I loved this book so much. I am a huge Dolly Parton fan, and this made me fall in love with her music all over again. It also made me remember my grandmother fondly as she was a country music fan.. She would listen to Dolly Parton songs and find her joy and peace.

Unlikely Angel
The Songs of Dolly Parton
by Lydia R. Hamessley
University of Illinois Press
 You Are Auto-Approved
Biographies & Memoirs | Entertainment
Pub Date 12 Oct 2020   |   Archive Date Not set

This is a great book that honors Dolly Parton and her songwriting talent!  I have always loved Dolly Parton and her sweet spirit, but didn't really know much about her childhood and how very talented she is. 
This will be a great addition to our library and I will recommend this book to others. 

Thanks to NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for this ARC
5 star

Deep dive into the songwriting process of Dolly Parton.  While the actual song structure breakdown was above my limited musical knowledge., the creation and background of the songs is fascinating..

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest reviewl. 

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime books and psychological ones too however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different.

A beautiful tale for a beautiful soul. Getting a glimpse into this legend like never before. We get to see behind the curtain and see what went into her beautiful songs that transcend time. Beautifully told, this story brings happiness and joy to those who read it.

Even if you are not a fan of her music, this book is a very interesting account of a very interesting life.  It’s well written and does not make Dolly out to be a superhero, which some biographies to.  I feel like I got a balanced view of her life to date.

Beyond just a discussion and analysis of her songwriting, 'Unlikely Angel' bears—as producer Steve Buckingham notes in the Foreward—Dolly Parton's personal stamp of approval. And like last year's NPR podcast series 'Dolly Parton's America,' it benefits enormously from interviews with Dolly exclusively for this project.

Highlights: the extensive examination of "sad-ass" songs from early in Dolly's career, particularly those that dealt with dying children and abandoned young women; a reminder that Dolly has re-recorded her own material throughout her career (the numerous versions of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" is my favorite among them, and "Letter to God" is the surprise here), and; the parallels that develop when you've written literally thousands of songs (notably the mirrored melodies in "More Than I Can Say" from 1987 and "Unlikely Angel" in 1996).

It's not a biography (see Alanna Nash's still-unmatched 'Dolly' from 1978 for that) and it's also perhaps not for a casual reader. Too many repeated quotes and references to previous or upcoming chapters left me wishing this were structured more chronologically, based on when the songs were recorded. The theme structure is necessary, I understand, but my sense of déjà vu reading some direct quotes left me wondering if I'd read them in another book (and then, no, immediately after I would find reference to another reason for this same quote elsewhere in *this* book). Technical language like "modal chords" and "Harmonized with only I and bVIII," while understandably relevant, particularly coming from a university press in a book about songwriting, broke the otherwise easy flow of the narrative. Finally, as a Dolly fan, I would have appreciated direct reference (in the text) to the quotes that were taken exclusively for this book (versus those found elsewhere).

Notably absent is any reference to "Yellow Roses," a gorgeous #1 song from 1989 that Dolly has inexplicably refused to perform live in the years since.

Look for the 'Unlikely Angel' playlist on Spotify before you read this book to avoid looking these songs up separately, as I did. It's a superb complement that I discovered by accident a little too late in my reading.

A 4 star rating because it ultimately is a satisfying read from an unusual perspective. It should perfectly complement Dolly's own 'Songteller' coffee table book also due this fall.

I absolutely loved this. It was such a focus on her as an artist and lyricist rather than a celebrity. This is the justice that Dolly deserves.

Unlikely Angel is a rare focus only on Dolly Parton's songwriting (which is second to none) and not her larger-than-life persona, which intrigued me, but while interesting, I had a hard time knowing what it wanted to be. Much of the time it read like a thesis paper or textbook, while other times it read like the general non-fiction book I was looking for. 

Dolly Parton has written thousands of songs in her lifetime. Drawing on her mountain roots and traditions, femininity, and the world around her, music is clearly her way of interpreting, exploring, and processing the world. I enjoyed reading about her songwriting process and her interpretations of various aspects of her career. Sometimes her persona overshadows her brilliant songwriting, which I think is a shame, and I appreciated this book for focusing on Dolly's music. Where Unlikely Angel fell short for me was in some of the writing style and presentation. If I wanted to read a term paper or textbook I would seek that out; I didn't want this book to feel like required reading that I would be graded on. From the beginning, the author lays out objectives for the book and throughout the text refers clinically to other sections ("as I outline in chapter X"). When analyzing specific songs, she often talks about chord progressions or such without any real interpretation of what that means for the song. Dolly has so much life and emotion in her, and that took away that aspect of her songs. 

