Composed

Dec 27, 2010 Scottsdale Public Library added it

Shelves: adult, biography, nonfiction

A beautifully written memoir by Rosanne Cash, the famous singer and daughter of Johnny Cash, that covers everything from her parents painful split when she was a child, to touring with her father and launching her own career as a young adult, to living in New York on 9/11 and her recent brain surgery. Lush with stories and sneek peeks into the lives of the Cash and Carter families and other Country greats this is a must read for music lovers!

-Lindsey D.-

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May 13, 2013 Beth Newman rated it 3 of 5 stars

I desperately wanted to like this book, but the best I can muster is 'eh'

I'm a fan of Ms. Cash's music, and I believe she weaves lyrics together beautifully. The writing and the thought process behind her reminiscences, however, felt disjointed at best.

It's her story, so I make no judgment about her revelations (or lack thereof). Many of them were lovely, many of them were sad, yet none of them left me feeling emotionally invested. Ms. Cash states repeatedly that she values her privacy, and that...more I desperately wanted to like this book, but the best I can muster is 'eh'

I'm a fan of Ms. Cash's music, and I believe she weaves lyrics together beautifully. The writing and the thought process behind her reminiscences, however, felt disjointed at best.

It's her story, so I make no judgment about her revelations (or lack thereof). Many of them were lovely, many of them were sad, yet none of them left me feeling emotionally invested. Ms. Cash states repeatedly that she values her privacy, and that is quite evident in her memoir. So I pose the question, "Why write a memoir?" I'm not a musician, so I couldn't really sink my teeth into the pages-upon-pages devoted to the recording process of her albums, nor could I get into the details of her vast travels, and that's unusual for me - I typically love a good travel story. The choppiness of the writing distracted me, I suppose.

I wasn't looking for dirt, just a story about a gifted artist who came from an incredibly gifted family and surrounded herself with incredibly gifted people. She included a fair amount of Cash famiy recollections in the book, which were nice to read. I agree with other reviewers of this book, though: there was a tremendous amount of name-dropping, some of which was necessary in order to move the story along, some of which wasn't. I perked up at reading George Harrison's name, but found myself disappointed by the nonstory that came with it.

I also couldn't help but question the overly-detailed descriptions of what she wore to the slew of funerals she attended during the early 2000's, yet glossed over her marrige and subsequent divorce from singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell. I had hoped that she'd share her thoughts on what passes for country music today, but those hopes were dashed quite early in the book.

'Composed: A Memoir' might be your cup of tea if you're an actual musician or fancy yourself an artist in any way. If you're looking for something on a more personal level regarding the Cash/Carter/Crowell family, you might be disappointed. (less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs

It's not surprising that Rosanne Cash is a good writer. As a musician, composer and lyricist, she has honed these skills nearly all of her life. And, it didn't hurt that she's got some pretty powerful genes coming from, not only her famous father, but also her less well-known mother. Ms. Cash's ability to relate family and relationship dynamics is paramount in this book. And she does it without judgement, but rather as a seasoned observer. Both the dysfunctional and the exemplary models are desc...more It's not surprising that Rosanne Cash is a good writer. As a musician, composer and lyricist, she has honed these skills nearly all of her life. And, it didn't hurt that she's got some pretty powerful genes coming from, not only her famous father, but also her less well-known mother. Ms. Cash's ability to relate family and relationship dynamics is paramount in this book. And she does it without judgement, but rather as a seasoned observer. Both the dysfunctional and the exemplary models are described in detail with crisp clarity, but also with profound compassion.

Speaking of her parents, "The emotional debris field between them after thirteen years was enormous, too immense for them to cross toward each other..."

