! "
— MzDivaDawn, 5/17/2011 -
" A decent memoir but at times you wanted to go back in time and shake Baxter for her poor choices. She does accept responsibility for her mistakes. One guarantee- you will never be able to stomach looking at David Birney again. What a jerk! "
— Laura, 5/16/2011 -
" "Untied" was awesome. I have the utmost respect for Ms. Baxter and absolutely no respect for others in her life. I'm glad she shared her story. "
— Antoinette, 5/3/2011 -
" Who would have guessed all this woman went through during her life? And she seems to have done most of it without really thinking much about it. If nothing else, her story changed my perspective of her. "
— Madalene, 4/28/2011 -
" Interesting and very sad in places. I wish I'd known more about her before I started reading the book. "
— Sphinx, 4/27/2011 -
" Many parts shallow and self-serving, though interesting and some insightful parts. "
— Svanpelt79, 4/24/2011 -
" Bored first half - enjoyed second half. "
— Martie, 4/16/2011 -
" I wouldn't have read this, but it was entertaining to listen to on my way to and from work. Definitely on the trashy side, but sadly I like my celebrity (A, B, C, D list-it really doesn't matter) trash. "
— Becky, 4/2/2011 -
" Terribly written. Saw her on Oprah and her story of abuse by her ex-husband David Birney was very compelling, but she is not a writer. "
— Susan, 3/25/2011 -
" Fascinating story of her life. Glad she is now being well loved--it sure took long enough! "
— Ellie, 3/19/2011
About Meredith Baxter
Meredith Baxter has been an actor for forty years and has five children. She achieved early success in the comedy Bridget Loves Bernie; the acclaimed ABC drama Family and the popular NBC sitcom Family Ties. Baxter makes appearances speaking on breast cancer, domestic violence, alcoholism, and general life experiences. She lives in Santa Monica, California with her partner, Nancy Locke.