Lately, I’ve read quite a few books that have featured Carole King as one of the players but none of these have been written by Carole herself. A Natural Woman is Carole’s Memoir. She mentions in the beginning that putting the book together was like choosing songs for an album. All her stories won’t make it in to the book, only the ones she felt she needed to include would be.
The book, while great, is long. It does have to cover 7 decades, afterall. It is just over 400 pages and is split up into 4 parts. It focuses on her family growing up, her relationships, her children, and of course her career. It was nice to hear everything from the horses mouth, so to speak, and not from second hand reports in some of the other books. (Though she did mention that she interviewed some of her friends and family to make sure that she got things accurate!) There is one story about how she fell off the stage in Dublin while performing with Bob Dylan. She said that the reporters were sharing stories like they were playing a game of telephone and the situation was reported with all sorts of crazy reasons why she fell off the stage before anyone actually got a statement from her with what actually happened. (Her stay at the hospital only ended up costing her about $24 thanks to Ireland’s healtcare system!)
Carole is a phenomenal talent and a great writer too! (Of course.) I thoroughly enjoyed this book! If you are a fan of Carole’s work, I definitely recommend that you check out this book. Her life is absolutely fascinating and a bit of a rollercoaster at times as well.
I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review.
About the Book
Carole King takes us from her early beginnings in Brooklyn, to her remarkable success as one of the world’s most acclaimed songwriting and performing talents of all time. A NATURAL WOMAN chronicles King’s extraordinary life, drawing readers into her musical world, including her phenomenally successful #1 album Tapestry, and into her journey as a performer, mother, wife and present-day activist. Deeply personal, King’s long-awaited memoir offers readers a front-row seat to the woman behind the legend.
The book will include dozens of photos from King’s childhood, her own family, and behind-the-scenes images from her performances.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carole King had her first No. 1 hit in 1961, at age 18, with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”. Collaborating with former husband Gerry Goffin, the team went on to write more than two dozen chart-toppers, including “One Fine Day”, “The Loco-Motion”, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, and “(You Me Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.” Her 1971 solo-album, Tapesty, won 4 Grammys, and earned her the record for longest time an album by a female artist has remained on the Billboard Charts (6 years), as well as the longest time holding the #1 position (15 consecutive weeks).
King, in addition to writing more than 100 top-selling songs has recorded 25 solo albums. In 2007 she and longtime collaborator James Taylor reunited and recorded Live at the Troubadour. Released in 2010 the album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and The Troubadour Reunion Tour became the second highest grossing Tour of that year. She has won numerous lifetime achievement honors and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, “Hit Parade” Hall of Fame, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Carole King continues to entertain audiences the world over. She released her most recent album in December, 2011, Carole King: A Holiday Carole, to rave reviews.