A Natural Woman

A Natural Woman (2012) by Carole King. Probably best-known for her album Tapestry, King here tells a straight chronological version of her life story up to the present, from her songwriter days in the 1960s to her present status as an iconic performer and activist for conservation. It's a pretty interesting life, but let's just say that as a writer, King is a good singer. Actually, her writing is not bad, it's just not inspired. The "Natural Woman" part of the title is a play on the title of a song King wrote early in her career, and the fact that she went "back to nature" in mid-career, buying a farm in Idaho and living there most of the year. I have to say that by the end of the book I wasn't sure I liked her. Some of her choices, especially parenting choices, seemed extremely ill-advised. Grade: B