As a Dolly Parton fan, I enjoyed learning more about her songwriting. I learned several new things about her rough childhood and how it had an impact on her lyrics and music. A great book for Dolly fans!

Unlikely Angel is quite a unique book in that it isn't a musician biography- its a history of Dolly's songwriting. I'm a pretty big Dolly fan but I found there was a lot in this book that I didn't know about. It's a really fascinating look at the history of celtic and mountain song and strips back more of the 'cartoon character' of Dolly Parton and truly honours the incredible songwriter that she is.

This books dives into Dolly Parton's discography. It is a perfect read for all fans of not just Dolly's music but music in general. Whether you are a songwriter or a Dolly's fan you will find this book very informative. It focuses on all of her career and her song and records, with some touches on Dolly's personal life and things that influenced and inspired her. I knew some things but just because I am familiar with her music. I also learned some stuff about this incredible woman. She really is a powerhouse and a legend. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are not all that much familiar with country music. It is a brilliant way to learn so much about it.
If you are a fan of Dolly, you will know most of these things already.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent biography of Dolly Parton, highly recommended for serious music fans.

This is not your ordinary biography of a music legend. This book, by a musicologist, looks at Dolly Parton as the serious songwriter and musical genius that she is. It doesn't cover all the gossip and wild stories about Dolly's personal life. A small portion of the book covers her relationships with Carl Dean, Judy Ogle, and Porter Waggoner - but only as these relationships affected Dolly's songwriting career. Instead, this book takes a very deep dive into Dolly's Smoky Mountain musical roots and songwriting influences. If you care to, the author takes you verse by verse into many of Dolly's important songs, providing analysis while you listen to each song.

Dolly Parton cooperated with this book, providing the author with long answers to questions posed to her. Steve Buckingham, Dolly's longtime producer, also cooperated with the author.

I'm delighted to see a book devoted to taking a close look at Dolly Parton as the musical genius that she is.

Unlikely Angel by Lydia Hamessley is an excellent book for any Dolly Parton fan.

The author goes through Ms. Parton’s extensive list of songs that she has produced and written and talks about her inspiration and thoughts that helped create each masterpiece. As a fan, I knew about some things, however I did learn quite a bit more.

Very impressed.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR account immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.