Speaking of the death of her father, "In the months since my father's passing I had come to understand the the loss of a parent expands you - - or shrinks you, as the case may be - - according to your own nature. If too much business is left unfinished, and guilt and regret take hold deep in the soul, mourning begins to diminish you, to constrict the heart, to truncate the vision of your own future, and to narrow the creative potential of the mind and spirit. If enough has been resolved - - not everything, for everything will never be done, but just enough - - then deep grief begins to transform the inner landscape, and space opens inside. you begin to realize that everyone has a tragedy, and that if he doesn't, he will. you recognize how much is hidden behind the small courtesies and civilities of everyday existence. Deep sorrow and traces of great loss run through everyone's ives, and yet they let others step into the elevator first, wave them ahead in a line of traffic, smile and greet their children and inquire about their lives, and never let on for a second that they, too, have cried until it seemed impossible that one person could hold so many tears, that they, too, keep a picture of someone locked in their heart and bring it out in quiet, solitary moments to caress and remember. Loss is the great unifier, the terrible club to which we all eventually belong.

Her personal and professional challenges are related with prose that is not verbose or trite, but, rather deep and moving. I had not been aware of the health challenges she faced in 2007, undergoing brain surgery for a rare condition called: Chiari I malformation. The journey she traveled towards recovery is fascinating as relates to her changed sensory perceptions and motivations as an artist.

And, finally, speaking of Art and her own personal spirituality: "We all need art and music like we need blood and oxygen. The more exploitative, numbing, and assaulting popular culture becomes, the more we need the truth of a beautifully phrased song, dredged from a real person's depth of experience, delivered in an honest voice; the more we need the simplicity of paint on canvas, or the art of a lonely body in the air, or the photographer's unflinching eye Art, in the larger sense, is the lifeline to which I cling in a confusing, unfair, sometimes dehumanizing world. In my childhood, the nuns and priests insisted, sometimes in a shrill and punitive tone, that religion was where God resided and where I might find transcendence. i was afraid they were correct for so many years, and that I was the one at fault for not being able to navigate the circuitry of dogma and ritual. For me, it turned out to be a decoy, a mirage framed in sound and fury. Art and music have proven to be more expansive, more forgiving, and more immediately alive For me, art is a more trustworthy expression of God than religion."

Highly recommended. Also her album, "The List" which is an excerpt of 12 songs from a list of 100 that her father gave her when she was touring him with 18. Songs that he felt she should know and master if she wanted to truly be a country singer.(less)

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Nov 27, 2012 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, entertainers, memoir

I saw the movie "Walk the Line", but the film did not portray the rich and wonderful relationship Johnny Cash had with his oldest daughter that comes through in this book. Johnny Cash is constantly there for her, as a father, mentor and friend.

2010 seems to have been the year of the singer memoir. Of ones by women that I've read "Between a Heart and a Rock Place: A Memoir", "Lips Unsealed: A Memoir", "Just Kids" and now "Composed", the life stories are very different. While Smith's book is limit...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had never heard of Rosanne Cash, and certainly had no idea she was remotely famous as a musician; my in-house librarian just brought it home thinking my fondness for Johnny Cash might spill over to her life and this book. I did enjoy learning a bit more about Johnny and his family. (With apologies to Rosanne, I'm afraid I didn't stay all that interested in *her* life, which is her cross to bear, I suppose.) For the first 75 pages or so I had no idea why anyone was reading this book and praisin...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs, music

Lovely little memoir from one of my most beloved country musicians-- though I hasten to add that you don't particularly have to enjoy, or even know, Cash's music to be charmed by this book. Actually, those looking for behind-the-scenes discussions of the recordings themselves are those most likely to be disappointed; Cash talks just a bit about the conditions surrounding some of here albums, perhaps more than a bit about the three biggies (King's Record Shop, Interiors, Black Cadillac), but ther...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Fuzzy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've come to Rosanne Cash all backwards. I'm a Johnny Cash fan, I mean how can you not be, but before a few months ago I don't even think I was aware that he had any musician children. Then @rosannecash started showing up in a lot of retweets from people I like alot on Twitter. I followed her on Twitter and found her to be a hilarious master of the short form (and prolific - she's up to 22,000 tweets in just over a year. I'm at 2,600 in four years). She mentioned a memoir she'd released this yea...more

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Dec 10, 2010 Pris robichaud rated it 5 of 5 stars

"I'll send the angels to watch over you tonight/And you send them right back to
me./A lonely road is a bodyguard/If you really want it to be."
song: 'Sleeping In Paris' from the album 'The Wheel'.

