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Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter | Loretta Lynn
15 posts | 15 read | 8 to read
New York Times bestselling author and Nashville legend Loretta Lynn tells the story of her rise from deep poverty in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, to the top of the male-dominated country music industry. Reissued for the 40th Anniversary of the Oscar-winning, Sissy Spacek-starring film of the same name, Coal Miner's Daughter recounts Loretta Lynn's astonishing journey to become one of the original queens of country music. Loretta grew up dirt poor in the mountains of Kentucky, she was married at thirteen years old, and became a mother soon after. At the age of twenty-four, her husband, Doo, gave her a guitar as an anniversary present. Soon, she began penning songs and singing in front of honky-tonk audiences, and, through years of hard work, talent, and true grit, eventually made her way to Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry, eventually securing her place in country music history. Loretta's prolific and influential songwriting made her the first woman to receive a gold record in country music, and got her named the first female Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. This riveting memoir introduces readers to all the highs and lows on her road to success and the tough, smart, funny, and fascinating woman behind the legend.
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review
Daisey
Coal Miner's Daughter | Loretta Lynn
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Pickpick

Overall, I enjoyed this, but it is very much Loretta‘s story from her point of view written at the height of her career and also a specific time in history. I especially enjoyed learning about her young life and how she got started performing. I did find it interesting to read in some reviews/articles that it seems she was a couple years older than she claims when she got married.

#audiobook #memoir #nonfiction

47 likes1 comment
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MaggieCarr
Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter | Loretta Lynn, George Vecsey
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Mehso-so

Re-released but aside from the new introduction, I had to keep reminding myself that it's written from a 1976 perspective mid career (several things made me cringe just because the way something is described or such is so different then what is expected today). Marriage at 13 and four babies by 18 is 😩 bad enough but then she mentions Do, her husband, took naked photos of her young teenage body that they still have under...

MaggieCarr ... lock & key. Nope, nope, nope, nope! I didn't realize Crystal Gayle was her sister, albeit several years apart with very different memories of growing up in different parts of the country. I got such a kick out of Loretta's fan of Gregory Peck and has a photo of him in her bedroom but it's okay because her husband, Do, has a photo of Dolly Parton hung up too 🤣. A while back I read Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust was far superior... 2y
MaggieCarr ... superior in my opinion but I know it's not a first-half-of-a-lifetime memoir like Coal Miner's Daughter Is. 2y
23 likes2 comments
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Leftcoastzen
Coal Miner's Daughter | Loretta Lynn
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Goodbye Loretta .RIP😢

TieDyeDude 😪 2y
ManyWordsLater I‘ll be listening to her records tonight. 2y
LeahBergen ❤️❤️ 2y
Suet624 😩😩😭 2y
SW-T 😢💔 2y
55 likes5 comments
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Megabooks
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Mehso-so

I‘ve always been curious about this book. Her stories of childhood capture a certain disconnection and poverty that doesn‘t exist in the US anymore. (I‘m guessing kids in Butcher Holler get on TikTok now.) That said, I‘m not sure if the folksiness of the book was made better or worse on audio. The tone and verbiage is conversational but so country as to be annoying even to this Kentuckian. I‘m glad I read it, but it was still just okay. ⬇️

Megabooks ⬆️ there are quite a few cringey moments of racism that were probably “acceptable” in the 70s but are not now including one use of the n-word. FYI. (edited) 3y
sblbooks Sorry you didn't like it. I love the movie, but I haven't read the book. 3y
Megabooks @sblbooks I didn‘t dislike it. It was right in the middle at a so-so. I‘m guessing the movie is different because the book is almost structured as a memoir-in-essays and not a cohesive storyline, but I haven‘t seen the movie. 3y
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bthegood That type of poverty still exists in US, unfortunately. The movie is good, like @sblbooks I didn't read book😊 3y
Megabooks @bthegood I was speaking more of the *disconnection* and poverty of east Kentucky. Even in places where there is still dial up Internet or no internet people have cell/smart phones…even if they have to go from Butcher Holler to Paintsville to use them. In the book, she is not even aware of how people live outside of east Kentucky, and I think that level of disconnection is uncommon today. 3y
Megabooks @bthegood outhouses went from being the most common type of bathroom there to very uncommon. Most houses have electricity. You can buy meat at the Dollar Trees in Kentucky, which means meat is affordable more often than *never* for most families. Clothes, even if they are second or third or more hand, are manufactured and not made from potato sacks. Those are things, at least in the book, that she could not have imagined. (edited) 3y
77 likes7 comments
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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lynn has a conversational style which feels very genuine and honest. I like that in a memoir. This was published back in 1976 near the height of her fame. She grew up in the Kentucky hills, married at age 13, had lots of babies, and with the urging of her sometimes wayward husband “Doolittle” Lynn, she ultimately succeeded in becoming one of the biggest stars in country music. Some of the language is dated, but it‘s obvs she meant well.