Overall, interesting, glad I read it, but I would have liked for it to have some more of the spirit that Dolly shows in her songwriting.

As a thank, you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of Lydia R. Hamessley’s “ Unlikely Angel” I write this review. When you think of Dolly Parton you may remember her hit singles such as Coat of many colors, Jolene or 9 to 5. These are great singles in my opinion as they show Dolly’s lyrical and musical versatility to draw in the listener into a crafted story from beginning to end. Hamessley brought an intersectional lens to expressing Dolly Parton’s songwriting by exploring the musical and cultural heritage she experienced since childhood. This book examined the many themes in Dolly’s songs that fans have identified with for over 50 years. Hamessley distinguishes the artist and the individual in a lyrical manner identifying Dolly Parton’s persona and exploring her creative process as a songwriter. The book's content was superb however the attention to the musical composition may interest some but if you do not have a musical background this may not interest you. However, you would want to read this book if you are a fan of Dolly’s work and want insight into the woman who wrote these wonderful songs. Overall I give this book four out of five stars on Goodreads.

Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton will be released October 12, 2020. Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy.

When I was seven years old, my parents went to the movies. This was a huge deal. My parents didn’t go to movies. My six brothers and sisters and I did not go to the movies. So the event was burned into my memory. The movie they saw: 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. My mom couldn’t stop talking about the film to her friends and family on the phone, and that’s how Dolly Parton entered my life.

In the 1980’s, Dolly Parton had a variety show that I watched religiously. A year or two later she released Trio with Emmylou Harris and Linda Rondstadt, who I already loved as an artist. I wore out my cassette by the time Trio II was released a few years later. Just recently, I caught Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings series on Netflix and added Ultimate Dolly Parton to our music collection. I’ve always enjoyed Dolly’s self-deprecating sense of humor and appreciated her great charitable acts.

dollypartondollyparton2dollyparton3dollyparton4
If you are looking for a straight biography of Dolly Parton, Unlikely Angel isn’t it. To be sure, there’s plenty of biographical information on Dolly, and the author interviewed her subject via email and got many written responses which are included in the text.  And there are tons of stories included.  But this is the study of Dolly’s prolific songwriting career. And if you thought that Dolly was just a dolled-up singer and actress, this book dispels that myth pretty quickly.

“I’ve created this and played it up–the makeup, the whole persona. I’ve overexaggerated and made things worse. But I’ve had a good time doing it, and it all came from a serious place: a country girl’s idea of what glamour is. But this isn’t all I am. It’s not even most of what I am. Hopefully, people can see beneath the hair to know there’s a brain, beneath the boobs to know there’s a heart, and behind all the other stuff to know there’s some talent.”-Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton has written more than 3,000 songs and over 450 of them have been recorded since she first started recording in the late 1960’s.  Hamessley contends that Dolly has three principles that define Dolly’s songwriting:

Dolly takes songwriting seriously
She thinks her songwriting is based on instincts
Dolly says her songwriting is “a God-given gift”
As stressed throughout the book, Dolly Parton wants to be seen as a songwriter first and foremost. All the other stuff, her singing, her acting, Dollywood, her fame, takes second place to the act that brought her all her success.

Unlikely Angel breaks down the songwriting process, the inspirations, starting with Dolly Parton’s impoverished upbringing in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, her years with Porter Wagner, and her solo career from country artist, to pop crossover artist, to bluegrass artist and beyond.  Even with plenty of quotes from Dolly and other sources, this is quite the technical read if you’re not a fan of actually making music. You’ve really got to be a musician to understand some of the stuff presented.

I appreciated the stories behind Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, and I Will Always Love You, among many other songs the book dissects. But if you’re looking for a straight biography of Dolly, I’d stick to her 1994 autobiography.

Unlikely Angel, The Songs of Dolly Parton, Lydia R. Hamessley

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Entertainment, Biographies & Memoirs

My bad, I didn't fully read description, just Dolly, Biography and Memoirs...and as a Dolly fan I thought it would feature more of her life, her journey into music. It does do that to a degree, but is more focused on analysing the music and writing ( I was shocked she was so prolific – didn't realise quite how many songs she'd written). 

