Received a copy from Netgalley for my honest review. Very good breakdown of Karen Carpenter and her many personal problems as well as her singing career with her brother Richard as the Carpenters. So sad to see how destructive bad patterns in life can be, plus how her mother treated her shaped her into who she was. Good book for fans of the Carpenters and that era in time. A very talented lady gone way before her time.

My mom used to always say that hearing Karen Carpenter sing made her cry. I can understand that sentiment, but Lead Sister by Lucy O'Brien covers more than a tragic figure in the music industry. Karen was so much more than her premature death from anorexia and bulimia made her seem--she was one of the most memorable and powerful singers from the 1970s. Her voice made you feel the emotions of a song and held you captive until the very last note. She put her all into singing hits like Close to You, Merry Christmas Darling, and countless others. This book chronicles her short life and the legacy she left behind.

I knew a lot about the Karen Carpenter story, but most movies and documentaries cover only the tragedy. They present the songs in such a way that you only feel the unhappiness that she felt deep down inside. But you learn of her childhood in New Haven, Connecticut, and how she originally wasn't the focal point--her brother Richard was the talent. After they moved to Southern California, things changed, and they developed the Carpenters.

The book covers how much she loved being a drummer, and how being the lead singer in the Carpenters took her away from her throne behind the drums where she was most comfortable. At the time, it didn't seem like most people took her seriously as a drummer, but in looking back, it sounds like she had an innate ability at drumming. Even though women's liberation was taking off, drumming wasn't part of that movement.

The family dynamic between Karen, her brother, and her parents is explored. It seemed like a perfect family until you really dug in and saw how Karen was made to feel secondary all her life. She obviously was looking for some kind of connection, but her parents weren't showy with their love and admiration. Were they incapable of love or were they just aloof? Or, in Karen's mother's case, convinced that her brother Richard was the star. Many of her relationships with men failed, and as tight as she was with other female musicians like Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick, and more, she seemed to hold them at arm's length. It was hard to penetrate down to the core of Karen and give her the help and understanding she truly needed.

Of course, too, you find out about the harrowing details of Karen's anorexia and bulimia. It was well-hidden despite her gaunt appearance, but the 1970s was not the time to be experiencing this type of mental illness. No one really knew how to treat it, and Karen held a lot of weight on her shoulders (seriously, no pun intended) as one-half of their popular band. She was a perfectionist to the core, and, as they say with this disease, it's the one way some people feel they can control everything. She wasn't inclined to take a break even though she desperately needed to go off the grid and recover or at least find more normalcy without the pressure of being a star.

The book makes you wonder how she could have survived if she simply lived in another time. If she was born in the 1970s, and became a star in the 1990s, would she have received the help and guidance she deserved? Would she have become part of a set of disillusioned and angry singer-songwriters of the time who wanted to sing their truths, maybe like Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, or Alanis Morrissette or any of the girl bands? Who broke away from the family that seemed to be suffocating her? It's something to ponder, but she made herself known through her songs and expressed such depth and sorrow in a few lines of a song. That alone cemented her legacy, and when you do listen to her tunes, you feel that emotion that not every singer can express.

If you're curious about Karen Carpenter, this book covers a lot of ground. I enjoyed it even though, at times, it really made me feel sad and frustrated at her plight.

I didn't love this one but I also didn't hate this one. However I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

Great book about the late, great Karen Carpenter. Her voice will forever be one of my favorites to listen to.

Lead sister is a book about Karen Carpenter through her career and personal life. It is meticulously researched and is told chronologically using interviews to add to the feeling of "you are there." I love the origin story of "Lead Sister" - it was a typo supposed to say Lead Singer and the moniker stuck. I learned so much about her musicianship -- of course she was an incredible singer but I did not realize how gifted she was on drums as well since pretty early on in The Carpenters history she was told to move to the front to sing which in my view contributed to her feeling scrutinized and self-conscious about her body. The fact that she had anorexia nervosa before the medical establishment really understood the disease is a real tragedy. Her family (parents and brother Richard) do not come off well in my eyes - not only was Richard the favorite child, but her parents seemed withholding of love and nurturing which damages people's self esteem and confidence. But in this story, her talent and legacy shine through, especially as her friends described, her sense of humor. I am glad to finally read a book that gives us a fuller understanding of who she was.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

The music of Karen and Richard Carpenter is part of the background of my life. Hearing any of their songs can take me back to a time when things were easier and the world was a better place. The influence they have had on much of the music that came after her death is still evident. What I knew of the Carpenters was what I learned from their music.
Lucy O'Brien's LEAD SISTER is an excellent look at the life of Karen Carpenter as a person, not just a star. From her beginning at such a young age to the journeys she would take to become "Superstar", the book is fascinating. It's obvious that O'Brien has done extensive research and worked hard to get the story right. The societal values in place that would cause Karen's death still resonate for so many young women. O'Brien does her best to show that even an accomplished musician such as Carpenter was so influenced by public opinion that her health was her least concern. This is a book that is not only relevant to those of us who are still Karne Carpenter fans but the young women who would learn from her untimely death.

i really enjoyed this, the carpenters were big in an era that i am truly obsessed with but i actually didn’t know that much about karen and her personal battles, this was very well written and educational while still being engaging and fun to read

thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback

This is a nicely researched and easy to read biography of Karen Carpenter. The author clearly has been a huge fan all her life - which can either help or really hurt a biography. In this case, the love comes through but at the same time there is hardly a bad thing to be said about Carpenter, making the biography feel very one sided.

