Broken Horses

A Memoir

By: Brandi Carlile

Narrated by: Brandi Carlile

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best seller

The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, producer, and six-time Grammy winner opens up about a life shaped by music in this candid, heartfelt, and intimate story.

“One of the great memoirs of our time...a gift from Brandi’s soul.” (Glennon Doyle)

“Brandi’s story is about perseverance, humor, forgiveness, and manifestation. I absolutely loved it.” (Elton John)

“Broken Horses led me right into Brandi’s heart, and my own.” (Brené Brown)

Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer, 14 times in as many years. Though imperfect in every way, her dysfunctional childhood was as beautiful as it was strange, and as nurturing as it was difficult. At the age of five, Brandi contracted bacterial meningitis, which almost took her life, leaving an indelible mark on her formative years and altering her journey into young adulthood.

As an openly gay teenager, Brandi grappled with the tension between her sexuality and her faith when her pastor publicly refused to baptize her on the day of the ceremony. Shockingly, her small town rallied around Brandi in support and set her on a path to salvation where the rest of the misfits and rejects find it: through twisted, joyful, weird, and wonderful music.

In Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile takes listeners through the events of her life that shaped her very raw art - from her start at a local singing competition where she performed Elton John’s “Honky Cat” in a bedazzled white polyester suit, to her first break opening for Dave Matthews Band, to many sleepless tours over 15 years and six studio albums, all while raising two children with her wife, Catherine Shepherd. This hard-won success led her to collaborations with personal heroes like Elton John, Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Pearl Jam, Tanya Tucker, and Joni Mitchell, as well as her peers in the supergroup The Highwomen, and ultimately to the Grammy stage, where she converted millions of viewers into instant fans.

Evocative and piercingly honest, Broken Horses is at once an examination of faith through the eyes of a person rejected by the church’s basic tenets and a meditation on the moments and lyrics that have shaped the life of a creative mind, a brilliant artist, and a genuine empath on a mission to give back.

Carlile recorded new stripped-down, solo renditions of more than 30 of the songs featured in the book, including her own and songs from artists who’ve inspired her, from Dolly Parton to Elton John, Leonard Cohen and more, available exclusively on the audiobook:

“I Don’t Hurt Anymore” by Hank Snow
“Coat of Many Colors” by Dolly Parton
“Ride on Out” by Brandi Carlile
“Honky Cat” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
“Philadelphia” by Neil Young
“Happy” by Brandi Carlile
“That Year” by Brandi Carlile
“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
“Eye of the Needle” by Brandi Carlile
“Turpentine” by Brandi Carlile
“Wasted” by Brandi Carlile
“The Story” by Brandi Carlile
“Closer to You” by Brandi Carlile
“Caroline” by Brandi Carlile
“Josephine” by Brandi Carlile
“Sugartooth” by Brandi Carlile
“Looking Out” by Brandi Carlile
“Beginning to Feel the Years” by Brandi Carlile
“Love Songs” by Brandi Carlile
“I Will” by Brandi Carlile
“I Belong to You” by Brandi Carlile

©2021 Random House Audio (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A vulnerable document.... The resilience of her sense of self, through poverty and fame, is transcendent. One of her great strengths as an artist is a willingness to stare herself straight in the face and not flinch.” (Amanda Hess, The New York Times)

“[Carlile is] perceptive, vulnerable, humble, funny and above all else, a good storyteller. She’d already proven her storytelling chops as a lyricist and she proves them once again in these pages. She knows how to use a few words to make a big impact.... Readers walk away feeling like they know the real Carlile.” (Associated Press)

“Intimate...Carlile's story is too big to fit in a song..... The memoir covers it all with conversational ease.... This pulls the veil back in a way [Carlile] hadn’t done before.” (Vulture)

I have almost 2000 audible books and ...

... this is my 10th review. This book is engaging from stem to stern, from top to bottom. Brandi shares her inner self with the world in a way few have ever done, warts and all. She lays plain her hurdles and joys. She provides support to all the “misfits” and those who society and the church often marginalize. Her tenacity and drive are amazing, her accomplishments many, her learning overwhelming, and her gift to us amazing.

In addition to the book, you’ll be serenaded acoustically. It’s a concert just for you. You’ll be grateful for it ... and you’ll listen to it again soon. For her words, her heart, her honesty and the wish that she lived next door.

Extraordinary!!!

This a phenomenally wonderful book! It is so real! I am so happy that Brandi’s music was included.

more than a memoir

I'm not one to read/listen to biographies or autobiographies but I have been a huge Brandi Carlile fan for over a decade and when I saw she made her book into an audible I thought ok let's see it. To have her speak honestly about her life was truly special. Listening to this audible was like sitting down with one of my favorite people and listening to them just tell their story. And to have her perform songs at the end of each chapter brought more understanding to the songs I have listened to hundreds of times. I will be listening to this audible again and again.

Heartfelt and Lyrical

Simply the best audible book I've enjoyed. Went from the acknowledgement strait to chapter 1 to listen again.

Absolutely Awesome!!!!

Loved it!!!! I could not stop listening. The book and music was amazing. Great Job!!!!

So enjoyable

I chose this book as an audio book for a road trip. I gotta say it was really fun to hear of her childhood, family, friends and adventures but the addition to her singing at the end of every chapter made it quite a gem. Her retrospection of many things in her life and in the current state of affairs was so well written. Many, many more blessed years to you and yours Brandi. Well done!

Exceptional!

Love, love, loved this storytelling, this music and this author's ability to just make every little thing feel alright. I needed every drop of her story.

Loved it!

What a life journey! I loved her stories and the songs she includes within the context of her life.

Chapters conclude with amazing songs!

Beautifully told story, but the absolute best part of the book is that she concludes each chapter with a mini concert. I loved Brandi before, but now I wish I was a part of her life. In one word, it is honest.

Marvelously lived, beautifully narrated !

What a complicated, winding road of life so far , so well told--and all the songs!!
Truly an Audible masterpiece.