Rosanne Cash, it seems has been writing forever. The above song was written after the demise of her first marriage. She remembers as a school child writing a sentence and feeling the extraordinary power of words. What she has given us in her memoir is a lifetime of writing that is, indeed, so beautiful...more "I'll send the angels to watch over you tonight/And you send them right back to
me./A lonely road is a bodyguard/If you really want it to be."
song: 'Sleeping In Paris' from the album 'The Wheel'.

Rosanne Cash, it seems has been writing forever. The above song was written after the demise of her first marriage. She remembers as a school child writing a sentence and feeling the extraordinary power of words. What she has given us in her memoir is a lifetime of writing that is, indeed, so beautifully written that we are transported. We are taken to her birth which her mother related in detail so many times, Rosanne was unsure that she ever wanted children. Her life in California, the daughter of Johnny Cash and her petite mother, Vivian. Rosanne speaks of her self doubt throughout much of this book, her body, never thin enough, and the ever present shadow of her father. All of this, like most of us, has taken a lifetime of thought and experience to work through. She says at one point, "I worked out a lifetime of self-doubt and musical and emotional vulnerabilities under the spotlight." In time she realized that "the arena I thought was a circus of humiliation actually held half the available light of what was intended for me, for my whole life." What a remarkable paragraph. That this memoir is filled with these kinds of pearls and delectable writing should be enough, but she also graces us with a life to write about.

Rosanne lived in California as a child with both parents, but then her father split and moved to Tennessee as his career started to boom. They always had a good relationship, and even though Johnny Cash had his demons he was a wonderfully loving father. Rosanne and her sisters spent time with him every summer and at Christmas. She remembers fondly the peach ice cream he would make on hot evenings, taking everyone to the movies when it was too hot outside to play. Eventually her stepmother, June Carter Cash entered the picture, and Rosanne found another woman to emulate and love. They spent many lovely times at their estate in Jamaica, and it was there that Rosanne discovered one night the overwhelming feeling to move on with life. She resisted singing like her father, the shadow was too large, but singing and writing prose and melodies overtook her, and so she persisted, and year after year she pushed on, finding her own place. A marriage to Rodney Crowell produced three lovely daughters, and she also brought up Hannah, Crowell's daughter from a previous marriage. Although Rosanne is often classified as a country artist, her music draws on many genres, including folk, pop, rock and blues. In the 1980s, she had a string of chart-topping singles, which crossed musical genres and landed on both Country & Western and Top 100 charts. 'Seven Year Ache' was one of her biggest hits. When her marriage to Rodney Crowell ended she moved to New York City, and in 1995 she married John Leventhal, a musician and producer who produced the album 'The Wheel'. They have a son together, Jakob. At one point, Rosanne developed polyps on her vocal cord and could not sing, thus Rosanne picked up her writing career. She wrote her first book to great reviews and continued writing several articles. In 2003 her stepmother, June, and father, Johnny, both died within a short period of time of each other. Her sister, Rosie died. Her mother followed in 2006. What a legacy to be gone within such a few short years. In 2007 Rosanne had brain surgery to correct a malformation that was giving her persistent and blinding headaches. This was a grueling time, but she recovered and continued writing and assembling this memoir that has taken ten years to write.

When Rosanne graduated from high school, that summer, her father took her on his bus tour. He discovered that she had a limited knowledge of the old songs, and sat down and wrote down the 100 songs that he felt delineated the times. It is a list of the 100 Folk/Americana songs that she needed to know about. Somehow she picked twelve of the very best, and these suit her to a 'T'. She has made a CD that is pure love and music. She has made these songs her own. 'The List' has been nominated for album of the year.

