Loving Amy: A Mother's Story

When first approached by a literary agent in 2007 about her daughter Amy, Janis Winehouse had reservations. "Don't do it Mum," Amy said when her mother asked for her thoughts on the matter. "I don't want people to know who I am." Four years later, Amy was dead. In this touching, intimate account, Janis attempts to let the world know who her daughter was, warts and all. The portrait she paints is one of a headstrong and talented girl who had trouble focusing but "could do most things she turned her hand to but only if and when she wanted to." And when it was singing, she excelled. Signed by a management company at just 17, Amy soon found herself on the fast track to stardom and all it entailed. Her substance abuse quickly escalated even before she began work on her second, landmark album, Back to Black, and only got worse until it ultimately resulted in her death in 2011. The elder Winehouse--who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just before Amy's birth--questions her actions. Their's was wearying, exhausting tale, but it's one Janis Winehouse felt the need to write and writes well. Those expecting salacious details that didn't make it into the British tabloids will likely be disappointed, but fans who want to get to know the troubled artist a little better will find this a fond remembrance. Agent: Helen Edwards, Transworld Publishers. (Jan.)