false 2319322 0743491475 9780743491471 606 256 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2319322.Girls_Like_Us_Carole_King_Joni_Mitchell_Carly_Simon_And_the_Journey_of_a_Generation 56885 Sheila Weller 700 284 5 2 false Mon Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 20 12:00:14 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 16 18:38:34 -0700 2008
Having complex arrangments and open tunings doesn't make Joni Mitchell "better" than other musicians, but I think the fact that her songs are hard to hum is a strong testament to her mind-boggling talent with words and arrangements.

This book is centered around three women who came of age in the 60s and changed music: Joni, Carole King and Carly Simon. It combines their stories (alternating chapters and sometimes combining the three lives in one chapter) with some cultural history and feminism sprinkled in between interviews with friends and music business execs.

I liked this book not because it was about musicians I admire, but because it looks at the broader context of music and how deeply it can affect people. It takes three different lives and connects them in a way that's believable, if not amazing. Anyone wondering what the fuss is about music should reconsider and start here. As cliched as the 60s are, this was a time when music meant so much.

I was never a huge Carly Simon fan (though I love the lyrics to "You're So Vain") or Carole King (though "Tapestry" is lovely), but Weller really made me care so much about their lives that I felt like these three women were my friends by the end of the novel. I'm sad it's over because my friends have left me.

I'm slightly biased toward Joni's story (so much tension and her songs, for me, nail the complexities of not just being a woman but being human), but I think anyone with a slight interest in either feminism, music or any one of these amazing women will enjoy this book.]]>