A review by beccaz
Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon by Peter Ames Carlin

3.0

I learned a lot from this book, and I think Carlin does a good job of offering a nuanced and balanced profile of Simon's complex character. That said, the author's long passages of literary analysis of Simon's music felt self-indulgent. Readers know the music, or can easily look it up, and Carlin's attempts to outdo Simon's lyrics were frustrating. He would have better off to let the music speak for itself, and focus on his otherwise solid retelling of the historical and personal contexts in which the songs were written.