This biography was beautifully written and serves a poignant reminder of the support needed for the LGBTQ community. The tragic life of transgender icon Carly Darling and her impact on the world at that time in history is carefully articulated in this work. I enjoyed the narration immensely and learning more of her story.

I finished this profoundly moving book yesterday, and it’s all I’ve been thinking about since. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about Candy Darling for the rest of my life! Fifty years after her death, Candy Darling remains relevant. Before listening to this audiobook, I knew only the basics of who Candy Darling was because I had read an article about all the people mentioned in Lou Reed’s song “Walk on the Wild Side“. I’ve always liked that song and I was interested to know more about the story behind it.

Cynthia Carr does a phenomenal job of bringing Candy to life in this biography. It’s the most engaging biography I have ever read, because it includes hundreds of little details like snippets of ordinary conversation and anecdotes like what someone remembered Candy saying at a party. Because Candy‘s journals and letters have been preserved, Cynthia Carr was able to directly quote some of them, which gives us an incredibly personal look into Candy‘s private thoughts that she only shared with her journal. I’ve come away from this book with so much more understanding of what a person with gender dysphoria feels inside, in her own words. I was very touched by Candy’s courage, resilience, and bravery.

Cynthia Carr takes her time in describing all of Candy’s surroundings in New York City in the 1960s. I had absolutely no idea , about how many laws existed at that time that were really just bigotry made into a legal code, such as, a person could be arrested for wearing three or more articles of clothing belonging to to the opposite gender, and it was illegal to serve alcohol to someone gay. Other interesting cultural details that Carr includes are quotes from theater and movie reviews from when many actors that are now big names, such as Robert De Niro and Rue McClanahan, were getting their start. There’s a lot of history of off off Broadway in the middle section of this book. Important events, such as Valerie Solonas shooting Andy Warhol and all the Stonewall riots are also covered. Carr creates a very full picture not just of Candy, but of the time and place she lived.

From the outset I knew that Candy dies of cancer at age 29, and I actually procrastinated reading the last few chapters of this book because I felt as long as I hadn’t read about Candy‘s death, she was still alive. But I knew that was an illogical, so I completed the book and got choked up at the detailed descriptions of the last 4 1/2 weeks of Candy’s life as the cancer devours her. For anyone who has seen someone die of cancer, this part is a really tough read. I’m so glad that the story did not end there, and Carr followed up in an epilogue what happened even decades after Candy’s death and how her closest friend Jeremiah Newton saved Candy’s letters, journals, and other memorabilia and gave them a home in the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh.

This book has left me with so much to think about and enriched my understanding of the human condition, and even changed me a bit. And any book that does all that, gets five stars from me. I am so grateful to NetGalley for giving me a free audio advanced digital download of this amazing book for review consideration. Candy died on March 26, 1974 and I noticed that March 26, 2024 is the archive date for this book. Nice touch, NetGalley! Additionally, the narrator Justin Vivian Bond was spectacular and the perfect choice to perform this audiobook.

I didn't get a chance to finish it before the audiobook was archived, but I did enjoy what I read and though Justin Vivian Bond was the perfect narrator. I am curious to finish it in the near future to see if it treats Warhol like a god or the asshole he was.

If you can list to the audiobook, it’s great! Loved this book. I’ve read Candy’s memoir and this definitely helped give some background on things that didn’t go into too much detail. Very well researched and written. Thanks NetGallery!

This is a traditional biography of a non-traditional person. We meet Candy Darling in childhood and follow her through her like in New York and the arts scene she is part of. Contemporary readers will appreciate the reminder that queer and trans people have anyways existed and found their way to authentic, creative, and loving lives

Oh wow, what an amazing life Candy Darling led! I'm astonished with the depth that Cynthia Carr delves in exploring this incredible person's life in Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar. From the very beginning, Carr delivers a stunning biography.

Carr includes facinating details about her vast career as an actress, model, and celebrity. The stories from Candy Darling's family and friends shed so much light on everything she faced. Plus, all that she did as an activist during this pivotal time in our history truly changed the world.

The audio version of Candy Darling is beautifully performed by Justin Vivian Bond. What an array of voices! Just wonderful.

I highly recommend this marvelous biography.

Prior to reading Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar, what I knew about the transgender community would cover little more than a Post-it note. What I knew about Andy Warhol and The Factory would've taken up even less room. I am a Gen X cisgender female from farm country. I was proud of myself that I knew as much as I did, but I wanted to know more. When I saw that Macmillan Audio had made this NetGalley audiobook available, I was excited for the opportunity to educate myself. There were times that I felt a little lost, but I didn't have to stop and check Wikipedia too often. (As hokey as it sounds, thank goodness for Lou Reed!)

Cynthia Carr's work is extensive and immersive. Candy Darling is the focus, but along the way we meet everyone from Candy's childhood classmates to Hollywood stars. Having read the audiobook, I have not seen Cynthia Carr's bibliography. If there are any scraps of information regarding Candy Darling undisclosed by Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar, I can't imagine what they would be! This wealth of information doesn't make the reading process tedious, however, at least as far as the audiobook is concerned.