Rosanne Cash's 'Composed' is a perfect title, that is how she has followed her life- in music, from one lyric and song to the next, in life, from one issue to the next, an authentic person. She writes as she lives. She tells us "So, in writing this in nonfiction and a memoir, I felt a responsibility to be true to the facts as I remembered them. And you know there is melody in prose. It's more subtle, but it's there. So I was always trying to find the melody." Rosanne's eulogies for her stepmother, June, and her father, John, are so ephemeral and poignant, that a tear or two are bound to slide down your cheeks. What Rosanne Cash brings to her memoir, with her prose and melodies are the beauty, fire and the stuff of dreams.

Addendum:

Publishers Weekly chose her memoir as one of the top non-fiction books of the year! 11-18-10

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Nov 27, 2010 Steve lovell rated it 4 of 5 stars

An excellent memoir. This is despite of much that is typical of the genre, particularly for American celebrities, where there is, possibly out of necessity, much self absorption and analysis. On top of that, this one had angels appearing, ghostly visions, 'significant' dreams and, of course, loving lashings of musical anecdote - the latter no bad thing.
As a collector of the legacy of Cash, father and daughter, this did not overly focus on the significant relationship, but the presence of such an...more An excellent memoir. This is despite of much that is typical of the genre, particularly for American celebrities, where there is, possibly out of necessity, much self absorption and analysis. On top of that, this one had angels appearing, ghostly visions, 'significant' dreams and, of course, loving lashings of musical anecdote - the latter no bad thing.
As a collector of the legacy of Cash, father and daughter, this did not overly focus on the significant relationship, but the presence of such an icon as Cash senior permeated the tome. Johnny Cash is such a huge figure in the lexion of American greats, in all senses of the word,that he had to be acknowledged, warts and all, and his daughter does this admirably. The book though is much more than this.
Rosanne is a master of a type of country music that is not quite Americana, but is also miles away from popified Nashville, although she's had her moments in the sun.For my music buying life Cash's once hubby, Rodney Crowell was a hero. We did not really discover 'what went wrong' - but then do we really need to know? That she is now blissfully happy in marriage No.2 is a solace. This is genuinely stated despite the fact that those born with a silver spoon can sometimes see their lives as full of 'hardship.'Cash's was certainly not all smooth sailing, but to give her credit she does write shiningly on her blessings, particularly on her children. Her annus horribulus of 2003 was marked by death and her eulogies, transcribed in full, to mother, step-mother and father are poignant in the extreme. It was also illuminatining to read the background to those albums sitting in my collection, several of them quite marvellous. Her heartbreaking duet, 'September When it Comes', from 'Rules of Trtavel' has always been a favourite tune.It was made shortly before the old fellow passed on, and its story was lovingly recountered.
This is a book to treasure and I for one will be seeking out her other writings. As we read the final passages I suspect most fans will hope there is indeed 'more to come.'(less)

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Oct 23, 2010 Doulton Doulton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rosanne Cash, the oldest child of Johnny cash, is 55 years old right now and has had a solid career in what I might call a country/folk/independent crossover style. She has written some excellent songs.

"Composed" is a “memoir” and not an autobiography, so it might defy expectations for those who want a straightforward, chronological listing of events as opposed to a thoughtful rumination about life and loss. The strength of the book is its penetrating thoughtful excavations of memories and its r...more Rosanne Cash, the oldest child of Johnny cash, is 55 years old right now and has had a solid career in what I might call a country/folk/independent crossover style. She has written some excellent songs.

"Composed" is a “memoir” and not an autobiography, so it might defy expectations for those who want a straightforward, chronological listing of events as opposed to a thoughtful rumination about life and loss. The strength of the book is its penetrating thoughtful excavations of memories and its reasonably impartial character analyses of her Cash’s celebrated family members.

Intelligent and lyrical, this book eschews tabloid mentality. It does not chronicle substance abuse or stays at rehab or conflicts with the local constabulary. Cash in more interested in thought than in thrills. This intelligence has made her transcend from the vagueness of New Age beliefs into a wise and analytical woman. She believes much more in seeking out explanations for human behavior rather than saying that “It was meant to happen” or “God had special plans for me.”