The book is chronological and based mostly on interviewers. As such, any friend or coworker who later talked about their relationship with the singer get special focus by the author. If you read the book, you'll believe everyone loved Karen and worried about her - we don't really hear much about any conflicts with people. Even the difficult relationship she had with her parents is nicely analyzed but falls short of doing any real incisive observations. Her parents are excused by their upbringing, her brother doesn't show up in the book much except as the family prodigy that eclipsed Karen, and even her husband doesn't really get much mention/analysis.

Karen is a hard subject to crack because she wasn't known to be intimate with anyone and kept to herself for the most part. So what we do get here in a biography is more Karen as seen through others' eyes. It's not a bad way to approach a biography but at the same time, it does make you wonder what Karen was really like as a person.

In all, I enjoyed the biography and appreciate the work went into researching the subject. If I had a wish, it would have been to hear more about the inspirations behind the songs, any information about the numerous tv specials (we really only hear briefly about the Disneyland special), and more about the final years beyond the anorexia. But in all, you can't go wrong here if you want to learn more about Karen Carpenter. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter will be published October 15, 2023. Rowman and Littlefield provided an early galley for review.

As a child of the early 70's, Karen's voice was ever-present on the radio and television. With the voice of an angel and looks to match, it was no surprise that she rose to such an iconic status in the music industry. And though I was very familiar with her life story, one that ended tragically much too soon, I was interested to see what kind of angle O'Brien would utilize for her take.

Of course, all the expected elements are here. We get the first two chapters covering her early home life and early teen years. From there, as she started to perform with her brother Richard, we slide into a chapter-per-year of her life. All the details of their rise and recordings are touched upon, as expected. However, there were several incidents in her life story that were new to me as well. So, I definitely got some additional details from this one. Also, as described, we see Karen's strength and important contributions to the group's success, despite all the obstacles that were thrown up by family and others. We also are able to see how all of this pressure and unhappiness fed into her mental and physical ailments.

The last chapters carry the most power as well as the most analysis. These were also the ones where I learned the most about her story - about her disastrous marriage, her work on her one solo album that eventually was released well-after her death, and the efforts she took to hide her illness from the world.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Rowman&Littlefield for this ARC. This is a nonfictional account of the birth, talent, rise in fame and the early death of Karen Carpenter. Having grown up listening to my mom's musical choices of Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Karen Carpenter and many more female talent, I knew of Karen and her untimely death due to anorexia. It being a disease no one talked about, she was never truly able to receive the care she needed. She was unbelievably talented and her music that she wrote with her brother Richard has stood the test of time. Another talent gone too soon. #LeadSister #LucyOBrien #Rowman&Littlefield #Oct2023

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers for my copy of Lead Sister by Lucy O'Brien in exchange for an honest review. It publishes October 15, 2023.
My mom grew up listening to The Carpenters, and every year, we must listen to their Christmas albums, and every year my mom says, "Oh, it's just so sad what happened." But she assumed I knew what happened, I didn't, but after decades of this, it had almost become a great mystery that I wasn't sure I that I wanted to learn about. However, I jumped at the opportunity when this book came up. And my mom is right, it is just so sad what happened.
I felt like O'Brien presented Karen's story in such a respectful and informative way. I appreciated the way that mental health was treated rather than swept under the rug. A sense of learning from the past to not repeat it. I think anyone who grew up in this time period, or just enjoyed the music, or paid attention to the culture, or was alive during it might get more out of this book than me however. I found parts talking about celebrities I hadn't heard of hard to follow, although I understand they were integral to Karen's story.
I think this would make a great gift for anyone who loves 1970's music, and I think this will make a great gift for my mom!

