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Boys in the Trees
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Carly Simon
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Music
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Summary
Simon's memoir reveals her remarkable life, beginning with her storied childhood as the third daughter of Richard L. Simon, the cofounder of publishing giant Simon & Schuster; her musical debut as half of The Simon Sisters, performing folk songs with her sister, Lucy, in Greenwich Village; to a meteoric solo career that would result in 13 top 40 hits, including the number-one song "You're So Vain". She was the first artist in history to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, for her song "Let the River Run" from the movie Working Girl.
The memoir recalls a childhood enriched by music and culture but also one shrouded in secrets that would eventually tear her family apart. Simon brilliantly captures moments of creative inspiration, the sparks of songs, and the stories behind writing "Anticipation" and "We Have No Secrets", among many others. Romantic entanglements with some of the most famous men of the day fueled her confessional lyrics as well as the unraveling of her storybook marriage to James Taylor.
Includes original music composed especially for the program by Carly Simon and Teese Gohl plus a previously unreleased bonus song from Carly Simon.
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What listeners say about Boys in the Trees
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TRIDENT
- 10-01-17
Quite simply the best audio book I have ever heard
This mixture of honesty ,intensely moving story, and music. The best I've ever heard & I have over 200 titles thanks Carly.Brilliant !
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michele Lewis
- 14-11-21
Amazing
Enjoyed this biography so much, having always been a fan of Carly and James, it was exciting to hear the story in Carlys own voice, made the story more alive somehow!
Would highly recommend xx
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mg84
- 05-11-21
Love Carly but…
As others have said the music drowns out Carlys words - it’s unnecessary.
The music alone is fine but why blast it out over Carly speaking? It let the listening of this book down.
I did however enjoy Carly‘s storytelling and hearing her sing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine
- 16-11-19
Fascinating
Loved this book. The music was too loud though. At times it was difficult to hear Carlys narration.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Prof
- 17-04-19
Love Carly? Love this
Read by the author in a loving and intimate journey through the early life of Carly Simon. Short pieces of music throughout. More about the life than the music which takes a secondary role which is a little surprising- but a thoroughly enjoyable journey. Have the albums to hand to listen to as she touches on the origins and genesis of her work. A woman to learn from and warm to who writes in a lively and smart style. Never a dull moment. Loved it. Recommended
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Valerie Paul
- 01-08-18
Music much too loud!
Enjoyed the overall story, and Carlie performed it very well, but the loudness of the music completely spoiled it! Hence the reason for 3 stars.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lucy T.
- 16-09-17
Wonderful but background music too loud
I was concerned when music in the background started playing quite loudly - I assumed it would die down- it didn't and was rather annoying throughout the whole book. But Carly Simon was wonderful at reading her story - which I loved and highly recommend. Fascinating and heart breaking and funny - everything you want in a great book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-07-17
One of the best I've ever read.
As a lifelong lover of Carly Simon's music, I was given this book as a gift. I expected to enjoy it- but I had no idea of the challenges which Carly had to endure and overcome. The book completely blew my away. It was beautifully crafted and provided insight to what must have been an extremely difficult life at times, although mixed with times of joy and happiness.
After finishing the paper copy, I bought the Audible version and it brought the book alive. It was wonderful to listen to Carly narrating it. I found myself listening to it as slowly as possible, rationing myself to a few chapters at a time, to avoid reaching the end too quickly.
I would recommend this book to everyone- as there is something to learn for any person in this fantastic book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tanika
- 07-05-17
Just wonderful
I can't believe reading this book is better than listening along to Carly Simon herself read it aloud. Full of emotion and song, though at times early on, the music balance was a little too loud for me, making it hard to focus on the speech. But this didn't detract from the audiobook as a whole, maybe you just need time to tune into the mix.
It's an open, sometimes raw story but filled with love. I didn't want it to end. I'm a fan of all the Taylors as well as Carly, especially Ben. As well as a stellar performer, she is clearly a wonderful, warm mother. Makes me wish I lived on the island myself, i have happy memories from my two visits in the 90s, though I never ran into them!
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- reader
- 14-09-17
DIDN'T GET FAR
What would have made Boys in the Trees better?
I'm sure this is a great book, but I could not stand the random guitar and piano that would start out of nowhere and compete with the narrator's voice. It wasn't even background music and it had no dramatic effect because it would start and stop randomly. It was distracting and annoying so I didn't get far and will return this book. Still love Carly!
27 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Adele in CBus
- 30-11-15
Gorgeous and Sad
Still trying to decide how I felt about it. On the one hand it was gorgeous. She reads it herself and the audiobook is interlaced with lots and lots of her music throughout. It has to be a completely different experience from reading it with eyes only. In many ways it confirms how sensitive and brilliant she is.