As a singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash has typically preferred the subtle and the substantial over the glitzy and the glossy. This memoir is subtle and substantial. It avoids gossip and there’s no “trash-talk”. Cash is unsparing about herself without being dramatic. The sections of the book that deal with the overwhelming losses of family members, her difficult brain surgery, and living through 9/11 in New York are honest without being hysterical. The past decade has been difficult for Rosanne Cash but years have given her the philosophical mind. I hope that the next decade is far better and I also hope that she writes more.

Finally, "composed" is a brilliant title. Cash has indeed composed herself into a wise woman and this book looks at the influences that have composed her life. The title refers to her writing and also to the fact that she is a person who has become calm, collected, and self-possessed--she is composed..
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Oct 20, 2010 Elisabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not entirely sure what I expected from Composed, but I picked it up with a vague idea in mind of learning more about Johnny & June Carter Cash from the perspective of one of their children. I was wrong, and I was pleasantly surprised. Composed primarily tells the story of her professional development, as it was affected by her childhood, adolescence, and her non-professional adult life. While it contains some wonderful notes about her parents & stepparents, it is first and foremost a...more

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Sep 10, 2010 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have yet to call myself a fan of Rosanne Cash's music. She is a great songwriter, but not a lyricist of the quality of, say, Suzanne Vega, who I think possesses some of my devotion that I could have diverted to Cash. Now, Cash has finally won me over, because while her lyrics might not have Vega's poetic flexibility, her prose writing is solid and evocative. For example, her explanation of the analog recording process is fascinating and enlightening without seeming technical, although she did...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Kathleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Rosanne Cash is one of my favorite singer/songwriters; that said, there's not a whole lot of insight in this book. The book is strongest when it talks about her longing for family and her sadness over the mortality of her famous father and not-so-famous mother. Cash is famously guarded, and this comes across in this memoir. I would've liked to know more about her process of creating art. She also gives almost no mention to some serious issues. It's certainly her right to keep her privacy guarded...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Kyli rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was planning on giving this book 3 stars until I got to page 224 and read this: "I adamantly refuse to join any community that identifies itself by an illness. This idea of becoming a spokesperson for this condition, which I was asked to do before the staples were even out of my head, was appalling to me, and entirely against my nature and sense of privacy - I was not inclined to trade publicly on anything related to my health or body, even, unfortunately in the service of others who suffer...more I was planning on giving this book 3 stars until I got to page 224 and read this: "I adamantly refuse to join any community that identifies itself by an illness. This idea of becoming a spokesperson for this condition, which I was asked to do before the staples were even out of my head, was appalling to me, and entirely against my nature and sense of privacy - I was not inclined to trade publicly on anything related to my health or body, even, unfortunately in the service of others who suffer with the same disease. .

While I've always been a fan of Johnny Cash (who isn't?), I admit that what encouraged me to buy this book was the fact that Rosanne and I both have the health condition she mentioned above: Chiari Malformation. Before I review the writing itself, I just have to mention that, up until I read those sentences above, I found myself thinking "This woman seems like somebody I could be friends with. She's so intelligent, insightful, and doesn't seem to be phased by her fame." I totally understand Cash's desire to keep her health private - dealing with this condition for over a decade, I understand that its not something you really feel like sharing, nonetheless, drawing attention to. I also understand that she isn't obligated to be a part of the community or to advocate for the illness, but perhaps she doesn't realize the deep struggles many people with this condition face and the disastrous results of inadequate treatment and lack of awareness. I know people who've died of Chiari Malformation and many of them would probably still be alive today had they been diagnosed and treated earlier.

