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Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie Hardcover – October 22, 2019

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,775 ratings

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The instant New York Times bestseller | Named one of the ten best books of 2019 by People magazine

A chance encounter at a summer party on Martha’s Vineyard blossomed into an improbable but enduring friendship.


Carly Simon and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis made an unlikely pair―Carly, a free and artistic spirit still reeling from her recent divorce, searching for meaning, new love, and an anchor; and Jackie, one of the most celebrated, meticulous, unknowable women in American history.

Nonetheless, over the next decade their lives merged in inextricable and complex ways, and they forged a connection deeper than either could ever have foreseen. The time they spent together―lingering lunches and creative collaborations, nights out on the town and movie dates―brought a welcome lightness and comfort to their days, but their conversations often veered into more profound territory as they helped each other navigate the shifting waters of life lived, publicly, in the wake of great love and great loss.

An intimate, vulnerable, and insightful portrait of the bond that grew between two iconic and starkly different American women, Carly Simon’s
Touched by the Sun is a chronicle, in loving detail, of the late friendship she and Jackie shared. It is a meditation on the ways someone can unexpectedly enter our lives and change its course, as well as a celebration of kinship in all its many forms.

"In Touched by the Sun, Simon reveals an easy-going, playful side of [Jackie] that most people never saw ― sneaking a smoke during intermission at the opera, frolicking in the ocean off the Vineyard . . . The woman who would later edit several of Simon’s children’s books was 'just fun to be around.'" ―Juliet Pennington, The Boston Globe


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Simon's book is full of . . . glimpses of the late Mrs. Onassis you wouldn't get anywhere else." ―Will Pavia, The Times (London)

"A chronicle of a close friendship that might seem unlikely on the surface . . . A behind-the-scenes glimpse at parties where the famous mingle with the famous."
Kirkus

About the Author

Carly Simon is a songwriter and singer of songs. Her children are Ben Taylor and Sally Taylor Bragonier. She has one grandchild: Bodhi Taylor Bragonier. She lives on Martha's Vineyard and is the author of Boys in the Trees.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition (October 22, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374277729
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374277727
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,775 ratings

About the author

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Carly Simon
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Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and children's author. She first rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), "You Belong To Me" (No. 6), "Coming Around Again" (No. 18), and her four Gold certified singles "Jesse" (No. 11), "Mockingbird" (No. 5), a duet with James Taylor, "You're So Vain" (No. 1), and "Nobody Does It Better" (No. 2) from the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.

After a brief stint with her sister Lucy Simon as duo group the Simon Sisters, she found great success as a solo artist with her 1971 self-titled debut album Carly Simon, which won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and spawned her first Top 10 single "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be". Simon achieved international fame with her third album No Secrets which sat firmly at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 5 weeks, and spawned the worldwide hit "You're So Vain", for which she received three Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Over the course of her career, Simon has amassed 24 Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary charting singles, and has won two Grammy Awards. AllMusic called Simon, "One of the quintessential singer/songwriters of the '70s". Simon has a contralto vocal range.

For her 1988 hit "Let the River Run", from the film Working Girl, Simon became the first artist in history to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for a song composed and written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "You're So Vain" in 2004, and awarded the ASCAP Founders Award in 2012. In 1995 and 1998, respectively, Simon received the Boston Music Awards Lifetime Achievement and a Berklee College of Music Honorary Doctor of Music Degree.

Simon is the former wife of another notable singer-songwriter, James Taylor. Simon and Taylor have two children together, Sarah "Sally" Maria Taylor and Benjamin "Ben" Simon Taylor, who are also musicians.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Elektra/Pam Frank (Original owned by uploader) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
1,775 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the emotional impact of the book heart-opening, moving, and fun. They also describe the picture as beautiful and the storyline as great. However, opinions are mixed on the writing quality, style, and content depth. Some find the writing exquisite, talented, and engrossing, while others say it's trite and disjointed.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

15 customers mention "Relationships"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the relationships in the book very special, endearing, and kind. They also say the book is an emotional, loving, and respectful tribute to Jackie Kennedy.

"...But Carly has an expansive, kind, and generous soul...." Read more

"...The friendship is special and the book is touching...So great to observe from a distance the relationship between these two famous women...." Read more

"...It is a great love story and a time capsule for those of us that were around in the 1980's and early 90's...." Read more

"...Her writing style is rich, interesting, and beautiful. what a beautiful friendship these two women had, and Carly‘s recounting of their years..." Read more

13 customers mention "Picture"12 positive1 negative

Customers find the picture amazing, beautiful, and memorable. They also appreciate the gorgeous writing and the wonderfully portrayed years together.

"I like Carly's style of writing. Sometime obtuse but beautiful also. It was nice to see another side of Jackie also." Read more

"Amazing....well written. Beautiful...endearing..memorable. loved every minute of this book...." Read more

"...Without hesitation she said: Clouds in my coffee. Great art is timeless." Read more

"...this book for the honesty- a Carly Simon trademark, and for the gorgeous writing another Carly trademark. Don't miss this beautifully written book!" Read more

12 customers mention "Emotional impact"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book heart-opening, beautifully written, and moving. They also say it's about dignity, abundance, grace, and joy.

