Joni Mitchell: Shadows and Light the Definitive Biography

by Karen O'Brien

Renaissance woman, painter and poet, one of the great formative influences on contemporary popular music, Joni Mitchell is a true icon. In an artistic career spanning four decades, she inspired the 1960s baby-boomers, created a soundtrack for the Woodstock generation and received critical acclaim for a succession of ground-breaking albums including Clouds, Blue, Court and Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. By the late 1970s Mitchell had been largely written off by the mainstream music industry and the critics but, in the years that followed, she came to be acknowledged as a pivotal inspiration for a new generation of musicians and women like Suzanne Vega, Rickie Lee Jones, Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette, as well as male artists including Prince, Elvis Costello, Morrissey, Seal and Beck.
Shadows and Light is the first book to chart comprehensively the life of this extraordinary woman. Mitchell's story is told with an unrivalled degree of access, through revelatory interviews with those closest to her (many with Mitchell's blessing), including her friends and musical collaborators. Broad in scope and full of fascinating detail, Shadows and Light is the definitive biography of a musical legend.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published September 5, 2002

Reviews

[Sonicrob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover says that it's the definitive biography. I disagree. It's ok; worth reading - but the definitive biography has yet to be published.

[Elli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty well researched, poorly executed.

I loved the language of this book, I really did, and I loved the first pages, up until Joan decides to become a folk musician.
After that, it seemed to me that the flow of the book started changing. The language becomes bleaker and the narrative derailed by unrelated events.

All in all, it’s worth the read, but it could’ve been a little shorter and tidier.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It skims the surface a bit, for a biography. But it's always great to read about the musicians you love.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok apparently Joni Mitchell is annoying and not a feminist. That’s nice. Still like her music, but now I understand she’s just like every other asshole famous musician

[Rob Howes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joni is the best! This biography however, is just average. Definitely feel like it could have been better.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

shite

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly interesting

[Robert Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my idols thanks to older sister Cheryl. Have loved Joni since the 1970s and continue to do so.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Woman is a genius - I love her