Cash, whether she likes it or not, is in a position where she could spread awareness and not just change, but save lives. However, in those few sentences, she conveyed a selfishness and a lack of compassion, that quite frankly, shocks me. I can't imagine experiencing these symptoms PLUS the actual brain surgery and not feeling like you want to help others in the same situation. I know a lot of people in the online community - they're extremely sick people, who don't identify as an "illness", but instead try to triumph through their symptoms the best that they can. They would give anything to have an outlet to spread awareness about Chiari, but they don't have one. They're not famous.

What a shame. Really.

As far as the writing goes, I, too, felt that it was disorganized and a bit too time-liney for my taste. She's definitely a talented writer and an intelligent woman; very articulate and deep. I enjoyed some of the more emotional stories (like the one about the lady they picked up on the side of the road) and like others said, the funeral speeches towards the end - the one about June was really beautiful. I think it may have held my attention better if I was involved in the music industry; there were parts about the recording process that I felt like skipping over. I had a hard time staying interested at times. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it, but then again maybe I'm biased after those comments she made.(less)

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Dec 26, 2011 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, biographies

This is definitely one of the better autobiographies I have read, and I have read quite a few. In some, it seems like the author penned the book for the soul purpose of getting a final jab in at someone or to make sure their side is heard (as it seems as though their side will differ greatly from everyone else's). I don't get that from reading this book. Rosanne tells about her life, from being a product of a highly publicized divorce as a child to enduring and living through her family's addict...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Brandee Shafer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I feel like I know Roseanne Cash better, now, for sure. And she's interesting: very analytical and introspective, also very creative in the ways she assigns meaning to the events of her life. I did get the sense that she was holding back, or trying too hard to follow the advice: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." For example, she wrote next to nothing about her first husband. Additionally, I didn't find her writing very consistent. She summarized big chunks of h...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Gary Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most moving concert experiences I've ever witnessed was from Rosanne Cash. This was toward the end of her Black Cadillac tour. She'd done a great set, including some of her hits and some of the songs that later became The List. The audience was clearly with her. She came out for the encore seeming like she'd enjoyed herself. As she prepared to go into her last song, someone yelled out "I Still Miss Someone, Rosanne." She said, "Yeah?", turned to her husband John on piano and asked, "C...more

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Sep 13, 2010 Dnicebear rated it 4 of 5 stars

I appreciate reading the process that even someone who has privilege, family support and lots of mentoring, as Rosanne has from birth, to claim that "I am an artist." We are close in age, so I enjoy Cash's journey through similar times. I'm especially fond of her visit to Cash roots in Scotland, where she meets her spiritual inheritance at the structure given many centuries ago in "liberume maritagium" or frank marriage, "in other words, for the benefits of heirs. Like a national park--only with...more

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Oct 17, 2010 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

As someone exposed to Johnny Cash from the womb, I was thrilled when I saw that his daughter Rosanne had written a memoir. She is a gifted writer and has an eloquent ability to express herself and to draw raw emotions from her readers. She had me in tears on many occasions as I read about her reactions to her parents' deaths. Having lost both of my parents, I learned once again, that grief is universal. I appreciated her insights about other aspects of life, as well. In terms of religion, she an...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Roberta rated it 3 of 5 stars

The part of Rosanne Cash's memoir I enjoyed the most was her account of her relationship with her father, Johhny. She writes very honestly about the difficulties in her life, both personal and professional, and those of her family members and very poetically about her joy in making music. I did find parts of the book confusing, especially at the end, as she skips in several chapters from an early time period in her life to one much later. Perhaps this is how memory actually works in all of us. T...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

If I've learned anything from blogging, it's how deceptively difficult it is to write in a clear, casual, voice without falling into being chatty or dry. It's hard work, finding the right tone, and it takes a light touch. Rosanne Cash does a nice job, managing to stay interesting and accessible on topics like family, loss, growing up, the artistic process -- things that can either glaze your eyes over permanently or engage you.

A few days ago I had lunch with a friend who saw the book cover and...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Rick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very nicely written memoir by Rosanne Cash. Have been a fan of her music---on and off---for years but it was interesting to me to see where a lot of those songs came from. Lots of discussion of her father in the book as well; she certainly struck me a being very much a "daddy's girl". She does a great job humanizing an almost mythical figure too........describing how for her he was actually two people: "Johnny Cash" and Dad.

