Also of interest ...

The Open Road

by Pico Iyer (Knopf, $24)

Pico Iyer’s portrait of the Dalai Lama has a lot going for it, said Louis Bayard in Salon.com. Iyer, a former journalist, has known the Tibetan spiritual leader for 30 years. He’s “particularly gifted at setting scenes,” and he has “a knack for domesticating the exotic.” But Iyer, despite his considerably acuity, is too easily wowed by his subject’s charisma.

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Nim Chimpsky

by Elizabeth Hess (Bantam, $23)

The subject of Elizabeth Hess’ unconventional new biography “never stops being just an animal,” said Leon Neyfakh in The New York Observer. Nim Chimpsky was a chimp raised by a Manhattan family as if he were human. But the once-famous ape never developed a real capacity to communicate in sign language, and thus he never develops as a character. More interesting are his caretakers—various scientists who “get tangled up in vicious power struggles” and wrestle with complex ethical questions.

Shakespeare’s Wife

by Germaine Greer (HarperCollins, $27)

Not all Shakespeare scholars will be convinced by Germaine Greer’s vigorous attempt to clear Anne Hathaway’s name, said William Lee Adams in Time. But the playwright’s wife wasn’t necessarily the harlot-turned-shrew that history has made her out to be. Greer’s provocative, well-reasoned set of hypotheses” presents a believable alternative drama: Namely, that though Shakespeare left Anne behind when he made his career in London, he “drew inspiration from, and even loved, his other half.”

Home

by Julie Andrews (Hyperion, $27)

Julie Andrews’ long-awaited memoir doesn’t dwell on her life as a movie star, said Jennifer Reese in Entertainment Weekly. Instead, it “leaves us hanging in midair,” as the 28-year-old Broadway star is flying to Hollywood for her first big-screen role in 1963. Home is the tale of how a gangly girl with a marvelous voice escaped a tough childhood in suburban London. You could read it just for its intelligence and “gentle humor.”

In the Frame

by Helen Mirren (Atria, $35)

Though arranged like a scrapbook, Helen Mirren’s new autobiography “has the feel and look of a work that will last,” said Jonathan Dawson in the Hobart, Australia, Mercury. The Oscar-winning British actress turns out to have a more exotic Russian family background “than anyone could imagine.” What’s more, she’s created a compelling portrait of the 1960s theater world from which she emerged.