98 likes2 stack adds
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Chab256
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1. My Grammie bought me two 45s to play on her record player when I was little: Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys by Waylon Jennings and Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton.
2. The love of my 3 children! ❤️❤️❤️

#ThankfulThursday

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LibraryCin
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Pickpick

I liked the first half of the book much better, as it focused more on her home life – growing up poor, her father working in a coal mine; marrying at 14-years old... Sissy Spacek was perfect to narrate the audio! So, overall, I‘m rating it good (3.5 stars) with an extra quarter star for Sissy Spacek

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BridgetteM
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Pickpick

I‘m not very familiar with Loretta Lynn‘s music, but I really needed a book that #featuresamusician for #booked2019 and #writtenbyamusician for #pop19. This one looked most promising. The audio is read by Sissy Spacek and is excellent. Some of the stuff was hard to believe, like Loretta getting married at 13 and being a grandma at 29, but overall it was an enjoyable book. Now I‘m off to listen to some Loretta Lynn!

IamIamIam We used to watch this movie endlessly. My grandfather had a thing for Sissy Spacek! 🤣 Hope it's great! 6y
BridgetteM @IamIamIam I haven‘t seen the movie yet, but I really want to now that I‘ve read the book! 6y
Cinfhen I remember the film didn‘t realize it was based on a memoir!!! 6y
BridgetteM @cinfhen I haven‘t seen the movie, but I want to now that I‘ve read the book! 6y
51 likes1 stack add4 comments
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MMFinck
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Pickpick

Was in Nashville where Loretta Lynn is prominently featured & realized I‘d never read her book. Glad I did even though it was a lil strange. No narrative arc at all. Has no education, but has obvious wisdom in many ways. Was hard to read about her marriage because she accepted things I never could. I related to her as a working mom. She says she‘s not a women‘s libber, but she is clearly feminist whether she accepts that or not. I wish she did.

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Sace
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@bookwrm526 Brought back some memories with one of her reviews. I had to pull out my well-worn copy and one I've picked up along the way.

MrBook Ooh, my mom would like these 😊👍🏻. 8y
Sace @MrBook ???? "my mom". I guess I have hit that age. It's awesome! 8y
MrBook 😉👍🏻 8y
See All 9 Comments
Angelala007 I loved this book and the movie ❤️ The edition on the right is the one I have. 8y
Sace @Angelala007 a gazillion times and this book has gone every time. Never gonna get rid of it. I pestered my dad to buy it for me from the book/magazine rack at Publix. 8y
Sace Make that "I've moved a gazillion times..." ? 8y
Bookzombie I love this movie. I didn't even know it was a book. Must find! 8y
Sace I hope you find a copy @Bookzombie! 😊 8y
Angelala007 My mom bought my copy for me and said "I think you might like this" when I was about 13 ❤️ 8y
37 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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bookwrm526
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Pickpick

I have to say, I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I am a country music fan, and I have long loved her songs though I've never been able to attend a concert. As this has a co-writer, I didn't expect it to be as clearly her voice as it was, and that's really what made it. #LitsyReadingChallenge #LRC18 #musicamdtheater @jessica (image from web)

Sace I cannot tell you how many times I've read this book. I guess I'm making myself look bad, but as a kid I would read it and as soon as it was done read it again. I was a total fan girl. I did get to see her in concert and she's amazing! 8y
Laura317 I haven't read the book, but love the movie with Sissy Spacek. 8y
48 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Loretta
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I think this is about as good as I'll get. I've never actually read anything with a character who has my name. #Riotgrams #characterwhosharesyourname