This book was first for me as well: after having read probably thousand...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, music-musicians

Roseanne Cash has a voice all her own. I have been a fan of her songs beginning with her 1993 album, The Wheel. I never listened to her early commercially successful stuff which was mostly Nashville influenced country music. In her memoir I learned that it took her until 1990 to find her true writing voice as a songwriter. Sure enough, that is when her commercial appeal faded away, but also when she began garnering huge critical recognition.

I think she is a better songwriter than prose writer. I...more

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Sep 30, 2010 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rosanne Cash is an elegant, thoughtful writer. Rather than following a linear narrative of her life so far, she organizes her memoir into chapters of thoughtful reflections on defining moments, memories, and themes. She puts great thought into what it means for her to be an artist, a celebrity, a mother, a daughter, a wife, a public figure, a private person. Loved her descriptions of the recording and producing process in the good ol' pre-digital days. She beautifully and repeatedly describes he...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Ellen Herbert rated it 4 of 5 stars

"I'll send the angels to watch over you tonight/And you send them right back to
me./A lonely road is a bodyguard/If you really want it to be."
song: 'Sleeping In Paris' from the album 'The Wheel'.

I have written one fan letter in my life and that was to Rosanne Cash after the first time I listened to her record 'Interiors'. I then discovered Kings Record Shop, and have followed her all the way to 'The List'.

Her memoirs are so well written and her turn of phrase has a way of hooking you deeply, e...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Katie Christian rated it 2 of 5 stars

There were a few entertaining stories in this book, but I couldn't help but feel the author was name-dropping a bit more than was necessary. Don't get me wrong - I love celebrity memoirs and I've probably read over one-hundred of them, so I know of what I speak here. I know it matters to Rosanne Cash and her industry friends, but I truly do not care who she worked with on each of her albums. That does not make for interesting reading. Her story about the Norwegian Johnny Cash Tribute festival wa...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Sarah K Unger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rosanne Cash has long been a favorite artist of mine. Her music and lyrics and the voice with which she delivers them are compelling and sometimes heartbreaking in their plaintive beauty. Likewise, when I have listened to her in interviews her words and insights have never failed to catch my ear and hold on. As a result, I fully expected deep insights into art, music, creativity, language, family, and even the passing, both back and forth, of time. And that's what I found, from the first sentenc...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Judith rated it 2 of 5 stars

Although I did enjoy a lot of the stories here, and I like Roseanne Cash's music, I found this book to be very unorganized.

She had all of the elements to make it a lovely read, but it jumped from idea to idea and back again. There were also several times when she would be writing a story about herself at the age of twenty and the very next paragraph would dive into a story about her at the age of fifty - only to jump back to the story about her at twenty. Sound confusing? It was.

Maybe it's jus...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a well composed memoir about someone of whom I knew virtually nothing other than that she was Johnny Cash's daughter. She starts off with an anti-catholic diatribe (she was raised Catholic)which almost lost me from the start. I realize we are all entitled to our own beliefs and faith life, but she carried it farther than was necessary and it really didn't fit with her "balanced" assessments of other aspects of her life and people she knew. She lapsed into several more sentences about it...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Greg Perciak rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rosanne Cash is a fine songwriter and lyricist, so I wasn’t surprised to read rave reviews of her memoir. It is about as far as you can get from the typical celebrity tell-all. She doesn’t bad-mouth her record company. She doesn’t trash her first husband. Instead she revels in the centrality of love (and loss) in our lives, whether it’s love for our parents, spouses, or children. Not coincidentally, it serves as a loving tribute to her father. There are times when you’ll put the book down to sav...more

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title link	preview: Composed: A Memoir
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8032753-composed?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347647925l/8032753.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8032753-composed?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Composed: A Memoir by Rosanne Cash[/url]

Composed: A Memoir

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