On the other hand it also seems like it was her attempt to come to terms with the fact that she has never come to terms with the failure of her 10ish-year marriage to James Taylor which ended in the early 1980's. Yet she was married again for about 20 more years to someone else, and unless I nodded off toward the end, there's not even a mention of that. There's something disturbing and downright pitiful about how she seems so determinedly stuck in the long-ago.
41 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Anderson
- 27-11-15
Beautifully told with Carly's music.
Beautifully written and narrated by Carly Simon. The book is scored to many of the songs she's written, thanks to the genius of Ken Burns. The music and lyrics enhance the story Carly shares. Interesting insight into her relationship with James Taylor--not the easiest man to love or live with. One of the best audio books I've ever listened to. This particular book demonstrates the power of an audio book over the printed version. So many feelings and subtleties are conveyed to paint a more vivid account of the events in her life. After all the years have past since her divorce from Taylor, you can see that Carly still has a place in her heart for James Taylor.
35 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jdcmontana
- 15-03-19
The Music! Please make it stop!
I barely made it 20 minutes in before deciding I just couldn't imagine 13 hours of straining to hear Carly's beautiful voice over the distracting and overpowering music. The small part that I did manage to listen to was very compelling and I so wanted to listen, but it felt like there was someone next door randomly blaring their music and then turning it down. If it ever came out in a version without the background music I'd give it my full attention, but until then I'll sadly be returning it.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- I Still Read Books
- 26-11-15
Surprisingly AWESOME Audio.
If you could sum up Boys in the Trees in three words, what would they be?
Entertaining, revealing, thoughtful.
What other book might you compare Boys in the Trees to and why?
"Me" by Katharine Hepburn.
What about Carly Simon’s performance did you like?
Who knew that she'd be as good acting out her life story on an audio as she is singing it out on a record? This is really wonderful. She's got a great voice for storytelling, her pace is spot-on and she brings you right into the story.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I usually find the childhood stories in biographies to be tedious, but this one really is colorful and is just as interesting as the rest. I like the first story of the book, and like glimpsing into the world of her dad, who was the Simon in Simon and Schuster.
Any additional comments?
I did not expect this to be as entertaining as it was. Listened all the way through and enjoyed the whole thing. She's honest about her flaws and strengths.
27 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carrie B.
- 28-09-17
Highly interesting and entertaining
This one makes my top 5. The story she has to tell is riveting at every stage. The musical background is very well done and makes it really wonderful as an audible book. Carly is admittedly nervous as a narrator, so I loved hearing her explain that before listening to this book. She's not a professional narrator, but I only thought that added to the authenticity of the memoir. Her story is not a moral guideline of how women should live their lives, but she surely has lived an extraordinary and full life. I enjoyed it so much. I only wish James Taylor would be her friend now, then maybe she could let it go. She adores him maybe more than he deserves.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrea Pro
- 23-10-16
Music detracted from Story
What would have made Boys in the Trees better?
I chose to return this book after the second chapter because of the distracting loud music that was randomly interspersed through the reading. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the music- suddenly music begans playing at the same decibel as her voice so listening was an arduous task for my brain. It was so annoying that I cannot tell if I liked the book or not. This was mostly piano music- I began to dread what would happen later when the story describes the 60's! This one is better to read than hear!
13 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- David
- 20-01-16
That husky voice...
I chose this book because Carly Simon was reading it herself, and I have always loved her voice. She did not disappoint, reading with a wistful softness. Her life has been filled with privilege and opportunities, yet she is candid about her anxiety and--something I never knew--her stutter. (Another great book about a stutterer is David Mitchell's bildungsroman "Black Swan Green"). Her childhood was fascinating, filled with artists, writers and musicians who visited her famous but troubled father. Her brief career as a rock star is amusing, and it was fun to hear about how she wrote songs like "You're So Vain." There are a couple of suspenseful set pieces toward the end, as her failing marriage to James Taylor tears her up.
The audiobook includes a lot of guitar strumming and piano, which tended to be distracting. Sometimes I could not follow what Carly was saying because the music was too loud. But this grew on me, and by the end of the book I was moved by the new songs she sang, new to me at least, including the Walt Whitman poem O Captain! My Captain set to music.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-04-20
An intimate view inside a very private person
Carly, I’ve admired you since I discovered your music in the early 70’s. You lay bare your soul in this book, exposing yourself naked and vulnerable and for this I applaud you as brave beyond words. May you find peace.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Buyer
- 04-03-19
OVERPRODUCED MUSIC DROWNS OUT NARRATIVE
The music that adds nothing to the content drowns out the narrative making it impossible to listen to. I wish I had know this before buying it. If you want to be annoyed buy it, otherwise buy the book and read it but avoid the audio version at all costs.
3 people found this helpful
