Preview
  • Little Girl Blue

  • The Life of Karen Carpenter
  • By: Randy L. Schmidt
  • Narrated by: Cheryl Bentyne
  • Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (420 ratings)

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Little Girl Blue

By: Randy L. Schmidt
Narrated by: Cheryl Bentyne
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Publisher's summary

Little Girl Blue is an intimate profile of Karen Carpenter, a girl from a modest Connecticut upbringing who became a Southern California superstar.

Karen was the instantly recognizable lead singer of the Carpenters. The top-selling American musical act of the 1970's, they delivered the love songs that defined a generation. Little Girl Blue reveals Karen's heartbreaking struggles with her mother, brother, and husband; the intimate disclosures she made to her closest friends; her love for playing drums and her frustrated quest for solo stardom; and the ups and downs of her treatment for anorexia nervosa. After her shocking death at 32 years of age in 1983, she became the proverbial poster child for that disorder; but the other causes of her decline are laid bare for the first time in this moving account.

Little Girl Blue is Karen Carpenter's definitive biography, based on exclusive interviews with her innermost circle of girlfriends and nearly 100 others, including childhood friends, professional associates, and lovers.

©2010 Randy L. Schmidt (P)2013 Randy L. Schmidt
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What listeners say about Little Girl Blue

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    264
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    97
  • 3 Stars
    35
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Revealing

Very good read. Revealed many aspects of Karen’s life and career that I did not know. Worth reading.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I love karen

very informative. easy to follow and insightful on the life and loss of the amazing star: karen carpenter

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

If I Ever

Wonderful, loving presentation of KAC. If your even remotely a fan, this is for you.
KC if I ever happen to pass your loving spirit someday, somewhere. Please gently tug on my sleeve.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Kept me listening all week

Narrator had a smooth voice which seemed to fit the kind of vanilla image Carpenter had, as well as Carpenter's own voice. I found the end of the book with her marriage, attempts to get better, solo album, and decline to be far more interesting than the beginning. My only criticism is that I would have liked to hear more psychological evaluations of the family. There is no doubt in my own mind that Karen's mother was a dangerous narcissist, and I suspect both kids were as well, including Karen, at least to a degree. And her relationship with her brother was also very bizarre. Karen's personality, at least as expressed in this book, is very contradictory and could have used some analysis.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a delight but also suffused with sadness

very well researched and written
accurate description of her life and music.
can't stop listening.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favorite books

I enjoyed reading about Karen Carpenter’s life as a singer and through her struggle with anorexia. She’s one of my favorite singers.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great audio book!

I really enjoyed listening to the story of Karen Carpenter's life. Sorry it ended to soon.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gone Too Soon

This book shed light on the issues of her eating disorder and the lack of family support to the point of venomous negative remarks instead of encouragement. A great and unique voice gone way too soon.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Just ok

Too many people named to remember. Not sure why an address was given when mentioning every location. The book should simply tell the story.
Ended well with follow up.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Karen as Victim

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I was pleased to see this in audio format. I don't regret listening to it. However it was disappointing. I was hoping to hear a deeper account of Karen's creative process, not just an anecdotal account of her life with excessive detail about her death.

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4 people found this helpful