"...was a treasure because I do admire Carly Simon, and enjoyed her thoughts and feelings. Therefore, I kept reading until the very last page. 3.5 stars." Read more

"...various scenes in the book,were captivating, sometimes funny and often poignant, I loved this book for the honesty- a Carly Simon trademark, and..." Read more

"...of Jackie, family and friends, that I found myself teary-eyed and very moved...." Read more

"...She was a very caring friend to Carly Simon & Mike Nicholas. Quite moving. Always loved Carly's music." Read more

10 customers mention "Storyline"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the storyline great, memorable, and beautiful. They also say the author is a great writer of life stories.

"Amazing....well written. Beautiful...endearing..memorable. loved every minute of this book...." Read more

"...Touched by the Sun, likewise, presents a fascinating and moving story of this deep l friendship between 2 iconic women, described through the..." Read more

"...I loved the stories and the insight into one of the iconic figures our time - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis through Carly’s detail of their friendship." Read more

"It was a really great story. In my opinion, there were too many descriptive remarks that caused me to get lost that were a bit much...." Read more

4 customers mention "Emotional content"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the emotional content touching, intimate, and insightful.

"...An intimate, vulnerable, and insightful portrait of the bond that grew between two iconic and starkly different American women, Carly Simon’s..." Read more

"...book gives us an even bigger look inside Carly’s life...so honest and touching." Read more

"...Carly’s writing is so smart, incisive, witty, personal, relatable, touching, and fun as in sharp, ironic, engrossing, perceptive...." Read more

"Very entertaining, Love the sharing of their relationship... so touching....." Read more

47 customers mention "Writing quality"31 positive16 negative

Customers are mixed about the writing quality. Some find the writing exquisite, descriptive, and creative, with literary references. They also describe the book as an easy, quick read, and appreciate Carly Simon as a truly unique individual. However, others say the book is trite in some parts and not as well written as they had hoped.

"I like Carly's style of writing. Sometime obtuse but beautiful also. It was nice to see another side of Jackie also." Read more

"...still has a very off-the-cuff rambling style of writing that's hard to understand...." Read more

"Amazing....well written. Beautiful...endearing..memorable. loved every minute of this book...." Read more

"...It is a love letter written to a friend by an amazing artist and poet...." Read more

29 customers mention "Content depth"15 positive14 negative

Customers are mixed about the content depth. Some find the book honest, relatable, and enlightening. They also say the subject matter was handled very professionally. However, others say the book contains boring details and descriptive remarks that cause them to get lost. They feel the book leaves them with a hazy understanding of someone so close to Simon.

"...It is not a tell-all about either woman, though Carly’s disarming candor, and the fearlessness with which she shares how the world looks through her..." Read more

"...boring and I couldn't get myself interested in it as it had so few excerpts with Jackie. Poor writing and very very boring.!!!!!" Read more

"I bought this because I liked Boys in the Trees- Carly is a good hang, candid to a to a fault - she'll tell you if somebody smells--real, funny...." Read more

"It was a really great story. In my opinion, there were too many descriptive remarks that caused me to get lost that were a bit much...." Read more

18 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive10 negative

Customers are mixed about the writing style. Some find the book well-written by a talented, insightful artist. They also say the life of Carly Simon is interesting and engrossing. However, others feel the book mentions celebrities too much and is disjointed, childish, strange, and disappointing.

"...They are so interesting. But this book by Carly Simon was so boring that I skipped page to get to the Jackie Kennedy part...." Read more

"...Carly is such a great talent. I recently watched Vogues 50 questions with Taylor Swift...." Read more

"...But it is only nominally about Jackie; it is about Carly...." Read more

"...She’s such a lovely person, so full of grace. It’s clear why Jackie was attracted to her as a friend. They came from the same milieus...." Read more

A touching and respectful account of friendship and more
5 Stars
A touching and respectful account of friendship and more
Carly Simon's second memoir is an emotional, loving and respectful tribute to her friend Jackie Kennedy Onassis.Carly takes the reader on a poignant, intimate journey of life and love and how a friendship can actually lead you to more knowledge about yourself.Ms Simon's writing is exquisite. Many times I put the book down to simply sit with the beauty of what I had just read. If you're looking for a heart-opening, beautifully written book about life and love, this is the one.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
This was a book ordered for my book club. It was fAirly priced and like new. It arrived in a very reasonable amount of time.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
When I first spotted this book, I thought though, “who knew?” Two seemingly incompatible, though artistic, women find one another on Martha’s Vineyard and strike up a friendship despite their differences.

