REVIEW - Boys in the Trees audiobook

Boys in the Trees by Carly Simon ebook

OVERVIEW

Carly Simon's music was on full rotation on AM radio when I was growing up. Basically, all that I knew about her was that she was married to James Taylor who also was played on the radio a lot.  

Carly lived a life of privilege as the child of one of the founders of Simon & Schuster. Her childhood was chaotic, unaffectionate, and filled with trauma. Her way to handle it all was to write in her diaries which was the foundation of her songwriting abilities.  

This memoir is told in a somewhat chaotic chronological way. At times, I had to mentally calculate how old she was to try and understand the story being told better. There were a lot of folks in the music industry that she mentioned that I didn't know, but it didn't matter. 

I wish that she had talked about her life past 1983 which is where she ended this memoir. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars

Writing: 3.5 stars

The pacing and what was talked about in the book was heavily focused on her childhood. It could have been condensed a bit so that more could have been shared about her songwriting process. I wanted more about her songs, singing, and her process. 

Most of the time, the writing was somewhat superficial. I would have liked more in-depth as Carly is a very good writer. Her writing is real and personable. But, this was Carly's memoir and not mine. 

Narration: 4.5 stars

Honestly, Carly's narration is so good that I would have never guessed that she has a stutter. It was not apparent in the narration at all. Kudos to you, Carly.

Her voice is just a lovely narration voice that tended to put me to sleep as it was so lusciously soothing. She reads with seriousness and depth, but also with joy and humor. Really well done.

Character Arc: 3.5 stars

The character arc is a bit chaotic as I assume that Carly's childhood and young adulthood were. She ends the memoir in 1983, but I really wanted more of her life. However, I understand that she was raising her kids and wanted peace away from the spotlight. 

Memorable:  3.0 stars

There really wasn't especially memorable. She was part of a large group of singers/songwriters in the 1960s who were all blurry to me and I don't care for at all. Carly's music was different to me. 

Entertaining:   3.5 stars

It was entertaining, but there could have been so much more depth. 

The book is worth reading just for the chapter on Warren Beatty. I won't spoil it, but it is GOOD!

Book cover: 3.0 stars

It just didn't do it for me.

Book title: 4.0 stars 

It was okay. 

RECOMMEND

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

Boys in the Trees by Carly Simon

Macmillan Audio

13 hours, 25 minutes

Release date of 11/25/2015

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Carly Simon

My Goodreads review

Macmillan Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading 📚, 

Dorothea 💜