Touched by the Sun

My Friendship with Jackie

By: Carly Simon

Narrated by: Elizabeth McGovern

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

A chance encounter at a summer party on Martha’s Vineyard blossomed into an improbable but enduring friendship. Carly Simon and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis made an unlikely pair - Carly, a free and artistic spirit still reeling from her recent divorce, searching for meaning, new love, and an anchor; and Jackie, one of the most celebrated, meticulous, unknowable women in American history. Nonetheless, over the next decade their lives merged in inextricable and complex ways, and they forged a connection deeper than either could ever have foreseen. The time they spent together - lingering lunches and creative collaborations, nights out on the town and mundane movie dates - brought a welcome lightness and comfort to their days, but their conversations often veered into more profound territory as they helped each other navigate the shifting waters of life lived, publicly, in the wake of great love and great loss.

An intimate, vulnerable, and insightful portrait of the bond that grew between two iconic and starkly different American women, Carly Simon’s Touched by the Sun is a chronicle, in loving detail, of the late friendship she and Jackie shared. It is a meditation on the ways someone can unexpectedly enter our lives and change its course as well as a celebration of kinship in all its many forms.

©2019 Carly Simon (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Wonderful Women

Having ALWAYS Loved both these women is only bettered by knowing they were friends. So Often we seem to forget how special every day life is...Ms Carly in her warm comforting voice not only tells a glorious tale, she invites you in to enjoy the moment. Loved this book & the ability to be "normal" ❤

Disappointing

The narrator was annoying, a kind of affected Boston Brahmin accent trying to sound like Jackie (poorly). The story itself was more about Carly’s neurotic self-centered obsession. I found it kind of trashy to be profiting from a friendship.

Beautiful Friendship

At first I thought, I want more Jackie - but then as I continued to read, I fell in love with the friendship between Carly and Jackie; and how Carly was in someways like a foil of Jackie, a bit more wild and bohemian- but how those differences brought them together. It was also nice to hear about their similarities as well- their love for the Vineyard, literature, and Mike Nichols. I love this glimpse into their lives together and of the better understanding I have of Jackie. Carly truly paid her a wonderful tribute here.

Thanks for sharing Carly!

I enjoyed Carly last book “Boys In The Trees” and love how she expresses herself through her writing. My only disappointment was that she didn’t read the audio book because I enjoy listening to her voice. Elizabeth McGoveren was a good replacement and enjoyed her interpretations. Thanks to Carly Simon for sharing your story with the rest us!!!

Gifted writer and story teller; kept me listening

Carly Simon writes vividly and has a real talent for detail. Without invading her friend's treasured privacy, she conveys a warm friendship and the shared experiences of two women who have much in common. One gets a glimpse into a world of New England wealth and the stresses of celebrity, as experienced and shared in friendship. I would definitely read more memoir by this author.

A gentle smile in the breeze

This was the story of the magical thread that binds each of us through the universe. touching a few lives in a lifetime, beautifully written, somberly spoken.

A touching story about a friendship

This is not a book about Jackie. This is the story of a friendship. If you want to read/hear a book about Jackie, try a biography. If you like Carly Simon and want to hear about her relationship with Jackie, this story is for you.
I am always amazed at Carly‘s talent. She has a way with words, and she creates a beautiful picture of her friend. The narrator does a very good job presenting Jackie’s short quotations. The book is fun to listen to, and I really enjoyed Carly’s portrait of Jackie through their experiences together.

the narrator

the narrator’s voice and accent and emphasis was so distracting to the story. it was almost annoying.

Touched by the Sun

I loved the story and felt privileged to hear about their very special bond. My only wish was that Carly Simon herself narrated it.

hoping for more depth

If you're a Jackie O lover you'll get insights I never had. for being a book I thought there was a lot more depth Carly could have offered.

however it was as presented a story about their relationship and that's about it