As a businesswoman too she was a shrewd lady, recognising that to get the music she wanted to make rather than the producers wanted her to do she needed to play a long game. She was clear sighted about where she was going eventually, but it took her several detours. I so admire her persistence, when so many others would have given up, and she deserves all credit for that, her hard work, sticking to her ideals. 
I enjoyed the more personal sections, about Dolly and her life, her upbringing, imagining little Dolly touring the US in the van with her uncle, belting out songs from that tiny frame. I loved reading the inspiration for her songs, the people she was influenced by, but the rest wasn't really a book I would have chosen if I'd taken the time to read properly. I'm not really interested in taking apart songs, analysing them, just in listening to them and a brief look at what inspired them. 

For those who love that side of things, the technical dissection of her music then its perfect. Just not me. Another one of those reader taste issues, not a book writing issue. 


Stars: Three, a good book for the right reader, but for me it was just OK. 

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

As if I didn't love Dolly before, I certainly do now. I love getting additional information on her extensive catalog of songs, a behind the scenes look.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

This was a really fascinating book. I am not a huge fan of Dolly Parton, other than liking some of her biggest hits like “9 to 5”, “Here You Come Again”, and her duets with Kenny Rogers, so I enjoyed reading about her background but I really enjoyed diving deep into the meanings of her songs.

The book starts out with a synopsis of Dolly’s life and then a chapter by chapter deeper look into her songs. It is actually a very technical book and probably best suited for a musician, songwriter, or a hardcore Dolly Parton fan. Although, I am none of those and really enjoyed it. I especially liked the stories behind the songs “Coat of Many Colors”, “Jolene”, and “I Will Always Love You.” 

My main takeaway from this book is that Dolly is an extremely talented songwriter. Thank you to Netgalley for the providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this an impressive and extensive deep dive into the discography of a classic American singer and songwriter. I am only slightly aware of a few select Dolly Parton songs and I think this hindered my ability to fully understand the significance of her songwriting collection considering I was only familiar with only a few select songs.

I would recommend this book, but only if you have a grasp and awareness of her song catalog. This is not a straight forward biography. You are given snippets of her life throughout specific time periods, but the bulk of the book dissects songs in a professional technical manner, that may be too complicated for the average fan of Partons. To get the best experience of reading this book you should have more than a general awareness of Dolly Parton’s music collection.

I did enjoy reading about Dolly’s life and relationship with writing about various topics. I was excited to read about how inspired she is by life and her various interpretations of her experiences, which are woven into her lyrics.

This is an informative book that is interesting to follow along and see the changes an artist develops, and grows throughout time. It is a fun way to explore and learn about an artist.

This is without doubt an amazing book. I am sure that even the biggest Dolly Parton fans will find something new in this book. This is not just a biography this is like a Dolly encyclopedia. Lydia R Hamessley must have spent a lot of time researching and writing this book and it should be on the bookshelf of any Dolly fan.

Not only will Dolly fans enjoy this but songwriters and other music professionals will also love this book. The songwriting process is covered in great detail and I must admit that some of that was way beyond my understanding giving a listening outline for some of her tracks and looking at tonic chords, etc.

Going to have to start a tip jar and save up for the hardback book to have on my bookshelf as this is a book I would use as a great musical reference for Dolly's work

I love Dolly Parton and her music. This book  talks about all her songs and what she has gone through. While reading this book, I realized i had already read the one she written herself. I love this one, because it talks about everything. If you look up Dolly Parton now you will see she has accomplished so much more. I am thankful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book takes a detailed look at Dolly Parton's life choices. In a thoroughly researched tale, Lydia Hamessley lays out Parton's good will and her good works. All the good songs are mentioned and the book ties in the life behind the lyrics in a simple and straightforward way. If you enjoy all the minute influences of a superstar, you will enjoy this account.

I love Dolly Parton for as long as I can remember.  She is an icon. This book is a really great and fascinating read, that gives an insight to Dolly's songs.  A must read for any fans.

Lydia R. Hamessly's Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton was both more and less than I expected. I chose it because I was hoping it would have some info about Ms. Parton and about her music in general. I was not expecting a technical treatise.

There was a wealth of information about Ms. Parton, her history, and her music, which was delightful and an easy read. There was also an analysis of many of her songs, and how she creates music, which was fascinating, even though it was a bit much to slog through at some points.

Although the publisher classifies this as part of "The short, readable books in the Women Composer series," the book - at 296 pages - is slated on my Kindle as requiring 6 hours and 31 minutes to read. 

I think this book is ideal for actual musicians or serious fans of Ms. Parton, as so much technical information is included. While this is a boon for those in the industry, it should, perhaps, be noted on the book's page that this is not intended as a casual biography or memoir.

All in all, the book is enjoyable, but it is not a casual read by any means.