Now, how do you make a superlative biography even greater? You enlist the perfect audiobook narrator, of course! Justin Vivian Bond is a ringer, having previously played Warhol superstar Jackie Curtis off-off-Broadway. Whomever greenlighted hiring v deserves a raise with a bonus. I always gush over good audiobook narration, but Justin Vivian Bond's work truly deserves recognition. V's delivery alone stands out, but the imitations and impersonations, oh, my! It is because of Justin Vivian Bond that I insist that anyone who truly wants to feel immersed in Candy Darling's world must listen to the audiobook. I often joke that I enjoy so-and-so's voice so much that I would listen to them read/sing the phone book. I am officially adding Justin Vivian Bond to that list. I am at a loss of words. Just go, get the audiobook, listen for yourself!

A final word: I didn't start reading Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar expecting to find a friend, but I think I may have. I understand why so many people loved Candy Darling. Oh, honey, you were too much for this world, and so you had to leave. You are mythology and stardust and loved.

I went into this not knowing a single thing about Candy Darling (this is on me; I know very little about Warhol-era artists in NYC) and now I feel like I know SO MUCH -- this is queer and trans history, and a reminder that self-identification is so important especially for historical figures, which the book mentioned more than once (as in, 'genderfluid wasn't a word in use in x year but so and so may have used that today' kind of thing, and the fact that Darling never described herself as any sort of trans (knowing that transsexual and transvestite were the much more common words of the day) but only as a woman/"a real lady".

This is actually quite a long audiobook (about 15 hours) and goes through not only what happened in Darling's tragically short life according to the annals of history and the accounts of those around her, but the surviving letters and diaries from the icon herself. At times it felt like we were really listening to every single letter and every single moment of Darling's life, which may have been a bit too much, but a book that defines itself as THE definitive biography it was probably the way to go, and Justin Vivian Bond's narration wasn't my favorite at first but I quickly understood why he was a great choice to read it as beyond basic narration they were able to slip into more than just "doing the voice" of these big names that were quoted (Darling, Warhol, and many others) but really brought a sort of presence to it more than just affecting an accent or manner of speech. (And now, looking up their life, it was a good choice to have an older drag/transfemme person do narration as they have the lived experience of being a stage performer, being trans, and having enough years under their belt to have been around long enough to be in the aftermath of this queer section of off-off Broadway entertainment and Warhol films.

For anyone that is interested in queer history this is a good one, but there really is SO MUCH information here I feel like I needed to make a list of supplemental material (which again, my failing for not being a big movie or NYC history person).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for review!

I loved this book so much that I hung on to every single spoken word! Candy Darling was an icon in the 1960's, part of the Warhol machine, and she left a huge impression on me, in all her beauty. I remember seeing Warhol and his entourage many times at Max's Kansas city in NYC. I'm sure Candy was part of those groups at Max's , although it's Edie Sedgwick who I truly remember. Candy was a tragic figure and this book insinuated that fact. She longed to die at 26...she was 29. So tragic! She became exactly what she wanted to be, A STAR, a beautiful star!
Lithe, feminine, tall and thin.. with wispy blonde hair. I think the true hero in this book is Jackie Curtis, who paid for Candy's funeral.
All the stars of the Andy Warhol era appear in this detailed and wonderfully written book by Cynthia Carr.......Holly Woodlawn, Paul D'elassandro, Jackie Curtis, and so many more as well and the mainstream stars of the day...Lauren Hutton (I loved her kindness towards Candy), Liza Minelli, and the designers of the day, Halston and more. I kept thinking as I listened to the audio version (so beautifully acted by the narrator!!!!) that it is too bad that Rupaul wasn't around to help Candy...but perhaps in her way, Candy opened the doors for RuPaul!

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the review copy of this biography! I admit to knowing nothing about Candy Darling prior to listening to this audiobook and was fascinated by the behind the scenes Hollywood insights, appreciated the respectful care shown towards describing Candy's life and hard, complex childhood, and drawn into a nuanced, stylish approach to capturing not just a starlet's life cut short but capturing as well a tone, a style that I feel reflected Candy's voice (as best I could understand it from this work).
I appreciate the voice acting from Justin Vivian Bond and Cynthia Carr's in depth work.

Despite owning a Women in Revolt t-shirt in high school, I knew little more about Candy Darling than her affiliation with Andy Warhol. This biography rightly wrests the narrative away from Andy and onto the superstar he befriended. Candy was a pioneering entertainer, a trans woman before such terms existed, who never quite found her place in the world. Her art was herself and despite a tragically short life, she left an indelible mark.

I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it. The narrator, Justin Vivian Bond, perfectly balances voices and impressions of many well-known and not as well-known characters.

This was a fascinating tale, albeit a rather tragic one. To that end, I found the narration to occasionally feel a little over-the-top in melodrama, and it did sometimes feel discordant with the tone of the story being told. Still, Candy's life is definitely a wild ride and a tale long overdue in the telling... She was at the center of so many seismic social and artistic changes, and her perspective and intersection with those individuals, times, and places makes for a really interesting story.