Boys in the Trees

Rock star. Poet. Feminist icon. Seductress. Survivor. Carly Simon‘s life and career is one of the last great untold stories of popular music. Intimate, candid and told with a poet‘s ear for language, Boys in the Trees reveals the thoughts and experiences that made Simon a cultural icon and explores the universal themes running through her life - unrequited love, family strife, joy, betrayal, resilience - that speak to us all. In this probing examination of the first three decades of her life, Simon wrestles with and captures the endless ambiguity of emotions and relationships, never sanding down the interesting edges. The third daughter of Richard L. Simon, the co-founder of publishing giant Simon & Schuster, Simon had a storied childhood that was a whirlwind of Manhattan dinner parties with the cultural elite and family time steeped in music and the arts. But this bright façade hid darker secrets of sexual impropriety, dubious business dealings and shifting allegiances that would eventually tear her family apart. Simon‘s respite was music. From her debut as half of the Simon Sisters to a legendary solo career, Simon‘s domination of the musical landscape was epic. Her wild rise was matched by a passionate, turbulent personal life. Romantic entanglements with some of the most famous men of the day fuelled her confessional lyrics, as did her storybook marriage - and its public demise - to fellow superstar James Taylor. Honest, profound and poetic, Boys in the Trees is a beautiful and moving examination of the spark of creative inspiration and an unforgettable self-portrait by one of our greatest musical talents. ‘Hugely affecting memoir . . . heartfelt and remarkable‘ Independent ‘Refreshingly honest on sex and stardom‘ The Times ‘Extraordinarily intimate . . . One of the most sexually blunt and funny female stars of her generation‘ The Spectator ‘Complex, quick-witted and stack-full of raw talent‘ Observer ‘Absolutely tremendous and my music book of the year‘ The Scotsman ‘A terrific read‘ Irish Independent