Lucy O’Brien has written a thoughtful and moving portrait of the very talented Karen Carpenter.
Karen was much more than a tragic figure of personal and professional measure. She was a voice to reckon with. Her interpretation of a songs lyric and storyline was always compelling. She knew perhaps instinctively, of how to not only draw the listener in but how to keep them there. She became the lyric. She lived that search for love, she felt the loss of love, the sadness and the promise. Her voice, her making of the Carpenter sound was undeniable and her skill as a drummer, remarkable.
Karen lived her life within the limits of her profession. She marched in line for better or for worse. In spite of everything, she entertained. Her years of suffering from the grip of anorexia was certainly tragic. Her life, personality and endless talent cut short.
I’ll remember her for that talent, for her contributions to popular music and for the creativity that was Karen Carpenter.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Rodman and Littlefield for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

This is a very good biography of Karen Carpenter. I came away feeling like I had a much better understanding of who she was as a person and an artist. It’s an in depth look at her life and the parts that her (sorry) horrible family, misogyny, the music industry, etc played in what she was allowed to do and be. I had no idea she was such an incredible drummer, or that she wasn’t allowed to drum by her brother and mother. The book doesn’t pull punches about how much agency was always kept from her.

I really missed having photographs but otherwise I felt like I got a clear look at her whole life. There are many quotes from people who loved her, which help give a feeling of seeing the real, talented, funny, hurting, insecure, multidimensional woman behind the images everyone tried to prop up.

I read an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

I was in middle school when the Carpenters hit their commercial and professional peak, and while I dutifully bought their "Singles: 1969-73" record, a few years later I dismissed them as lame and turned to rockers like Peter Frampton and the Eagles. But I was saddened by Karen Carpenter's untimely 1983 death and vaguely heartened by later interest in her work such as "If I Were a Carpenter," a 1995 alt-rock tribute album.

"Lead Sister" by music journalist Lucy O'Brien, engendered some renewed nostalgia, but the primary emotion I felt after finishing it was anger. At Karen's mother, who made no secret of her belief that Karen's brother Richard was the talented one (and her father, who passively allowed this favoritism to continue). At the patriarchal music industry that refused to let Karen play her beloved drums in concert and on most recorded songs because it wasn't "feminine." At Richard, who failed to support his sister when she recorded a solo album, and the other A&M records execs who refused to release it because it challenged the Carpenters' squeaky-clean image. At the media, whose obsession with women's bodies contributed to Karen's anorexia. And at all of the combined forces that made it impossible for Karen to live a long, authentic life, instead of dying from heart failure at only 32.

O'Brien combines older sources and new interviews with Karen's friends and colleagues to tell a riveting, devastating story, including enough historical context so the reader can appreciate the traditional sex role world of the 1960s and early 1970s. She wisely attributes Karen's anorexia to a number of factors, not just her emotionally withholding mother. And she shows Karen's strengths as a musician, singer, businesswoman, and loving friend to both the famous (Oliva Newton-John, Dionne Warwick, Petula Clark) and not. The book is occasionally repetitive but generally engrossing, with mounting dread as the reader approaches the inevitable tragedy.

Highly recommended for those who lived through the Carpenter's heyday, and for anyone interested in the struggles faced by women in the music industry. I'm off to find O'Brien's earlier book, "She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music."

This book about Karen carpenter was very interesting to me as I grew up listening to her in the 60s-80s and how everyone was devastated when they learned of her anorexia. It was an eye opener to me to see what she had to go thru to be a singer. Also it was sad as people in the 60s-70s had very little knowledge of anorexia. It was a very interesting book about her life realizing why she became anorexia

I love Karen Carpenter so much! The music she created with her brother Richard defined my childhood, and will always be so special to me. Lucy’s biography is so compassionate, warm and compulsively readable. It helped me get to know Karen even better, and for that I am so grateful. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thanks so much Rowman & Littlefield Publishers and NetGalley for the chance to read this wonderful book so I could provide my honest views!

This is one of the most complete biographies of the Carpenters. Written by a seasoned biographer of other musicians, she delves into the the childhoods of Richard and Karen Carpenter and their family dynamic. Reading along as they become partners in music, then rivals in various aspects of their careers and personal lives. Watching the initial partnership become sibling and musical competition, as Richard is initially crowned the Wunderkind, which leads to Karen's feeling of inadequacy.

This author proceeds to describe the change in dynamics as they mature: Richard's domineering style as well as prescription drug abuse, and Karen's descent into anorexia at a time when almost nothing was known of the disorder.

A thorough biography of this talented and troubled duo.

The Carpenters were the "it" duo during the 1970s, but due to their addiction demons and changes in the music industry soon started fading away. Lucy O'Brien captures the culture during this time and her research into the lives of the Carpenters is spot on. Karen was born with a golden voice, but she also suffered from body image and an over controlling mother leading her down the dangerous path of anorexia that would soon take her stardom away from her. This book will resonate with the reader soon after the lights of stardom have faded.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

This is a well written look at Karen Carpenter and her legacy as a singer and drummer. It fills out some of the things I never knew about her life and career, along with some I had forgotten. How she would strive so hard for perfection in her work and her view of herself that it took a toll. The product of a cold stage mother and an absent father who always put her brother first, she just didn’t feel she measured up.