Reviews

Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton

kblum15's review

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emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

turophile's review

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.25

Who'd have thought that a book about a celebrity's fashion choices could be so engaging? I guess I should not have been surprised that this book would draw me in.  I love Dolly Parton and her wardrobe and choices are so much a part of who she is.  Fascinating book and wonderful hearing it in her words. 

odaniels's review against another edition

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5.0

5 stars bc it’s good for what it was. It was lively and funny and curious and I really enjoyed it. I even want to buy the book and I’m not even that familiar with Dolly’s music but I sure do like her!

andyourstruly's review against another edition

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3.5

This book does what it is trying to do superbly: it walks the reader (or listener, in the case of the audiobook) through Dolly Parton's life and career from a fashion perspective, and it makes Dolly look EXCELLENT.  Her legacy, once again, has been secured, and Dolly's business sense proves one of her most overlooked attributes.  The physical book is loaded with photos, and the audiobook features actual recorded interviews with a lot of the people from Dolly's life (included Dolly herself), and if Dolly Parton's fashion legacy is of interest to you, then this book delivers in SPADES.

The reason for the lower score from me has nothing to do with the execution and everything to do with that, well, it's part of a propaganda campaign.  Don't get me wrong: Dolly Parton seems like an incredible woman who has undoubtedly done a lot of good in the world and positively touched many peoples' lives.  However, I couldn't help but notice the contradictions like "Dolly loves herself the way she is and encourages everyone else to do the same" and "Dolly goes to bed with a full face if makeup every night so no one ever has to see her without."  The interviews all talk very flatteringly of Dolly, but of course Dolly will only include flattering interviews in her book about herself.  

I read this as a book club book and went in without any real hopes or expectations for what I'd get out of it.  This book is a great collector item for Dolly Parton fans who want a compendium on this aspect of her life; however, if one is looking for an unbiased history of Dolly, this is not a great starting point.

rchandler's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

Dolly Parton is a classic and an Icon! This was a fun book to learn a bit more about who Dolly is and why she  is who she is. She is unapologetically herself and I love that so much about her. From the very beginning, she did HER and did not care what others thought or said, and i love that! Super fun read or listen. The audiobook is done like an interview, if you are a Dolly fan, you will love this 

thehmkane's review

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emotional funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

Fun and insightful. Loved the bits about her archives. She's just such a gem.

septi's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective

2.0

serkunet's review against another edition

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funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

emeraldmist's review against another edition

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funny informative fast-paced

4.5

fricka's review against another edition

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3.0

Audio