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A review by kristaallysa
A Natural Woman: A Memoir by Carole King
3.0
In A Natural Woman, Carole King tells the story of her life from growing up in Brooklyn to composing music for other artists to performing her own work in what would be an illustrious musical career.
I read this book in preparation for going to see Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. It was great to hear about Carole King's life from Carole King herself. The musical really only covers the time in her life at the beginning of her career when she was married to her first husband, Gerry Goffin. This book goes so much further, sharing stories from every stage of her life and how they helped shape her into the woman and musician she is today.
It was a good read, but overall the book and the stories within felt tempered. When I pick up a celebrity memoir, I expect honest and relatable recollections. This wasn't that. It felt like she was trying to just be nice about everyone and everything, so that no one could get offended or in trouble for anything she wrote. As a result, the whole thing felt a little sugar coated and not quite as relatable as I might have expected.
Additionally, I listened to the audiobook and was disappointed that she didn't include sound clips of the various songs she mentioned throughout the book. As someone who is not super familiar with Carole King's repertoire, I didn't necessarily know the songs she was referencing. It would have added so much to hear them (or a clip of them) as part of the reading experience.
I read this book in preparation for going to see Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. It was great to hear about Carole King's life from Carole King herself. The musical really only covers the time in her life at the beginning of her career when she was married to her first husband, Gerry Goffin. This book goes so much further, sharing stories from every stage of her life and how they helped shape her into the woman and musician she is today.
It was a good read, but overall the book and the stories within felt tempered. When I pick up a celebrity memoir, I expect honest and relatable recollections. This wasn't that. It felt like she was trying to just be nice about everyone and everything, so that no one could get offended or in trouble for anything she wrote. As a result, the whole thing felt a little sugar coated and not quite as relatable as I might have expected.
Additionally, I listened to the audiobook and was disappointed that she didn't include sound clips of the various songs she mentioned throughout the book. As someone who is not super familiar with Carole King's repertoire, I didn't necessarily know the songs she was referencing. It would have added so much to hear them (or a clip of them) as part of the reading experience.