Thoroughly enjoyable and insightful look at women we thought we understood.
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023
I like Carly's style of writing. Sometime obtuse but beautiful also. It was nice to see another side of Jackie also.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
This is a continuation of Carly Simon's memoir that ends w/her divorce from James Taylor. She fills in some gaps - she remarried (he sponged off her & turned out to be gay), continued her musical career, and continued to suffer from the demons of childhood sexual abuse, speech impediment, absent parents, a rock star lifestyle, depression & anxiety, but had an enormous group of famous friends (she got a backstage pass to the Stones for Caroline & JFKJr). Jackie may or may not have been a close one, but here she uses Jackie as the one to whom she confessed many problems and w/whom she wrote some children's books. Jackie didn't offer much personal info in return, but she seemed willing to offer advice and a shoulder to cry on. It's an abbreviated memoir with song lyrics, but she still has a very off-the-cuff rambling style of writing that's hard to understand. It sounds like someone writing under the influence of psychedelics, but she says she's afraid of them & talks quite a bit about the prescription drugs she's hiding, taking, mixing. I've been a Carly Simon music fan & Boys in The Trees was a revelation that she didn't write all - or even most - of her lyrics. She has ideas that are best translated by someone else. Except for the sales hook of "Jackie O," this serves no purpose other than to continue her memoir.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024
Amazing....well written. Beautiful...endearing
..memorable. loved every minute of this book. Im so glad Jackie was in Carly"s life and the richment she brought.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
Friendship. It’s an entity unto itself, isn’t it? There’s one friend (Carly) and then there’s the other (Jackie), and then there’s the friendship that burns like a candle between them. This book is about that candle. It is not a tell-all about either woman, though Carly’s disarming candor, and the fearlessness with which she shares how the world looks through her eyes, reveals much about her humanity, her humor, and her wisdom.

Carly uses her lyrical way with words to write this love song, of sorts, to friendship. To a relationship that was composed of shared secrets and easy familiarity as much as it was with unanswered questions and sometimes awkward moments.

I give huge credit to Carly for this honest telling of their story. A lesser human in Carly’s situation might easily have been tempted to embellish, to portray the friendship as more flawlessly intimate than it was. A lesser human would almost certainly be at least tempted to let a little of Jackie’s stardust sprinkle on them.

But Carly has an expansive, kind, and generous soul. I can’t claim to know all of her reasons for writing this book, but there is one thing that is almost palpable as you read: Carly is a person who uses her words the same way she uses her musical talents: to make connections with other souls. She expresses feelings of doubt, tells stories on herself that might not be completely flattering. She is sharing her humanity, and hoping you’ll recognize that same feeling that you, the reader, have within yourself. She is extending a hand and hoping you will take it, and join her as she tells her story.

If you’re looking for a tell-all book about Jackie, this isn’t your book. If you’re looking for a book that reflects on the nature of friendship as it existed between two remarkable women, then grab yourself a cup of hot tea, find your fuzzy slippers, light a fire in the fireplace, and settle in for a conversation with Carly. What a gift she has given all of us in this delicious book!
25 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2019
I have read so many book on Jackie Kennedy and could not put them down. They are so interesting. But this book by Carly Simon was so boring that I skipped page to get to the Jackie Kennedy part. Carly writes about people and places she had known but whom I never heard of. and I know them all pretty much. I am so upset with this book I was so looking forward to reading this and its been days since I read it. I can't get interested in it. It had so few incidents and encounters of her and Jackie. I will read the few pages near the end and then what can I do with a book I paid $19 for and it did not catch my attention. She should have put more Jackie stuff in it instead of people that most of us do not know or care about. Is it possible to get my money back as I said. The book was very boring and I couldn't get myself interested in it as it had so few excerpts with Jackie. Poor writing and very very boring.!!!!!
11 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019
This book was a joy to read. I made myself savor it over three nights even though I could have read it in one. It is a love letter written to a friend by an amazing artist and poet. I would read out loud certain passages to my husband because her words, her turn of phrase, were like a painting. Describing things in such detail that I could see what she was saying perfectly in my mind, making it even more beautiful than it was in real life. I think she captured Jackie perfectly. I loved that there were no egos or jealousy in their friendship. I loved how she described: we both went into the same store but wanted different things. Those are rare friendships between women and they were both blessed to have known one another. Carly is such a great talent. I recently watched Vogues 50 questions with Taylor Swift. She was asked what were the lyrics above all others do you wish you wrote yourself. Without hesitation she said: Clouds in my coffee. Great art is timeless.
21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Excellent product
5.0 out of 5 stars A moving account.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2024
I learnt a lot from reading this very well written book. It wasn’t what I had been expecting. And I am glad about that. Carly writes in an incisive and emotive way which I found extremely evocative. Just shows how women can support one another. Good book
Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars Jackie Kennedy by her friend Carly Simon
Reviewed in France on May 21, 2022
Good book if you like Carly Simon and want to know more about her friendship with Jackie Kennedy.
CARLOS BELTRAN
1.0 out of 5 stars Debería tener otro titulo
Reviewed in Mexico on March 13, 2020
Carly Simon se centra en hablar de ella misma. Poco de Jackie. Gran decepción
Madeline A. Bruce
5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book.
Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2020
It is respectful yet does give a friend's view of Jackie. Also, I learned how impressive and loveable Mike Nichols was.
Client Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Respectful, moving book
Reviewed in Germany on November 28, 2020
This book is a poem so tender, loving and respectful. A book about friendship, about loving people as a whole with flaws and imperfections. Very moving.