Girls Like Us

Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon & the Journey of a Generation

De: Sheila Weller

Narrado por: Susan Ericksen

Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon remain among the most enduring and important women in popular music. Each woman is distinct: King is the product of outer-borough, middle-class New York City; Mitchell is the granddaughter of Canadian farmers; and Simon is a child of the Manhattan intellectual upper crust.

Collectively, they represent, in their lives and their songs, a great swath of American girls who came of age in the late 1960s. Their stories trace the arc of the now-mythic generation known as "the 60s" - the female version - but in a bracingly specific and deeply recalled way, far from cliché.

The history of the women of that generation had never been written - until now - and it is told through the resonant lives and emblematic songs of Mitchell, Simon, and King.

Filled with the voices of dozens of these women's intimates, this alternating biography reads like a novel - except it's all true, and the heroines are famous and beloved. Sheila Weller captures the character of each woman and gives a balanced portrayal, enriched by a wealth of new information.

Girls Like Us is an epic treatment of midcentury women who dared to break tradition and become what none had been before them: confessors in song, rock superstars, and adventurers of heart and soul.

©2008 Kellwell Inc. (P)2008 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"An exhilarating look at three of the most creative talents of their era....Wonderfully detailed." ( The Boston Globe)

Interesting take on the times

An interesting way to weave these women together and shine light on a large part of my history, but the writer seems intent on impressing us with her vocabulary straining when simple words would work so well. Ms Erickssen has a lovely voice, but should do homework before recording and know how to pronounce names and the strained words of Ms Weller.

But, do they have innies or outies?

Yes, this book contains every detail of the lives of these three women except that one... Unlike several other reviewers, I like lots of detail and often choose books for their length. (I wish I had counted every occurrence of the phrase "in an interview before his death in xxxx..." That sure made me feel mortal, since I'm only a decade younger than the subjects.)

I chose the book because I liked Carole King and Joni Mitchell both pretty well, although I wasn't that familiar with the work of Carly Simon. In the end, I liked them all a lot LESS as people, but had greater respect for their work. It almost became laughable that there was so much swapping and hopping going on, but in an era of great sexual freedom, it's not difficult to believe. And, hey, who knew James Taylor got around so much, and that Crosby, Still and Nash were so interchangeable in the boudoir?

The narrator has a pleasant enough voice, but I agree that the mispronunciations were irritating! Why don't producers of audio books do a better job of preparing readers so they don't do this?! Mispronouncing words is bad enough, but mispronouncing names is egregious! And her recitation of lyrics was awful - especially when it was a drawn out word, like in "Anticipation". Wouldn't it have been lovely if the reader had SUNG the few lyrics in the book?

social history lite (and middle class)

I had waited eagerly to listen to this and was VERY disappointed. It seemed as though sections from three distinct documents had gotten mixed in together: an earnest masters thesis on the reciprocal effects of 60s-70s pop music and social change, a pop analysis of the lyrics of the three artisits, and pages of back issues of People magazine. I'd give the social history pages four stars and the chatty People-esque
sections none, especially the "sez a intimate friend/ elementary school classmate" parts.

Perhaps the text version did a better job of showing what was primary versus secondary and tertiary reserach, but as a listen, the gossip was mostly indistinguishable from new research conducted for the book. I think if you like any of these artists enough to know this much detail about their love affairs, then you would have already gleamed the info from Rolling Stone yourself by now.

The narrator was good, but as noted, prone to mispronunciations, and why oh why did the producer decide that she would deliver the lyrics in a stilted through gritted teeth pace rather than just READ them to us.

I think the similarly themed "Laurel Canyon" did a better overall job. By the end, I started disliking all three woman as people, but gained new respect for King and Mitchel as artists. As Kris Kristofferson suppposedly said to Simon while having an affair: "Buck up. Toughen up!" and lose the self-absorption, ladies.

The story behind the soundtrack of our lives

Where does Girls Like Us rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book takes you behind the scene and into the real life stories of Joni, Carole & Carly.Their lives take us on their journey to make the music, which has become the soundtracks of our lives. The book reveals their stories of life, love and fame. It is also a historical look back on the times we grew up in. How the songs got written and more important, who the songs were about. I loved and learned a lot from this book.I have recommended to many girls like me.

What other book might you compare Girls Like Us to and why?

Not sure. It's very unique

What does Susan Ericksen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The book is well read. She took on each character. It was very enjoyable to listen to her read.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I savored it, and I was sad when I finished it.

Any additional comments?

A must read for any musical loving Boomer.

great stuff

It was chock full of info and details about each woman. Really enjoyed it. I think music lovers will like this book!

Took me back

Where does Girls Like Us rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high. It was fun to learn more about singers I have listened to for most of my life

Have you listened to any of Susan Ericksen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no. The only thing about her reading that was challenging was when she quoted lines from a song. If I were reading it instead of listening, I would have heard the song in my head. Other than that I liked her performance.

Any additional comments?

I have been listening to Carly Simon constantly since I listened to this book. I loved Carly and Carole King though I didn't know Joni's work as well.

Long!

But so so worth the listen. Some amazing women, super talented empowered artist and all with such amazing backstories. Great lead. Lol

Well Worth The Read

This book grabs you in the first chapter and simply does not let go. And, as I was approaching the end I was actually beginning to wonder how she was going to 'wrap it up' so to speak. The books ends with a feeling much like you feel after you've had a wonderful day and you lay down on your bed at night and when your head hits the pillow, you think, 'wow, what a nice day!' Then you fall asleep and have nice dreams all night. This is a great read.

The meat and potatoes of this book is in the telling. Sheila Weller hit a home run on this one. It is great women's history. She brings the distance of a historian and the philosophical overview of someone who has deeply considered her topic. So much of this book made me feel like I was privy to a conversation with someone intimately familiar with details and intelligent enough to have considered the details and explained them without sounding like they were just regurgitating facts. What she showed here is that when you are in the middle of a revolution it is virtually impossible to see or be aware of the many different facets of the revolution. If you go back and study it, after it is over, it is possible to see the interplay between one side and another and see how two or three different and unrelated aspects interacted and helped intensify the revolutionary fire. This is what Sheila Weller did in this book. She did it with such clarity that the reader is able to see the subtle interactions between the poets and industry of a society going through change. This book gives presents a candid view into a 30 year segment of three women in American society. I am sure this book will be a corner stone of reading about the past another 30 years from now. Sheila Weller - wow - fantastic writing; fantastic overview.

Took a bit to get into, but enjoyed very much!

What did you like best about Girls Like Us? What did you like least?

I had very little former knowledge about these three women, or any of the other artists I found out about in the book. I'm glad I chose a book tape format as opposed to the paper copy because it's very long and very slow. i would never have finished if I had to flip the pages. NOT because it was a bad book, because it was not. I had a hard time in the beginning, thinking that the mention of experiences or other characters was irrelevant, but it turned out to all come back around and put the pieces together through the middle and end. But I get very antsy. I listen to my books at 1.5x and 2x speed, if that helps you understand my antsy-ness. I like tot get tot eh point and this isn't a cut to the chase story. But it is still very much worth reading if you dig history in any way.

Did Girls Like Us inspire you to do anything?

Listen to the music, research some of the artists further, and talk o my mom about it :) Since that was her time. This book was her upbringing.

Any additional comments?

I got really cranky at how many time the phrase "Who would be" was used. You'll see.

Compassionate Reflection

I enjoyed reading about these women with context and compassion. I’d be curious to hear their personal takes on it- but I enjoyed the read.