Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon
--and the Journey of a Generation
by Sheila Weller
ISBN-13: 9780743491471
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: 4/8/2008
The Beatles, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, the anti-war movement, Woodstock, and the above three women all influenced me as I was growing up in the 60’s through the early 70s. I am still influenced by all of them today. In a male-dominated rock ‘n roll world, King, Mitchell, and Simon were singer-songwriters who helped to define the dreams, ambitions, and frustrations of a generation of women (and men!) who were searching to find themselves. Their songs take me back to an era that seemed simple and care-free yet powerful, dynamic, and ever-changing.
The book alternates between the lives of the women from their teenage years through middle-age as they embrace fame, fortune, feminism and love - and confront rejection, insecurity, and disillusion. Brooklyn-born Carole King, along with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin, wrote many hits for famous singers until she ventured as a solo artist and found recognition with her album Tapesty. Canadian Joni Mitchell is best known for her intimate, introspective ballads (Both Sides Now) and social commentary (Woodstock, Big Yellow Taxi). Carly Simon is the daughter of publisher Richard Simon, co-founder of Simon and Schuster. She wrote and sang You’re So Vain, Nobody Does it Better and Anticipation.
What manages to captivate the reader is not the accomplishments of the women. The flings, love-affairs, and marriages of the three make the book read like a multi-dimensional romance novel full of gossip, lust, and pining. Mitchell and Simon had dalliances and affairs with the era’s who’s who of the rock world while King endured several failed quirky marriages. Throughout the book I wondered what rock star or actor would be next!
Girls Like Us does a great job of profiling three young women and how they rose to fame and fortune with their celebrated careers. The inside-look into the music industry is also interesting. However, it is the musical legends’ affairs that make the book most memorable.
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