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glduran's review
5.0
Wow. What an amazing book, and an amazing experience. I love these women. I have their cds. I remember the Seventies. I get what they were trying to do, and I think they succeeded beyond their wildest hopes. Each one has remained true to herself and each one has taken the gifts and the curse of that path. To some extent I found a clearer vision of myself, and my place in the world.
cs123's review
5.0
This book specifically goes into the background, hardships of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. It also goes into the inspiration along with the writing process of some songs by these talented musicians. As a music lover who constantly listens to those artists, this book was wonderful to read ! I highly recommend for music lovers and people who like biographies!
sjgrodsky's review
3.0
Years ago I produced a newsletter for a volunteer group. When I asked another member of the group what he thought of it he said he had hoped for "fewer words but more important words."
I pass on that criticism to the author of this deeply researched tome. Some of her details are revelatory. And many more are just ... details. The last section ("coda") in particular has a breathless feel as the author covers 20 or so years for each of her subjects.
Weller's writing style is part of the problem. She packs each sentence with details, layering one on top of the other until the reader is gasping for breath, searching, searching, searching for the period. Doesn't Weller remember her 7th grade composition class: one thought per sentence?
Finally, though Weller seems to have talked to every friend and lover who'd consent to be interviewed, she didn't talk to others who could have offered useful perspectives: music critics, managers, producers, cultural historians, psychologists, sociologists.
Weller has worked hard and she's written a lot of words. I wish she'd worked smarter. I wish she'd written more important words.
I pass on that criticism to the author of this deeply researched tome. Some of her details are revelatory. And many more are just ... details. The last section ("coda") in particular has a breathless feel as the author covers 20 or so years for each of her subjects.
Weller's writing style is part of the problem. She packs each sentence with details, layering one on top of the other until the reader is gasping for breath, searching, searching, searching for the period. Doesn't Weller remember her 7th grade composition class: one thought per sentence?
Finally, though Weller seems to have talked to every friend and lover who'd consent to be interviewed, she didn't talk to others who could have offered useful perspectives: music critics, managers, producers, cultural historians, psychologists, sociologists.
Weller has worked hard and she's written a lot of words. I wish she'd worked smarter. I wish she'd written more important words.
henskm's review
3.0
If I were a bigger fan of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon, I probably would have enjoyed the book more. Seeing the interplay between changing cultural norms and the growth and development of each artist was interesting, but I got bogged down by the details of tracks from less popular albums and how they were received.
hopecaldwell's review
3.0
This name-dropping history of 60s and 70s folk rock is a treat for Baby Boomers like me. At times over-written, still this book is a interesting trip down Memory Lane highlighting songs like "Both Sides, Now" or "You're So Vain" and who can forget the Tapestry album?
Though this three women have struggled to find the same personal success as commericial success - what stands out is their strong characters and, of course, talent.
Though this three women have struggled to find the same personal success as commericial success - what stands out is their strong characters and, of course, talent.
jfkaess's review
5.0
A look at an era. Ladies finally come into their own as singer/songwriters. Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon all had tough journeys to become the icons there are. This is a long book, but it's key strength lies in tying together the paths they each took, the battles they had to win, the successes and failures involved in making a place for themselves in the music world. Their stories are well told. I highly recommend this book.
19paws's review
3.0
There is lots of wonderful detail here about three fascinating women who lived during an incredible time in music history. There were times when I was completely engrossed in their stories, but it was only just a little better than “okay” (I’d give it 2 ½ stars if I could).
Weller chose not to interview her subjects, but based the book instead on interviews with people who knew them and on written documents. The result is a sort of gossipy tale and it left me feeling like I never really got to know these women. And even though it’s a big book—535 pages—it covers three very big lives, and each is accorded fewer than 200 pages.
The structure of the book was also problematic. In an effort to show us the parallels among their lives, the book jumps back and forth among Joni, Carly, and Carole's stories, which became confusing at times.
And Weller’s sentence structure drove me bonkers. Long, long, long sentences with lots of explanatory clauses dropped into the middle. Often, by the time I got to the end of a sentence, I had to go back and refresh my memory about the beginning of it. And if she wasn’t cramming clauses into a sentence, she was going off on a tangent via looooong footnotes, which was very distracting and often completely unnecessary (like her explanation of the term “baby boomer.”)
Finally, Weller cast herself in the role of both philosopher and psychologist—sharing “insights” on the three women that were often stated as fact, but weren’t much more than speculation or musing.
Despite these criticisms, I’m glad I read this book and it has whetted my appetite for more information about the women whose music meant so much to me when I was growing up (and still means so much to me now). I can’t wait for Carole King’s autobiography!
Weller chose not to interview her subjects, but based the book instead on interviews with people who knew them and on written documents. The result is a sort of gossipy tale and it left me feeling like I never really got to know these women. And even though it’s a big book—535 pages—it covers three very big lives, and each is accorded fewer than 200 pages.
The structure of the book was also problematic. In an effort to show us the parallels among their lives, the book jumps back and forth among Joni, Carly, and Carole's stories, which became confusing at times.
And Weller’s sentence structure drove me bonkers. Long, long, long sentences with lots of explanatory clauses dropped into the middle. Often, by the time I got to the end of a sentence, I had to go back and refresh my memory about the beginning of it. And if she wasn’t cramming clauses into a sentence, she was going off on a tangent via looooong footnotes, which was very distracting and often completely unnecessary (like her explanation of the term “baby boomer.”)
Finally, Weller cast herself in the role of both philosopher and psychologist—sharing “insights” on the three women that were often stated as fact, but weren’t much more than speculation or musing.
Despite these criticisms, I’m glad I read this book and it has whetted my appetite for more information about the women whose music meant so much to me when I was growing up (and still means so much to me now). I can’t wait for Carole King’s autobiography!
007medsci's review
slow-paced
1.0
This book was more like a compilation of names, dates and places rather than a good story about the lives of these musicians. There was a lot of dull information to wade through.
laden_bookshelf's review
4.0
It kind of took me a while to get through this but I enjoyed it. I was really surprised to learn how SMALL the music scene was for singers/songwriters in the 60s/70s. Apparently they all slept with each other. While I was never a huge Mitchell fan, Carole King and Carly Simon were on my parents stereo on the regular. It was really interesting to get some backstory on the remarkable careers of all three.